I ended up letting out a laugh. Nothing that guy said made sense to me. I had just killed two of his allies, and the first thing he thought about was recruiting me to their side. This guy really must be out of his mind.
"Dude, I'm not kidding. You're too awesome to kick the bucket here." While speaking, the masked man set aside his sword for a moment and removed his mask. "Would telling who I am prove that I'm not messing around?"
I observed my opponent's actions; I should keep making him lower his guard. I would do everything possible to defeat him without wasting time. Likewise, I raised my hands as a sign of surrender, letting go of the only dagger in my hands. The weapon hit the ground, coming to rest just a few inches from my feet. It was a risky plan, but it was the only thing I could think of in this escalating tension.
"But what do you gain by going against your bosses? Why go so far for a mere slave?" I inquired. It was bothering me, but I also needed a moment of his lapse to attack.
He scratched his head. It seemed like he was thinking of an answer to convince me to stay by his side. While he appeared to be focused on his thoughts, I looked around and found what would make my plan a success—the poisoned arrowhead from the archer. She was a few steps away from me. I took a deep breath. It was now or never.
Still, with my hands raised, I took a few steps forward, distancing myself further from the dagger. He seemed to notice that I was moving away from my weapon. It felt like with every step I took, his sinister smile grew even wider.
"Looks like this offer has grabbed your attention, kiddo. I mean, who wouldn't be interested, right?" He said this while opening his arms. "Now you have the chance to get back at the one who enslaved you for so long. It's something that many people in your shoes would want." He had begun to approach me, moving further away from his weapon. "That's awesome! It looks like you're about to make the best decision of your life."
I was standing just inches away from him, with the arrowhead at my feet. It seemed like he hadn't noticed my real interest in getting so close to him. This was perfect. With a quick movement, I struck his chest. I had imbued my fists with energy, so the blow was stronger than usual. However, somehow he had anticipated my attack, and a little before the punch connected, he raised his defense. He put his arms in an X shape, absorbing most of the impact.
He was dragged away by the impact but seemed not to have suffered any significant damage.
"Wow, you know how to make a great first impression, kid!" he said without removing his cynical smile.
That had caught me by surprise. How could a regular person withstand an energized blow? I needed to find out what this guy was up to.
With a dash faster than my eyes could follow, my opponent had arrived so quickly that I was left in shock. Seizing the opportunity during my moment of disbelief, he grabbed my neck with frightening strength.
"You're a pretty interesting guy!" he spoke while lifting me into the air, choking me. "That's a bummer, man. You made me your enemy - not the best decision you've ever made."
I was running out of air quickly, and I was on the verge of losing consciousness. I struggled to break free, but I was losing all my strength. I couldn't give up at that moment; I needed to know why I had died and seek revenge against my own father, the man who had killed me, taken everything from me. It seemed like my journey as Kaleb was about to end. Only a divine intervention could save me at this moment.