Climbing the Ranks - Chapter 24 preview (Patreon)

“Seriously, boss, I’m not with them.” Arthur gulped, even as the other man finished tying his hands up in front of him. Not that Budo was listening to him. His one major protest had seen him struck across the head, leaving him with a nagging headache and blood spilling down an open scalp wound.

Budo ignored him further, shoving him backwards so that he was propped further back up against the tree as he went through Arthur’s backpack. He tossed the stolen clothing, tent and other camping gear aside with casual disregard. He’d already pocketed the small bag of crystals that Arthur had kept separate. Luckily, so far, he hadn’t searched Arthur’s body too thoroughly and had missed the small pouch he’d slipped on the inside of his pants that kept the pill he had found.

He didn’t know what it was, but outside of the disposable crystals, it was his biggest gain. Well, beyond his sword and he couldn’t shove that down his pants to hide it. After all, he wouldn’t want it nicking the other, more important rod he had down there.

Finished with her perusal, Budo put the tip of his sword against Arthur’s neck, making him raise his head as the other man rested it against his neck. “Where are they going?”

“I don’t know!” Arthur said. A second later, he hissed as Budo pushed the blade against the side of his throat, cutting open a wound. “Be careful!”

“Mmm… you’re right. I should just chop off your fingers instead. Less chance of you bleeding out.” Budo said, moving the sword away from Arthur’s neck.

Arthur stuck his tied hands between his legs so that the man couldn’t get at them easily. Not that any other part of his body wasn’t vulnerable. He’d been placed against the tree, back to it and forced to sit down so all he could do was wait.

“I really don’t know anything. I never met any of you people before. I was just getting some clothes…!” Arthur said, hating how his voice grew higher as the sword waved in front of him. Even so, he flicked his gaze around, searching for a way out of this. A way to escape. His feet hadn’t been tied off, thankfully. And his sword had been discarded down the side. As he shifted and squirmed, the leaves beneath his body cracked and broke.

“Then you’re no use to me.” Budo drew back his hand to thrust the blade.

In that small gap, Arthur acted. His feet had dug into the dirt a little and with Focused Strike pushed through his feet, he kicked upwards. Not directly at Budo, but so that he could throw up the dirt and leaves under his feet, flinging it at speed at his opponent. For a brief fraction of a second, Budo was surprised before he lashed outwards, thrusting his sword forwards at where Arthur had lain before.

Too late.

Arthur had rolled aside immediately after kicking away, pushing himself into a backwards roll around the edge of the tree, knocking his own shoulder on it. He came up on his feet even as Budo tore his sword out of the edges of the tree, sap and bark spaying in an arc as he did so. Then, choosing prudence over valour, Arthur turned around and ran for it, hands still tied.

“I’ll kill you!” Budo roared behind him. Yet, Arthur noticed, he didn’t chase after him immediately. He assumed it was because he was busy grabbing his own bag or something, rather than leaving it abandoned like Arthur himself. Or maybe his kick had actually put some dirt into his opponent’s eyes.

Either way, it gave him a small headstart and Arthur intended to make full use of it. He skimmed around in a long circle, not intent on running in a straight line. In fact, his gaze darted across the surroundings, searching for ways to throw his opponent off.

Kuching Hitam over there. Don’t get too close, he didn’t want to get attacked, but get close enough that it was alerted and started stalking him. He made sure to run by, pounding away as fast as he could. If he did this right, the two pursuers would run into one another and fight.

Not that he expected the Kuching to do much to Budo. He was not that lucky, not by far. But it might buy him another minute or so.

Push yourself, jump over the logs, duck under the branches, keep pushing. Spit around the giant spiderweb that you never noticed till you ran through it, wiping at your face with still tied hands. Arthur kept moving, trying desperately to find ways to slow down his pursuer, chart his escape and undo the knots around his hand.

Thank Quan Yin the idiot had not bothered to tie his hands properly. Probably never thought Arthur would try – and manage – a real escape. Even so, for all his success, Arthur knew he was on a ticking clock. On that note…

“HELP! ORANG GILA BELAKANG SAYA! HELP!” Arthur kept screaming and running. Maybe… maybe…

“I’m going to chop you up!” Budo snarled, all too close behind him.

A quick glance back had Arthur spot the man pounding away behind him. He was fast gaining on him. Arthur held his view for a second more before he turned back around, just in time to desperately run around a tree, nearly knocking himself off his feet as he bounced off it and scraped his arms – held up against his own chest – raw.

Then, he kept running, counting off in his head. At the last second, he threw himself to the left, a little too slow for the cut that ripped blood out along his back and wincing in pain as he dodged. Still, it gave him a few seconds as Budo got his balance back and Arthur ran around the tree.

Only to realise that behind the thick brush he had crashed through, there was a steep hill beneath. He had a fraction of a second to take all that into account, before he was running down the steep cliff face, desperately trying to keep his balance as feet kept kicking out.

“Wait till I – Aaaargh!”

Arthur would look back except he could not afford to do so. He was – barely – managing to pick out places to put his feet, the increase in his senses managing to spot the dips and twists in the ground before him. He would have spotted this damn cliff too, if he had actually been paying attention instead of, well, worrying about the man about to stab him in the back.

Large crashing sounds that disappeared and reappeared behind him and to the side had Arthur wondering what was going on. A second later, he found out as Budo, sailing pass him in giant leaping bounds to help convert the sudden rush downwards swept pass Arthur. He was so focused on leaping constantly like a gazelle down the cliff he had forgotten to even swing his weapon at Arthur as he passed.

Not that it mattered since both of them were rushing to the bottom of the cliff face and Arthur had no way to stop his own headlong rush. Not without risking breaking his own feet.

One last jump and Budo was in the air, arcing through the dangerous sleet right at the bottom of the hill, almost recovering some of the ground he had lost while falling downwards.

Without thinking, Arthur changed direction a little. He jumped himself, hands held out by his side as he hit his opponent in the side with his shoulder. It was only at the last second that he found himself screaming, unable to believe he was doing something that dumb.

“Banzai!”