Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2 Master Zhao
Chapter 3 The Blue Angel
Chapter 4 Magic
Chapter 5 On The Road
Chapter 6 A Harsh Lesson
Chapter 7 The Black Pill
Chapter 8 A Taste Of Magic
Chapter 9 Master Firehear
Chapter 10 Windsong
Chapter 11 Stages Of Magic
Chapter 12 The Wind Realm
Chapter 13 Opening A Realm
Chapter 14 A Breath Of Wind
Chapter 15 Drunken Masters
Chapter 16 The Valley
Chapter 17 An Unexpected Arrival
Chapter 18 Preparing For Battle
Chapter 19 The True Face Of Magic
Chapter 20 Aftermath
Chapter 21 Disguises
Chapter 22 Memories Of Murder
Chapter 23 A Difficult Choice
Chapter 24 Master Zhao’S Treasures
Chapter 25 The Journey Ahead
Chapter 26 Redwater
Chapter 27 Dinner With Enemies
Chapter 28 Unlikely Companions
Chapter 29 Stormleaf'S Gif
Chapter 30 Power Overwhelming
Chapter 31 Lord Jiang
Chapter 32 The Price Of Power
Chapter 33 The Estate
Chapter 34 Training With Lord Jiang
Chapter 35 Continued Training
Chapter 36 Body Refinemen
Chapter 37 Feast Of Treasures
Chapter 38 Faster, Higher, Stronger
Chapter 39 The Starmetal Sword
Chapter 40 The Magistrate
Chapter 41 Duel
Chapter 42 Revelations
Chapter 43 Breaking The Seals
Chapter 44 Newfound Power
Chapter 45 Lord Jiang'S Gifts
Chapter 46 Saying Goodbye
Chapter 47 Leaving Silvermere
Chapter 48 Ambush
Chapter 49 Wounds Of Battle
Chapter 50 The Bandit Fortress
Chapter 51 Senecio
Chapter 52 Looting Treasures
Chapter 53 Words Of Chaos
Chapter 54 The Old Man And The Trickster
Chapter 55 Panurge’S Punishmen
Chapter 56 Windblade
Chapter 57 A Way To Escape
Chapter 58 Prison Break
Chapter 59 The Prisoners
Chapter 60 A Clear Path
Chapter 61 A Change Of Plans
Chapter 62 Assaulting The Prison
Chapter 63 Resistance
Chapter 64 Facing The Archmage
Chapter 65 Birds And Dragons
Chapter 66 Leaving The Stronghold
Chapter 67 The Edge Of The Empire
Chapter 68 The Story So Far
Chapter 69 The Border City
Chapter 70 Darkfire
Chapter 71 A Small Figh
Chapter 72 Tournamen
Chapter 73 The Shadowblood Novice
Chapter 74 The Gray-Robed Lady
Chapter 75 Governor Eddarin
Chapter 76 Leaving The City
Chapter 77 Darkfire'S Ordeal
Chapter 78 A New Arrival
Chapter 79 Judgmen
Chapter 80 New Techniques
Chapter 81 The Arenas Of Hillfor
Chapter 82 The Victor'S Spoils
Chapter 83 An Unexpected Invitation
Chapter 84 Lunch With The Governor
Chapter 85 Amaya
Chapter 86 Searching For Answers
Chapter 87 Stoneheart'S Army
Chapter 88 Stonehear
Chapter 89 Zehava
Chapter 90 Unexpected News
Chapter 91 Darkfire’S Decision
Chapter 92 Before The Tournamen
Chapter 93 The Tournament Begins
Chapter 94 The Tournament Continues
Chapter 95 Defeated
Chapter 96 Snowcloud
Chapter 97 The Valley
Chapter 98 Oathbound
Chapter 99 Urgent Matters
Chapter 100 Running
Chapter 101 Questions
Chapter 102 Answers
Chapter 103 First Steps
Chapter 104 Crystals
Chapter 105 Blindsided
Chapter 106 Fighting Blind
Chapter 107 Shadowsigh
Chapter 108 Exposed
Chapter 109 The Bracele
Chapter 110 The Deserters' Fortress
Chapter 111 Fighting Dirty
Chapter 112 Assault On The Fortress
Chapter 113 Blood Magic
Chapter 114 A Debt Repaid
Chapter 115 Exchanging Knowledge
Chapter 116 Goldhaven
Chapter 117 Lord Sevaril
Chapter 118 The Formula
Chapter 119 Ingredients
Chapter 120 The Golden Hall
Chapter 121 Troublesome Treasures
Chapter 122 The Power Of Lies
Chapter 123 Truth Be Told
Chapter 124 Picking Treasures
Chapter 125 Windfall
Chapter 126 Rapid Training
Chapter 127 Leaving Goldhaven
Chapter 128 Injuries
Chapter 129 Smooth Travels
Chapter 130 A Familiar Face
Chapter 131 Stoneheart'S Misfortune
Chapter 132 Preparing For Battle
Chapter 133 Bloodlus
Chapter 134 Control
Chapter 135 Trus
Chapter 136 Forced March
Chapter 137 Contac
Chapter 138 Danger Illustrated
Chapter 139 Titan
Chapter 140 The Dragon
Chapter 141 The Tempering
Chapter 142 Destruction Realm
Chapter 143 The Tempering, Take Two
Chapter 144 Tempered
Chapter 145 Weakness
Chapter 146 At The Castle
Chapter 147 The Dragon'S Proposal
Chapter 148 A Decision
Chapter 149 The Eve Of Battle
Chapter 150 Bai
Chapter 151 Fighting An Army
Chapter 152 Novices
Chapter 153 Hunting The Survivors
Chapter 154 Riverbend
Chapter 155 The Next Mission
Chapter 156 Leaving The Castle
Chapter 157 Hiding The Evidence
Chapter 158 Eidaran Ruins
Chapter 159 Parting Ways
Chapter 160 Into The Ruins
Chapter 161 A Long Wai
Chapter 162 Enemies
Chapter 163 Fear
Chapter 164 Spirit Crystals
Chapter 165 About Dragons
Chapter 166 Journey To The Dragon Lands
Chapter 167 Chasing Dragons
Chapter 168 Dumber Than Rocks
Chapter 169 Unexpected News
Chapter 170 The Dragon'S Lair
Chapter 171 The Enemy Appears
Chapter 172 Plan Of Attack
Chapter 173 The Eve Of Battle
Chapter 174 To Fight A Dragon 1
Chapter 175 To Fight A Dragon 2
Chapter 176 To Fight A Dragon 3
Chapter 177 To Fight A Dragon 4
Chapter 178 The Best Way To Kill A Dragon...
Chapter 179 Dragon'S Blood
Chapter 180 Blood Crisis
Chapter 181 Blood Battle
Chapter 182 Leaving The Blood Pool
Chapter 183 Escape Plan
Chapter 184 Dragon'S Fligh
Chapter 185 Dragon'S Ruin
Chapter 186 The Way Back
Chapter 187 Unexpected Allies
Chapter 188 Iron Mountain Adepts
Chapter 189 A New Plan
Chapter 190 The Road To Uvar
Chapter 191 Setting The Trap
Chapter 192 Facing A Master
Chapter 193 Hunter
Chapter 194 The Way Back
Chapter 195 The Edge Of Victory
Chapter 196 A Final Deception
Chapter 197 The Iron Mountain Camp
Chapter 198 Toward The Valley
Chapter 199 The Valley'S Gate
Chapter 200 The Patriarch'S Palace
Chapter 201 Barrier
Chapter 202 The Patriarch
Chapter 203 The Patriarch'S Summons
Chapter 204 A New Path
Chapter 205 A Long Journey
Chapter 206 Into The Valley
Chapter 207 Alder'S Farm
Chapter 208 An Invitation
Chapter 209 Houses Of The Ninth Valley
Chapter 210 A Change For The Worse
Chapter 211 Unreasonable Demands
Chapter 212 A Small Demonstration
Chapter 213 Show Of Power
Chapter 214 Bad Teacher
Chapter 215 The Thousand Cuts
Chapter 216 Training Days
Chapter 217 The Road Ahead
Chapter 218 Hidden Estate
Chapter 219 A New Approach
Chapter 220 Insigh
Chapter 221 Recovery
Chapter 222 Reunion
Chapter 223 Snowcloud'S Potions
Chapter 224 Snowcloud'S Departure
Chapter 225 Return To The House Of Swords
Chapter 226 To The House Of Flames
Chapter 227 A New Teacher
Chapter 228 Forms
Chapter 229 Form And Function
Chapter 230 Brightblade'S Vow
Chapter 231 The House Of Shadows
Chapter 232 A Step Into Shadow
Chapter 233 Shadow And Swords
Chapter 234 The House Of Seals
Chapter 235 A Small Bit Of Talen
Chapter 236 A New Teacher
Chapter 237 Reunion
Chapter 238 An Agreemen
Chapter 239 A Palace Of One'S Own
Chapter 240 Brightblade'S Background
Chapter 241 A Final Night Of Res
Chapter 242 The First Day Of Training
Chapter 243 Effor
Chapter 244 Destruction Essence
Chapter 245 A Brief Respite
Chapter 246 Shields
Chapter 247 Ambush
Chapter 248 After The Battle
Chapter 249 Questions Of Power
Chapter 250 Questionable Plans
Chapter 251 A Fruitless Search
Chapter 252 Facing The Elders
Chapter 253 Offending An Elder
Chapter 254 Brightblade'S Challenge
Chapter 255 The Dueling Grounds
Chapter 256 The Duel
Chapter 257 A Fight To The Death
Chapter 258 Aftermath
Chapter 259 The Matriarch'S Plans
Chapter 260 Treasures
Chapter 261 An Heir'S Estate
Chapter 262 Gifts
Chapter 263 Festivities
Chapter 264 Effor
Chapter 265 Brightblade'S Fortress
Chapter 266 A Small Wager
Chapter 267 Brightblade'S Orders
Chapter 268 Leaving The Valley
Chapter 269 Essence Remnants
Chapter 270 An Obstacle
Chapter 271 More Than Remnants
Chapter 272 Demons
Chapter 273 A Short Goodbye
Chapter 274 On The Road
Chapter 275 Hunter
Chapter 276 Amydon
Chapter 277 The Fall Of Amydon
Chapter 278 A Quiet Place
Chapter 279 A New Foundation
Chapter 280 The Final Stretch
Chapter 281 A Break
Chapter 282 The Caves Of Amydon
Chapter 283 The Hidden City
Chapter 284 Karanos
Chapter 285 The Mines
Chapter 286 Trash And Treasure
Chapter 287 A Step Into Shadow
Chapter 288 Darkness
Chapter 289 The Shadow Realm
Chapter 290 Amid The Ruins
Chapter 291 Shards Of Living Shadow
Chapter 292 A Fitting Weapon
Chapter 293 A Small Bribe
Chapter 294 To Leave A Dying World
Chapter 295 Homecoming
Chapter 296 Hidden Treasure
Chapter 297 Waiting For A Sign
Chapter 298 Departure
Chapter 299 Into The Ligh
Chapter 300 Redhill
Chapter 301 Pursui
Chapter 302 Training Ground
Chapter 303 Hunters
Chapter 304 Recruits
Chapter 305 Pills
Chapter 306 Thieves And Robbers
Chapter 307 Facing A Hunter
Chapter 308 Into The Battlefield
Chapter 309 Suffering
Chapter 310 A Knight Of The Imperium
Chapter 311 A Choice
Chapter 312 Searching The Battlefield
Chapter 313 The Fores
Chapter 314 Studying The Forms
Chapter 315 Preparation
Chapter 316 The Road To Esran
Chapter 317 The City Of Esran
Chapter 318 A Steward'S Aid
Chapter 319 Leaving The Borderlands
Chapter 320 The Border
Chapter 321 Into The Imperium
Chapter 322 Advice
Chapter 323 The Fate Of Refugees
Chapter 324 A City Of Tents
Chapter 325 The Wolfsblood Company
Chapter 326 Arrival
Chapter 327 A New Deal
Chapter 328 Imperial Politics
Chapter 329 Battle Approaches
Chapter 330 A Taste Of Battle
Chapter 331 The Spoils Of Battle
Chapter 332 Lord Kadun
Chapter 333 To The Mines
Chapter 334 What Lurks Below
Chapter 335 Into Darkness
Chapter 336 Diggers
Chapter 337 Battle
Chapter 338 Three Monsters
Chapter 339 The Blood Ruin
Chapter 340 A Warm Welcome
Chapter 341 Studying Strategy
Chapter 342 Weapons And Training
Chapter 343 A New Tool
Chapter 344 Unwelcome Company
Chapter 345 Provocation
Chapter 346 Down Below
Chapter 347 A Small Disturbance
Chapter 348 A Lord'S Mercy
Chapter 349 Prison
Chapter 350 Prison Break
Chapter 351 Breaching The Defenses
Chapter 352 Defending The Gate
Chapter 353 A Knight'S Power
Chapter 354 Lord Rannoc
Chapter 355 Outrage
Chapter 356 The Strength Of Lords
Chapter 357 An Offer
Chapter 358 Revelations
Chapter 359 The Desolation
Chapter 360 Rannoc'S Orders
Chapter 361 Citizenship
Chapter 362 Sleepless Nights
Chapter 363 A Foundation
Chapter 364 The Road Back
Chapter 365 A Deb
Chapter 366 Settling Debts
Chapter 367 Broken Company
Chapter 368 An Exchange
Chapter 369 Preparations
Chapter 370 Breakthrough
Chapter 371 Delivery
Chapter 372 A New Journey
Chapter 373 An Unwelcome Invitation
Chapter 374 Challenge
Chapter 375 A Duel
Chapter 376 Facing A Knight, Again
Chapter 377 Words Of Warning
Chapter 378 What Lurks In The Bligh
Chapter 379 A Quiet Departure
Chapter 380 The Road To Sacrifice
Chapter 381 A Storm Of Blood
Chapter 382 Behind The Walls
Chapter 383 A Sea Of Shadow
Chapter 384 Reaver'S End
Chapter 385 Newcomers
Chapter 386 A New Plan
Chapter 387 An Old Friend
Chapter 388 An Imperial Knigh
Chapter 389 The Knight'S Apprentice
Chapter 390 Knight'S Watch
Chapter 391 Comprehension
Chapter 392 Master Of Shadow
Chapter 393 Finding Enemies
Chapter 394 The Missing Piece
Chapter 395 Reunion
Chapter 396 Decisions
Chapter 397 The Wolfsblood Army
Chapter 398 Enlightenmen
Chapter 399 An Unwelcome Gues
Chapter 400 The Oath
Chapter 401 An Invitation
Chapter 402 The Dangers Ahead
Chapter 403 Into The Desolation
Chapter 404 Suppression
Chapter 405 Confrontation
Chapter 406 Arrival
Chapter 407 The Archon'S Summons
Chapter 408 The Master'S Bloodline
Chapter 409 Bloodlines
Chapter 410 The Ruiner'S Temple
Chapter 411 Assassin
Chapter 412 The Citadel
Chapter 413 Fruits Of A Poisonous Tree
Chapter 414 The Strength Of Bloodlines
Chapter 415 A Path Forward
Chapter 416 - A Simple Task
Chapter 417 - Breakthrough
Chapter 418 - Final Preparations
Chapter 419 - Into Harm'S Way (1)
Categories Genre: Action, All, Fantasy, Ongoing, Xianxia, Xuanhuan Status: Ongoing ______
Total Chapters in book: 419
Estimated words: 787321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3937(@200wpm)___ 3149(@250wpm)___ 2624(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 787321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3937(@200wpm)___ 3149(@250wpm)___ 2624(@300wpm)
______
LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 419 Page No. 418 Page No. 417 Page No. 416 Page No. 415 Page No. 414 Page No. 413 Page No. 412 Page No. 411 Page No. 410 Page No. 409 Chapter 394 The Missing Piece
Chapter 394 The Missing Piece
Arran rushed through the rough landscape in a mad dash, pushing his injured body to its limits as he fled the hostile stranger. The man's first attack had shocked him with its strength, and he had no desire to discover the full extent of this new enemy's power.
As he ran, more attacks rained down behind him — vicious bolts of lightning that tore through trees and rocks alike, and seething balls of fire that set the very ground aflame where they landed. Arran narrowly avoided the conflagration, however, relying on his Sense to dodge the attacks before they hit.
He did not glance backward as he ran, much less turn to face the man unleashing the destruction behind him. As much as his strength had increased over the past month, he still had no delusions about the outcome if he tried to fight someone as powerful as this.
But while he couldn't match the stranger in battle, he could outrun the man. Arran was no mere mage, after all, but a monstrously strong Body Refiner besides. Together with his comprehension of the Forms, that gave him a speed that few others could match.
Despite Arran's injuries, he ran fast enough that a gap soon appeared between him and his pursuer. As the distance grew too large for even magic to cross, the stranger seemed to realize his efforts were in vain, and the conflagration behind Arran finally came to an end.
Arran breathed a small sigh of relief when he heard the thunderous roar of destruction fade away, but no more than that. He knew through his Living Shadow weapon's Sense that the stranger was still in pursuit, and even without that, he wouldn't be so foolish as to assume he was out of harm's way yet.
As the sun fell below the horizon and the harsh landscape was covered in darkness, Arran continued to run as fast as he could, his figure no more than a streak of shadow in the night as he cut his way across the wilderness.
He paused for neither rest nor thought. Both those things could wait until he was truly safe. Instead, he ran through the night, relying on his Sense to guide the way.
Twice during the night, he Sensed Blightspawn in the distance — small groups, with even the largest counting under a dozen of the creatures. Though these groups posed no threat to Arran, he avoided them all the same, unwilling to waste even the moments it would take to defeat them.
Only when dawn arrived and the sun bathed the wilderness in its golden glow did Arran finally come to a halt, taking shelter amid a small copse of trees, the sound of unseen birds filling the air as he inspected his injuries.
His wounds weren't as bad as he expected. Although he had suffered several broken ribs and bruises covered much of his body, it seemed that between the protection of a Shadow Shield and his starmetal armor, the stranger's attack had been weakened enough to do no serious damage to his body.
Still, that was enough to cause him unease.
With his strength and resistance to magic, even a Grandmaster would be hard-pressed to injure him with a single attack. Yet the stranger had done so, and he had done it with apparent ease.
That meant the stranger possessed at least a strong Grandmaster's strength, and likely surpassed even that. An Archmage, perhaps. But if Archmages ran wild in the Desolation…
Arran frowned, then shook his head.
He could not believe that Archmages were a common sight in the Desolation. If they were, the Imperium would not send armies of Rangers and common soldiers to face them. It would be like sending mice to hunt dragons — as futile as it was cruel.
And while he could believe the cruelty, the futility was a different matter. No matter his thoughts on the Imperium, he did not think the Darians would waste their people so carelessly. Not if the sacrifice would be for naught.
Yet Arran did not believe that the encounter had been mere misfortune, either. It had been difficult enough just to find normal Blightspawn in the wilderness, and if the stranger was the only of its kind, then the coincidence was one that stretched credulity.
There had to be a different explanation, he thought. But for all the thought he gave the question, he came no closer to finding an answer.
Whatever the case, he had no time to dwell on the matter. Although he suspected that his attacker had long since given up the chase, he had little desire to put that suspicion to the test.
After he finished inspecting his wounds, he ate a hurried meal, swallowing down more dried meat and fruits in a matter of minutes than most people could eat in half a week.
As he finished the last of the bland food, a wistful smile crossed his face when he remembered his mansion in the Ninth Valley. Though most of the luxury there had been wasted on him, there was no denying that he missed having his own cooks.
But there was no point in longing for the past, and he set off again soon after, traveling at a pace only slightly slower than the one he'd kept while fleeing the stranger.
Time passed quickly as he ran through the wilderness with its endless crags and woodlands, but for all the miles he covered, there was no more sign of any Blightspawn. From the look of it, the creatures grew rarer the further one traveled from the Desolation.
Arran briefly wondered why this might be the case, but he'd only barely asked himself the question when he stumbled upon the answer.
Shortly after noon, when the sun had just passed its highest point and was starting its slow descent toward the horizon, he Sensed a small Darian patrol moving in the distance.
That alone would barely be worth his attention, but he knew immediately that this was no normal patrol. The small group counted half a dozen Knights, and more importantly, there were two Lords among their number.
Arran whistled between his teeth when he recognized the sheer power of the group in the distance. These people, though they numbered fewer than a dozen, were strong enough to match an entire army. If more such patrols roamed the region, then it was a small miracle that there were any Blightspawn at all.
After a quick thought, he decided not to avoid them. His presence in the wilderness was no secret, and he had already abandoned the idea of hiding his strength. Instead, he merely slowed his pace as he continued on his way, knowing that it wouldn't be long before they discovered his approach.
As expected, barely a minute had passed when he Sensed the group suddenly change directions, their pace picking up as they moved toward him.
Arran acted as if he didn't notice this, continuing forward until the Darians were almost upon him. Then, as they finally came into view, he feigned a look of surprise — an easy task, given the power of the men and women before him.
As he came to a halt, he eyed the Darians with unfeigned apprehension. Heading the group were the two Lords, both dark-haired and rough-faced, their appearances similar enough that he thought they might be brothers. Behind the Lords followed the Knights, half a dozen of them, each well-armed and wearing expressions that told they were ready for battle at any moment.
When they caught sight of Arran, one of the two Lords stepped forward with a curious frown.
"These are dangerous lands for a lone traveler," the man said, speaking in a voice that was wary but not unfriendly. "What brings you here?"
"I hoped to find enemies to aid me in my training," Arran replied truthfully. He shrugged, and continued, "What I found exceeded my expectations, so I decided to return to Knight's Watch."
"Hah!" The Lord laughed sharply, his expression one of amusement and disbelief in equal parts. "A Ranger, fighting Blightspawn outside the Desolation? You're lucky to have escaped with your life. Outside the Desolation, even a single Reaver is a mortal threat to a Ranger."
Arran frowned, then shook his head. "Reavers weren't what caused me to flee." He produced the two amulets he'd taken from the Reavers he'd slain and tossed them to the Lord. "There was something different out there. Something more dangerous."
Amusement fled the Lord's face in an instant, and after inspecting the amulets, his expression turned grave. "What did you find?"
"I encountered a creature," Arran began. "Or rather, a man…"
He described his encounter with the stranger, straying from the truth only where necessary to hide his secrets. As he told it, the stranger's first attack had narrowly missed him, and he'd fled immediately after, only hearing the roar of destruction behind him as he ran.
When Arran finished the story, the Lord gave a forceful curse. "A Warlock," he grunted. "A damned Warlock, beyond the Desolation. When did you meet the thing? And where?"
"Yesterday," Arran said. He described where he'd met the stranger — the Warlock, apparently — then asked, "But what difference does it make whether it's in the Desolation or not?"
At this, the dark-haired Lord gave him an odd look. "You don't know? As a Ranger, you should—"
"I'm no Ranger," Arran interrupted him. "Not yet, at least."
Surprise flashed across the Lord's face. "Not even a Ranger? And already you're hunting Reavers?" He frowned, but then, he gave a slow nod. "Good. I imagine you'll be a Ranger soon enough."
"Then can you tell me?" Arran asked again. "What the Desolation does?"
By now, he understood that the Desolation had secrets he had yet to learn. From the Lord's words, he suspected that it somehow affected Blightspawn, likely weakening them.
Yet the other man merely gave a firm shake of his head. "Once you become a Ranger, you will understand." Before Arran could object, he went on, "But now, we must make haste. If fortune is on our side, we may yet catch the creature you found."
He made a small gesture with his hand, and immediately, the others in the group readied themselves to move. From the smoothness of their reaction, it was clear that the members of the patrol were well-accustomed to working together.
The Lord handed the two Reavers' amulets back to Arran. "What's your name?"
"My name is Arran. But—"
"Should we catch the creature, you will be rewarded." The Lord motioned to his companions, and as they set in motion, he cast a final look at Arran. "You should return to Knight's Watch without delay. These lands are unsafe, even for one with your talent."
As the Lords and Knights set off, now moving in the direction from which Arran had come, Arran could not help but frown in frustration. Not only had the Lord treated him as little more than a child, the man had also completely refused to answer his questions. And he had many of those.
Yet as the patrol disappeared in the distance, Arran's frustration faded as well. Even if his questions had gone unanswered, he had still learned much from the encounter.
He now knew for a fact that the hostile stranger had been a type of Blightspawn, and one far stronger than the creatures Arran had faced so far.
More important still was what the Lord's words about the Desolation had suggested, even if he hadn't said it outright — that facing Blightspawn inside the Desolation was somehow less dangerous than facing the creatures outside of it.
The thought caused Arran some pause. If true, it would explain many things — why the Blightspawn the Wolfsblood Company had faced had been so much stronger than they expected, and why the Imperium would dare to send common soldiers and Rangers to face the Blight.
But for all the things it explained, it raised at least as many questions.
Arran glanced in the direction where the patrol had gone, then let out a weary sigh. There was no point in speculating. What he needed were answers, not suspicions. And the only way to get answers was to climb the Darians' ranks.
He resumed his journey back to Knight's Watch at once, pushing his questions about the Desolation to the back of his mind. Instead, as he traveled through the wilderness, he turned his thoughts to the Forms.
His single most important task was to grow stronger. Only that would allow him to accomplish his goals — to learn the Darians' secrets, to win their treasures, and to escape with his life after doing both those things. And to grow stronger, he had no better path than the Forms.
But although he'd achieved far more than he expected in the wilderness, making a breakthrough that had increased his strength several times over, he knew there were still several pieces missing.
The first of these was practice. He'd made a breakthrough in his understanding, but he had yet to properly temper his newfound comprehension in combat. The two Reavers had given some small help, but those few moments of battle weren't nearly enough to truly master what he had learned. He needed hundreds of fights, or thousands if he could find them.
Still, he wasn't too concerned about this. Given time, he had little doubt that he would find all the enemies he needed — and probably sooner rather than later, at that.
The second missing piece, however, was a bigger problem.
Arran's comprehension was built around the Forms, atop a foundation laid by the techniques he'd learned from Muna. Improvised though this path was, the results had far exceeded Arran's expectations, and the insights from the Forms worked almost as well for swordsmanship as they did for magic.
Almost — and therein lay the problem.
The Forms encompassed a wide selection of insights, but as Arran's understanding grew, it became increasingly clear to him that even the numerous insights within the Forms only represented a small sliver of reality.
This was to be expected, of course. Elder Nikias certainly hadn't comprehended all of existence, and even if he had, the entirety of his knowledge wouldn't have been contained in a single memory amulet he gave to a student. Rather, what the memory amulet contained would be a selection of those insights he thought most suitable for his apprentices.
Yet all of the Elder's students had been mages — specifically, mages of the Shadowflame Society. And as Arran studied the Forms, he grew increasingly certain that the insights within them were those the Elder had deemed most relevant to Shadow and Fire magic.
That was likely the reason Arran's Shadow magic had benefited so much from his comprehension of the Forms, and he had little doubt that his Fire magic had benefited similarly. For a Shadowflame mage, that was an incomparable blessing.
But Arran wasn't just a Shadowflame mage. He was a swordsman as much as he was a mage — possibly even more so. And the more familiar he became with the Forms, the more he became convinced that he was still lacking in insights related to physical combat.
The solution to that was as obvious as it was simple. All he had to do was find a proper teacher. A skilled Knight, or better, a Lord. With that, his progress should be nothing short of phenomenal.
After all, he had already begun to fuse his insights, which was far more difficult than merely gaining some nascent insights. And with the knowledge he'd gained from his true insights, he could advance far faster than most.
But as simple as that solution was, it was useless to Arran. Neither Knights nor Lords were likely to take him as a student unless he pledged himself to them, and he had no desire to enter the service of some Darian Lord.
Which meant he had to find another way.
Arran pondered the question while he traveled, a thoughtful frown on his face even as he ran through the rough terrain of the wilderness. Yet for all his ruminations on the matter, the answer to his problem continued to elude him.
He continued his journey through the day, paying little attention to the landscape around him as his thoughts were occupied elsewhere. But he wasn't so careless as to ignore his Sense, and halfway through the day, he discovered a large group of Darians moving slowly toward the Desolation.
Arran approached the group cautiously, moving just close enough that he could observe them without being spotted. And when he laid eyes on the group, he could not help but frown in surprise.
He'd Sensed that the group was large, but what he saw exceeded his expectations. Along a broad dirt road in the wilderness walked a column of soldiers that was at least a mile long, headed by what looked to be over a hundred Rangers.
There were no Knights among the group, much less Lords, but the sight was formidable all the same. At a glance, he guessed the group counted well over three thousand soldiers, and not a one of them was lacking in weapons or armor.
Arran realized at once that it was one of the Darian groups headed into the Desolation — a proper army, with the numbers to face even a large group of Blightspawn. And while they might not be strong enough to face the stranger that had attacked Arran — the Warlock — he had little doubt that their combined might could easily match several Reavers.
As this thought crossed Arran's mind, he suddenly furrowed his brow when an idea came to him — an idea on how to approach his problem.
He had thought he needed a teacher with a vast trove of knowledge, whose insights he could study and learn for himself. But as he looked at the army that inched along the dirt road in the distance, he realized that together, they should hold numerous insights as well.
Each of the soldiers would have his own talents and his own budding insights, and while they might be weak individually, their combined knowledge would not be negligible.
Moreover, there were the Rangers. Most of them would have studied Darian techniques for decades, practicing every day from the moment they could hold a sword. Even if their progress hadn't been as fast as Arran's, that still represented a wealth of knowledge and experience.
By themselves, any one of them might have little to teach Arran. But together, they should know at least as much as any Knight.
A smile crossed Arran's lips as he reached a decision. If he couldn't have a single teacher, then he would have a thousand teachers, instead.
Of course, the group before him wasn't likely to agree to such a thing. But if Kaleesh's efforts had been even half as successful as he suspected, then another army should await him on his return to Knight's Watch.
He cast a final glance at the Darian army, then quickly turned around and set off. If he traveled through the night, he should reach Knight's Watch by morning.
And there, he would begin his final step toward unlocking the full potential of the Forms.
Total Chapters in book: 419
Estimated words: 787321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3937(@200wpm)___ 3149(@250wpm)___ 2624(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 787321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 3937(@200wpm)___ 3149(@250wpm)___ 2624(@300wpm)
______