Chapter 128

“We’ll talk about the Essence Crystals later,” Arran said . “First, let me take a look at that wound . “

Snowcloud nodded, wincing as she gazed down at the arrow sticking from her leg .

As Arran inspected the wound, he saw that although the arrowhead was embedded deeply in Snowcloud’s thigh, it did not look like it had struck the bone .

“I’m going to pull out the arrow,” Arran said . “Are you ready?”

“Do it,” she said, clenching her jaw .

Carefully, Arran took the arrow firmly in his hand . Then, with a single quick movement, he pulled it from Snowcloud’s leg .

She cried out in pain for a moment, gasping as the sharp arrowhead sliced through her flesh once more on its way out .

“All done,” Arran said . Then, he took a bottle of water from his void bag and carefully cleaned the wound . With the arrow gone, it didn’t look nearly as bad — though it was deep and oozed blood, it seemed like a clean cut that should heal well enough .

“I’ll take it from here,” Snowcloud said, taking out a small flask from which she poured a thick liquid over her injury . She groaned as she rubbed the liquid into the wound, but whatever the liquid was, it stopped the bleeding .

While Snowcloud bandaged her leg, Arran reached for his shoulder to check the damage he himself had sustained . Yet to his surprise, he found only a shallow cut in his shoulder, and the gash on his arm seemed to have healed already .

This gave him some pause .

Even if his injuries had been less severe than Snowcloud’s, they had certainly been worse than they were now . And while years of Body Refinement had caused his body to heal rapidly, it had never recovered anywhere near as fast as this .

For a moment, he considered the possibility that the Essence Crystals had something to do with it, but he quickly rejected the thought . Powerful though they might be, there was no reason to think they would have such an effect .

Then, an uncomfortable realization set in, as he remembered his encounter with the eyeless creature .

After the events at the fortress, the burn on his face had healed far more quickly than it should have . He had not given it much thought at the time, but now, he suspected the creature had done something that made a lasting change to his body .

Though the power was welcome, its source caused him concern . From what he had seen of the creature, he doubted anything it could impart would be benign . And if it had given him some kind of new power, he doubted it came without a cost .

“Hey!” Snowcloud’s voice interrupted his thoughts .

“What is it?” Arran asked, pulling his thoughts back to the present .

“I asked if you have any injuries,” she said, holding up the small flask she had used to treat her own wounds .

“Nothing worth mentioning,” Arran said . “Let me just get the loot, and we can be on our way . I’ll tell you about the Essence Crystals once we’re out of here . “

Snowcloud looked on with a somewhat disapproving gaze as he looted the bodies, but Arran ignored her expression . Even if she would rather pass up treasures than rob the dead, he had no such compunctions . Treasure was treasure, and the dead did not need it — dead enemies least of all .

He was disappointed to find that none of the mages seemed to carry much of value . There were a few low-quality Essence Crystals and several scrolls, but other than that, he found nothing of interest .

“I wonder why they attacked us,” Snowcloud said as she looked on, a frown on her face .

“No need to wonder,” Arran replied . “One of them was at the trading house where I bought my Essence Crystals . He must have informed the others that I was carrying treasure . “

It was the only explanation that made sense . Although both Snowcloud and Arran himself had plenty of enemies, none would be foolish enough to attack them with so little strength .

“How many Essence Crystals did you manage to buy in the city?” Snowcloud asked, a curious look on her face .

“Hundreds,” Arran replied, although he did not say just how many hundreds of the crystals he actually had . After the events with Lord Sevaril, he had decided he would not speak freely of his possessions anymore — not even to friends and allies .

Still, Snowcloud’s eyes went wide in surprise at his answer, but then she chuckled . Arran was relieved to see that she wasn’t upset, even if his lack of discretion had resulted in her being wounded .

“No wonder you drew their attention,” she said, shaking her head . “And I take it you’ve already used most of the crystals?”

“I’ve used a few hundred,” Arran said, understanding that there was no point in hiding that . “But I still have a decent number left to train further . “

“Using those right now won’t do you much good,” Snowcloud said . “I’m sure you’ve already discovered that the more crystals you consume, the weaker their effect becomes . And with what you’ve taken already, control won’t be your bottleneck for at least the next few years . “

“My bottleneck?”

“You already had a strong body and powerful Realms when I met you,” Snowcloud said . “And now, you also have the control you lacked earlier . But your Sense is still weak, and your skill at using magic is downright poor . Those are the things you’ll need to improve to grow stronger . “

The explanation made sense, and Arran nodded thoughtfully . “Then how do I do that?”

“You’ll develop your Sense by using it, and by purifying Essence,” she said . “Even if you don’t need the crystals, purifying Essence is one of the best ways to train your Sense . As for your skill… that will require practice and training, and lots of it . “

“What kind of training?” Arran asked .

“Spellcasting and sparring,” Snowcloud replied instantly . “Only by actually using magic can you become better at it . It’s like playing the lute — a good instrument and nimble fingers will only get you so far . At some point, you’ll have to start putting in actual work to progress . “

Arran sighed at her answer . Although he knew she was right, he much preferred shortcuts over having to spend endless hours in training . But it seemed that he had finally run out of shortcuts .

“So when do we start?” he asked . If work was the only way forward, he might as well get started as soon as possible .

“When we’re a few days from the city,” Snowcloud said . Then, with a look at her leg, she added, “And when this is healed . “

After that, they continued on their way, leaving the dead bodies of their would-be robbers behind .

Snowcloud limped as they walked, but she refused Arran’s offer to carry her, giving him a cold stare for even suggesting it . At this, Arran shrugged — if she wanted to suffer needlessly, that was her business .

When evening finally fell, Goldhaven had already faded far into the distance . Yet still, Arran did not feel entirely safe . The botched robbery had reminded him that even small mistakes could come back to haunt him, and there was no lack of mistakes and indiscretions in his past .