As Arran and the Knight made their way back to the village, he could not help but cast an uneasy glance at her. Short though their fight had been, he was still shocked by the skills she had so casually displayed.
He had faced many formidable opponents in his years of travel, but none of them had shown powers as strange as this Imperial Knight. It was as if her insights somehow twisted the laws of the world, leaving Arran defenseless against even the simplest strikes.
But if the memory still filled him with trepidation, he felt a sense of eagerness, as well.
If Imperial Knights possessed such powers, then joining their ranks would increase his strength many times over. And with the Blood Ruin and his living shadow weapon, it was hard to imagine where his limit would be.
That wasn't all, however.
He had long noticed a similarity between the Darians' techniques and the Forms. Although his proficiency in the Forms was still lacking, he already suspected that strengthening his skill in the Darians' techniques would help him master the Forms, too.
But now, he wondered whether the techniques used by Imperial Knights could also be applied to magic. And just the thought of that was enough to make his heart beat faster.
He'd believed that the Forms were mostly a way to learn and use magic more effectively, but if they led to a control of magic that approached the Knight's control in battle, then the possibilities were endless.
Yet after a moment of thought, he forced himself to abandon the thought — at least for the time being. Important though it was, he was still far away from either mastering the Forms or becoming an Imperial Knight.
As for combining the two, that was little more than a distant dream.
It seemed that the Knight had noticed his ponderous expression, however. "Something on your mind?" she asked with a slight smile on her lips.
"I was just considering what you told me," he replied.
"And wondering whether you might learn skills like mine, perhaps?" Her smile widened as she spoke, and there was a knowing look in her eyes. Clearly, even if she hadn't realized the full extent of Arran's thoughts, she had expected him to be tempted by her earlier display of power.
"That, too," Arran admitted.
"The path isn't an easy one," she said in response, her expression suddenly serious. "But if you accept my offer, your strength may eventually grow to equal mine. Perhaps you'll even surpass me one day." Her smile returned a moment later, and she continued, "Of course, whether you will get that chance depends on how you fare in the Desolation."
Arran nodded silently. While he was tempted by her words, he couldn't help but think that she seemed far too interested in convincing him. If the opportunity was as great as she claimed, there shouldn't be a need to push him as much as she did.
Yet she pushed all the same, and from that, Arran knew there was more to it than she let on.
Whatever her true motive was, he was certain that it wasn't as simple as recruiting a talented warrior for the Imperial Knights.
Arran was still deep in thought when they reached the village, where they were met with a large crowd of mercenaries and soldiers. At the center of the crowd stood Captain Kaleesh, and as they approached, the captain's eyes immediately shot toward Arran's shoulder.
The wound Arran had received in his short fight against the Knight had already healed, but blood still stained his clothes, and the sight brought an immediate frown to the captain's face.
"I trust there were no problems?" Kaleesh asked, eying the Knight suspiciously.
"Of course not," she said in a dismissive tone. "But I have matters to discuss with you, as well. Find us a place where we can talk in peace."
The captain cast a questioning look at Arran, and only after Arran nodded did he respond, "Of course, Lady Knight. I've taken one of the buildings here for myself. We can speak there."
"Very well." She turned to the two dozen Rangers who had accompanied her. "All of you, find quarters for the night. We will depart in the morning."
As Kaleesh guided the Knight to the building he'd appropriated a few days earlier, Arran cast a curious glance at the group of Rangers.
So far, his attention had been focused on the Knight, and he'd paid little attention to the troops of Rangers she had brought along. But now that he finally looked at them more closely, he couldn't help but frown in surprise.
The Rangers he'd encountered in the past had mostly been experienced veterans, in their thirties if not older. And although there were some exceptions — like Lady Raina's son — those were few and far between.
But the group before him now was completely different. At a guess, he thought the oldest among the Rangers was barely in his twenties, and most of the others looked to be even younger than that.
For them to already be Rangers at such a young age could only mean that they were among the most talented youths in the Imperium — which, he realized, was likely why Lady Merem had recruited them.
Yet for all their talent, their leader's departure left them looking around awkwardly, uncertain of where to go. Perhaps they had the skill of Rangers, but it was clear that their confidence was still lacking.
Arran sighed. "Sassun, could you…?"
"Of course," the commander replied, easily reading Arran's intent. At once, he turned to face the group of Rangers and called out, "Everyone! Follow me, and I'll clear out a building for you!"
The Rangers followed behind Sassun as he moved into the village, and as they left, the crowd of soldiers and mercenaries immediately began to dissipate. While Lady Merem and her Rangers had caught their attention, Arran alone clearly wasn't anywhere near as interesting.
But as the soldiers slowly dispersed, Arran saw that one of the Rangers remained — Negin, the young girl he had saved in the borderlands.
She hesitated briefly as she looked at Arran, then slowly approached him. From her expression, it was obvious that she was nervous.
"It's really you," she said in a voice that carried some wonder. "After you left… I didn't know if I'd ever meet you again."
Arran gave her a friendly smile as he glanced at her Ranger's outfit. "It looks like you've done well for yourself."
A joyous look flashed across her face, and she nodded eagerly. "I'm a Ranger now!" she said, her tone suggesting that she still found it hard to believe. "When we met, that was something I could only dream of. But now…" She paused as she looked Arran in the eyes. "And I have you to thank for it."
Arran made a dismissive gesture. "I only gave you a small bit of aid," he said. "But I wondered if I could ask you some questions."
Negin did not hesitate in agreeing. "Of course," she said at once. "Whatever you need, I'll do my best to help."
"Then let's take a walk together," Arran said. "Outside the village."
She did not object. Doubtless, she already understood what Arran wanted to ask, and it wasn't a topic that could be discussed in public.
But a few minutes later, they were well outside the village, far enough that none could overhear them. And as soon as they'd moved beyond the guards' sight, Negin turned to face Arran with an anxious expression on her face.
"I didn't tell anyone," she said. "I wouldn't betray you. Not after you saved my life."
Arran shook his head. "I know you didn't," he replied. "But Lady Merem has been asking questions, I suspect?"
He knew that the girl would not have told anyone the truth. Even ignoring her gratitude to Arran, letting others know what he'd done would endanger her, as well. And young though she was, he knew she wasn't half as naive as she looked.
"She has," Negin confirmed. "But I didn't tell her anything. All I said was that you carried me out of the battlefield, and that I used the pills she gave me to recover."
Arran gave her an appraising look. Then, after a moment's thought, he drew his sword. "Draw your weapon. I want to see how strong you are."
Surprise flashed across the girl's eyes, but she did as he said, drawing the starmetal sword at her side.
"Attack me," Arran said. "And don't hold back."
Despite his words, her first attack was a hesitant one, and Arran parried it without effort. Though her skill surpassed what he'd expected, it was obvious that she restrained her strength.
"Again," he said. "This time, I need to see your full power. It's important."
She gave him an uneasy look. "What if I hurt you?"
Arran gave her a wide grin. "Then I'll be most impressed."
Negin still looked at him uneasily, but nevertheless, she clenched her jaw and gave a small nod. "I'll try my best."
She attacked again, striking with a force that was several times more powerful than her previous blow. But even so, Arran parried the strike easily, which earned him a startled look from the girl.
She narrowed her eyes, then attacked once more, this time striking with even greater strength than before. And when Arran deflected the blow, another followed immediately.
The fight continued for half an hour, but though she tried her best, Negin never got close to defeating Arran's defense. While she was already far stronger than most Rangers, her strength still fell far short of matching Arran's.
When Arran was certain he'd seen the full extent of her power, he sheathed his sword. "Enough," he said. "I've seen enough."
By now, Negin's cheeks were red from exertion, and her forehead was damp with sweat. Yet although she looked tired, her eyes shone with wonder.
"You're so strong," she said in between two heavy breaths. "I thought I could at least match you, but…" She smiled wryly, then shook her head. "It seems I overestimated myself."
"It's only natural," Arran replied. "With time, you'll grow stronger. But for now, there's no need to worry about Merem discovering your secret."
Negin cast a surprised look at Arran. "There's not?"
Arran shook his head. "At most, you've sparked her curiosity. You're not strong enough to truly catch her eye — not yet, at least."
As he said this, he let out a silent sigh of relief.
His biggest concern had been that Negin would have grown too strong too quickly. If that were the case, he would be in terrible danger, as Lady Merem would know that his bloodline was easily passed on to others.
With the Darians already faltering in their struggle against the Blight, he had no doubt that she wouldn't hesitate to seize such an opportunity. Most likely, Arran would be captured and locked in a dark dungeon, with his blood being harvested to strengthen the Imperium's warriors.
Fortunately, however, Negin's strength could only barely be considered unusual. Her true power lay in her skills, and those had little to do with Arran.
Yet Negin seemed unconvinced. "But I'm so much stronger than the others…"
"That's because Rangers are weak," Arran said bluntly. "Their strength isn't far above that of common Body Refiners. With enough time, you'll grow far stronger than you are now — strong enough to raise questions, if you're not careful. But for now, there's nothing overly suspicious about your strength."
"I'll grow far stronger?" A ponderous look appeared in the girl's eyes. "What's the limit?"
Arran rubbed his chin. "No idea," he admitted. "I'm not sure there even is a limit."
At this, Negin's eyes went wide with surprise. "So this… My strength increasing this fast… It can continue forever?"
"No," Arran said. "The stronger you grow, the slower your progress will be. But with enough time…" He shook his head. "If there is a limit, it's beyond anything you can imagine."
Negin gave him a thoughtful look. "Then it's dangerous. If others find out about something like this, they'll want it for themselves."
"Which is why I would suggest keeping your mouth shut," Arran replied. "When you grow stronger, you'll need to hide your strength as best you can. If you don't, you'll be inviting disaster."
Of course, by the time she grew strong enough to draw serious attention, Arran intended to be long gone from the Imperium.
That was one of the reasons he'd dared give her the Blood Ruin. Without the resources he'd enjoyed, it should take decades before she reached a strength similar to his. By then, the only person who would suffer the consequences if she revealed her strength would be the girl herself.
Negin nodded, her expression serious. "I understand. You've given me a great gift, and I won't let it become a catastrophe."
They spent another hour talking, with Negin explaining in detail how she'd been recruited by Lady Merem, and what she'd been told about the Desolation.
Though Arran listened intently, he was disappointed to find that Negin knew little more than he did about the Desolation. From the looks of it, even Imperial Knights' apprentices were kept in the dark about the simmering war at the Imperium's western border.
"We should return to the village," Arran finally said. "The captain and your master should have finished their talk by now. If we stay out any longer, they might start wondering where we went."
When they returned to the village, they were greeted by one of Kaleesh's mercenaries, who offered a sly wink when he saw the girl at Arran's side.
This caused Arran a moment of confusion, but then, he realized how it must look. With Negin's hair and clothes still ruffled from their earlier match, Arran couldn't blame the man for assuming they'd done more than just talk.
Arran ignored the mercenary's knowing grin, and asked, "Any word from the captain?"
The mercenary nodded. "He came here 'bout half an hour ago. Said I should tell you to visit him as soon as you returned."
"All right," Arran said, then turned to face Negin. "You should hurry back to your group before they start to get any ideas about us."
She gave him a puzzled look, but after a moment, her eyes widened in horror. "You don't think they…" She didn't finish the sentence. Instead, she mumbled, "I have to go," before quickly hurrying off.
"Pretty girl," the mercenary at the gate opined. "Though perhaps a bit young for you, commander."
Arran gave the man a flat stare, then silently set off toward the building he shared with Kaleesh and the others. Whatever the mercenary believed, denial would do little to change his mind.
Some minutes later, he found Kaleesh sitting at a wooden table, cradling a glass of wine in his hand and wearing a pensive expression.
"There you are, finally," the captain said when he saw Arran. "Lady Merem said one of her apprentices wished to thank you. I didn't expect her to do so thorough a job."
Arran let out a deep sigh. "So what was it she wanted to discuss with you?"
"She made me an offer," Kaleesh replied. "And a tempting one, at that. If we prove ourselves in the Desolation over the next year, we'll receive her backing in joining the Imperator's service."
"That's the same thing she told me," Arran said. "But if we still have to prove our strength, it hardly seems like much of a promise. Is it a gift if we have to earn it ourselves?"
Kaleesh chuckled. "It's not as simple as that. There are many who vie to enter the Imperator's service, and among them are some of the most talented warriors of the Imperium. Mere talent is not enough to earn a place in the Imperator's service. It requires strong backing, and that is something we previously lacked. But now… now, we have a chance."
Arran eyed the captain curiously. "Then you trust her?"
"Trust her?" Kaleesh gave him an astounded look. "I would sooner trust a rabid dog. That woman clearly has plans for us, and I do not expect that she would be dissuaded by something as simple as our refusal."
Though Arran felt some relief that Kaleesh hadn't been taken in by the Knight's promises, he still felt some unease. "But you still want to accept her offer? Even though you know she can't be trusted?"
"I do," the captain replied. "As it stands, we lack the power to resist her schemes. Lords, Archons, Imperial Knights — all of them have the power to decide our fate. The only way to change that is to increase our own strength."
Arran furrowed his brows in thought. He understood what Kaleesh intended — to take the Knight's benefits, and use them to gain the strength to resist both her schemes and those of others.
Yet while he could see the logic of it, knowing the captain's plan brought him little comfort. "Are you sure of this?" he asked.
"Not at all." Kaleesh raised his glass and drained it in a single large swill. "But we have time to decide. Before anything else, we'll have to travel into the Desolation and win those precious Darian bloodlines for ourselves. While we do so, we will have plenty of opportunity to consider our path."
"Fair enough," Arran said. "So what now?"
"Tomorrow, we leave for Knight's Watch," the captain said. "Lady Merem will travel to Sacrifice immediately. As for us…" A small smile crossed his face as he looked at Arran. "I suppose we'll have to recruit an army."