Chapter 72

When they returned to Darkfire’s mansion, Arran finally got a look at how vast the place was . With over two dozen bedrooms, a library, several studies, and not one but two great dining halls, the mansion was clearly designed for to house dozens of people .

And yet, Darkfire lived there by himself, without even servants to look after it .

Moreover, from the state of the place, it was clear that Darkfire wasn’t much of a decorator . If the mansion hadn’t been clean and mostly free of dust, Arran could easily have believed it to be abandoned .

“You can take any room you want,” Darkfire said . “Other than my bedroom, I don’t really use the place much . “

“Then why get something so big?” Arran asked .

“The field outside is great for training,” Darkfire replied with a grin .

Arran picked out a large bedroom on the second floor, with a good view of the city and a massive bed . After spending over a year sleeping on the stone floor of a prison cell, a soft bed would be a welcome change .

He awoke early in the morning, and when he went downstairs, he found that Darkfire was already outside, practicing .

Arran observed him for a while, impressed by the sight . He could see that Darkfire was executing a seemingly endless series of sword strokes, each different from the last .

Although there wasn’t a pattern to the movements, exactly, to Arran’s eyes it looked as if Darkfire was engaged in a fight with a dozen invisible enemies .

“That training technique of yours… what is it?” Arran asked after Darkfire finished .

“It’s something my mother taught me when I was a child,” Darkfire replied . “Let me show you how it works . “

Darkfire spent the next hours teaching the technique to Arran, and although Arran only understood a small part of it, he could already tell that it would greatly help his own training .

“Want to head for the tournament?” Darkfire asked after they finished their training some hours later . “We can visit the Governor afterward . “

They arrived at the arena half an hour later . It was large, circular, and made of stone, with a floor covered in yellow sand . Although it looked like it could easily accommodate a crowd of thousands, right now only barely a quarter of the seats were taken .

“The weekly tournaments don’t usually draw large crowds,” Darkfire explained . “Only the monthly ones draw out the strongest fighters . “

As Arran looked around, he spotted half a dozen youths in black robes who stood out from the rest of the crowd, with nobody in the audience closer than ten paces to them .

“Who are they?” he asked, pointing at the group .

Darkfire looked over, and the moment he saw the group, his face fell . “Shadowbloods,” he said in a disgusted voice .

“Shadowbloods? What are they?”

“They’re a faction within the Shadowflame Society,” Darkfire said . “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay far away from them . “

“Why?” Arran asked . This was the first time he saw actual members of the Shadowflame Society, and he hadn’t expected he would have to avoid them .

“They believe that only those born within the Society should be allowed to join,” Darkfire said . “You don’t see them much in the border cities, since they don’t usually recruit outsiders . And when they do, those recruits are rarely seen again . “

“And this group?” Arran asked .

“These are just novices,” Darkfire said . “But don’t take them too lightly — they’re still Society members . If they try to recruit you, refuse, but be polite about it . No point in needlessly making enemies . “

Arran nodded, deciding that he would do his best to stay away from the Shadowbloods . Yet even as he made the decision, he saw one of them point at Darkfire, and a moment later the group approached them .

“Darkfire,” one of the Shadowflame novices began, a sinister smile on his face . “I was wondering if your friend—”

“Fuck off,” Darkfire said, not at all polite .

The young man’s smile disappeared instantly . “You think just because your family—”

“Fuck off!” Darkfire said again, louder this time .

The young man’s face twisted in anger, and for a moment, it looked as if he was going to attack Darkfire . Yet an instant later, he regained his composure, although a scowl remained on his face .

“One of these days you’re going to get recruited,” he said . “We’ll see what happens when you’re out there in the wilderness . “

After a final glare at Darkfire, he turned around and left, the other novices following close behind him .

“That could have gone better,” Arran said once they were out of earshot .

“Sorry about that,” Darkfire said, sounding slightly embarrassed . “I just can’t stand those treacherous bastards . “

Arran nodded . Although part of him feared that the incident might cause problems in the future, he understood that Darkfire wasn’t the type to hold his tongue . And even if it wasn’t exactly convenient, Arran appreciated the lack of duplicity .

“So where do I go?” Arran asked, turning his attention back to the tournament .

“Follow me,” Darkfire said, leading Arran to an area on the side of the arena where a large group of young men and women stood, apparently waiting to fight .

A large man immediately approached them, giving Darkfire a wary glance — clearly, the man recognized who he was .

“It’s just him,” Darkfire said, gesturing toward Arran, and a look of relief appeared on the man’s face .

“Do you know the rules?” he asked, turning to Arran .

Arran shook his head .

“No sharpened weapons, and no killing blows,” the man said . Pointing to Arran’s sword, he added, “You’ll have to leave that outside the arena, and use one of the provided weapons . “

Arran handed his sword to Darkfire, then walked over to a large bucket filled with blunted swords . None of them were particularly well-made, but after a quick search, he found one that seemed at least halfway decent, even if it was far too light for his liking .

As they waited for the fights to begin, Darkfire leaned over to Arran .

“Don’t show your full strength,” he said in a low voice . “You won’t need it, and you don’t want to draw any more attention from the Shadowbloods . “

They watched the first few fights from the sideline, and it didn’t take long for Arran to understand that there would be no real challenge today . Although the fighters might be skilled by normal standards, none of them seemed to have any training in magic or Body Refinement .

When Arran was finally called to fight, his first opponent turned out to be one of the young men he had fought the previous night, face still carrying a large bruise . The moment the young man saw Arran, his eyes went wide with shock .

“I concede!” he called out, ending the fight before it had even started .

The crowd booed and jeered as they walked back to the waiting area, and Arran could not help but feel annoyed with the young man — even if he had no chance of winning, he should at least give it an honest effort .

The next few fights proved little more difficult than the first . Although now Arran’s opponents did make an effort, the difference in strength was just too large . Even with Arran taking care not to injure his opponents, none of them lasted more than a few seconds .

The one exception was his final opponent, but that was only because the man ran away the moment the fight started, much to the amusement of the crowd . When Arran caught his opponent after a short chase, the man conceded before he could land even a single blow .

Arran felt some disappointment at his opponents, but then, he reminded himself that none were mages or Body Refiners .

The announcer was just about to call out his victory, when suddenly, a voice sounded .

“How about a real challenge!”

Arran sighed . Without even looking, he knew that the voice belonged to one of the Shadowbloods .