Paragon of Destruction

As Arran made his way back to the mines’ upper levels, he took care not to kill any of the few diggers that still remained alive within the mines.

Instead, he avoided them as best he could, while also making sure to leave several dozens of small digger corpses scattered throughout the dark tunnels — enough to make it seem like he’d done his best in clearing the mines, but not so many that others would grow suspicious of his strength.

When he neared the upper levels, he retrieved the bag the mercenaries had prepared for him from his void ring, then relieved it of most of its contents before slinging it over his shoulder.

He did not switch out his sword, however. The Living Shadow weapon resembled his starmetal sword so perfectly that none but Arran would see the difference, and his control of its transformations was still too unsteady for him to rely on in battle.

While Karanos had been able to transform his shard of Living Shadow in an instant, Arran’s weapon wasn’t nearly as quick in responding to his wishes. When he’d crossed the border into the Imperium, it had taken him a full hour to get it to turn into a bracelet.

Fortunately, it was faster in taking the shape of a sword, but even that task took it well over a minute. In battle, that was time he would not have.

He expected that as his bond to the weapon strengthened and his experience with it grew, his control would eventually reach the point where he could copy Karanos’s feats.

But right now, that was still far away.

When he reached the shaft leading up to the mines’ upper levels, he found it exactly as he’d left it, with no sign that anyone — or anything — had passed while he was in the depths below.

After a last look at the darkness around him, he sealed off his Realms, then made his way back up the shaft, cautious as he clambered along the rusty ladder that led back to the mines’ upper levels.

The climb was slow but easy, and it wasn’t long before he reached the top of the shaft.

To his surprise, the thick steel grate hadn’t been put back in place. Yet as he emerged into the tunnels, he saw at once that the upper levels had been well-protected all the same. Because, just a few dozen paces from the chasm in the rock, he saw Captain Kaleesh and the other three commanders.

The four were sat on the ground next to a small fire, and no small amount of bottles stood around them — many of which appeared to be empty.

As he emerged, a triumphant look appeared on Gar’s face. "Told you he’d make it," he said with a glance at Lasha. "Now pay up."

Lasha reached into her coat and tossed Gar a shiny coin, a trace of relief on her face. "Glad I was wrong."

The captain, however, looked at Arran with curious eyes. "Did you find anything?"

Arran nodded. "Lots of diggers," he said. "I killed most of them, though I doubt I got them all. But once those are dead, the lower levels should be safe."

"Oh?" Captain Kaleesh gave Arran a questioning look. "Then you found out where they came from?"

"I did," Arran confirmed. "There was a small crack in the rocks at the lowest part of the mines, with a long tunnel behind it. Easy enough to miss, in the dark."

"Then you succeeded where a Knight failed?" The captain’s tone wasn’t suspicious, exactly, but it held an unmistakable hint of doubt at Arran’s claim. "Where did the tunnel lead?"

"No idea," Arran replied flatly. "I just collapsed the tunnel, then headed back up."

"You collapsed the tunnel?" The captain looked at Arran in disbelief. "Without even bothering to explore what lay behind it?"

"Of course." Arran shrugged, then continued, "Whatever’s in there, it killed a Knight. No point in risking my life to satisfy my curiosity."

For some moments, Captain Kaleesh remained silent. But then, he let out a loud laugh. "Practical to a fault, I see. I don’t know if I would’ve had your self-control. Even finding the Knight’s weapon..."

The captain’s voice trailed off, and a longing look appeared in his eyes. Yet after a moment, he shook his head. "No matter. You made the right decision. Are you confident the way is blocked?"

Arran nodded. "The tunnel was unstable to begin with. I only went a few hundred paces inside, but I can’t imagine any portion of it still remaining intact. Even if whatever’s down there tries to reach the mines, we should be long gone by the time it makes it through."

"Good," the captain said, brow creased in thought. "Sassun, Gar, you and your groups will go down tomorrow, to clear any diggers that remain. I trust that won’t be a problem?"

Sassun gave a slight shake of his head, while Gar smiled broadly. "Couldn’t stop me if you tried," the giant man said, his hand subconsciously caressing the hilt of his sword.

Captain Kaleesh shot Gar an approving smile, then continued, "Once the mines are fully clear, we’ll start work on earning our freedom. And since Arran has already contributed his share, the rest of that task will fall to us."

"You don’t want me to help with the mining?" Arran asked, pleasantly surprised at the news.

"You already did your part," the captain replied. "And besides — you have studying to do."

"Studying?" At this, Arran frowned. While he did indeed have plenty of studying to do, he doubted the captain knew of that.

Captain Kaleesh nodded. "Strategy. While you have some talent — and considerable strength — commanding soldiers is no simple matter. If you are to be a commander in the Wolfsblood Company, there are things you need to learn. These next few months will give you the opportunity to do just that."

The other three commanders seemed unsurprised by the announcement, and Arran realized Captain Kaleesh had probably done the same thing with them in the past. It certainly would help explain how effective the mercenaries had been in their battle against the Darians.

He briefly considered the captain’s words, and could not help but be pleased with the idea. He had little experience in leading troops, and with war in the future, it was a skill that would certainly be useful.

"Alright," he said after a moment. "I’m looking forward to learning."

Captain Kaleesh laughed. "Don’t be too eager — learning strategy is very different from practicing swordsmanship. But you’ll discover that soon enough. First, we’ll return to the surface and celebrate."

When they emerged from the mines, Arran found that Captain Kaleesh had taken control of the camp in all but name. While the overseer still nominally held power, it was clear that the tall man followed the captain’s orders without question.

Some doubt could be seen on the overseer’s face when he heard that the lower levels had been cleared, but he did not object when the captain ordered him to organize a feast for the miners and mercenaries.

The feast itself turned out to be a raucous affair, with ale flowing by the barrel as the men and women of the mining camp sang loud, drunken songs.

Several times, Captain Kaleesh spoke loudly of Arran’s achievements in the mines, embellishing his achievements to the point that they exceeded even what he’d so carefully kept silent.

At first, this made little sense to Arran. While clearing the mines’ lower levels was certainly an important thing to the Wolfsblood Company, the captain’s praise seemed more than excessive.

Yet as the evening passed, Arran saw that many of the mercenaries gave him looks of admiration and approval. And that, he realized, would also help him on the battlefield.

He’d never felt much need to brag about his accomplishments, instead preferring to keep quiet when possible. But if others were to follow him into battle, then he would need to win their trust.

And the captain’s lavish praise, uncomfortable though it made him, would certainly help with that.

When the evening came to an end, the captain approached Arran. Through the night, he’d made an almost intoxicated impression, but now, his expression was suddenly serious.

"You understand why this was necessary?" he asked, eyes narrowed as he looked at Arran.

"I think I do," Arran replied. "You want the men to trust me, correct?"

The captain nodded. "If your troops trust you, they will follow you into the gates of hell itself. But you can’t earn their trust if you remain quiet."

Arran had never thought of himself as particularly quiet, yet when he considered it, he realized he wasn’t the most talkative of people. Still, he countered, "Sassun doesn’t exactly say much, either, and his men follow him well enough."

"Sassun has had decades to prove his skill," the captain replied. "But you won’t get that long. Less than half a year from now, we’ll be gone from here. And after that, it won’t be long before we see battle in earnest."

A frown crossed Arran’s face as he faced the captain. "What exactly is it you’re planning?"

Captain Kaleesh shook his head. "I’ll explain that in due time. For now, focus on learning all you can about strategy. I’ve had the overseer prepare quarters for you. Inside, you will find several manuscripts. Over the next two months, I want you to study those as well as you can."

"Manuscripts?" Arran gave the captain a puzzled look. "What kind of manuscripts?"

"You’ll see soon enough," Captain Kaleesh said, a small smile on his face. "Study them well. Once you’ve done so, we’ll continue your training."