Chapter 2: Chapter 2. Betrayal.

To bolt now would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant.

In the course of his fugitive life, evading the relentless pursuit of the War God Faction, Ryan had learned a tough lesson: it was folly to flee when they were within earshot. Without fail, they always had a speedster in their ranks, someone with the uncanny ability to outrun you, to close the distance in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, the people from the War God pathway were infamous for their brutal, expansive attacks. A lapse in concentration, a momentary drop in your guard, could spell disaster.

Any attempt to run while under such a violent barrage of attacks would only serve to slow you down, to make you an easier target. It was this grim reality that made Ryan acquiesce to Noah's plan of hiding. He understood that, at this juncture, their only viable option was to lay low and hope fervently that they would remain undiscovered.

With a sense of urgency, they moved swiftly through the verdant forest, the undergrowth crunching under their feet, Noah taking the lead.

It was not long before they arrived at a cave, cunningly hidden behind a curtain of foliage. It was reminiscent of their previous shelter, only this cave was even more thoroughly masked by the dense vegetation.

Noah, leading the way, pushed the overhanging foliage aside to reveal the entrance to the cave. As they ventured inside, they found themselves in a dimly lit cavern. A large opening on the roof allowed a smattering of sunlight to filter in, the bushes and vines overhead serving to obscure the light and add to the cave's discretion.

As Ryan surveyed their new hideout, a sudden feeling of dread washed over him. Without a moment's hesitation, he summoned his protective armor and withdrew his weapon from his spatial equipment - a brilliant blue sword that seemed to be forged from pure ice.

No sooner had he armed himself, Ryan instinctively took a step back, barely avoiding a jet-black arrow that whizzed past him. The shooter had leveraged the dim light in the cave to launch a surprise attack. However, Ryan's years of combat had honed his danger perception, enabling him to dodge the incoming threat.

Despite having evaded the arrow, the sense of impending danger refused to dissipate. He knew his troubles were far from over.

Suddenly, a massive figure emerged from a shadowed corner of the cave. A heavily muscled man hurtled towards Ryan, a gigantic hammer swinging in his grip, its speed and force belying the man's size.

"Damn it!" Ryan spat out, a curse ripping through the tense silence as he saw the hammer hurtling towards him.

He knew from previous encounters with the burly man that taking the hammer's blow head-on was suicidal. But he also knew that he didn't have enough time to dodge it. Even if he managed to avoid a direct hit, the sheer force of the hammer's impact could knock him off his feet, leaving him vulnerable in this precarious situation.

Understanding that evasion was not an option, Ryan acted instinctively. With a swift movement, he thrust his icy blue sword into the ground directly in front of him.

The very moment his blade pierced the stony earth, an unexpected geyser of water erupted from the ground, uncoiling like an aquatic serpent to form a translucent barrier before him. It was as if the liquid had been lying in wait beneath the surface, anticipating his call.

No sooner had the watery shield firmed into existence than the ferocious swing of a hammer, wielded by a man whose brute strength was etched into his burly contours, crashed into the barrier.

The water screen rippled violently, struggling to absorb the raw power that the hammer had unleashed upon it.

The intensity of the hammer's strike was so great it threatened to shatter the water screen into a thousand droplets. Yet Ryan, standing tall and unflinching behind the barrier, bore no trace of worry on his face. He had known from the start that a barrier of mere water could not withstand the brutal force of the burly man's hammer.

As the barrier teetered on the brink of collapse, the sword Ryan had thrust into the ground suddenly ignited with a mesmerizing, icy blue glow. The flash illuminated the semi-dark cavern like a beacon, scattering a faint, eerie light across its rocky interior.

Upon the sword's blue flare, the temperature in the cavern plummeted drastically. A blast of frosty wind, born of the ethereal glow of the sword, swept across the room, turning every corner into a frozen spectacle.

Within seconds, the water screen solidified into a formidable wall of ice, the freezing wave spreading ominously towards the burly man, threatening to turn him into a life-size icy statue.

Ryan's moment of triumph, however, was short-lived. His danger senses flared violently, forcing him to rip his sword from the ground and leap back. Instantaneously, a jet-black arrow sliced through the icy air, narrowly missing him but grazing his left hand. The taste of blood in the air was immediate, a crimson spurt painting the frosty ground.

"Damn it!" Ryan swore under his breath, his eyes flickering to the arrow-imposed gash on his hand. Although not a mortal wound, the skin around the injury was rapidly turning a sickening shade of green. His hand stiffened, the venom from the arrowhead beginning to work its painful magic.

"An arrow...how could an arrow cause such trouble?" Ryan muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

The arrow, blended perfectly with the cave's shadowy gloom, was an ideal tool for a surprise attack. Worse yet, it was coated in deadly poison. This was not the fighting style of the War God pathway. No, it was more reminiscent of a stealthy assassin with some form of concealment power.

Ryan's mind raced, searching for answers. The Underground God pathway, infamous for its shadow and concealment abilities, was the only one that made sense. The realization sent a chill down his spine, colder than the frost emanating from his sword.

An alarming notion dawned on him as he sought to make sense of the attack. The covert assassin with his poisoned arrows, the burly man with the hammer, they had been hiding in the cave all along, lying in wait for him. The ambush had not been a chance encounter, but a premeditated attack. But how had they known he would come to this exact spot?

Noah!!!!

Noah had led him to the concealed cave, and the absence of any echoes of battle indicated that he alone had faced the attack, leaving his companion untouched.

Noah betrayed him.

As this realization dawned upon him, the piercing sound of a sword striking flesh reverberated through the cavernous chamber.

*Thwack*