Chapter 293

“You say it doesn’t want to be left behind?” Karanos looked at Arran with a deep frown on his face . “Then it wants something? And you can sense it?”Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

Arran understood the mage’s surprise perfectly . He hadn’t spent much time with the ill-fated arming sword, but enough to know it held only a semblance of consciousness . And although he couldn’t be certain, it was a fair guess that Karanos’s weapon would be no more intelligent .

Yet the executioner’s blade was different .

Even with Arran’s weak connection to the weapon, he could tell that it held an intelligence and cunning far beyond anything a mere treasure should possess . And more than that, it held a sense of purpose — it wanted to escape .

“It wants to leave this dungeon,” he said . Then, with some hesitation, he added, “And this world, I think . “

“The sword has the right idea,” Karanos said . “But now, decide if you want to keep it . Either way, we have to leave . “

Arran felt a brief moment of surprise that Karanos would leave the choice up to him, but then, he realized it made sense . Between the two of them, only he had any idea of whether the weapon could be trusted to remain hidden when they left the dungeons .

The decision was a tough one, and there wasn’t much time to make it . But as he gave it a moment of thought, Arran realized the risk would be too great . As much as he wished to have a treasure like this, he couldn’t stake their lives on his feeling that the weapon meant him no harm .

Yet when he was about to discard the executioner’s blade — if he could — he felt a sudden pressure coming from the weapon, as if it was urging him to move . And when he looked up, he realized it was urging him in the direction of the suit of armor stood against the wall .

After a brief moment of hesitation, he moved in the direction of the armor, curious to see what the weapon’s intentions were . He came to a halt a pace away from the armor, and there, he felt the sword pulling at his arm — a gentle force, clearly restrained to avoid startling him .

He raised an eyebrow in bemusement, but nevertheless, he moved the sword forward, then lightly touched it against the armor .

As soon as the two objects made contact, a small shred of shadow shot from the sword into the armor . And just a moment later, the jet-black armor collapsed, rapidly condensing into a head-sized ball of dense Shadow Essence .

That wasn’t the end of it, however . After a brief pause, the ball of Essence shrank further, forming into a small circle . And then, its darkness faded, until all that remained on the ground was what looked to be a simple iron bracelet .

“It seems your sword has bestowed a gift on you,” Karanos said, a hint of amusement in his voice .

“A bribe, more like,” Arran replied flatly . Yet although the sword’s attempt at gaining his favor was far from subtle, he still picked up the iron bracelet, then put it around his left wrist .

He gave the sword a long look, then let out a sigh . “All right, I’ll take you,” he said, and at once, a feeling of satisfaction emanated from the weapon .

In truth, it wasn’t the bribe that had swayed Arran’s decision . Rather, it was the fact that the sword had the wit to offer it in the first place . If it was smart enough to do that, then it was smart enough to not reveal them to the Remnants — not by accident, at least .

But Arran did not think the weapon would betray him . Even with what little he could sense of its consciousness, he was convinced it wanted to leave this world . And quickly, at that .

“So you’ve made your decision,” Karanos said . “Good . Let’s go . “

Without any further words, he headed out of the armory . Arran hurried behind him, though not without casting a last glance at the treasures they were leaving . Some small part of him suspected that he would never see the likes of it again .

But then, he couldn’t complain — he had already taken two of the armory’s greatest treasures, which was more than he could have reasonably hoped for .

As they made their way through the tunnels back to the surface, Arran realized that the Shadow Essence that flooded the world seemed different from before — thicker, somehow .

“The Essence—” he began .

“It’s changing,” Karanos interrupted him . “Has been for a while . Which is why I suggest you focus on walking instead of speaking . “

To this, Arran had no objections . If the tenseness in the mage’s voice was any indication, they were in grave danger . His questions could wait until they reached safety .

When they finally emerged from the tunnels, Arran was startled at the denseness of the Shadow Essence that lay across the city . It had been noticeable — and worrying — even in the tunnels, but here, the feeling of it caused a shiver to run down his spine .

Just a week earlier, the cloud of Shadow Essence had been like a thick fog . But now, it felt almost like a liquid that weighed on his shoulders and stifled his breathing .

And that wasn’t the worst of it .

The moment they stepped out of the tunnel, Arran Sensed three massive Remnants in the distance, all in different directions . And if he could Sense that many, the city must be absolutely crawling with the monsters .

“It’s worse than I thought,” Karanos said . “If I had known—” He cut off mid-sentence . “No matter . We’ll have to find a way through . “

The hours that followed were some of the most unnerving Arran had ever experienced . Crouching amid the crumbling ruins, they made their way through the endless city as best they could, moving in complete silence as giant monsters wandered the city’s remains around them .

And the creatures were giant indeed .

A few weeks earlier, Arran had been shocked when he encountered a Remnant that was hundreds of feet tall . But now, there were many that were far larger than that . Some were so large he could not even Sense their entire bodies — which meant they must be miles tall .

For a time, he thought the titanic creatures merely wandered around aimlessly . There seemed to be little sense to their choice of direction, as if they were moving around without goal or purpose .

But then, he began to notice subtle differences in the cloud of Shadow Essence that covered the city . Although it was thick and oppressive wherever he went, in some places it was denser than in others .

And the Remnants, he realized, were constantly moving toward those places where the Essence was densest . Like a herd of cows grazing a pasture, constantly seeking out those spots where the grass was thickest .

The thought brought Arran little comfort .

If the monsters were like cows, then he was like an unusually bountiful stalk of grass, filled to the brim with the Essence they feasted on . And if any of the creatures Sensed him, he had little doubt that it would consume him whole .

Karanos and Arran spent several hours navigating the city, their path constantly twisting and turning as they moved to avoid the Remnants . Several times, they had to wait as lumbering Remnants passed in front of them, hoping that another would not stumble upon them .

Yet amid the constant danger, Karanos’s Sense proved an excellent guide . Time and time again, the mage avoided threats long before Arran could even spot them, somehow finding a safe path past the creatures that roamed the city .

Still, he soon discovered that even Karanos wasn’t infallible .

On a seemingly safe and empty stretch of land — one of the few they had encountered in the city — Arran sensed a sudden feeling of alarm in his sword, so intense it nearly caused him to cry out in surprise .

“Stop!” he hissed at once .

Karanos came to a halt, then asked in a low voice, “What is it?”

“The sword,” Arran whispered . “I think it Senses danger ahead . “

Karanos raised an eyebrow in apparent bemusement, but nonetheless, a look of intense concentration appeared on his face a moment later as he faced the path ahead .

Several moments passed in silence, but finally, the mage turned back to Arran . “Ah,” he said, and although his tone was calm, there was a barely veiled hint of shock in his voice . “I overlooked that . “

They hurriedly set off again, changing their route to avoid whatever danger it was that Arran’s sword had Sensed .

It took them nearly a month just to reach the city’s edge, their pace often slowed to a crawl by the vast number of Remnants that dwelt amid the ruins . And during this time, Arran’s sword saved their lives over a dozen times, its Sense often picking up threats long before Karanos noticed them .

Yet eventually, they left the ruins behind . And although the blanket of Shadow Essence that covered the lands was just as thick here as it had been in the city — more so, in fact, since it grew denser by the day — there seemed to be fewer Remnants around .

They stopped for a brief moment of rest when the ruined city was half a day’s travel behind them . And as Arran rested his weary body, he asked, “How much farther do we have to go?”

Before, he had not dared ask the question — not with mortal danger lurking around every corner . But now that they had left the city, he was beginning to feel hopeful .

“Not that far,” Karanos replied . “Barely half a year, assuming we make good pace . “

“Half a year?” Arran looked at the mage in astonishment . “But the Essence… It’s growing thicker by the day . “

Karanos nodded, his expression serious . “Indeed,” he said . “So we’ll have to hurry . While I don’t know what is going to happen, I think you might not want to be here when it does . “

“Then this isn’t just the arrival of winter?” Arran asked .

Until now, he’d tried to convince himself that the ever-increasing darkness was just the arrival of winter that Karanos had mentioned some weeks earlier . Every passing day made that explanation seem less likely, but he’d clung to the idea nonetheless, fearing what the alternative might be .

“I’ve weathered thousands of winters in these lands,” the mage replied, “and none of them were anything like this . This is something different . This world is changing, and more rapidly than I had expected . “

“I guess we’ll have to make haste,” Arran said . Suppressing his worries, he added, “It’s just as well, I suppose . Not a lot of sightseeing to be done in this place, anyway . “

They set off again some minutes later, moving through the pitch-black landscape as fast as Arran’s body would allow . A few weeks had allowed him to recover somewhat, but he had yet to regain most of his strength .

It was another problem that he had no way to solve, and one that was especially troublesome in their current situation . Pressed for time as they were, his weakened state was no small hindrance .

And that they were pressed for time was clear . Even ignoring Karanos’s words and the thickening Essence around them, Arran’s sword emanated an aura of urgency that came very close to fear .

That caused Arran more worry than even Karanos’s words had . Because already, he had seen enough of the weapon to know that when it sensed danger, the threat wouldn’t be far away .