Chapter 339 The Blood Ruin (1/2)

A strong sense of dread filled Arran as he looked at the pale woman before him

As far as his Sense was concerned, she was nothing but a coe appearance, he knew at once that she was terrifyingly powerful

He subconsciously took two steps backward before stopping hi would do little to help hi her

Yet while Arran's gaze was fearful, the woman's expression was one of curiosity

”You bear the legacy of Mardek,” she said ”But it's twisted with the power of Narzhan's blood What are you?”

His fear otten, Arran stared at her in bewilder to him, yet the woman seemed to think he was somehow connected to these people — if that hat they were

Either way, he could not let the ht he tried to deceive her, no good would come of it

”I don't know either of those names,” he said carefully, brow furrowed in a deep frown ”Who are they?”

”You carry ifts, yet you claier briefly flashed across the wonized that Arran's confusion was genuine, amusement took its place ”You truly don't know, do you?”

Arran shook his head ”I don't”

At this, the pale woh — a dreadful sound that sent a shi+ver down Arran's spine And when her white eyes returned to Arran, her expression was one ofalready?” Gesturing at her body, she said, ”This one, she still knew their nahed ”Those fools To have thought theet them so quickly”

Arran was deeply uncomfortable with the situation, but he could not restrain his curiosity As dangerous as he knew the woman was, he was certain that she could answer many of his questions — soo

”The gifts you an, his voice hesitant ”Do you acy has been nas,” she replied ”But I am not here to answer your questions For the diversion you provided rant you your life Collect your spoils, then leave my domain Do not return”

Before Arran could respond, she see from his view entirely just an instant later

For several moments, he stood silently, eyes fixed on the spot where the won of her remained As far as his eyes and Sense could tell, she'd never been there at all, and even his sword detected nothing

Arran could not help but be shocked by the casual display of power His Sense was strong enough that no coe should be able to fool it, and his sword's Sense should see through even the strongest uises

And yet, the woman had vanished before his eyes Which could only mean that her powers far exceeded not just his own, but those of virtually any e he'd ever encountered

The two self-proclaie and Senecio, could likely do the sah he couldn't be certain, Arran suspected that Master Zhao was capable of such feats as well

But other than those three, he didn't know a singlehis sword's Sense so easily Not even Karanos, who'd spent untold years within the Shadow Real one, but Arran quickly put it aside

The woman had told him to collect his spoils and leave the cavern, and that was exactly what he intended to do Once he'd returned to the relative safety of thethat had happened

At once, he set off to retrieve the pieces of starmetal he'd earlier Sensed within the cavern

Much as he'd expected, they turned out to be pieces of armor, many of them still attached to torn pieces of dark leather The arht, he knew

Yet he found no trace of the Knight's other possessions This was a disappointment to Arran, but not a surprise He understood that the strange woht's body for herself, and it seeht's possessions

Briefly, he wondered whether the Knight had still been alive when her body was taken, and found that neither possibility made him the least biton the issue, he quickly turned his attention to his next task — butchering the three giant creatures he'd slain and gathering their meat

While he'd prefer to leave the cavern sooner rather than later, that was so he could not skip He'd lacked proper food ever since he eed from the Shadow Realon meat, he would not soon abandon it

The task took hiin with, and asa cavern full of diggers faded away, it became even harder