THE ARMOURER;

CHAPTER ONE – KNIGHT IN BLOODY ARMOURDOWNTOWN CAIRO, EGYPT Khalid observed the entourage from a rooftop. One sports car, Six SUVs and a bullion van at the end, all black. They stopped at a building opposite the one on which he stood. Two men on black suits and black shades stepped out of each vehicle on either side and stood with one hand in their coat’s inner pocket. A pink-haired young man stepped out of the sports car. He looked around and walked casually into the building, patting the security personnel on their heads as he entered. One from each pair of the men followed him in. “Update” Khalid spoke into his comms after some minutes. “Room 456” a female voice replied via the comms. “Ironic” Khalid replied and pulled up his face mask over his nose and mouth. He adjusted his hood and swords and walked to the edge of the rooftop. He took one last look at the building across and leaped. Halfway between his initial position and his next one, he flung a metallic device out of his

CHAPTER THREE – THE BLADES OF OSIRIS! Cairo, Egypt Khalid took off his costume and placed them in a universal cleaning machine in the room. The room was prominently dark, the only source of light being a window, more of a hole, very close to the ceiling. This was his lair. His weapons hung around the room, knives, arrows, crossbows, knuckle blades, shurikens and all sorts of crude assassinator weapons. The lair was an underground two-bedroom apartment situated beneath a continental hotel in Cairo. All his training and weapons had been sponsored and taken care of by a lady who chose to be referred to as Baroness. She had seen him assassinate people in the streets of Cairo and was impressed by how neat and stealthy, though amateur, he had done the jobs. She had approached him after one kill, the innocent-yet-determined look still in his eyes, and took him under her “wing”, though she was never close to him since then again. She bred him through different instructors in martial arts, a

CHAPTER FIVE – PHARAOH OF BLOOD New Memphis, Egypt The scenery depicted few towering buildings that stood out amongst the majority of lower buildings. It had obviously been designed, chiefly by the Royal House of Rameses, to replicate the glorious ancient empire of Egypt but in a modern way. The pyramids would have brought unnecessary attention to the land so the idea was cancelled out for the time being. The mantle of the Pharaoh had been reenacted with a touch of modernization. The “nemes” and “shendyt” were replaced by the golden crown and a winter coat laced with gold at its fringes. The palace was adorned as royal with golden furniture all over its interiors. Few people of the outside world knew of the existence of the city, mainly powerful, wealthy or prominent people. These people were either beneficial to the city’s advancement or its economy. Whenever they visited, they were assigned to residential quarters in the royal palace, under scrutiny of the existing Pharaoh’s guar

CHAPTER SEVEN – CONFIRMATION Alexandria, Egypt Khalid walked into the previous secret bar-restaurant. He wanted to confirm if the bartender from before was still around or she had fled the surrounding areas. To his surprise and interest she was still there. Serving customers and greeting friends alike, most of who were inquiring of the previous incident. He went by a corner and sat alone, observing the girl. Either she was strong enough to endure a beating from the grey-dyed-haired man or she had a supporting force capable of saving her or defeating the man if the situation went beyond her breaking point. Either way, her staying back deeply impressed Khalid. When the space around her was clear, he walked to the counter. “Are you okay?” he asked without any formalities. The lady looked up, the temporary tattoo trailing from her eyelids to above her cheeks became more visibly detailed. She immediately recognized him as the man who had stood up for her and her expression switched to o

CHAPTER NINE – “WARM” RECEPTION New Memphis, Egypt Under the cover of the night, Khalid entered the city along with Akinis and the man who called himself the Eagle. Akinis had contracted his bow into a harp-like object which he hung on his waist, reducing the conspicuousness. The Eagle on the other hand slung his crossbow across his back in a hunter’s fashion. It was like he was ready to be treated hostilely. Khalid wasn’t comfortable walking with these two former associates. Though Akinis was yet to show any malicious intent, he still had to be wary. The carefree attitude of the Eagle was too discomforting. It was like he was leading the duo to a slaughterhouse and they were consentingly following. The trio had changed into the Egyptian commoners’ attire so they easily blended into the inhabitants. They looked like a hunter and his sons coming back from a futile hunt. Only this father carried a rather too military crossbow. As they neared the urban parts of the city, they could spo