Paragon of Destruction

Arran looked at Negin as she lay on the ground. With her body covered in burns and blisters, it was a small miracle that she'd lasted as long as she had. Her strength had long failed her, and the last hours, she had persisted on nothing but sheer willpower.

But there was only so much willpower could do.

The moment she'd laid eyes on the starmetal weapon, her body had finally given out, and she'd collapsed into unconsciousness. She was long past her limit, and against the merciless assault of unbound Essence, no amount of determination could last.

As Arran looked at her, he knew that leaving her behind was the sensible thing to do.

In her current pitiful state, she wouldn't last much longer. Another hour or two, at most. And once she died, what little she'd learned about Arran would be forgotten.

That might save him no small amount of trouble down the road — although she didn't know much about him, what little she knew was already more than enough to get him killed.

Yet as he stared at her bloodied figure, he realized he couldn't do it. Enemy or not, she had been his companion for several weeks, and he would not lightly abandon a companion to die.

He cursed loudly as he realized what he had to do. But then, with a deep sigh, he stored the girl's belongings in his void ring and threw her battered body over his shoulder.

Even burdened with the girl's limp body, not having to conceal his strength meant that Arran could travel far faster than he had before. The journey into the battlefield had taken them days, but running at full speed, it took him only a few hours to return.

It wasn't long before he reached the spot where they'd left their belongings behind, and when he arrived, he carefully laid the girl down on the ground.

Her body was covered in dried blood, but he could see that her blisters were already beginning to fade. Although far weaker than Arran, she was clearly still a powerful Body Refiner.

Yet although her broken skin was beginning to heal, her consciousness had yet to return. And not just that — as Arran examined her, he saw that her skin was deathly pale, and her breaths were shallow and uneven. He could still feel her pulse, but it was weak and rapid, with her body was struggling to endure the injuries she had suffered.

He waited for a quarter-hour, but she showed no sign of improvement. If anything, she seemed to be getting worse, her skin growing paler still as her breathing almost came to a halt.

Arran was no healer, but he understood she was dying. She'd pushed past her body's limits in the battlefield, well beyond the point of recovery. He hadn't recognized it at the time, but now, he realized he had overestimated her strength.

Yet although he knew she was dying, he had no idea of how to save her — or even if she could be saved at all.

With a thought, he took out the small bag the Knight had given her. The woman had said its contents might help Negin recover, and right now, the girl needed any help she could get.

He found a small assortment of pills inside the bag, but a frustrated frown appeared on his face as he examined them. Not only did he not know what each of them did, giving Negin pills in her current state would more likely choke her than save her life.

Arran groaned in frustration at the helplessness he felt. He knew a thousand different ways to kill an enemy, but saving lives was a different matter — and one he knew absolutely nothing about.

Had Snowcloud been there, he knew she would have known a way to save the girl — some mixture of foul-tasting potions, no doubt. But she was months of travel away, and Arran had none of her knowledge about medicine.

And without any knowledge of healing, all he could do was watch helplessly as the girl's life slipped away right in front of him.

But then, a thought came to him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the girl's starmetal dagger, then made a deep cut across his hand. It only took a moment for the wound to heal, but as blood came from his hand, he poured it across Negin's lips and into her mouth.

Several times he repeated this, careful not to choke the girl. Then, finally, he pulled his hand back, and carefully observed her. If he was right, she might yet be saved.

He had no idea if the plan would work. While he thought there was a chance, he knew that his attempt at saving her might well end up killing her, instead. But then, if he didn't do anything, she was dead anyway.

Still, he had some hope that she might survive. Not only was his blood rich in Natural Essence, it also held the Dragon's Ruin. And with the girl on the verge of death, her body might just be weakened enough that the Dragon's Ruin could take hold.

For a good half hour, nothing happened. Yet while the girl showed no sign of recovery, her condition had stopped deteriorating. If nothing else, Arran's help seemed to have staved off the most immediate threat.

More time passed as Arran anxiously watched for any changes. But then, he saw it — a hint of color began to return to her skin, and her shallow breathing slowly grew steadier.

The improvement was painfully slow, but it was an improvement nonetheless. And as the girl's breathing steadied, Arran's hope slowly turned into relief.

It took another hour before she regained consciousness, and when she did, she looked at Arran in confusion for several moments. But as her eyes cleared, she said in a weak voice, "You saved me."

"So I did," Arran said, unable to fully keep the grin from his face. He'd been all but certain the girl was doomed, but somehow, he'd managed to save her. It was a feeling nearly as good as defeating a powerful enemy.

Several minutes passed before Negin spoke again, and when she did, her voice had already grown stronger. "I'm hungry," she said, some confusion in her eyes.

The Dragon's Ruin had taken hold, then. Or at least some version of it.

"Eat something," Arran said, handing her a piece of dried meat he'd taken from his void ring earlier. "You need the strength."

Negin hungrily devoured the meat, but as she did, the look of confusion in her eyes only grew stronger.

"There's something different," she said after she finished eating. "Something about my body…" She gave Arran a questioning look.

Arran nodded. "I gave you something to make you stronger. It was the only way I could save you. Best not let others in your Imperium know about it, though. If they find out, they might kill you for it — and me as well, for that matter."

His words caused a frown to appear on the girl's bloodied face, but after a moment, the frown disappeared, a look of gratitude taking its place. And as she looked him in the eyes, she said "I owe you my life."

"That you do," Arran replied. "And I fully expect you to repay the debt." He gave her a smile, then continued, "But I still have a weapon to find. I suggest you take a day or two to recover before you return to your group. I've left food in your bag."

With that, he stood up and readied himself to leave. Now that the girl was saved, there was no reason for him to remain in the makeshift camp any longer.

Yet before he could depart, she called out, "Wait! You don't have to go!"

Arran gave her a curious glance. "I don't?"

"The weapons," she began. "They're yours. I can't take them — not after you saved my life."

"Don't be foolish," Arran replied. "Finding them nearly cost you your life. Besides, I intend to find ones at least as good for myself."

He flashed her a final grin, and before she could say anything else, he set off at a run.

As he made his way back toward the ruined wasteland at the heart of the battlefield, he did not pause — not even when the light of day slowly began to fade from the sky. He'd grown familiar with darkness in the Shadow Realm, and he had already wasted too much time.

He did not worry about the consequences of saving the girl as he traveled through the treacherous terrain. Saving her had probably been a mistake, but if it was, he had no regrets in making it. Not when his only other choice had been to let her die.

And either way, the decision was made.

Now, it was time to finally begin his search for the Forms. And he would allow no more obstacles to slow him down.