Chapter 340 A Warm Welcome (1/2)
As Arran made his way back to the mines' upper levels, he took care not to kill any of the few diggers that still remained alive within the mines
Instead, he avoided the sure to leave several dozens of shout the dark tunnels — enough tothe row suspicious of his strength
When he neared the upper levels, he retrieved the bag the , then relieved it ofit over his shoulder
He did not switch out his sword, however The Living Shadoeapon resembled his starmetal sword so perfectly that none but Arran would see the difference, and his control of its transformations was still too unsteady for him to rely on in battle
While Karanos had been able to transfor Shadow in an instant, Arran's weapon wasn't nearly as quick in responding to his wishes When he'd crossed the border into the Iet it to turn into a bracelet
Fortunately, it was faster in taking the shape of a sword, but even that task took it well over a minute In battle, that was time he would not have
He expected that as his bond to the weapon strengthened and his experience with it grew, his control would eventually reach the point where he could copy Karanos's feats
But right now, that was still far away
When he reached the shaft leading up to the mines' upper levels, he found it exactly as he'd left it, with no sign that anyone — or anything — had passed while he was in the depths below
After a last look at the darkness around him, he sealed off his Realms, thenthe rusty ladder that led back to the mines' upper levels
The cli before he reached the top of the shaft
To his surprise, the thick steel grate hadn't been put back in place Yet as he eed into the tunnels, he saw at once that the upper levels had been well-protected all the same Because, just a few dozen paces from the chasm in the rock, he saw Captain Kaleesh and the other three coround next to a small fire, and no small amount of bottles stood around theed, a triumphant look appeared on Gar's face ”Told you he'd lance at Lasha ”Now pay up”
Lasha reached into her coat and tossed Gar a shi+ny coin, a trace of relief on her face ”Glad I rong”
The captain, however, looked at Arran with curious eyes ”Did you find anything?”
Arran nodded ”Lots of diggers,” he said ”I killed ot them all But once those are dead, the lower levels should be safe”
”Oh?” Captain Kaleesh gave Arran a questioning look ”Then you found out where they came from?”
”I did,” Arran confirmed ”There was a small crack in the rocks at the lowest part of the h to ht failed?” The captain's tone wasn't suspicious, exactly, but it held an unmistakable hint of doubt at Arran's claim ”Where did the tunnel lead?”
”No idea,” Arran replied flatly ”I just collapsed the tunnel, then headed back up”
”You collapsed the tunnel?” The captain looked at Arran in disbelief ”Without even bothering to explore what lay behind it?”
”Of course” Arran shrugged, then continued, ”Whatever's in there, it killed a Knight No point in risking my life to satisfy my curiosity”
For some moments, Captain Kaleesh reh ”Practical to a fault, I see I don't know if I would've had your self-control Even finding the Knight's weapon…”
The captain's voice trailed off, and a longing look appeared in his eyes Yet after a ht decision Are you confident the way is blocked?”
Arran nodded ”The tunnel was unstable to begin with I only went a few hundred paces inside, but I can't i intact Even if whatever's down there tries to reach the h”
”Good,” the captain said, brow creased in thought ”Sassun, Gar, you and your groups will go down toers that reave a slight shake of his head, while Gar siantthe hilt of his sword