Vanished and Fought

Chapter 1

Arsene jumped over another fence. It was an easy feat due to his tallness. The police, though moving significantly slower than him, were still pursuing him after running around 10 blocks. Arsene dipped into an alley and created an illusion to lead the police on while he slipped into the sewers.

"Well, that was easy." He said, walking away from the manhole cover, and deeper into the tunnels. He knocked the secret code on the wall and the wall opened up to his hideout. "Home sweet home." He groaned, flopping on his bed. He got up and started making food."Food first, then a shower." He said, throwing all the ingredients in a pan before getting out of his clothes. "I'm starving."

He sat at the counter, waiting for dinner to cook while he began thinking about what to do next.

"Hmm... I need money, but it's not like I can just go get a job or anything..." He sighed. Right after he said that he heard gunshots outside, and a thud against the wall. "The fuck is going on out there!?!" He said, summoning his sickle from the tattoo on his arm. He opened the wall just to see a person fall into his house. "Shit"

The person had two gunshots in their shoulder, and three more in their left leg. Arsene dragged them inside and closed the wall as he heard cops' voices. "Jeez, what the hell did you do?" he asked, not expecting an answer. "Welp, let's get you cleaned up."

Arsene began the long process of healing the stranger's wounds. While also needing an energy drink every five seconds. After a while, and any cans of Monster later, Arsene had completely healed up the person. "Time for me to take a nap."

Before he dozed off, the person awoke. He stood up with some difficulty and looked around the room. "Wait, where am I?" they muttered to themself. "What happened to me...?" he continued to question. "You were injured, so I helped you," Arsene said, rising to his full 6'7 height, "I'm Arsene. Now, if you excuse me."

"Oops. Sorry." The person apologized, stumbling out of Arsene's way to the kitchen.
"So who are you? Why were you shot?" Arsene asked, leaning over the counter. "I'm Alfie. And I was shot because I'm a magic user, and I'm guessing your one too."

Alfie took off his jacket, revealing his tattoos. His right arm was covered in vines and roses. "Where are we?"

"My secret little hideout down in the sewers. Charming, isn't it?" Arsene said sarcastically. "Anyways, don't worry about my hideout. We should be safe here."

Arsene grabbed two bowls of instant Kraft mac and cheese and popped them into the microwave. "Sooooo what kind of main magic do you use?" Arsene asked. "Chaos. You?"

"Necromancy mostly, though I was also lucky enough to get two major magics, and the other one is healing." Alfie chuckled. "So one magic needs dead people and the other prevents them?"

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit ironic." Just as Arsene said that the microwave went off. "That's dinner!" He exclaimed, rushing to get the two bowls, handing one to Alfie and keeping the other one or himself.

The two of them ate in silence, not knowing what to talk about. Alfie opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by knocking and the secret door opening. Alfie jumped back, startled. "Don't worry, it's just my friends. But they didn't tell me they were coming over, and they usually do." Arsene said with a scowl.

As the door slid open, two girls rushed inside, one practically holding the other. They were both injured badly, and once inside they fell to the ground. "Oh my god! Lainey, Amira! What happened?!" Arsene rushed over them, summoning his magic, and started tending to Amira's wounds. "No....Lainey.....First..." Amira whispered. "No Amira, I have to treat you first, you have the worst wounds."

After Amira's wounds were healed, Arsene started on Lainey's. The entire time Alfie sat awkwardly and the counter, eating his mac and cheese. "So, what happened?" Arsene asked after Amira was feeling better.

"We were ambushed. Elliot is selling us all out for a pardon and money from the king himself. We came here after for help and to warn you." Amira said, grimacing. "That slimy, sniveling worm. The next time I see Eliot, I'm tearing him apart. But, thank you, Amira. I guess we're gonna have to do the inevitable, we have to flee beyond the wall."

Alfie looked shocked. "Like, out of the kingdom? Wouldn't that be certain death!?" He cried. Amira looked at Alfie and then back at Arsene. "So who's this? Your new boyfriend?"

Both Alfie and Arsene's faces flushed. "NO," Arsene yelled. "Well, that's disappointing. Well Arsene's 'friend', no, you do not die immediately after passing over the wall. I mean I've been over there plenty of times, and Lainey is from there."

Alfie stared at Lainey, who was passed out, surprised. "You mean she's a-"
"No, she's not a demon, at least not fully. She's an elf, the child of a human and a demon." They all heard a boom outside. "Well, that's our cue to leave then," Arsene said using his magic to grab a few things and some food while Amira grabbed Lainey and put her on her back. Arsene grabbed Alfie's hand and led the group up some stairs.

He sealed off the way behind the group, and then stopped at the wall halfway through the staircase. "Let's go. This way will lead us out closer to the wall and hopefully throw them off our trail. They could all hear muffled shouting from below.

They ran through the passage till it led to a door. When they opened it, they were behind a row of small houses close to the wall. On Amira's back, Lainey opened her eyes. "Where are we?"

"Near the wall. You woke up just in time, I don't think I could get over it with you on my back." Amira said with a smile. Lainey slid off Amira's back. Alfie looked at everyone. "We might not need to go over the wall. With my magic, I can open a space in the wall."

They all backed away from the wall as Alfie raised his hands. The air around them and the wall distorted and then a small chunk of the wall became semi-transparent."Go, I can't hold it for too long!" Alfie yelled while everyone else rushed through. Just as Alfie ran through the gap, the cops bust open the door. Once Alfie was out of sight, the hole in the wall vanished, leaving only a faint mark of where he disappeared through. "Well, that was nerve-wracking."
"You don't say." Arsene laughed. "Okay, let's keep moving. We still gotta find shelter." Lainey told them."Yes, but where?" Alfie questioned. "I know of a place, it's a safe zone," Lainey suggested, and they all agreed to start working their way there.

✢———✢

The little shelter was crawling with cops. But through the chaos, and calm, imposing figure stepped through. "Any clue as to where they went?" He said, picking up a bag left behind by the fugitives. "Uhm, Sir, Elliot said that one of the people who fled is an elf, and he thinks they went beyond the wall-" The detective slammed his hands down on the counter.
"I don't give a damn what that maledictus says. He's probably lying about that anyways."