Chapter 36: Breakthrough

Bjorn and Bloodblade trained in a vast, open meadow, unaware that their journey had just become much more dangerous. Now, three factions of the Order, along with assassins and mercenaries, were hunting them.

It had been a month since they fled the valley. Bloodblade kept them moving steadily southwest, avoiding any towns or cities. They seized every chance to train, just as they were doing now.

In a large clearing, hundreds of meters wide, they sparred intensely. Bjorn realized why Bloodblade had earned his fearsome title. Bloodblade had a rare power called the blood source. He was born for the battlefield, where bloodshed was constant.

Bloodblade could control blood. He could manipulate his opponent’s blood flow, immobilizing them or controlling weaker enemies. He could sense the life force of any living being nearby and track someone thousands of miles away with just a drop of blood, making him a perfect tracker and assassin.

His blood-sensing abilities also gave him an edge in comb