Chapter 383 A Sea Of Shadow (1/2)
Atop the village wall, with his eyes fixed on the Blightspawn in the distance, Arran spent several hours going over his plan, scrutinizing every last detail of it
Siy he'd concocted was, he could not afford even the slightest oversight — and neither could his allies If the plan failed, it would mean not just Arran's death, but the death of the mercenaries as well
And so, with the burden of responsibility weighing upon his le one of the
When dusk approached, he kneas time He'd prepared as best he could, and all that remained noas to inform the captain
As expected, he found Kaleesh in the te at the side of one of the woundedHis face was deathly pale and covered in sweat, and the bandage that covered his torso was soaked with fresh blood
Worse, with every labored breath the youngsound, as unnatural as it was unsettling
Arran was no healer, but at a guess, he thought itwith blood And so, he waited patiently as the captain softly spoke to the mercenary
Whatever s man, he would not take that away
The as a short one After only a few ed and unsteady as the young led to take in air
Then, the sound came to an end
Kaleesh stood up and faced Arran, his expression somber ”Come with me,” he said ”I have decided e must do”
They left the teave the captain a sideways glance ”I see you didn't take my advice”
”I couldn't rest,” Kaleesh replied ”Not at a time like this That boy…” He looked back at the teer ”He was stabbed below the arm, just above his armor An inch lower and he would've been unharmed But instead, he'll never leave this damned place”
Arran nodded silently On the battlefield, even the slightest moment of bad luck could be a death sentence But there was no point in lingering on that — not with the threat that lay outside the walls
”You said you had a plan?”
”I do,” Kaleesh replied ”The Blightspawn — they are too e, more will follow There is no way for us to win this battle”
”Then what do you suggest we do?” Arran asked Though he had a plan of his own, he'd listen to the captain's, first
”When darkness falls,” the captain began, ”you lead the troops away I will remain behind with those too wounded to travel I can't hold off the Blightspawn for long, but it should be enough for the rest of you to escape”
”You ave the captain a flat stare, then shook his head ”It won't work We wouldn't be able to outrun the Blightspawn And even if I illing to leave you behind, the troops would not follow ned determination in his eyes ”There is no other way We can't defeat these Blightspawn — you know that as well as I do If you run, at least you will have a chance of escape”
”There is another way,” Arran said He glanced around to make sure none of the mercenaries were nearby, then continued in a lower voice, ”I think I kno to defeat theave Arran a puzzled look, but understanding dawned in his eyes only a ic?” he whispered ”If the Darians catch you—”
”They won't,” Arran interrupted him ”If there were any of them nearby with the power to notice it, ouldn't be in this mess And whatever the risk, it's better than your plan”
Kaleesh remained quiet for some time Finally, his brow furrowed in a deep frown, he asked, ”Are you sure it ork?”
”I'm not,” Arran replied truthfully ”I'htspawn, but if there's a Reaver aood my chances are”
That, of course, was the weakness in his plan He knew far too little about Reavers He understood that they were stronger than Blightspawn and that they could use o on
But then, the reverse was true as well If there was a Reaver ahtspawn, the creature would not expect to face a e like Arran
”Your chances?” Kaleesh gave Arran a concerned look ”You ainst a small army?”
”It's the only way o as I intend, they'll barely have a chance to fight back”
The captain seemed unconvinced He looked at Arran uncoes do battle, but I've never seen one who could take on a group like that”
Arran knew Kaleesh had good reason to be skeptical While he hih to defeat the group of Blightspawn singlehandedly, his own skill in ic was no ht to be a fair one What he intended was murder, not battle
”You'll have to trust me,” he said ”And even if I fail, their nuh that you'll have a chance at escaping”
After a ave a reluctant nod ”I suppose you know your powers better than I do But be careful Should your plan fail, flee at once Don't sacrifice your life for the rest of us”
Arran did not point out that Kaleesh had intended to make such a sacrifice himself only moments earlier By now, he understood how much the man valued his allies, and he kneas one of the reasons the captain inspired such loyalty in his troops
Instead, he gave Kaleesh a reassuring smile ”I won't take any needless risks,” he said ”But you should head back to the gate After today's battle, the troops need you at their side”
The captain looked as if he was about to object, but after a ave a small nod ”If you think you can do this,” he said, ”then I will trust you Be safe out there”
As Kaleesh ht out one of the eiant starh the oversized weapondifferent
Then, he raised a Shadowcloak
Casting the spell was instant and effortless Months of practicing the Forthened hishis hand, and now, even a coht
The dense pool of Shadow Essence within his bodyto feel as if he'd beco, because he'd need every shred of that skill tonight
Veiled in Shadow, crossing the wall and leaving the village was a simple htspawn camp, unseen by allies and ene onward and attacking immediately, he hid in a nearby thicket on the hillside that overlooked the assehtspawn And there, with his eyes fixed on his eneht
Atop the wall, his initial thought had been to attack the Blightspaith only the protection of his Shadowcloak Against hu from the shadows at enemies who had no way to defend theotten how Remnants could Sense even Shadow Essence, and as different as Blightspaere from those creatures, he could not help but see a hint of similarity between the two
Remnants were natural creatures that had absorbed Essence over the course of countless years, their bodies slowly transforinal forhtspawn, on the other hand, were humans who'd been forcefully infused with Essence, twisted into creatures that were no longer fully huh the tere, they had both had been shaped and changed by ical creatures, then Arran feared they ht be able to Sense Essence
It was a small risk, but one he could not take And so, he'd needed another plan
He'd considered attacking the creatures' amulets rather than their bodies, as well The seals within the a that Arran could not break the the seals would kill the Blightspawn
But he'd quickly rejected that idea While he could break the seals on the Blightspawn's a the creatures doith his sword
Likewise, he'd rejected the idea of using h ic, then he could expect them to have at least some resistance to it