Paragon of Destruction

"I take it you found most of the ingredients you need?" Arran asked, continuing to absorb Purified Essence as he spoke.

"I did," Snowcloud replied. "Only the final five ingredients remain. Finding three of those will rely on luck, but for the other two, I know where to look."

"So where are we going?" Arran asked. With how little he understood of alchemy and herbalism, there was no point in asking what the remaining ingredients were. He knew that even if Snowcloud told him, the names would mean absolutely nothing to him.

"The remains of the Eidaran Empire," Snowcloud answered. "About two months' travel northwest from here."

"The Eidaran Empire?" Arran had never heard the name before, and the thought of there being other empires still felt odd to him. To his mind, there was only one true Empire.

"Until a few decades ago, it was one of the largest and most prosperous powers west of the border region," Snowcloud said. "Then, one day, it collapsed into civil war. All that's left now is chaos and destruction."

"What happened to it?" Arran asked.

"I don't know," Snowcloud said. "And it doesn't matter. What matters is that the lands it once held are now rife with conflict, with different groups warring to control what little is left. And for us, that means the region will be dangerous."

"What about the people who are after you?" Arran asked, remembering what Lord Sevaril had told them when they first arrived in Goldhaven.

"Few people from the Society ever venture that far from the border," Snowcloud replied. "We should be safe from them, at least."

"So when do we leave?"

"As soon as you finish with that crystal."

Arran turned his attention back to absorbing the remaining Purified Essence, finishing a short while later.

"I suppose we'll have to say our goodbyes to Lord Sevaril?" he asked after he finished. He didn't look forward to meeting the man again, but if that was the price for being rid of him for good, he would gladly pay it.

To Arran's surprise, Snowcloud shook her head.

"His stewards told me he's secluded himself in meditation and cannot be interrupted," she said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter. I have what I need from him, so we're leaving right now."

Although Arran was happy to hear that he wouldn't have to come face to face with Lord Sevaril again — and face the risks that entailed — he couldn't help but wonder why the old man had locked himself away in his tower. If it was just fear of Arran's master there was little to worry about, but he worried there was more to it.

With a sigh, he put the thought aside. Whatever Lord Sevaril's reasons, Arran would soon be rid of the man and his city.

They were already making their way through the city less than half an hour later. At each turn, Arran felt some fear that someone would still stop them, but it seemed his worries were unfounded, and they soon reached the city gate.

The guards at the gate waved them through without issue, and Arran felt a surge of relief once they were outside the city. Although he knew well that many dangers still lay ahead, he felt more confident in facing them in the wild than in the confines of the city — at least here, he could flee if needed.

The further they left the city behind, the more comfortable Arran began to feel, and after several hours, his curiosity about their destination finally won out over the worries he still felt.

"So this Eidaran Empire, what's so dangerous about it?" he asked, wondering what threats lay at the end of the journey ahead.

"I already told you," Snowcloud replied flatly. "It's filled with groups fighting for power, and any one of those groups could be a threat to us."

"But you're a Shadowflame mage," Arran said. "You follow the True Path. Won't any mages they have be far weaker than you?"

Having witnessed the effects of Purified Essence himself, he no longer had any doubts about the power of Shadowflame mages.

Snowcloud laughed. "Despite its grand name, the True Path is just one of many ways to gain power. And without the Academy to stifle magic users, mages here have discovered all sorts of methods to grow more powerful. Don't underestimate them."

Arran was about to ask another question when he noticed that a few hundred paces ahead, a small group of people had stepped onto the road. From the look of it, there were just over half a dozen, and they seemed to be wearing mages' robes.

Noticing the same, Snowcloud said in a low voice, "I think there's trouble ahead. Be ready."

Arran nodded, then sent out his Shadowsight. After a moment, he said softly, "There's more of them hiding in the brush next to the road. To the left."

Snowcloud nodded silently, not questioning how Arran had discovered the hidden threat. Instead, a hard expression appeared on her face, and Arran knew that, like him, she was preparing for battle.

They slowed their pace as they approached the group ahead, but they did not turn to run. There was no point in doing so — if an attack came, facing it head-on would be their best chance of survival.

At about a hundred paces, Arran's eyes went wide when he recognized one of the men among the group — the sales clerk from the Golden Hall. It seemed the man recognized him at the same time, because he suddenly stretched out his arm and pointed at Arran.

There was no time to give the matter any thought, because just a moment later, the man next to the sales clerk raised his hand, and Arran could Sense that he was gathering Wind Essence for an attack.

At once, Arran created a Force Shield, and a split second later he could Sense an attack hurtling toward him. Yet although the attack hit the Force Shield with a loud crash, it did not break through, and Arran retaliated at once, sending a Wind Blade toward the men.

Both the sales clerk and the man to his side died in an instant, Arran's Wind Blade cleaving through their bodies like a sword slicing paper. At the same time, two streaks of white fire surged forth from Snowcloud's hands, and another two of their enemies died before they could even launch attacks of their own.

But even as the group ahead was all but wiped out in a moment, Arran's Shadowsight let him know that half a dozen arrows came flying toward him from the brush aside the road.

He quickly moved the Force Shield to protect him, but a moment too late — one of the arrows struck his shoulder, with another glancing his arm.

Ignoring the pain, Arran ripped the arrow from his shoulder, then drew his sword and rushed toward the hidden opponents, the Force Shield in front of him. Snowcloud would have to deal with what remained of the group on the road.

In the few seconds it took Arran to reach his foes, several more arrows came his way, but these harmlessly glanced off his Force Shield.

When Arran reached the brush, he could see several men within it, drawing their swords as they braced for Arran's attack. Now, he could Sense that they were Body Refiners, albeit much weaker than Arran himself.

He did not pause or hesitate in his attack, instantly ramming his sword through the chest of the nearest man, while at the same time slamming his Force Shield into another.

Perhaps it was the excitement of the sudden battle, or perhaps an unforeseen effect of the Essence Crystals, but Arran now felt a strength and bloodlust that was new to him, his sword tearing through his opponents with ease as he butchered them.

In a matter of seconds, all his opponents were dead, their bodies ripped apart by Arran's furious attacks. Even if they were Body Refiners, their Essence-strengthened bodies had offered them no protection from Arran's rage.

The last of his opponents defeated, Arran turned around, and he was surprised to see Snowcloud sitting on the road, grasping her leg. While there were no enemies left standing on the road, Arran understood that she had been injured in the fray.

He quickly made his way back to her, and when he reached her, he saw an arrow sticking from her leg — it seemed he wasn't the only one who had been hit.

"You're wounded," he said worriedly, kneeling beside her to inspect the wound.

Instead of groaning in pain as he expected, she gave him a calm but questioning look.

"Just how many Essence Crystals did you use?"