Paragon of Destruction

While the captain’s plan sounded good on the surface, it wasn’t long before some doubts arose in Arran’s mind.

Intricate as the plan was, its success relied on a great many assumptions, several of which seemed improbable at best. And if even a single one of them turned out to be incorrect, the entire plan would fall apart.

"You don’t like it?" Captain Kaleesh asked. He looked at Arran curiously, apparently not the least bit offended that his commander did not blindly accept his plans.

Still, Arran hesitated before speaking. Not because he thought the captain would take his doubts as an insult, but because he realized that there was still much he didn’t know about the Imperium and its Lords.

"Out with it," the captain said. "If you see any mistakes that I’ve overlooked, I’d rather you tell me now."

"You’re assuming that Kadun will send out his army," Arran said. "But if he expects them to meet Rannoc, why would he do so? Facing a Lord, they’ll be slaughtered like rats."

"A good question." The captain nodded in approval. "You are quite right, of course — Kadun’s troops would stand no chance against Rannoc himself. But Lords do not meddle in common soldiers’ battles."

Arran gave the captain a puzzled look. "Why not? If Rannoc is stronger than Kadun, why give up such an advantage?"

"As you said, the soldiers would be slaughtered like rats," the captain explained. "Just a few such conflicts could wipe out half the Imperium’s population. On the battlefield, only Lords face Lords, only Knights face Knights, and only Rangers face Rangers. That’s why, when Rannoc’s troops attacked us on the road, their Rangers did not join in the assault."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I should note that they do not extend the same courtesy to outsiders."

Arran nodded thoughtfully. Now that he thought about it, it made sense that the Darians would not slaughter their own so needlessly. If they did, their numbers would soon run out.

Still, some of his doubts remained, and he asked, "So you’re certain that Kadun will send his army to meet Rannoc’s troops?"

"He has to," the captain replied. "Even if his men have no chance of victory, he cannot let Rannoc take his lands too easily, or other Lords will get the same idea. Even if Rannoc is victorious, Kadun needs to make the victory a costly one — too costly to be worth it."

This, Arran understood at once. Sometimes, one had to show strength even in the face of certain defeat, simply to deter other attackers.

"What about Rannoc?" he asked. "How can you be certain he’ll attack the city?"

"Because I invited him to," Captain Kaleesh said. "Rannoc has long eyed Kadun’s lands, and since we’ve already given him an excuse, he won’t hesitate to seize the opportunity I’ve offered him."

"An excuse?" The question had only barely escaped Arran’s lips when he found the answer. "Rannoc’s niece?"

"Exactly," the captain said. "The Imperium frowns upon Lords killing one another. But since Kadun has already spilled the blood of Rannoc’s family, Rannoc is well within his rights to take revenge."

Seeing Arran’s concerned look, he chuckled, then shook his head. "There’s no need to worry. Rannoc will not look too hard for the actual killers — not when blaming Kadun benefits him so much."

As Arran looked at the captain in wonder, he could not help but be awed by the man’s insight. He understood now that the dark-eyed man had not only planned out every last detail, but had also changed his plans continuously to adapt to the changing circumstances.

There had been plenty of unexpected events that the captain could not possibly have foreseen — the presence of Rannoc’s niece and their posting to the mines, to name just two — and yet, Kaleesh had adapted to them easily, taking them as tools rather than obstacles.

It was enough to cause Arran some unease. Although they were allies, he finally recognized fully just how dangerous the captain was.

"Another hour," the captain said, "and we’ll leave this cell. The army should be departing the city by then." With a look at Arran, he continued, "I have been hiding my strength so far, and I know the same is true for you."

Arran responded with a small nod — there was no point in denying it.

"That ends today," the captain continued. "Going forward, we’ll need every shred of strength our bodies hold." A flicker of hesitation appeared in his eyes, and in a low voice, he added, "Though if you have any magical talent, I suggest you keep that well-hidden."

It took all Arran had not to gasp in shock. It was no surprise that the captain knew he was hiding his strength, but apparently, the man also suspected him of being a mage.

Quickly, to hide his shock, he said, "I’m stronger than you might realize. If I show my full strength, it will draw attention."

The captain smiled. "That is no longer a problem. Starting today, we will no longer pretend to be common outsiders."

Another plan, then. Arran sighed and gave the captain a small nod. If nothing else, at least he would no longer have to hold back his strength.

They spoke more in the hour that followed, though Arran’s mind was already focused on the battle ahead. And that there would be a battle, he knew for certain — because although he could Sense that the keep was far emptier than before, it still held plenty of people.

And one of those people was a Knight.

After an hour, Captain Kaleesh narrowed his eyes, a look of concentration appearing on his face. Some moments passed in silence, until finally, he spoke, "The noise has died down. It’s time for us to move."

He stood up from the ground and walked over to the steel door. Then, he slammed the palm of his left hand into the door with a single sharp movement.

Unremarkable though the palm strike looked, when it hit the door there was a sound of tearing metal. It was loud enough to make Arran cringe, but it lasted only a fraction of a second. And as the sound died down, the door swung open.

Kaleesh glanced back at Arran. "First, we’ll need some uniforms."

Acquiring proved easier than expected. When they stepped into the narrow hallway, Arran saw three guards barely a dozen paces away, looks of alarm on their faces.

One of the guards opened his mouth to shout, but before he could make a sound, Arran had already reached the man, his fist smashing into the guard’s face.

The guard collapsed instantly, neck snapped from the impact. And barely a moment later, the other two guards lay dead as well, skulls smashed by Arran’s fists.

Now that he no longer needed to hold back, killing the guards was no more difficult than breaking twigs.

They hid the bodies in their cell, quickly stripping them of their weapons and uniforms. Though the uniforms didn’t fit them particularly well, the disguise was passable — if one didn’t look too closely.

"We’ll need better weapons," the captain said with a displeased look at the sword he’d taken. "Let’s go kill some Rangers."

They quickly headed out into the dungeons’ narrow hallways, then began to make their way around, searching for Rangers.

Although the dungeons were far emptier than before — apparently, many of the guards had left with Kadun’s army — they still encountered several groups of guards.

Most of the guards they found merely nodded as they passed them, barely paying attention as their thoughts were more focused on the distant battle their comrades would be fighting. Three groups, however, noticed something was amiss — and promptly had their vigilance rewarded with death.

They hid the bodies in empty cells before continuing on their way, but as they passed the numerous cells that were filled with prisoners, a thought occurred to Arran.

"Shouldn’t we free the other prisoners?" he said. "There are hundreds of them, with most of them likely victims of the same Darian justice we faced. If we release them, they might provide us with a distraction."

The captain shook his head, albeit reluctantly. "There’s nothing we can do for them. Even if they make it out of here, they won’t survive the week." He sighed, then added, "And we can’t afford to draw attention — not while we’re still in here."

Though Arran knew that Kaleesh was right, he could not help but regret the other prisoners’ fates. Perhaps Rannoc would be more merciful than Kadun’s stewards, but somehow, he doubted it.

They searched the maze of hallways for a quarter-hour, but without any luck. While there were still plenty of guards in the dungeons, the Rangers had been rare to begin with, and most of them had left earlier.

Of course, Arran’s Sense told him exactly where he could find the Rangers and their starmetal weapons. Yet that was something he could not reveal — even if Kaleesh suspected that he was a mage, he would not risk announcing it. Not yet, at least.

But time was passing quickly as they searched, and they had little of it to waste.

Finally, just as the captain was about to head to another dead end, Arran pointed toward another hallway — one that would lead them to two Rangers, both armed with starmetal weapons.

"That way," he said. And as the captain gave him a puzzled look, he explained, "I heard something."

While the captain looked unconvinced, he did not question Arran’s suggestion. And barely a minute later, two Rangers appeared in the hallway before them.

They approached the Rangers calmly, trying their best to look like the guards they pretended to be. Yet when they’d come within half a dozen paces, one of the Rangers cast a suspicious look at them.

"Who are—" the man began, but he didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence. Before he could react, the captain’s sword flashed forward, its steel blade instantly emerging from the back of the Ranger’s head.

The other Ranger barely had time to draw his sword before Arran’s blade was upon him, but although he tried to block the strike, it was no use.

Arran struck with such force that even as the Ranger’s blade tore through his own sword, the man’s weapon was ripped from his hands. A look of shock on his face, the Ranger staggered backward, scrambling for his lost weapon in a blind panic.

Yet Arran did not give the man a chance to recover. He discarded his ruined sword, then grabbed his opponent’s head and slammed it into the wall until the Ranger stopped moving.

Then, with a glance at the captain, he said, "You’re fast."

A frown on his face, the captain replied, "You’re strong."

For a moment, they faced each other, each surprised at the other’s ability.

Finally, the captain chuckled. "Good. Now let’s go open that gate."