Paragon of Destruction

"Commanders!" Captain Kaleesh called out. "Gather up!"

The three commanders joined them moments later, and as they did, Arran saw that only Gar had some small wounds. Sassun and Lasha, meanwhile, had somehow escaped the battle unharmed.

"Looks like they got you good," Lasha said with a glance at Arran's bloodied clothes. There was a hint of disapproval in her eyes, as if she thought being wounded by the soldiers was almost shameful.

"Just some small scratches, is all," Arran replied.

In truth, the wounds he'd received were already long gone. The soldiers' deaths had provided his Blood-imbued Dragon's Ruin with plenty of power to feast upon, and none of his shallow wounds had lasted for more than a moment.

But that was a secret he could not share. The mercenaries might be his allies, but he would not reveal the full extent of his powers even to them. To do so would be every bit as dangerous as announcing that he was a mage.

Lasha gave him a doubtful look, but before she could say anything more, Gar stepped forward, a broad smile on his bloodied face.

"Can't have a good fight without a few wounds," the large man said. "And unlike you, we got something out of the battle."

With a pleased look, he patted the new sword at his side — starmetal, like the ones Arran and Captain Kaleesh had taken.

"Well done," the captain said, giving the giant commander an approving nod. "Now give that new sword of yours to Sassun, if you will."

Gar's satisfied expression faded in an instant, and he stared at the captain in bewilderment. "You want me to give up my sword?"

"Correct," Captain Kaleesh replied. "We're about to hunt down our enemies' leaders, and I expect them to have several Rangers at their side. I need my strongest fighters well-armed."

"What about him?" Gar said, pointing at Arran. "Why not have him give up his weapon?"

"He's stronger than you," the captain said. "He will join me and Sassun in confronting the enemies' Rangers, while Lasha and yourself will handle the others." A frown crossed his face, and he continued, "Besides, that sword is far too small for you. You'll have something more suitable in an hour or two."

That, at least, was true. The sword Gar had captured was slender and somewhat short, making it look almost like a dagger in the giant man's hands. But even so, Gar parted with it only reluctantly, a dark look in his eyes as he handed the weapon to Sassun.

"I expect another before the day is over," he grumbled.

"And you shall have one," the captain said. "But now, we must prepare. Gar, Lasha, I want your groups to advance on either side of the road. When we reach our enemies' camp, we will attack—"

"You will do no such thing!" Payam interrupted him loudly. The steward had only just arrived, and rather than showing relief at still being alive, his face was filled with outrage.

"Oh?" Captain Kaleesh faced the steward with a friendly smile, but his eyes held a hint of danger.

"You…" Payam paused briefly, perhaps remembering how easily the mercenaries had defeated the soldiers who would have slaughtered his men. When he continued, there was a fearful tremble in his voice. "Killing their leaders and Rangers will be a provocation that cannot go unanswered."

"If I hadn't intervened," the captain replied, "they would have butchered your troops to a man and taken my men for themselves." He paused as he looked the steward in the eyes. "You mean to say that Lord Kadun lacks the honor to answer such an insult?"

The steward gave him a pained look. "We killed their soldiers. Isn't that enough? To attack their Rangers, it would be—"

"A reminder," Captain Kaleesh interrupted him. "A reminder that Lord Kadun will brook no insults. A reminder that your Lord is no less than his rivals." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Or do you believe he is?"

Payam paled at the captain's words. "I didn't say…" he began, then stopped mid-sentence. A moment later, he shook his head. "I cannot stop you from acting. But know that facing Rangers is different from facing soldiers. You may not find these opponents so easy to defeat."

Without further words, he turned around and began to head back to the group of soldiers in the distance.

Captain Kaleesh waited until the steward was out of earshot, then turned back to his commanders.

"As I was saying, Gar and Lasha, your groups will take the forward flanks. Do not let even a single one of our enemies escape. As far as the world is concerned, Kadun will be the one responsible for this."

Both Gar and Lasha nodded silently, but Arran frowned at the last words. From the sound of it, the captain's plans extended beyond merely seizing the spoils of battle.

Rather, it sounded like Captain Kaleesh intended to fuel the tensions between Lord Kadun and Lord Rannoc. Yet what purpose the captain had for earning their new employer enemies, he could not tell.

"Sassun," the captain continued, "our enemies were kind enough to leave us an ample supply of bows and arrows. Our groups will gather these, and take the back flanks."

As Sassun nodded, Captain Kaleesh turned to Arran. "Your group is to remain on the road behind us. Their sole task is to look threatening — enough to keep our enemies from getting foolish ideas about charging forward."

Arran nodded. He'd been impressed with his troops' performance during the battle, but not so much that he was eager to have them face Rangers.

"Finally," the captain said, his eyes on Arran and Sassun, "the three of us will face the Rangers. There should only be two of them, but do not let that trick you — Rangers are formidable enemies. Wait until I give the command to attack, and do not take any foolish risks."

After the four commanders had been given instructions, it barely took the mercenaries a quarter-hour to gather their enemies' bows and prepare for the battle ahead.

They left a few of their number behind to care for the wounded, but other than that, the mercenary force that set off was almost as large as it had been in the morning. Bloody though the earlier battle had been, all but a handful of the bodies that littered the ground belonged to the soldiers.

As they made their way back down the road, Arran studied the formation the captain had chosen.

Gar and Lasha's groups led the formation, walking a few dozen paces on either side of the road. Behind them were the captain, Sassun, and Arran himself, with two more groups of mercenaries flanking them. And finally, at the back was Arran's group.

Arran knew little of strategy, but he could tell that if their enemies had massed on the road, the simple formation would be devastating.

And yet, he could hardly imagine that the Darians would be so foolish. By now they certainly would've heard of their forces' defeat. If they had any sense at all, they would have long fled the area.

But less than an hour's travel from the first battlefield, he saw that he was wrong.

In the middle of the road stood a group of around a hundred people, many of them dressed in the fine silks of courtiers and merchants, their stances relaxed, almost casual. And while a good half of the group were soldiers, even they looked strangely unconcerned.

The only ones who showed any tension at all were two men who stood a few dozen paces ahead of the others. These, Arran instantly recognized as Rangers. Even without the starmetal weapons in their hands, their movements betrayed them as powerful Body Refiners with no small amount of skill in combat.

To Arran's bafflement, the group made no attempt to prevent itself from being flanked. And rather than panic, the men and women in the group showed annoyance more than fear at their enemies' approach.

Captain Kaleesh waited for his mercenaries to get into position, then finally called out, "Halt!"

At this, a heavy-set man stepped out from the group of Darians. Dressed in ornate robes, he was clearly a noble or merchant rather than a warrior, despite the starmetal dagger at his side.

"What is the meaning of this?" he called out to Captain Kaleesh, in a tone that suggested mild annoyance. "You have your victory, do you not? What need is there to bother us any further?"

Captain Kaleesh ignored the man completely. "Nock!" he shouted, and the two groups of mercenaries on the rear flanks immediately nocked arrows to their bows.

A hint of worry flashed across the ornately dressed man's face. "Wait!" he called out. "If you want compensation for your dead and wounded, we can make you a suitable offer. There is no need for—"

"Draw!" the captain's voice sounded.

Finally, the man's face turned to panic. "Stop! My guild can offer you—"

"Loose!"

Whatever the man's guild had to offer, they would never hear. Because in an instant, the man was riddled with arrows, dead before he even hit the ground. And behind him, another dozen among his group met the same fate.

"Fire at will!" the captain shouted, and the mercenaries wasted no time in following the order. More arrows struck the group of Darians only moments later, and their composure disappeared in an instant, the merchants and nobles fighting to hide behind their soldiers.

But it was no use. Exposed as they were, there was no safety to be found. In mere moments, half their number lay dead on the road, and the mercenaries showed no sign of letting up.

Yet the two Rangers were still unharmed. While they, too, had been struck by arrows, it seemed that mere arrows were not enough to cause them serious injury.

"Run, you idiots!" one of the Rangers shouted, moving his body between the men and women behind him and the archers.

If the mercenaries' arrows had caused chaos among the Darians, the Ranger's words were enough to send them running in an instant. Yet even as they began to move, Arran knew they would not get far — not with Gar and Lasha's groups already closing in on them.

There was no time for him to give any further thought to their fate, however. Because at that moment, Captain Kaleesh said in a calm voice, "Our turn."

He unsheathed his sword and started toward the two Rangers at a calm pace, with Sassun and Arran falling in beside him a moment later.

Despite the situation, the two Rangers showed no sign of panic. Instead, they faced their opponents with cautious eyes, focused on the battle even while the screams of their dying allies sounded in the distance.

"Kadun will pay for this," one of them snarled as the two small groups faced off, outrage in his voice despite the look of utter concentration on his face.

"Perhaps," the captain replied, some amusement in his voice. "But you'll be long dead by then."

No further words were spoken, as one of the Rangers suddenly dashed toward Arran, unleashing a furious flurry of blows in an attempt to quickly even the numbers.

Despite the man's terrifying skill, Arran managed to parry the blows, allowing himself to be driven backward several paces. And before the Ranger could push his advantage, Captain Kaleesh joined the fight.

While the Ranger held the upper hand against Arran — without Arran showing his full strength, at least — the odds were reversed when the captain stepped in. Even with the Ranger's skill, the two enemies were too much for him, and he was forced to retreat several steps.

Yet before they could defeat their enemy, the captain suddenly darted away, joining Sassun just in time to save the commander from being cut down by the other Ranger.

Arran's opponent recognized the opportunity, and at once, he attacked Arran with full vigor, driving Arran back several paces with a series of powerful strikes. But the attacks failed to achieve anything, and even as he pushed forward, a hint of frustration appeared on his face.

Arran, on the other hand, fought eagerly. Although he was forced to hold back his strength, he gladly seized the chance to study a Ranger's techniques. And much like before, he found that they held some hints of insight.

The battle continued for a good quarter-hour, with the captain darting between the two separate fights whenever one of his commanders came under too much pressure.

But while it was little more than a practice session to Arran, he soon saw in the corner of his eye that Sassun was struggling to keep up. The commander had already sustained several shallow wounds, and although his face was expressionless as always, his movements were gradually growing slower.

Moreover, Arran's own opponent was beginning to fight more cautiously. Where he had earlier shown only frustration, some suspicion was now beginning to appear in his eyes, as if he was starting to realize that Arran was holding back.

It was time to end the fight, Arran knew.

When the Ranger launched yet another powerful attack, he did not step back as he parried. Instead, he caught his enemy's blade in a bind, then pushed the man back with unexpected force.

The Ranger's eyes filled with realization as he stumbled backward, but it was already too late. He was only caught off-balance for a fraction of a second, but that was enough for Arran's blade to find his heart.

Arran did not pause to savor his victory. Instead, he immediately rushed over to Sassun's opponent, who was already struggling to defend himself from two enemies. And with a third enemy added, it only took seconds before he was cut down, too.

As the second Ranger collapsed to the ground, Sassun let out a deep sigh. "Son of a whore," he grunted, face soaked with sweat. "That was one tough bastard."

Yet although Sassun looked like he might collapse from exhaustion, Captain Kaleesh seemed as fresh as ever. So much so, in fact, that Arran found himself wondering whether he'd been the only one to hold back in the fight.

"A good battle," the captain said with a look at the defeated Rangers' bodies. "And now, it's time to collect our rewards."

Arran looked around at their surroundings, and found that the other mercenaries had gathered in a wide circle around them. But while they had watched the fight with great interest, none of them had been foolish enough to get involved.

But now that the Rangers were defeated, both Gar and Lasha stepped forward with excited faces.

"Good fight, captain!" Lasha said. She held up a starmetal sword, then grinned wickedly. "I put my sword through that bitch's throat just like I said."

Captain Kaleesh frowned, then nodded. "Well done," he said. "But I suggest you speak no more of that. We'll get rid of that sword, too. We don't want it getting out that you killed Rannoc's niece."

Lasha's eyes went wide with shock. "Rannoc's niece?"

"His favorite niece, in fact," the captain said. "I imagine he'll be quite displeased with Kadun."

Ignoring the horrified look Lasha gave him, he gathered the two fallen Rangers' swords, then handed the larger of the two to Gar.

"A sword for you, as promised," he said. "And one that should be more to your liking. Lasha, hand me that cursed thing you're holding."

She gave the captain an ugly look, but nevertheless, she handed the sword to the captain, receiving the remaining Ranger's weapon in return.

"Now then," the captain said. "Let's see what we won today."

As the mercenaries began looting their defeated enemies' carts, Arran looked at the bodies that littered the ground.

As far as he could tell, not a single mercenary had fallen in the battle. In truth, it could hardly be called a battle at all — rather, it had been a massacre.

He did not feel sympathy for their fallen enemies. They'd had no qualms about sending hundreds of soldiers into battle, but had believed themselves safe from retribution. Perhaps if they'd known their own lives were at stake, they would not have gambled others' lives away so carelessly.

And yet, he could not bring himself to feel happy about the slaughter, either. Not when their enemies had lacked the strength to defend themselves.

"Why the glum look?"

When Arran looked up, he saw the captain standing next to him. He hesitated, then said, "Killing defenseless enemies… it doesn't feel right."

"Defenseless?" The captain looked at him with wide eyes, then burst into laughter. "You think them defenseless? Their soldiers were their weapons, and if we hadn't killed them, they would've taken up arms again without hesitation."

The captain shook his head, then continued, "An army is a greater weapon than any sword could ever be. Enemies who wield swords, you can afford to show mercy. But those who wield armies should never be spared."

Arran pondered the man's words for some moments, then finally nodded. "I suppose you're right."

"I usually am," Captain Kaleesh said. "But enough of that. There's looting to be done, and feasting after that. You won't believe what these bastards had in their supply wagons."