Paragon of Destruction

Arran's life in the mining camp soon developed a familiar rhythm.

In the mornings, he would study Captain Kaleesh's manuscripts, carefully reviewing the knowledge contained within the writings. It was difficult work, and at first, Arran struggled to keep his focus as he memorized the dense texts.

Yet as the days passed, he slowly developed some small skill at studying. And while he was still far from being a scholar, he found that the work was not altogether unpleasant.

Hidden within the inscrutable writings lay numerous pieces of thought and wisdom, and even if he only picked up on some of them, he was surprised to discover that they helped increase his understanding of the world.

This wasn't just true of the captain's own writings, but also of the more philosophical books that lay among the stack of manuscripts, many of which were only tenuously related to strategy and tactics.

Arran had previously thought of war as little more than a series of large-scale battles, but now, he developed some appreciation for the politics and organization that shaped and decided conflicts.

Yet to his surprise, he also discovered that many of the manuscripts directly contradicted each other.

Some argued that battle should be waged whenever it offered even a slight advantage, while others said battle should only be a last resort. And while some argued that tactics and training decided battles, others firmly stated that true power lay in organization and logistics.

When Arran asked Captain Kaleesh about his opinion on these questions, the man gave him an amused smile in response.

"I imagine there's some truth in all of them," the captain said. "I wouldn't have given you those texts if I didn't think they contained wisdom, but as for which one is right… I'd say all of them are, at times."

To this, Arran could only nod in agreement. While he still understood less of these matters than he'd want, he'd already recognized that none of the manuscripts' authors had arrived at their conclusions easily.

Yet studying strategy was not all that Arran did.

In the evenings, he spent his time practicing the Forms using Shadow Essence, repeating the same patterns over and over, slowly growing his understanding of them.

Here, his progress wasn't anywhere near as fast as he would have liked. Although his true insight into binding and severing helped him recognize what he was supposed to be looking for, he found that only made a small difference.

While he knew that there were insights hidden within the Forms, the more he studied them, the more he began to realize how different they were from each other.

Each represented a piece of understanding of the world, and each was wholly different from all the others. And to learn them, all he could do was to review them endlessly, repeating the familiar patterns over and over again in hopes of gleaning some small shred of understanding.

He did not let the lack of results discourage him. Studying the Forms was a long-term endeavor, and he did not expect to find success any time soon. But if he continued his practice, he was confident the work would eventually pay off.

And then, wedged in between mornings and nights spent studying, there were the afternoons.

Whenever his group of mercenaries wasn't down in the mines, Arran spent his afternoons training with them, helping them improve their swordsmanship and teaching them some of the simpler maneuvers he'd learned the captain's writings.

The latter bit proved more challenging than expected. While each of the borderlanders was a skilled Body Refiner and only few of them were dull of wit, coordinating the movements of four dozen people was no simple matter — and even less so with other mercenaries standing by and jeering in laughter.

Yet here, Ervin showed himself more valuable than Arran could have imagined.

The middle-aged sergeant had no small amount of experience, and with his terse commands, it wasn't long before Arran's mercenaries succeeded in forming and maintaining rough formations.

While the borderlanders' movements were still awkward and often had them scrambling to take their proper positions, Arran knew that the main thing they lacked was practice. But with months still ahead in the mining camp, there was still plenty of time for that.

Overall, Arran quickly grew accustomed to life in the mining camp. While his studies and training rarely left him a free moment, he enjoyed both the work itself and the progress he made.

And his good spirits were raised even further when his weapons arrived, delivered by a weaponsmith from the nearby town — a bald, brawny man who observed at Arran with curiosity as he inspected his new tools.

A brief examination was all it took for Arran to know that the weapons were exactly as he'd wanted. Sturdy yet well-crafted, they lacked any unnecessary decoration, their design focused purely on function rather than form.

Yet even after Arran expressed his approval and unloaded the weapons from the cart, the burly man showed no sign of leaving.

"Is there something wrong?" Arran asked with a frown.

"Wrong?" The man shook his head. "I want to see you use the big one, is all." He laughed, then continued, "It took three of us just to load it onto the cart."

At that moment, Captain Kaleesh joined them, Lasha and Gar at his side. And as they laid eyes on the big weapon, an amused grin appeared on the captain's face.

"I wouldn't mind seeing you swing that, myself," the captain said. "I've seen many weapons in my life, but nothing quite like… that."

Arran sighed, but he could not blame them for their reaction.

The weapon was exactly as he'd described — a giant sword, with a six-foot blade and a footlong hilt. That alone would have been enough to raise eyebrows, but the sword's blade was unlike that of a normal sword.

Where most swords had slender blades, this one's blade was half a foot wide and over an inch thick at its center — like the blade of an axe rather than a sword, except far longer.

As he looked at it, Arran could not help but wonder whether he'd gone too far in the description he'd given the captain. The weapon was exactly what he'd asked for, but in his mind, he hadn't fully realized just how ludicrously oversized it would be.

But there was no changing it now.

He frowned, then took the weapon in his hands, raising the blade toward the sky. Its heft was shocking — far more than a commoner would be able to lift by himself, much less wield.

Then, he gave it a few cautious practice swings.

At once, he realized that even if its shape resembled that of a sword — and only vaguely, at that — using it was another matter entirely. While the weight did not bother him, the weapon balance was completely different, and he had to brace against the momentum just to keep from being pulled off his feet.

And yet, after giving the weapon a few more swings, a smile slowly appeared on his face, which grew into a broad grin as he swung the weapon around some more.

"I'd almost think you're compensating for something," Lasha's voice suddenly sounded.

Before Arran could find a retort, Gar spoke up. "That's a good weapon," he said in an enthusiastic voice. "Maybe I'll get one like it myself."

Lasha guffawed. "You? I doubt you could even lift that ridiculous thing."

The exchange was interrupted by the captain, however. "Gar," he said. "Try having a little sparring bout with Arran. He's not used to the weapon yet, so for once, you might have a chance of winning."

Gar shot the captain an annoyed look, but he did as told, drawing his own weapon as he faced Arran. "Let's see what you can do with that thing."

The giant man did not wait for a response. Instead, apparently hoping that the new weapon would slow Arran down, he attacked at once with a deceptively fast lunge.

Yet heavy though the massive sword might be, Arran had the strength to use it. Before Gar could even come close enough for his weapon to threaten Arran, the giant sword came to a halt an inch from his chest.

Being used to having the advantage in reach, Gar frowned in annoyance, but he tried again a moment later — and again, he was stopped before he could even reach Arran.

He shot Arran an annoyed look. "How are you so fast with that thing?"

Arran shrugged, then gave the big man a smirking grin. "It really isn't all that heavy. But then, I'm stronger than you."

The bout continued for a quarter-hour, and with each exchange, Arran grew more excited at his new weapon. Ridiculous though it might look, it was a perfect match for his strength. And while learning to use it properly would take time, he could already see the advantages it would offer.

With this, obstacles like the giant digger's thick hides or the Darians' ranks would be far less of a problem. The reach it gave him alone would give an advantage against most enemies, and the power he could put into his strikes was simply staggering.

Finally, the captain's voice sounded again. "Gar, step back. Lasha, you give it a try."

The giant man stepped back with a resigned look, and a moment later, Lasha took his place, eyes twinkling with eagerness at the fight ahead. If Gar's performance had caused her any doubts, no sign of those could be seen in her eyes.

It wasn't long before Arran discovered the reason for her confidence.

Gar was big and strong, but with the giant sword, Arran countered those advantages perfectly, easily besting the large man's biggest strengths.

Yet Lasha was fast and nimble, and against Arran's new weapon, those advantages were magnified tenfold. While he could normally match her speed, the giant sword slowed him enough that hitting her became nearly impossible — without revealing more of his strength than he wanted to, at least.

But if Arran could not hit his opponent, she struggled to even come near him. With a normal weapon, he already had a reach advantage. And now, she struggled just to come near him without coming in range of his oversized weapon.

The fight dragged on for half an hour, with neither side gaining the advantage. Yet as Arran grew more accustomed to the weapon, his movements grew faster, and his skill with the blade increased.

Finally, Lasha stepped back, a mixture of annoyance and astonishment on her face. "I can't believe that stupid thing actually works," she said, looking at the weapon in disgust.

In truth, Arran was almost as surprised as she was. While he'd expected the weapon to be useful, he hadn't expected it to fit him this well.

"It seems you made a wise decision," the captain said. "Though I still wonder how you plan to carry that monstrous thing around."