The humming chime of steel against steel rang out as Nick blocked Ken’s sword just in time to save his life. The heavy weapon hit hard, sending sparks raining into the air, the impact reverberating throughout his bones.
Before Nick could process what was happening, a boot collided with his gut, sending him sprawling in the dirt with the wind knocked out of him.
“I knew that you were going to be a problem,” Ken’s voice echoed from behind Nick. He struggled to regain control over his body, certain that the next blow would land at any second. But by the time he turned his head, the swordsman was nowhere to be found.
Gasping for air, fighting to remain conscious, he rolled into a protective crouch, searching for any sign of his assailant. They knew I was listening after all. Ken must have been stalking me ever since, waiting for a chance to finish me off when no one was around to see.
Nick rolled back onto his feet with a grunt, casting his senses out in every direction. Try as he might, he could find no sign of his attacker, although he was certain that the man was nearby. He wanted to take off his pack and remove his sword, but Nick had a hunch that Ken was waiting for him to lower his guard.
That was when the sensation of killing intent flared again, coming from behind his back. Still half-stunned from taking a boot to his stomach, Nick dove to one side, narrowly avoiding a slash coming for his neck. Had it connected, the blow would have slain him on the spot, targeting the unprotected flesh between his jacket and his leather cap.
He spun on his heels and lunged, aiming for his opponent’s legs, just as the warrior leapt back and out of reach of Nick’s dagger. This time, he was able to keep his eyes on his attacker, who instead of following up, took a step back to regard Nick with disdain.
“I’ll admit that you’re better than I thought,” Ken said, a frown twisting his lips. “It didn’t have to be like this. You should have just done what you were told. We don’t have the luxury of entertaining dissent or pandering to the weakest among us. Our planet is on the chopping block, and we’ll do whatever it takes to save it.” Nick rose to his feet and assumed a defensive stance, recovering his balance as his opponent kept talking.
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“Jim’s plan is the right move. It’s the only way that we can beat Taltos at his own game. I don’t have anything against you, Nick. But if it comes down to you or the Earth, then I choose Earth. Since you seem hellbent on causing trouble, I have no choice other than to remove you from the equation. One death means nothing compared to the fate of millions.”
Killing another person must have bothered Ken more than Nick thought, judging by the man’s need to explain himself, even if it gave Nick time to recover. He couldn’t say that he was surprised by how the situation had evolved. He’d expected another run in with Jim’s crew after all, was planning on it in fact. He just hadn’t anticipated that they would try to assassinate him before he got the chance to make his move. It made some of the darker expressions he’d seen fall into place.
And the fucked-up thing was, Nick couldn’t say for certain that Ken was wrong. In the end, he didn’t know which approach would work best, although Nick believed that his way of thinking was correct. But if Jim was right, then Nick and his friends really were lowering humanity’s chances of survival.
If that’s what was motivating Ken’s animosity, then Nick had to respect that on some level. If their positions were reversed, Nick honestly wasn’t sure what he’d be willing to do.
Since he seems willing to talk, I should buy time until I can open my bag and draw my sword. It was clear from their initial exchange that Ken was skilled with his blade, likely more skilled than Nick himself. There was no way that Nick’s dagger would let him fend off the next series of blows that was coming the moment that Ken’s test of resolve came to an end.
They shouldn’t know about the bag’s powers or suspect that my sword is in there.
“I knew something was rotten,” Nick began sliding his backpack free from his shoulders, trying to keep Ken’s attention on his words and hands instead. “But I didn’t think that you would straight up try to murder me. Why are you doing this? We’re all on the same team, fighting for the sake of our planet. I respect where you’re coming from, but there must be a better way. We should be working together, not trying to kill one another.”
“It’s because of what’s at stake that problems like you need to be eliminated before your naive optimism ruins everything. If our strongest champions don’t reach the top of the tower and level up along the way, none of us will survive what comes next. I have people back home who need my help, and I’ll do anything to save them, no matter what I must sacrifice. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but like you said, there’s too much hanging in the balance to hold back.”