Free SoulQuest by Percival Constantine Page A

pull himself up , flipping in the air and landing onto the roof in a crouch. He drew the cane once more and activated the pulse sword again.
    “This is the end of the line, my compatriots,” he said. “You cannot escape me.”
    “Wanna bet?” asked Zarim. He and Ekala broke into a sprint for the roof’s edge with Fredericks giving chase. But before they could reach the end, the rooftop entrance burst open and Tanus aimed his pulse cannon at the pair of them.
    “Not so fast,” he said.  
    “So what now, boss?” asked Zarim.
    “Think you can take that guy with one hand?” asked Ekala.
    Zarim shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
    She slipped Zarim’s gun into his free hand. He opened fire on Fredericks, but the masked man waved his sword, slicing it right through the bullet. Zarim’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I think I just realized who it is we’re dealing with, babe...”
    “Yeah, an’ who’s that?” she asked.
    “Templar,” said Zarim. The very long, quite creative stream of expletives that flowed from Ekala’s mouth made him realize just how much trouble they were in. Templar himself simply smiled.
    “My, my, my, it seems my reputation precedes me. I’ve often speculated as to which of us would prove to be the superior swordsman. Care to try your luck, Zarim?”
    “I’ll draw the big guy’s fire, you shoot that smug bastard!” Ekala jumped towards Tanus, hurling one of her boomerangs at his head. Tanus, despite his size, was quite swift and dodged it. But he wasn’t prepared as it swung around and struck him in the back. Ekala threw the second boomerang, but Tanus fired a pulse at it, stopping it dead in its tracks.
    “Got no more weapons, do you, darling?” he asked.
    Ekala just smiled, her hand snaking behind her back and drawing her throwing knives. “Wanna bet on that?”
    The knives flew from her fingers, and Tanus tried to shoot as many of them as he could, but missed two of them. He raised his metallic arm as a shield, the daggers striking it and bouncing off the frame. He took aim again and fired. Ekala back-flipped to avoid it, now trying to determine what to do next. She thought about a different route.
    “So tell me, how much is Templar paying you?” she asked.
    “What are you talking about?” asked Tanus. “Who’s Templar?”
    Ekala chuckled. “Seriously? He’s only one of the finest thieves in the entire world! And the guy you’re working with!”
    Tanus raised his cannon. “This is a trick.”
    She shook her head. “No trick, handsome. All of us are thieves. Difference is, we’re after that stone for someone who can use it for good. Templar’s after it for...well, I dunno why he’s after it, to be honest.”
    Tanus glanced over at Templar, watching him and Zarim fight. His eyes traveled back to Ekala. “How about we wait this one out for a few moments?”
    “Fine by me.”

    Templar definitely lived up to his reputation as an expert swordsman. Zarim fired several shots to open the battle, but Templar was able to either dodge them or expertly deflect the rounds with his pulse sword. Zarim tossed the gun away and drew his own blade and Templar smiled.
    “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
    The two men closed the distance between each other, their blades connecting with a burst of energy and sparks as steel met pulse. Zarim pulled away first and thrust at Templar’s ribs. Templar twisted, the blade narrowly missing Zarim’s back. He followed through with his movement, doing a complete turn and swinging his pulse sword from low to high, trying to slice Zarim from the waist to the shoulder.
    Zarim bent backwards, and the pulse sword passed over him. He righted himself and kicked Templar in the chest and then moved for another thrust. Templar deflected with his blade, then jumped over Zarim and swung again. Zarim spun, parrying Templar’s blade with his own. The two men took a few steps away from each other, each sizing the other up, each taking a brief reprieve to catch