Chapter 293 A Small Bribe (2/2)

The hours that folloere so ah the endless city as best they could, iant monsters wandered the city's reiant indeed

A feeeks earlier, Arran had been shocked when he encountered a Remnant that was hundreds of feet tall But now, there were e he could not even Sense their entire bodies — which ht the titanic creatures merely wandered around aimlessly There seemed to be little sense to their choice of direction, as if they were oal 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 Re 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 hiating the city, their path constantly twisting and turning as they moved to avoid the Re Re that another would not stuer, Karanos's Sense proved an excellent guide Ti before Arran could even spot the a safe path past the creatures that roamed the city

Still, he soon discovered that even Karanos wasn't infallible

On a seely 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 e 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 thee, their pace often slowed to a crawl by the vast nu this time, Arran's sword saved their lives over a dozen ti 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 — rew 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 o?”

Before, he had not dared ask the question — not witharound 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, assuood pace”

”Half a year?” Arran looked at thethicker by the day”

Karanos nodded, his expression serious ”Indeed,” he said ”So we'll have to hurry While I don't knohat is going to happen, I think you ht 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 hi darkness was just the arrival of winter that Karanos haddayto the idea nonetheless, fearing what the alternative ht be

”I've weathered thousands of winters in these lands,” thelike this This is so, and uess we'll have tohis 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 soh the pitch-black landscape as fast as Arran's body would allow A feeeks had allowed hiain th

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 ti Essence around theency 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