Arran crouched atop the hill, carefully watching the road. The Redstone men could arrive any moment now, and when they did, he would attack as soon as they came within range.
He took out the dragonbone bow and nocked an arrow.
"You're using a bow?" Captain Yang asked. Some doubt sounded in his voice. "I thought you're a mage?"
Arran chuckled even as he kept a close watch on the road below. Having bet his life on the belief that Arran was a powerful mage, Captain Yang was clearly worried at seeing him use so plain a weapon.
"Did you expect me to just start throwing around great balls of fire?" he asked.
Captain Yang did not respond for several seconds. I did, actually," he finally said.
"It's not a normal bow," Arran said with a grin. "Just wait and see."
During the past few months of travel he had often practiced with the dragonbone bow,
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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 49
Arran stood amid the carnage, panting in exhaustion. All told, the battle had taken less than two minutes, yet he had expended every bit of energy in his body.Now that the fight was over he became aware that he was injured, and after inspecting his body he was startled to find that there were more than a dozen injuries all over his body — burns, cuts, and bruises, none of which he remembered sustaining.Although Arran was hurt, his armored coat had taken most of the damage, and with a quick glance he could see that it was ruined beyond repair. Still, better the coat than him, he thought.It took him some time to catch his breath and slow his racing heartbeat. As the excitement of battle wore off, a deep sense of weariness set in, but he did not allow it to take hold of him just yet.He felt fear, too. During the fight, there had been no time to be scared, but now, he understood just how close
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 50
Arran's stay at Captain Yang's house had lasted longer than he had intended. While his wounds had healed quickly at first, recovering fully wasn't quite as fast as he had expected.In the end, he remained with Captain Yang for a little over two weeks, enjoying both the man's hospitality and the calm and quiet of the small town where he lived.By then his wounds had healed fully, and he knew it was time to go — even if he wouldn't have minded staying another few weeks.He left after saying his goodbyes to Captain Yang, leaving behind some gold despite the man's protests. After two weeks at his house and the help Captain Yang had given him in facing the Redstone men, Arran figured he owed him at least that much.The start of his journey was quick, without any unforeseen delays or unwanted encounters. Nor, for that matter, was there any rain, and the clear skies soon lifted Arran's spirits.
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 51
They stood in the large hall of the castle where Senecio had just defeated the monstrous creature. While Arran still felt some fear as he looked at the man, he understood that if Senecio wanted to harm him, there was little he could do about it.So far, however, the old man had shown little sign of hostility."Come," Senecio said, "while we talk, we can seek out the Herald's treasures. I imagine there should be some things worth taking."Arran followed the man, unsure of what to expect. While his previous encounters with the Academy had ranged from unpleasant to deadly, Senecio seemed entirely different."Now," the old man said, "you must be wondering why I haven't killed you."Arran nodded. When he had first seen Senecio's white robe, he had thought his final moments had arrived. That the man"The Academy hunts those with forbidden Realms," Senecio said, "bu
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 52
Arran's first instinct was to flee the castle immediately. Although he did not know how many enemies there were, he knew that once they realized Senecio was gone, they would return. When that happened, Arran would be forced to face them.While Senecio had said he should be able to handle them, he had little interest in finding out if the old man was right.Yet as he looked at the treasures that filled the room, he could not bring himself to leave them behind.There were weapons and armor, paintings, jewelry, scrolls, herbs, metals, and numerous other things. Even if Senecio had probably taken the most valuable items, what was left was still a fortune the likes of which Arran had never seen before.After a moment's hesitation, he began to grab random items from the room, stuffing them into the empty void bag that had once belonged to Stormleaf. He did not bother to inspect the items as he gathered the
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 53
Arran followed the man away from the castle. For a time they walked in silence, with Arran following a short distance behind the man he had thought was one of Captain Yang's guards.Several times, they encountered patrols, but after a wave of the man's hand, the patrols hurried past, almost seeming afraid. With some concern, Arran realized it wasn't him they feared."Who are you?" Arran finally asked.Now that he got a better look at the man, he was certain that he was not just a guard. There was a certain confidence in his manner, bordering on arrogance, that reminded Arran of Lord Jiang and Master Zhao.The observation filled him with unease. He had joined the man on the belief that he could easily defeat him if needed, but now, he was beginning to suspect that he had gravely underestimated the man's power."Call me Panurge," the man said.The name sounded
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 54
The standoff lasted for a while, yet the battle that Arran expected never came. Instead, Panurge suddenly burst into laughter."Still afraid to face me, old man?" he asked, a wide grin on his face.Senecio did not respond, instead merely giving Panurge a contemptuous glare.Although Arran was relieved that a battle had been avoided, he was still distressed at being dragged into a conflict he wanted no part of, and did not understand in the slightest."Who are you guys?!" he blurted out."We," Panurge began, "are what you might call Gods. I am this world's God of Chaos, while my phlegmatic counterpart is the God of Order.""Gods? You?" Arran gave him a doubtful look. He understood well that Panurge was powerful after the confrontation between him and Senecio, but to Arran's eyes, the man seemed far from divine."I could turn you into a rat
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 55
Arran awoke with an aching head and an unsteady body. It took him some moments to recall what had happened, but when he remembered, his eyes immediately went searching for Panurge."Good. You're awake."Arran turned his head toward the voice, and he couldn't suppress a scowl when he saw Panurge. The man was back to his human form, and there was an amused smirk on his face.As Arran looked around, he saw that the floor he was sitting on was made from smooth gray rock, but other than that he saw nothing but darkness, without even walls to be seen."Where the hell did you take me?!" Frustrated as he was, he made no effort to be polite."Tsk, tsk. Your manners really are lacking." Panurge gave Arran a gleeful look, seeming quite pleased with the situation. "I spare your life, and this is the treatment I have to endure?""Spare my life? I didn't do anything!"
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 56
"Son of a bitch!"Arran cursed loudly as the Essence in his hand dissipated once more. Each time, success was just a hair away, yet somehow, every time it evaded him at the last moment.It was impossible to track the passing days within the cell, but already, Arran had spent months trying to master the Windblade spell. And still, he had not succeeded.At first, he had made good progress. Learning how to control the strands of Essence had taken him several weeks, but through effort and persistence, he had succeeded. Weaving them together into a single Windblade was more difficult, but eventually, he had achieved that, too.The only thing left was to send the Windblade flying, and that was where Arran failed. Every time he tried to control the Windblade, it dissipated before it could move even an inch, falling apart like a house of cards.Arran couldn't understand why it didn't wor