Luke watched from the brush as he moved uphill with Franky tucked under one arm. Someone stood at the top of the stone staircase.
When he reached the ridge, the view opened. The temple grounds were no longer empty. A full encampment had been raised around it: rows of tents, makeshift barricades, banners swaying in the stagnant air.
But they weren’t the banners of Lagras. Each flag bore a crimson finger.
So the base had been taken.
If Cassandra, Peter, and the rest of the military had withdrawn with the villagers, then there was no one left to hold this place. No one to stop the other factions from moving in and claiming it for themselves. And claiming this site was more than symbolic. Controlling it meant denying everyone else a fortress, a fallback point, a foothold.
At the same time, one question refused to leave his mind. Just how many people did Miles have under his command to spread forces like this?
“Snake,” he whispered, keeping his voice low. “I need what’s inside that temple, and whatever information I can scrape from this place. So stay quiet and don’t move.”
***
After scouting the grounds and counting the sentries, Luke had his number. Forty people were stationed outside, guarding the temple.
He stepped out of the brush and crossed the courtyard with two throwing knives in hand, lazily tossing them upward and catching them again as if he were simply passing the time.
“Good evening,” Luke said.
“Evening,” the man replied.
“Cold night.”
“Yeah. This place is always like that.”
They stood there beneath the star-filled sky. The man puffed on a pipe and tilted it toward Luke. “Want some?”
“No. Thanks.”
Luke lifted one of the knives so the man could see it.
“Nice weapon. You make that yourself?”
“I think so,” Luke murmured. “So, any sign of intruders?”
“Intruders? Unless the Lagras army shows up, nobody’s dumb enough to come here,” the man laughed. “Relax. I’m watching the area.”
“Good,” Luke said, giving his shoulder a friendly pat. “I’ll head to my post.”
He walked away, turned… and flicked the knife.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
“I kind of wanted to see how long you’d drag that out with nothing but small talk,” Artemis muttered.
“Honestly? I’m surprised it worked this far,” Luke replied.
He kept whistling as he strolled across the courtyard. The moment he spotted another man walking past a wall, he sent a second blade spinning.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
Luke vaulted onto the roof of a nearby structure, gaining a full view of the camp. He drew another knife and threw it, activating [Telekinetic Impulse] mid-flight.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
Then another.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
Bodies began dropping, one after another, silent and sudden, like shadows tearing loose from the night.
He leapt down, landing beside the temple entrance. Someone stepped through the doorway just in time for a knife to bury itself in his throat.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
Near a bonfire, three men were eating and laughing. Luke’s knife struck the first one in the skull, dropping him face-first into the flames.
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“What the hell—?!”
A second blade lodged itself in the next man’s throat. The third barely had time to gasp before a knife punched into his eye, his hands scrambling uselessly at the hilt.
[Telekinetic Impulse activated]
The final throw tore through his skull like a sniper shot.
Luke kept walking, still whistling.
“What’s all that noise?” someone muttered, stepping out of a tent.
Two knives hit him before he could finish the sentence.
Luke entered the temple interior and found three men working at a forge. He threw a knife into the first before they even realized he was there.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
“Attack!” one of the others shouted, hurling a hatchet across the room.
Luke slipped behind a pillar as it shattered against the stone. He leaned out, throwing blade after blade while the two survivors dove behind cover.
He smiled, lifted a hand.
[Telekinetic Pull activated]
Five knives whipped backward through the air and punched straight into the man’s back, slamming him to the floor.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
“Damn it, Phil!” the last one yelled, crouched behind a worktable. “Come any closer and I swear I’ll blow us both to—”
Luke sighed and tossed another knife.
[Telekinetic Impulse activated]
The blade tore through the table. Blood pooled beneath it a heartbeat later.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
**Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 28!**
Still whistling, he moved deeper into the temple.
***
Luke stepped through the doorway and was greeted by a rush of fire. Heat burst across the room, forcing him to retreat and press his back against the wall beside the entrance.
“I don’t know who the hell you are or how many of you there are, but if anyone tries to come in here, they’re dead!”
Luke let out a slow sigh. He pulled the bow from inside his haori and channeled [Acid Blood Arrow]. The shot hissed into the room, and a second later he heard coughing. The man staggered into view, stumbled over Luke’s foot, and before he could react, a throwing knife was already buried in his skull.
[You have slain a human…]
[+1 Soul Fragment]
**Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 67!**
He moved deeper into the structure until he reached a locked door. Activating [Witch’s Gaze], he studied the presence behind it.
“I know it’s just you in there,” Luke said calmly.
He kicked the door open. A man stood trembling inside, clutching a crossbow with shaking hands. The bolt shot toward Luke, but he slipped aside with ease.
The man tried to speak. “I surrender!”
“Now you surrender? Why didn’t you say that before trying to put a bolt through me?”
Terror hollowed the man’s eyes.
Luke’s knives flashed. Steel bit into his legs, dropping him to the floor with a cry of pain. A second later, a blade hovered at his throat.
“Tell me what I want to know, or you already understand what happens next.”
Franky padded into the room behind him. “Human, you really tore this place apart.”
“I told you to wait outside,” Luke muttered.
“He was worried about you,” Artemis said.
“That’s a lie. I just came here to make it clear you don’t tell me what to do.”
“Please don’t kill me!” the man on the floor shouted.
“Right. Where were we?” Luke adjusted the blade slightly. “Oh, yes. The part where you tell me everything you know about the hidden temple and its treasures.”
“I swear I’ll talk. Just don’t kill me.”
“I won’t. Now start talking.”
“As soon as I tell you, I’m dead anyway,” the man whispered.
“If you refuse, I kill you here and go find someone else who knows. Whether you cooperate or not is entirely your choice.”
“Damn it… come on, man, let me live.”
“What’s your name?”
“Seymour Butts.”
“Okay, Seymour Butts. Depending on how useful your information is, I’ll decide what happens.”
“Wait, what’s your name again?” Franky asked.
The man glanced nervously between them. “Seymour Butts.”
Franky snorted, a short, nasal burst he tried and failed to hold in. “Say it again. What’s your name?”
“Seymour Butts…”
Franky broke into full laughter.
“And do you like butts?” Franky asked, choking on his own amusement.
“I’m in the middle of an interrogation and you interrupt with that?”
“Come on, that’s funny.”
“It’s not funny! I might die here!” the man shouted.
“Quiet, Seymour Butts,” Luke said, and Franky completely lost control, collapsing into another fit of laughter.
“You heard yourself. You really said it,” Franky wheezed.
“It’s his name. Seymour Butts.”
Franky doubled over again.
“This is a stupid joke. How old are you, twelve?” Luke asked.
“Not even that,” Artemis replied.
“All right. Seymour Butts, tell me everything you know.” Luke said.
Franky immediately erupted into laughter again.
***
After copying the map, Luke drew his kukris from their sheaths. They had changed.
“I haven’t had the chance to use you two yet,” he murmured. “But I promise… I will soon.”
He invoked [Identify], and the interface revealed the new skills of his weapons. They were no longer just blades. They were alive.
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