Chapter 205
"She has to be hiding in the copse of trees on that hill over there . " Snowcloud's eyes held a look of grim determination . "It's the only place nearby that offers cover and a good vantage point . If you can distract her, I'll go around and attack from the back . "
Her knuckles whitened as she reflexively tightened her grip on her sword . After more than half a year of training her strength and swordsmanship, she no longer treated the weapon with disdain . Now, she wielded it with as much confidence as she wielded her spells .
Arran looked out over the dense wilderness that lay before them, considering Snowcloud's assessment . The rolling landscape was thick with brush, but from what he could see, she was right — the tree-topped hill was the only place that gave both shelter and a good view of the area .
He gave Snowcloud a quick nod . "Let's do this . "
She moved off slowly, crouching as she silently crept toward the hill . It only took a few moments before Arran could no longer see her, but that didn't matter — he knew her well enough to guess how long it would take her to get into position .
After a quarter hour, Arran decided it was time . He took a deep breath, then began to gather Fire Essence, preparing to attack .
His first Flamestrike exploded the largest tree in the copse, showering the area around with large splinters of wood . The second arrived an instant later, tearing through two of the smaller trees .
He quickly began to move forward, maintaining a Force Shield with his left hand while he continued to launch Flamestrikes with the right . While the copse was already ruined and ablaze, he did not stop his attacks — if their enemy was there, the distraction would be sorely needed .
While Arran advanced, Snowcloud emerged from the brush a few dozen paces away from the burning copse . She headed forward at once, sword drawn and ready to strike .
But then, Arran saw it — a figure appearing at her back, a raised blade in its hands .
"Behind you!" he called out .
Snowcloud managed to turn just in time, and for a few brief seconds, she held off her attacker . But despite her furious defense, the fight was lopsided, and she fell before Arran's hasty Flamestrike even reached their foe .
Arran rushed forward, already forming a second Flamestrike, when the figure raised its hand — Brightblade's sign that the exercise was over .
At this, Arran breathed a secret sigh of relief . Whatever the reason, he was happy to have escaped the thrashing that facing their teacher entailed .
As Snowcloud got back to her feet, Arran began to head to his two companions, curious to see what good stroke of fortune had saved him from another painful defeat .
Ever since they departed the Sixth Valley half a year earlier, hidden within merchant wagons in the dead of night, Brightblade had made Arran and Snowcloud face her in battle hundreds of times .
Sometimes they were ambushed, sometimes they were chased, and sometimes Brightblade merely faced them directly for days on end, making them fight for every step forward before inevitably defeating them and gloating over her victory .
At times, it was enough for Arran to wish he really had gone into secluded training for the next decade, as the Valley's Elders had been told . Between isolation and Brightblade's teaching methods, the former certainly seemed like the less painful option .
Yet grueling though Brightblade's training methods were, their effectiveness was beyond question . She often made Arran fight using only his magic and Snowcloud only her strength, and the constant practice had seen Arran's skill increase with leaps and bounds .
Perhaps his Flamestrikes weren't yet quite as strong as Snowcloud's, but the difference was no longer the vast chasm it had once been .
And Snowcloud's progress had been at least as astonishing, if not more so . Yet Arran knew that this wasn't just due to Brightblade's skill as a teacher .
In the week before they left, the Patriarch had spent several days having long conversations with Snowcloud, and she had been silent and morose for several weeks afterward . She had refused to discuss the matter with Arran, but he understood the Patriarch had talked about her parents — and it was obvious the news wasn't good .
Her spirits eventually improved, if only slightly, but something had changed inside her . She began to study Body Refinement and swordsmanship with a fervor that bordered on fanaticism, studying and practicing even in the few moments of rest they got each day .
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