"Who's there!" Arran called out.
Although he knew the growl had not come from a human, perhaps the sound of his voice would drive off whatever creature was stalking him.
"If you come closer, I'll attack!" he yelled, giving his sword several swings to give some weight to the threat.
Another growl sounded, this time from Arran's side. He quickly turned to face it, holding his sword in front of him as he prepared to be attacked.
But no attack came. Instead, a few moments later yet another growl sounded, now further to his side. Again he turned, understanding that the creature was circling him, probably looking for an opening to attack.
The realization caused him to feel some worry — if the creature was testing his defenses, it was no simple beast. Perhaps it might even be intelligent enough to figure out that he was blind.
His Sense told him there was only
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In the days following his battle against the bear, Arran found himself unexpectedly busy. Between purifying Essence, studying the seal on his forbidden Realm, and studying Snowcloud's Memory Amulet, he already had a hefty workload. But now, even more had been added to it. He had decided not to let the bear meat go to waste, and absorbing its Natural Essence took hours of Body Refinement a day, followed by more hours doing the same with Shadow Essence to balance the effects. And then, there was his Shadowsight. The technique was too useful to ignore, and practicing it was also useful practice for developing his Sense — even if it was his own Essence, he spread it in a mist so thin that Sensing it still posed a challenge. Unlike his other activities, however, practicing Shadowsight required him to leave the cave. Despite the risk, he did so gladly — even if he could not see his surroundings, being in the cave for days on end felt too much like being in a dungeon cell for his liking.
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"We're going to kill novices?" Arran asked. "Deserters," Snowcloud replied. "So we're going to kill them just for leaving the Shadowflame Society?" Arran felt uncomfortable at the idea. He understood that sometimes violence was necessary, but a few novices deciding to leave the Shadowflame Society hardly seemed like such a case. "No," she said. "But take the antidote first. I will explain after." She walked up to Arran, then handed him a small flask. He drained it quickly, eager to finally regain his sight. To his surprise, the liquid tasted quite pleasant, with a warm and sweet aroma that was entirely different from Snowcloud's other concoctions. Yet although he had hoped the cure would be as rapid-acting as the poison had been, that didn't seem to be the case. The antidote had no immediate effect whatsoever, at least as far as Arran could tell. "How long will it take before my sight returns?" he asked, not bothering to hide his impatience. "It will be a few days before it's
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"You think I'm ready?" Arran was almost surprised when he heard Snowcloud say the words. It had already been two weeks since she had given him the bracelet, but although she had said he only had a week, her previous comments on his efforts had contained precious little praise — certainly not enough to suggest she thought he was almost ready. "I think so," she said again. "But first, I'll have to test your skill. Your progress in training has been remarkable, but I have yet to see you fight." "Then let's spar," Arran replied, eager to find out how he matched up against a powerful novice. The only Shadowflame novice he had faced so far had been the young man he crippled in Eremont, but he knew that his opponent there had been a poor example of the Shadowflame Society's power. Snowcloud nodded, then drew her sword. It had a long, thin blade, and Snowcloud held it with such practiced ease that Arran immediately knew she must have received regular training from the moment she could hol
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"I still don't see why—" Snowcloud said. "Quiet!" Arran hissed. They were hiding in the brush just over a mile from the fortress, along one of the few footpaths that ran from the fortress's gate. Arran had guessed that this would be one of the routes the patrols would take, and now, it appeared his guess had been correct. Approaching their location were half a dozen men, fighters all of them, with the rough look of bandits or mercenaries. They were wearing ragged armor and carrying weapons, and as far as Arran could tell, none were mages. "Remember," he whispered, "only intervene if any of them turn out to be novices." Snowcloud nodded, although her expression made it clear she wasn't happy with the situation. Arran took a final deep breath, then left the brush and stepped out onto the road, a short distance ahead of the men. "Hey there!" he called out as he walked toward them. They eyed him somewhat warily, but none replied. Instead, their hands moved toward their weapons. "
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"I could have gotten us killed," Snowcloud said, a somber tone to her voice. "You could have," Arran agreed. "But you didn't. Let's leave it at that." He still felt some anger at Snowcloud for hesitating in the heat of battle, but there was no point in venting it now. All it could do was further erode her confidence, and that would only increase the risk of it happening again. What he needed now was Snowcloud the way she had been at the end of the battle — a frighteningly powerful mage. "Will you be able to fight?" Arran asked. Snowcloud nodded. Although her eyes were still red, the tears had stopped, and she seemed to have calmed down. "What do we do now?" she asked. "We should take the initiative," Arran said. "They don't yet know what happened. If we attack now, we have a chance to take them by surprise." "All right," Snowcloud said, her expression determined. "But you have to be careful," Arran continued. "The ones we face inside will be stronger." "How do you know?" "Th
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Before they entered the keep, Arran gathered up the slain mages' void bags. Even at a time like this, he wouldn't risk losing out on any treasures — whatever dangers still lay ahead in the months to come, he would doubtless find some use for whatever possessions the bags held. Snowcloud looked on with a bemused expression, but she didn't say anything as Arran looted the mages' bodies. Still, he felt some embarrassment at being watched while he robbed the dead. "My grandfather wasn't a Patriarch," he said, by way of explanation. "I have to make do with what I can take." Snowcloud didn't reply, although her expression turned thoughtful. When Arran finished the grim work, he took a look around the courtyard. "You said they'd been taking slaves," he said. "Are you sure about that?" So far, the only people he had seen within the fortress walls were armed bandits and the mages who led them. There had been no sign whatsoever of any slaves, servants, or prisoners. "I'm sure," Snowcloud
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 114
The oppressive sense of dread made it hard for Arran to even move, but with some effort, he managed to turn his head toward the origin of the voice. When he did, the sight was shocking, but not unexpected. Before him stood a gaunt, pale figure, lacking a nose, and with two black holes where its eyes should be. It was the creature Arran had freed from the Academy's prison over a year ago. At the time, he had hoped he would never see it again, but it seemed his luck had failed him. The creature had somehow made its way across the border, and now, it was here. Still, now that he knew what was happening, he found the creature's aura of terror easier to resist, if only slightly. The fear wasn't his own, and just knowing that, he could fight it like he would any other attack. "Did Panurge send you?" he asked, forcing himself to speak even as the creature's presence weighed down on him. He feared that if he gave in to the pressure for even a moment, there would be no coming back. "The t