Paragon of Destruction

While the fight had lasted only moments, it brought Arran two things that bolstered his confidence for the journey ahead.

The first of these was the familiar surge of power he felt when the novices and recruits died.

He’d thought he lost the Blood magic’s ability to consume life force when it was devoured by the Dragon’s Ruin, but instead, it seemed the Dragon’s Ruin had somehow seized the ability for itself.

While Arran didn’t understand how this had happened, he was happy that it had. It was an ability that made him all but invincible against large groups of weaker enemies, and while he still distrusted its origins, he was happy to retain this part of it.

The second, meanwhile, had come when he faced the Iron Mountain adept.

He had long wondered how strong Shadowflame adepts were, and although his power had increased greatly since he crossed the border, he hadn’t been confident in his ability to defeat them. But now, he knew that with his physical strength and his resistance to Essence, he should be more than a match for an average adept.

The only thing that gave him some pause was the attack Rockblaze had used. Instead of attacking with Essence directly, Rockblaze had used it to launch a giant boulder, striking their foes with devastating effect.

Arran’s resistance to magic would do him little good against such an attack, and he understood that in the future, he would have to be on guard against similar tactics. While he had gotten stronger, adepts were still a serious threat to him.

But then, the most pressing threat at the moment wasn’t an adept but a Master. Against an enemy like that, Arran had no chance of victory — not in a fair fight.

And to make the fight unfair, they needed to reach Uvar as quickly as possible.

On the first day, they continued well into the night, only stopping to rest when the two novices could go no more.

The second day passed much like the first, with the small group running as fast as the novices could go. Neither Snowcloud nor Zehava complained, but it was obvious that the pace was one they could maintain for long.

"We’re not moving fast enough," Arran said late in the afternoon, as they were stopped for a short rest. "At this rate, we’ll probably get caught before we reach Uvar."

Even if he had no idea how far behind their pursuer was, a Master would not be slow in traveling. And from what Zehava and Rockblaze had said, their lead should be a day or two at most.

"There’s nothing we can do about that." Rockblaze cast an annoyed glance at Arran. "We can’t go any faster than this — not without leaving Lady Snowcloud and Zehava behind. All we can do is hope that it’s enough."

Arran frowned. "I think there might be a way..."

When they set off again some minutes later, Zehava was draped over Rockblaze’s shoulder, while Arran was carrying Snowcloud. Both novices had balked at the suggestion, but only briefly — as much as they disliked the idea, it was still much better than the alternative.

After that, their pace increased greatly. Even while carrying the novices, Arran and Rockblaze were able to move much faster than before.

To Arran’s delight, Rockblaze now struggled to keep up with him, and the effort left the adept visibly exhausted.

That he was happy to see this wasn’t because of some petty dislike — not entirely, at least. Rather, the misgivings he had about Rockblaze’s intentions still lingered, and if the adept turned on them, he wanted every advantage he could get.

With a higher speed and fewer breaks, they covered far more ground than before, and Arran’s confidence in reaching Uvar before they were caught steadily grew stronger.

Then, on the third day, Arran detected a group of people on the road ahead of them with his Shadowsight — another Iron Mountain search party.

"Quick! Hide!" Even as he spoke, he rushed into the dense brush along the side of the road, moving far enough that the novices’ Sense would not be able to detect him.

Rockblaze followed behind him, though there seemed to be some reluctance in the adept’s movements. In a low voice, he asked, "Why are we hiding?"

Arran did not respond immediately, remaining silent until they were far enough from the road not to be detected. Then, he said, "There’s a search party ahead."

A frown appeared on Rockblaze’s face. "How do you know? I didn’t Sense anything."

"I just do," Arran replied curtly.

Rockblaze gave him a suspicious look. "Even if you’re right, why would we hide? Maybe there’s one of my comrades among them, and we could use the help. And if not, even if they’re enemies, a few novices would barely slow us down."

"One of them could be wearing a Lifesense amulet," Arran said.

While this was true, the more important reason was that he did not want to risk having one of Rockblaze’s allies join them. Even if it would mean they had more help in the fight to come, once they had dealt with the Master, it would leave them at Rockblaze’s mercy.

They waited quietly as the group passed in the distance, just barely within range of Arran’s Shadowsight. "They’re gone," he said finally.

Once more, Rockblaze looked at him suspiciously. "You have many secrets."

"And I will keep them," Arran replied. Before Rockblaze could respond, he headed back toward the road.

Despite the tension between Arran and Rockblaze, the remainder of the journey passed without issue, albeit silently.

After four days, they finally reached Uvar, and Arran felt an immediate surge of relief when he laid eyes on the city’s crumbling walls. Here, they stood a chance of survival.

Rockblaze, however, gazed at the city scornfully. "How is this supposed to help us?" he asked, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice.

"You’ll find out when you walk inside," Arran replied.