Paragon of Destruction

Yet the executioner’s blade was different.

Even with Arran’s weak connection to the weapon, he could tell that it held an intelligence and cunning far beyond anything a mere treasure should possess. And more than that, it held a sense of purpose — it wanted to escape.

"It wants to leave this dungeon," he said. Then, with some hesitation, he added, "And this world, I think."

"The sword has the right idea," Karanos said. "But now, decide if you want to keep it. Either way, we have to leave."

Arran felt a brief moment of surprise that Karanos would leave the choice up to him, but then, he realized it made sense. Between the two of them, only he had any idea of whether the weapon could be trusted to remain hidden when they left the dungeons.

The decision was a tough one, and there wasn’t much time to make it. But as he gave it a moment of thought, Arran realized the risk would be too great. As much as he wished to have a treasure like this, he couldn’t stake their lives on his feeling that the weapon meant him no harm.

Yet when he was about to discard the executioner’s blade — if he could — he felt a sudden pressure coming from the weapon, as if it was urging him to move. And when he looked up, he realized it was urging him in the direction of the suit of armor stood against the wall.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he moved in the direction of the armor, curious to see what the weapon’s intentions were. He came to a halt a pace away from the armor, and there, he felt the sword pulling at his arm — a gentle force, clearly restrained to avoid startling him.

He raised an eyebrow in bemusement, but nevertheless, he moved the sword forward, then lightly touched it against the armor.

As soon as the two objects made contact, a small shred of shadow shot from the sword into the armor. And just a moment later, the jet-black armor collapsed, rapidly condensing into a head-sized ball of dense Shadow Essence.

That wasn’t the end of it, however. After a brief pause, the ball of Essence shrank further, forming into a small circle. And then, its darkness faded, until all that remained on the ground was what looked to be a simple iron bracelet.

"It seems your sword has bestowed a gift on you," Karanos said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"A bribe, more like," Arran replied flatly. Yet although the sword’s attempt at gaining his favor was far from subtle, he still picked up the iron bracelet, then put it around his left wrist.

He gave the sword a long look, then let out a sigh. "All right, I’ll take you," he said, and at once, a feeling of satisfaction emanated from the weapon.

In truth, it wasn’t the bribe that had swayed Arran’s decision. Rather, it was the fact that the sword had the wit to offer it in the first place. If it was smart enough to do that, then it was smart enough to not reveal them to the Remnants — not by accident, at least.

But Arran did not think the weapon would betray him. Even with what little he could sense of its consciousness, he was convinced it wanted to leave this world. And quickly, at that.

"So you’ve made your decision," Karanos said. "Good. Let’s go."

Without any further words, he headed out of the armory. Arran hurried behind him, though not without casting a last glance at the treasures they were leaving. Some small part of him suspected that he would never see the likes of it again.

But then, he couldn’t complain — he had already taken two of the armory’s greatest treasures, which was more than he could have reasonably hoped for.

As they made their way through the tunnels back to the surface, Arran realized that the Shadow Essence that flooded the world seemed different from before — thicker, somehow.

"The Essence—" he began.

"It’s changing," Karanos interrupted him. "Has been for a while. Which is why I suggest you focus on walking instead of speaking."

To this, Arran had no objections. If the tenseness in the mage’s voice was any indication, they were in grave danger. His questions could wait until they reached safety.

When they finally emerged from the tunnels, Arran was startled at the denseness of the Shadow Essence that lay across the city. It had been noticeable — and worrying — even in the tunnels, but here, the feeling of it caused a shiver to run down his spine.

Just a week earlier, the cloud of Shadow Essence had been like a thick fog. But now, it felt almost like a liquid that weighed on his shoulders and stifled his breathing.

And that wasn’t the worst of it.

The moment they stepped out of the tunnel, Arran Sensed three massive Remnants in the distance, all in different directions. And if he could Sense that many, the city must be absolutely crawling with the monsters.

"It’s worse than I thought," Karanos said. "If I had known—" He cut off mid-sentence. "No matter. We’ll have to find a way through."

The hours that followed were some of the most unnerving Arran had ever experienced. Crouching amid the crumbling ruins, they made their way through the endless city as best they could, moving in complete silence as giant monsters wandered the city’s remains around them.

And the creatures were giant indeed.

A few weeks earlier, Arran had been shocked when he encountered a Remnant that was hundreds of feet tall. But now, there were many that were far larger than that. Some were so large he could not even Sense their entire bodies — which meant they must be miles tall.

For a time, he thought the titanic creatures merely wandered around aimlessly. There seemed to be little sense to their choice of direction, as if they were moving around without goal or purpose.

But then, he began to notice subtle differences in the cloud of Shadow Essence that covered the city. Although it was thick and oppressive wherever he went, in some places it was denser than in others.

And the Remnants, he realized, were constantly moving toward those places where the Essence was densest. Like a herd of cows grazing a pasture, constantly seeking out those spots where the grass was thickest.

The thought brought Arran little comfort.

If the monsters were like cows, then he was like an unusually bountiful stalk of grass, filled to the brim with the Essence they feasted on. And if any of the creatures Sensed him, he had little doubt that it would consume him whole.

Karanos and Arran spent several hours navigating the city, their path constantly twisting and turning as they moved to avoid the Remnants. Several times, they had to wait as lumbering Remnants passed in front of them, hoping that another would not stumble upon them.

Yet amid the constant danger, Karanos’s Sense proved an excellent guide. Time and time again, the mage avoided threats long before Arran could even spot them, somehow finding a safe path past the creatures that roamed the city.

Still, he soon discovered that even Karanos wasn’t infallible.

On a seemingly safe and empty stretch of land — one of the few they had encountered in the city — Arran sensed a sudden feeling of alarm in his sword, so intense it nearly caused him to cry out in surprise.

"Stop!" he hissed at once.

Karanos came to a halt, then asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

"The sword," Arran whispered. "I think it Senses danger ahead."

Karanos raised an eyebrow in apparent bemusement, but nonetheless, a look of intense concentration appeared on his face a moment later as he faced the path ahead.

Several moments passed in silence, but finally, the mage turned back to Arran. "Ah," he said, and although his tone was calm, there was a barely veiled hint of shock in his voice. "I overlooked that."

They hurriedly set off again, changing their route to avoid whatever danger it was that Arran’s sword had Sensed.

It took them nearly a month just to reach the city’s edge, their pace often slowed to a crawl by the vast number of Remnants that dwelt amid the ruins. And during this time, Arran’s sword saved their lives over a dozen times, its Sense often picking up threats long before Karanos noticed them.

Yet eventually, they left the ruins behind. And although the blanket of Shadow Essence that covered the lands was just as thick here as it had been in the city — more so, in fact, since it grew denser by the day — there seemed to be fewer Remnants around.

They stopped for a brief moment of rest when the ruined city was half a day’s travel behind them. And as Arran rested his weary body, he asked, "How much farther do we have to go?"

Before, he had not dared ask the question — not with mortal danger lurking around every corner. But now that they had left the city, he was beginning to feel hopeful.

"Not that far," Karanos replied. "Barely half a year, assuming we make good pace."

"Half a year?" Arran looked at the mage in astonishment. "But the Essence... It’s growing thicker by the day."

Karanos nodded, his expression serious. "Indeed," he said. "So we’ll have to hurry. While I don’t know what is going to happen, I think you might not want to be here when it does."

"Then this isn’t just the arrival of winter?" Arran asked.

Until now, he’d tried to convince himself that the ever-increasing darkness was just the arrival of winter that Karanos had mentioned some weeks earlier. Every passing day made that explanation seem less likely, but he’d clung to the idea nonetheless, fearing what the alternative might be.

"I’ve weathered thousands of winters in these lands," the mage replied, "and none of them were anything like this. This is something different. This world is changing, and more rapidly than I had expected."

"I guess we’ll have to make haste," Arran said. Suppressing his worries, he added, "It’s just as well, I suppose. Not a lot of sightseeing to be done in this place, anyway."

They set off again some minutes later, moving through the pitch-black landscape as fast as Arran’s body would allow. A few weeks had allowed him to recover somewhat, but he had yet to regain most of his strength.

It was another problem that he had no way to solve, and one that was especially troublesome in their current situation. Pressed for time as they were, his weakened state was no small hindrance.

And that they were pressed for time was clear. Even ignoring Karanos’s words and the thickening Essence around them, Arran’s sword emanated an aura of urgency that came very close to fear.

That caused Arran more worry than even Karanos’s words had. Because already, he had seen enough of the weapon to know that when it sensed danger, the threat wouldn’t be far away.