Veloren

Chapter 20: Atop the Clocktower

At the top of the gigantic clock tower, Archer stares at the vast view of Argonaut before him.

*Flashback to a couple moments before the present.

Back at the scrapyard right after escaping from Jayce. Archer is speaking with somebody through a floating orb.

Orb: You got the core? Good job. With this, it will surely leave a serious backset to his plans. We are now one step closer to bringing him down...

Orb: We'll meet you at the top of the clocktower.

*Flashback ends.

Archer (thinking): They've stopped sending in more men for a while now... Have they given up...? Or are they planning something...?

Beginning to grow impatient, Archer wonders when the people he spoke with over the orb will arrive.

???: We finally meet.

Archer turns his attention to the side to see Heymlir standing across from him.

Heymlir: So you're the thief that stole the core amplifier. I am Heymlir, the mayor of this city. May I ask you why you stole that item?

Archer makes no comment until a familiar voice brings himself to alert.

Jayce: You should just give it up old man! He doesn't seem like the guy to talk much.

Jayce appears behind Heymlir with his gang.

"Now I'm glad to actually be here." – Jayce says with a pleasing grin.

Jayce: Yo, good to see you again so fast! So you were the thief that mugged them? Now that I put it all together, it makes sense!

Archer (thinking): Wait a minute...Was this entire thing a trap...?! I can't be certain that the person I was speaking over the Unity (the orb device) was the mayor but...Is it all just a coincidence...?

Archer: ... I see. So the two of you are working together.

Jayce: Stand back old man. Let me do what I came here to do. Besides...

Jayce's eyes hones in on Archer, – "I need to teach this fool a lesson anyways."

Jayce dashes towards Archer with a fist reared in. Archer swings his leg and the two attacks collide.

Archer sends a flying fire kick at Jayce, but he parries the attack and punches Archer in the face.

Archer lets loose a series of fire attacks – Continuously launching himself in a zig-zag fashion across the platform. The chain of attacks leaves behind a scorched trail in a slithering fashion. Archer was moving at speeds at which nobody had seen before; the eyes of all the Punk Riot members failed to track him. Through nimble flips and acrobatics, Jayce effectively evades all of Archer's relentless assault.

Again, Archer launches himself and Jayce ducks to evade. Archer repositions himself, somersaulting in the air and brings his fiery leg down. Jayce captures the higher calve of Archer's leg (non-fiery part), stopping the attack before it makes impact. Jayce then lands a punch to the stomach.

Archer reels back from the punch, allowing Jayce to send a combo of strikes, disallowing him to retaliate back.

While pummeling Archer, Jayce ponders on where he could be hiding the core. He looks over to Archer's pockets where his hands are kept inside.

Jayce tucks both arms between Archer's, then spreads them out so that his hands come flying out of their pockets.

A rare moment where Jayce was wide open in a bad position. Archer takes this opportunity and quickly knees Jayce in the jaw. The powerful attack flings Jayce's head back. An audible cracking sound can be heard and for a sliver of a moment, Jayce's mind blacks out.