Chương 582: War Words

A full day passed. Luke and George moved through the forest together, setting traps.

"The skill you unlocked is seriously useful," Luke admitted, genuinely impressed. They dug pits and lined them with sharpened stakes. They rigged rope traps that would release heavy logs covered in spikes. Others were built to snap shut, collapse, or send debris crashing down onto whoever stepped in the wrong place. All of this became possible once George unlocked skills tied to his profession.

"What did you do before the system showed up?" Luke asked while watching him work.

"I was a forest ranger," George replied, kneeling and adjusting a buried rope line. He tugged the cord. The trap snapped into place with a violent jerk. Nearby, David chopped down trees with his axe, each swing echoing through the woods.

"After that I got a position with my country's government," George continued as he stood and wiped dirt from his hands.

"Eventually the Flame Hero recruited me into his team. Elijah used to be a cop, David was a firefighter, and Zoe was..."

"Biologist," Luke finished.

"She mentioned it before."

"Yeah." George glanced over his shoulder.

"We're done here," he called to David.

"Good. Then come help Elijah move the logs!" They followed the sound of his voice. Elijah stood in a clearing surrounded by stacked timber. Using a profession skill, he was altering the wood itself, making the logs heavier, tougher, and bristling them with natural spikes.

"You're going to be alone when things start getting ugly. You sure about this?" Zoe asked Luke. Over the past few days they had gathered equipment wherever they could. Luke now wore a green cloak that blended decently with the forest canopy.

"I'm sure," he answered calmly.

"The moment the orange bracelet tracker activates, they'll start hunting me again. Same as the past few days." His gaze shifted to Elijah.

"I just hope none of these traps fail."

"They won't."

Luke sat alone inside a wooden cabin. The others had already spread out, moving toward their assigned positions. By his estimate he had roughly an hour.

"Luke?" He turned. David stood in the doorway.

"Just came to check if you were really here," David said.

"You still don't trust the plan?"

"One small mistake and it's not just me at risk. Zoe will be too."

"Then go back to your position," Luke told him firmly.

"Being here could ruin everything." David hesitated, then nodded.

"Alright. Good luck." He left. Luke exhaled slowly. That guy almost screwed everything by leaving his post. He watched the surrounding forest for a while longer, making sure the area stayed quiet. After that he stepped fully inside the cabin and looked down at the orange bracelet on his wrist. Maybe thirty minutes left. Possibly less. All he had to do was wait for Yut's group to track him down. Then Luke heard footsteps. He frowned. Please don't let that be David again. Luke moved to the window and looked outside.

A familiar voice drifted through the trees.

"It seems our little dance was always going to end this way." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Yut. Luke glanced down at the bracelet on his wrist. The tracker hadn't activated yet. More figures emerged from the forest, spreading outward. Men loyal to Yut. Others belonging to Father's faction.

"You're probably wondering how I found you before the tracker even turned on," Yut called out, laughing.

"Let's just say a little bird very close to you told me." Every direction Luke looked, there were people. The place was completely surrounded. Yut rested a sword casually across one shoulder. In his other hand he tossed a stone up and down like he was bored.

"So," Yut continued, voice carrying easily through the clearing.

"Are you going to die hiding in that cabin, or are you coming outside to beg?" Luke studied the gaps between the wooden planks, scanning the forest. Completely surrounded. Mages held their staffs and wands ready to cast. Archers and crossbowmen already had him in their sights. Luke rested a hand on his bow. Even if he killed one of them right now, even if he somehow took down Yut, the others would rush him immediately. His hand slid to the machetes at his waist.

With different skills, maybe I could cut through half of them. Luke stepped out of the cabin.

"I'll hand over the orange bracelet," Luke said.

"That's what you all want, right?" A few of them laughed.

"You shouldn't have hurt the Father," one man replied. Luke slipped the bracelet back onto his wrist.

"I'm just one guy, and every one of you wants a piece. How about a suggestion? Why don't you all kill each other first. The group that survives can come collect me as a prize."

"You've got a lot of humor for someone about to die," a man with a crossbow remarked. Luke shrugged lightly.

"From where I'm standing, all I see are talking corpses." A few of the smiles vanished.

"Let's begin, then, Luke Moon. That's your name, right?" Yut's voice carried a heavy edge of contempt.

"Kneel on the ground and beg forgiveness for every time you insulted me and for killing one of my men. Do that, and I promise your death won't be too painful."

"Or we could settle this with a duel," Luke suggested calmly.

"You and me." Yut laughed.

"You want a duel? Now? When you're completely outnumbered?"

"Yes," Luke answered without hesitation.

"Or is that the only way you can fight, hiding behind all these people? Are you really that weak? Even surrounded by protection you still refuse a duel. That afraid, Yut Saeten? That's your name, right? The coward from Bangkok." Yut's jaw tightened.

"I know exactly what game you're trying to play," he said coldly.

"But you're going to play mine." He started walking forward.

"Yut…" one of the Thai men began.

"You shouldn't…"

"Shut up!" Yut snapped.

"I do whatever I want." He glanced toward the Father's soldiers, then back at Luke.

"If I die, just kill this bastard afterward." Luke slowly sheathed his machetes.

"There's only one rule in this duel."

"And what rule is that?" Luke grinned.

"Suck my balls!" In the same motion he drew his bow and fired a rapid volley of arrows. Barriers flashed to life. Arrows shot back toward him. Luke threw himself backward through the cabin doorway.

"You missed every shot, you cowardly piece of shit!" Yut shouted.

"I wasn't aiming at you idiots!" Luke yelled back as the small house began to explode around him. At that exact moment, a deep rumbling sound rolled down from the hillside. When Yut turned around, he saw them. Massive logs studded with spikes were already rolling down the slope. Luke had shot the rope that held them in place. Luke burst through the opposite window and rolled across the ground, dodging arrows as they rained down around him.

Behind him the cabin detonated completely, flames devouring the wooden structure. Heat licked at his green cloak and the tip caught fire for a brief moment before he smothered it with a quick roll. With his senses pushed to the limit, he sprinted forward. A machete flashed through the air, knocking arrows aside. He cut down one of the Father's soldiers with a slash across the face, then spun and severed the hand of a woman who tried to stab him from behind. Luke hurled one of his machetes into a nearby tree.

A second spiked log released instantly, tearing down the slope and smashing straight through five members of the Father's group. Luke dashed through the opening and plunged into the forest. Bolts of lightning streaked toward him. He zigzagged through the trees while explosions of splintering wood followed behind. His pursuers shouted for his death as trees crashed to the ground. He kept running.

"The bastard is around here somewhere!" He vaulted over a thick layer of fallen leaves. Two of the Father's men stepped onto the same patch seconds later. The ground collapsed beneath them. Hidden stakes waited below. Their screams echoed through the forest.

"Help! Help me!" Luke reached a hillside and began firing arrows into several trees along the slope. Crates hidden in the branches burst open, dumping thick mud and water down the incline. The ground turned slick instantly, making it nearly impossible for his pursuers to climb after him. When Luke reached the top of the hill, he saw someone standing there, watching everything unfold below.

"David," he said.