Chapter 112

“I could have gotten us killed,” Snowcloud said, a somber tone to her voice .

“You could have,” Arran agreed . “But you didn’t . Let’s leave it at that . “

He still felt some anger at Snowcloud for hesitating in the heat of battle, but there was no point in venting it now . All it could do was further erode her confidence, and that would only increase the risk of it happening again . What he needed now was Snowcloud the way she had been at the end of the battle — a frighteningly powerful mage .

“Will you be able to fight?” Arran asked .

Snowcloud nodded . Although her eyes were still red, the tears had stopped, and she seemed to have calmed down .

“What do we do now?” she asked .

“We should take the initiative,” Arran said . “They don’t yet know what happened . If we attack now, we have a chance to take them by surprise . “

“All right,” Snowcloud said, her expression determined .

“But you have to be careful,” Arran continued . “The ones we face inside will be stronger . “

“How do you know?”

“They were sent out to deal with a small nuisance,” he explained . “That’s something the leaders would leave to their juniors . “

“I suppose that makes sense,” Snowcloud replied . “So how do we fight them?”

“This time, we’ll have to attack head-on, and overwhelm them before they have a chance to respond . “

It wasn’t much of a plan, but waiting longer would just give the remaining deserters more time to prepare . If they attacked right away, at least their targets would be caught off-guard . With their numbers already reduced by two, that should be enough to secure victory .

Before they left, Arran took the slain novices’ void bags . Snowcloud looked surprised to see this, but Arran shrugged and said, “Maybe they’re carrying Essence Crystals . “

They made their way to the edge of the clearing that held the fortress, and once more, the sight caused Arran some worry .

Around the fortress was a large clear area without any cover whatsoever, and they would have to run at least a quarter mile before they reached the gate . While that might not be enough time for their enemies to rally their defenses, it would give them an opportunity to sound the alarm .

Still, there was nothing for it but to run as quickly as they could .

“We’ll have to run,” Arran said, speaking in a low voice . “I’ll take down the gate, then attack with all my strength . What you need to do is hide your power, then attack as soon as the novices appear . Can you do that?”

“I can,” Snowcloud answered with a nod .

“You can’t hesitate,” Arran added . “If you do, I will die . “

“I won’t,” Snowcloud said . From the resolute look on her face, it seemed she believed it .

Of course, in truth, Arran was prepared for the possibility that she would hesitate again . This time, he would not trust her blindly — after he brought the gate down, he would keep his Force and Wind Essence in reserve, ready to defend himself when the novices appeared .

“Ready?” Arran gave Snowcloud a questioning look .

“Let’s go,” she replied .

Arran took a final deep breath . The next few moments would be crucial, and he knew that the faster he ran, the better their chances would be .

Then, he dashed off toward the fortress, using every bit of strength his body held . He put such force into his strides that his feet tore the ground, and he was already halfway when the first calls of alarm sounded from the fortress .

Several arrows flew toward him from the stronghold’s walls, but Arran was moving too fast for the archers to hit him — and even if they did hit, an arrow fired from a normal bow would barely even scratch him .

He gathered up Force Essence as he ran, and when there were only a few dozen paces left between him and the gate, he launched a powerful Battering Force attack .

Strong though the gate might be, its iron-reinforced wood stood no chance against Arran’s attack . The gate exploded inward with a deafening crash, the wood shattered and torn from the sheer force of the impact .

Arran did not pause to admire the damage he had wrought . Without waiting, he ran through the remains of the gate and into the courtyard .

Within the courtyard was a group of several dozens of bandits, but they looked confused and disorganized, with several only half-dressed — clearly, they had been roused only moments ago . Arran did not give them any time to get their bearings . He rushed toward the group with his sword drawn, launching several large fireballs into their midst as he moved .

The attacks hit with devastating effect, killing at least half the group in an instant . Screams of pain came from those who hadn’t been killed instantly, but their suffering was brief — Arran arrived a moment later, cutting down all who still stood in a matter of moments .

By then, panic had broken out among the bandits who remained at the edges of the courtyard, and any thoughts they might have had of forming a defense vanished before the chaos unfolding around them . But even as they tried to flee, Arran continued attacking, fire sprouting from his hands, burning bandits and buildings alike .

As he rained down destruction upon the courtyard and those within it, Arran only barely paid attention to the men he was killing . They posed no real threat, and his real opponents had yet to show themselves .

The moment he had been anticipating came quickly . Arran Sensed a sudden build-up of Fire Essence that wasn’t his, and he knew one of the novices had appeared . Instantly, he threw up a Force Shield and turned toward the threat, but there was no need — this time, Snowcloud did not hesitate .

Before the mage could even launch his attack, he was struck by a massive blow of Wind Essence that rammed into his body with such force he was flung several dozens of paces backward, only halting when he slammed into a wall . His broken body fell to the ground, motionless .

There was no time to celebrate, however . Even as one deserter died, another revealed himself, throwing a series of fireballs at Snowcloud . She deflected them with what seemed like a shield of Wind Essence, then retaliated with the same yellow-white lightning she had used to kill a novice earlier . Her opponent deflected the attack, but only barely, and he was forced backward .

As Snowcloud exchanged attacks with the mage, Arran did not intervene . Confident that she would prevail within moments, he focused his attention on finding the remaining deserter .

The courtyard was empty apart from the slain bandits’ bodies, yet when Arran used his Shadowsight, he was startled to find a figure only a dozen paces behind Snowcloud, approaching her rapidly . He could neither Sense nor see the figure, but there was no time to think about that . If there was a threat, it would not wait for Arran to study it .

At once, he launched a Battering Force attack at the figure, then followed behind it himself, sword raised .

The attack hit the figure squarely with ruinous force, and it was sent sprawling to the ground . To Arran’s surprise, there was a slight blur in the air, and a moment later a woman appeared in place of the figure, a sword in her hand and a startled look on her face .

Arran did not pause to think about what happened . Immediately, he launched a series of powerful sword blows, driving the woman back as she desperately defended herself . Yet despite being taken by surprise, she managed to parry and dodge his attacks, and after a few moments, Arran’s advantage disappeared as she regained her composure .

Now, it was Arran who found himself on the defense, and he quickly sustained several small injuries . As the woman struck with the sword in her right hand, Arran Sensed a sudden surge of Fire Essence in her left hand . At once, he dodged — and only narrowly escaped a streak of yellow-white lightning that surged past his face, leaving a painful burn on his cheek .

He Sensed another swell of Essence in the woman’s hand and was about to raise a Force Shield, but then, the woman was struck by a blast of Wind Essence that nearly took her off her feet . It seemed Snowcloud had finally defeated her opponent and come to Arran’s aid .

Seeing an opportunity, Arran did not hesitate . In an instant, he rammed his sword through the staggered woman’s chest before she had a chance to recover . A moment later, the Essence in her hand scattered into the air, and her lifeless body slumped to the ground .

Arran breathed a deep sigh of relief . Once again, the battle had been far closer than he wanted . But they had won, and right now, that was all that mattered .

When he turned to Snowcloud, there were no tears in her eyes . Instead, her normally pale cheeks were red with exertion, and she had a tired but relieved look on her face .

“That should be the last of the deserters,” Arran said, although he did not dare to let down his guard .

“I hope so,” Snowcloud said, still breathing heavy after the fight . “What do we do now?”

“Let’s go inside,” Arran replied . “We can talk after we clear the fortress . “

Snowcloud nodded, and Arran was reassured when he saw that despite the weary look on her face, her eyes were sharp and focused . It seemed there was hope for her yet .