Chapter 310 A Knight Of The Imperium (1/2)
A surge of panic rushed through Arran's body as he knelt down beside Negin
That the woin's reaction was enough to tell that hier — and she was clad in a suit of armor that somehow resisted the unbound Essence of the battlefield
And worst of all, on her belt she carried a shard of Living Shadow
Arran knew that if his sword could Sense the woman's weapon, then the opposite should hold true as well And if she knew about his weapon, he could not see the encounter ending well
But that was only the start of it Because the conceal were strong, but not so strong that his sword couldn't see through thee if her weapon could do the same And if that was the case, the only question hether she'd try to kill Arran iation
Either way, he would have to fight And in a fight, he could only hope that the Knight wasn't as strong as he feared she was
Yet even as he prepared for battle, a soothing feeling came from the bond he shared with his sword, al to reassure him
It took hi, but then, he realized what it was trying to tell hiht's weapon wasn't its equal, neither in strength nor in Sense
He frowned briefly, wondering whether the weapon was right — and whether he could trust it with his life But he had already entrusted his life to his weapon in battle, and as he considered the matter, he realized that it er than hers
The executioner's blade had begun to form a semblance of consciousness even before its world fell to Shadow, and it had further built on that foundation in the countless years it had spent steeped in Shadow Essence
The Knight's weapon would doubtless be weaker And if he was lucky and his sas right, it h that his wards could fool it
As the woman drew closer, Arran uise held up, it would not do for his nerves to betray hiht showed no sign of attacking Instead, she approached the to a halt just five paces away
”Stand up,” she said, her tone firm but not unfriendly
Arran did as she said, and now that he got a better look at her, he could not help but be impressed with her appearance Her armor was fashi+oned fros, most likely — and there were teapons on her belt
The larger of these was a sword, slender and curved And although it was sheathed in a leather scabbard, Arran Sensed through his sword that it was er And this, he kneas the shard of Living Shadow
Yet intrigued though he was by her ar She had dark eyes and sharp features, and although she looked young, her expression was one of easy confidence
In any other situation, Arran would have found her beautiful But now, the er she exuded So about her expression and ht many battles
As Arran studied the wo in her dark eyes
”It's a rare thing,” she finally said, ”to meet a recruit this far into the battlefield” Her eyes turned to Negin, and she continued, ”It seems you have had some luck Hand over what you found”
Ever since receiving the starhtest She'd held the weapon as if it was a treasure that rip for even a second Yet at the Knight's command, she instantly handed it over
The woer, then spent so it And as she inspected its craftsmanshi+p, a hint of appreciation could be seen in her eyes Then, satisfied, she handed the weapon back to Negin
”A good piece,” she said ”Good enough to win you the favor of your teachers” She glanced at Negin's blistered body, and continued, ”But after finding such a treasure, the tiin proht ”I can't,” she said ”Not yet”
The woman frowned, but an instant later, a trace of approval appeared in her eyes ”You're brave,” she said ”Foolish, but brave If you continue, you may well die But if you succeed…”
The wo, which she handed to Negin ”Should you survive, this will help you recover”
Negin accepted the bag ide eyes ”Thank you, Lady—”
”Mereht said ”If you make it back to the Ith of will is a rare find”
”You havedeeply as she spoke, her voice filled with reverence
Yet before Negin even finished the bow, the woman had already turned her attention to Arran And while she had looked at his coave hih with no small amount of suspicion
”You are not a recruit,” she said ”Yet you are no e, either Why are you here?”