Paragon of Destruction

"Are you certain you want to do this?" Captain Kaleesh looked at Arran with troubled eyes, but he did not reject the idea out of hand.

Before Arran could answer, Lasha turned to the captain. "You actually plan to let him go through with this idiot plan?! Are you mad?!"

"It’s not that I want this," the captain replied. "But right now, our options are few. If Arran wishes to go..." He did not finish the sentence, though he cast another troubled look at Arran.

"Other than the captain, I’m the strongest among us," Arran said. "And by myself, I have a good chance of escaping even if the creatures are still around. But with a larger group, we’ll wake every single thing that’s lurking down there."

It was all true, of course. A single scout’s chances would have a better chance of success than a large group, and of all the mercenaries, Arran was the most suitable for the task — even if he hadn’t been hiding his strength.

Yet eager though he was to shorten their stay at the mines, that was not why he’d made the suggestion.

Rather, what drew him was the dead Knight.

The Knight who’d been sent into the mines had never returned, and although centuries had passed since then, Arran did not think anyone had claimed the body. Another Knight would certainly not risk it, and if a Lord had gone there, the mines would have been cleared of monsters.

Which meant that the Knight’s treasures should still be there, ripe for the taking.

At the very least, there should be a Living Shadow weapon and starmetal armor. That alone was enough to draw Arran’s greed, but what interested him even more were the Knight’s other treasures — if there were any.

He still knew far less about Knights than he would have liked, and studying a fallen Knight’s possessions might give him the chance to finally learn something useful. For an opportunity like that, he would gladly brave whatever the mines might hold.

Captain Kaleesh faced Arran, his expression serious. "If you make the offer of your own will, I shall not refuse it. But first, you should spend a week or two resting and preparing."

Arran shook his head. "I’ll leave today. There’s no point in delaying. The sooner this is over with, the better."

"Today?" Lasha made an ugly face. "Are you so eager for death that you can’t wait even a week? If you’re going to gamble with your life, at least take the time to prepare."

"I don’t plan on dying," Arran replied. "And what’s there to prepare? I only need a good sword and a bag of supplies, and I already have one of those."

"Then we’ll take care of the other," Captain Kaleesh said. He frowned, then added, "But perhaps some armor would be helpful, as well? Maybe a second weapon?"

Again, Arran shook his head. "Best to travel as light as I can. And armor will be too noisy. All I need is food and water for a week or two."

Of course, his void ring held enough supplies to sustain him for years, but that was something he could not admit. And from the looks the others gave him, he knew it couldn’t hurt to give them something to do.

Barely an hour later, Arran stood at the entrance of the mines, a heavy leather bag slung over his shoulder and the captain and other commanders at his side.

They’d brought the overseer, too, along with roughly a dozen of his subordinates.

"Again," the tall man said, "this is a terrible idea. The lower levels of the mines are like a vast maze, and that’s without even considering the other dangers there."

He put a heavy emphasis on the last few words. Although he could not speak freely with others there, it was clear that he thought Arran’s mission little more than suicide.

"The decision’s been made," the captain said. "Now guide us inside."

They spent the next few hours slowly making their way through the mines, and Arran soon understood that even the upper levels were much like a maze.

Endless tunnels twisted and turned through the dense rock that lay beneath the mountains, and although they carried torches, even the overseer’s men had some trouble finding their way.

Yet Arran needed no torches to see in the dark, and as they made their way through the tunnels, he felt a strange sense of comfort.

After he’d emerged from the tunnels in the mountains near Amydon, he’d felt no small amount of relief at seeing the open sky again. Yet now, he was surprised to realize that descending into the earth somehow felt familiar, almost like he was meeting an old friend.

The tunnels near the mines’ entrance had been wide, but the deeper they went, the narrower the tunnels grew. Soon, they were only barely wide enough for three men to walk abreast, and Gar had to bend his neck to avoid hitting the tunnels’ roof — a lesson he learned only after bumping his head half a dozen times.

Finally, the tunnel they followed into a larger chamber, and the overseer came to a halt.

"This is one of the shafts leading to the lower levels," he said, his eyes wary as he looked at the center of the chamber. "And if you insist on continuing, this is where our ways will part."

Arran looked at the center of the chamber, where a massive iron grate covered a large hole in the ground. "It’s down there?"

The overseer nodded. "Opening it up will be difficult, but with all of us here, it should take no more than half an hour."

Arran shot the man an amused glance as he walked over to the grate. Then, with a single arm, he lifted the edge and pulled the grate to the side, its weight leaving deep grooves in the rocks beneath it.

"When I’ve returned," he said, "I suggest you replace it with something heavier."

The overseer looked at him in astonishment, but Arran paid the man no further attention. Instead, he turned to face the captain and the other three commanders.

"If I’m not back in a week or two, you’ll know the mines are unsafe. And don’t send anyone after me. If I don’t return, the rest of you don’t stand a chance."

"Understood," Captain Kaleesh said. "But do try to make it back alive. Good commanders are difficult to replace."

They spent some minutes saying their goodbyes, but then, Arran knew it was time to leave.

The climb down the shaft was difficult. While there was an iron ladder that led down, it was rusted through in many places, and several times Arran nearly fell into the depths below.

That wasn’t necessarily a threat to him, but without knowing how deep the shaft went, it was a risk he’d rather not take. And so, he clambered down as best he could, taking care not to put too much weight on the rusted ladder.

Some three hundred feet down, the shaft emerged into a large chamber, and as Arran entered it, he saw that there were several tunnels on the sides of the chamber.

He chose one of these at random, and spent a good quarter-hour following it before finally coming to a halt.

The first thing he did was to store the bag of supplies in his void ring. Although its considerable weight did not bother him, it was far too large and bulky to carry through the tunnels.

Then, he took off the bracelet that held his shard of Living Shadow.

"Time for you to become a sword again."

While the weapon might not understand his words, it could sense his intent through the bond they shared, and it eagerly transformed itself into a near-exact copy of the starmetal sword he’d seized in the battle against the Darian soldiers.

No one else would see the difference, but a grin appeared on Arran’s face when he felt the perfect balance of the Living Shadow weapon. Well-crafted though the starmetal sword might be, it was like a child’s toy compared to the executioner’s blade.

After that, Arran continued his journey through the depths, taking care to mark his path whenever the tunnels split.

It wasn’t long before he realized that the mines had once been rich with wealth. Through his sword, he could Sense large numbers of starmetal chunks buried deep within the rock around him. And though they were small, to anyone else they would represent an unrivaled treasure.

But Arran had more starmetal than he could use in a lifetime stored in his void ring, and though he noticed the chunks of metal, he made no attempt to retrieve any. To him, there were far more important treasures within the mines.

He spent half a day moving through the narrow tunnels, the dark no obstacle to his progress as he descended further and further into the depths. Yet for the first few hours, he Sensed no life around him whatsoever.

But then, when it would already be deep into the night on the surface, he faintly Sensed two creatures in the distance.

At once, he increased his pace, moving toward the two creatures rapidly. And as he made no attempt to conceal the sounds of his movement, it wasn’t long before he Sensed the creatures hurrying his way, doubtless eager to taste flesh for the first time in centuries.

When he met the creatures, he briefly looked at them in wonder.

They looked like nothing so much as giant newts, smooth-skinned and at least seven feet tall. But as he came closer, he saw that there were differences. The creatures’ limbs were longer, and they had round, smooth heads, almost like eyeless turtles.

Arran slowed when he approached the two creatures, and as he neared cautiously moved further toward them, they snapped their large jaws at him, producing a loud sound that resembled a steel trap snapping shut.

Now, Arran began to wonder if the captain had been right. With just a glance, he was convinced that the creatures could easily bite through rock.

Yet Arran faced them without worry. Instead, a curious look appeared in his eyes as he drew his sword.

"Let’s see how strong you are," he said softly as he eyed the two large creatures.

Then, he attacked.

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