Chapter 302
Arran approached the camp cautiously, following a good hundred paces behind the short man who had unknowingly guided him there .
There were about a dozen people present, with most of them gathered around a cooking fire at the center of the camp . Several of the others were sleeping in tents, despite it only being late afternoon — a sign that they'd been out on patrol through the night, Arran thought .
He was convinced that these were all Hunters, but he wasn't too worried about being discovered . Even if they somehow managed to detect him despite his improved Shadowcloak, he was certain they couldn't simply see through it . And in a fight, that meant he would be at an advantage, with his opponents facing an enemy they could not see .
Still, he did not abandon caution altogether . Even if he was confident in his chances if battle broke out, killing Hunters so close to their own lands would draw far too much attention .
As Arran was still sneaking toward the camp, the short man arrived at the group gathered around the campfire, where a barrel-chested Hunter with wide shoulders stood up to greet him .
It seemed like the two men were speaking, but Arran's Sense didn't pick up sound, and he moved forward a bit faster — as fast as he could without risking the Hunters hearing him .
He came to a halt a few dozen paces away from the fire, stopping just within earshot of the group .
"…just some treasure hunter," the short man said . "But something was off about him . He moved like a Body Refiner, and not a weak one, either . "
Although Arran had missed the first few moments of their conversation, he knew at once that they were talking about him .
He felt some frustration when he heard the man had recognized him as a Body Refiner . He'd tried his best to hide his power in Redhill, but it seemed his best wasn't yet good enough . That was something he'd have to work on .
"A Body Refiner?" The burly man spoke in a gruff voice, and he had an accent that was unfamiliar to Arran . "Don't see many of those in these lands . I'm surprised you let him slip away . "
"You think I should have killed him?" the short man asked, his tone uncomfortable . "He wasn't a mage, and I didn't think he posed a threat . But if you disagree, I can still track him down . "
"Kill him?" The large man let out a thunderous laugh . "You should've recruited him, you fool . With the shoddy techniques in these lands, anyone who becomes a Body Refiner must have a decent bit of talent . "
"Surely we haven't fallen so low that we must now sway outsiders to our cause," a voice sounded . It came from one of the women sitting around the fire, and there was a hint of disgust in her tone .
"There's a war coming," the burly man replied . "And when it arrives, even the smallest bit of strength may yet prove useful . "
The woman snorted in derision . "If a war comes, then we will win it . We soundly defeated the mages once already, and a second time will be no different . They're too weak to be a threat to us — none of the ones I killed was even the slightest challenge . "
"The ones you killed were novices," the man replied, some annoyance in his voice now . "Barely as strong as our recruits . Do not think you can wrestle dragons just because you bested a lizard . It's not a mistake you'd get to repeat . "
The woman hesitated in answering, and when she finally replied, her tone held a hint of defiance . "Maybe some of them are strong, but that doesn't make them a threat . Not so much that we have to rely on the unpure to—"
"Quiet!" the burly man snarled .
As the word left his mouth, he drew his sword in a single fluid motion so fast Arran's eyes went wide with surprise . The blade came to a stop just a hair's breadth from the woman's neck, and briefly, Arran thought he was about to witness one Hunter slay another .
Yet he sheathed his sword a moment later, then said in an icy tone, "One more mention of purity, and it will be your head . A new group of recruits arrives less than a week from now, and more than a few of them were once outsiders . Dividing our ranks at a time like this is as good as treason . "
The woman said no more, though she gave the large man a fearful nod . It seemed she knew the threat was not an idle one .
Unexpected though the man's outburst had been, Arran was more concerned with the way he'd handled his blade . Though the attack had been a mere warning, just that short glimpse was enough for Arran to know that this man might well be his match in swordsmanship .
And if that was the case, then he wasn't as safe as he had thought . While invisibility would be no small advantage, if the other Hunters were all as skilled as the large man, then they could still pose a threat to him .
After a moment's thought, he began to retreat, moving as quietly as he could . Before he took even the slightest risk of facing Hunters in combat, he would have to learn more about them . And the longer he remained in the camp, the higher the risk would be .
He left the camp without issue, and when he was clear of it, he spent several hours moving away at a hurried but careful pace . Before he ventured into the old battlefield, he needed a final night of rest to replenish the Shadow Essence he'd used up while traveling to the camp .
His reserve of Shadow Essence had grown dramatically, but it still wasn't unlimited, and his improved Shadowcloak used up more of it than the old version had . At most, he could maintain it for a week, but he'd need at least a full night's rest for it to recover .
As he silently moved through the shadowy woods, he thought about what he'd heard in the camp .
That the Hunters used the battlefield as a training ground wasn't much of a surprise . Arran had guessed as much already — he knew the Hunters were resistant to magic, and he'd discovered in Uvar how a battlefield filled with unbound Essence could be used in training .
The arrival of a group of recruits could be a problem, however . The unbound Essence would make it harder to maintain spells, which meant he might not be able to rely on his Shadowcloak to keep himself hidden . If there were dozens or hundreds of Hunters roaming the battlefield, going unseen could prove difficult .
And there was also the purity the woman had mentioned .
From her words and the man's reaction to them, Arran surmised that not all Hunters were equally accepting and trusting of outsiders . Which meant the task of infiltrating them might be a difficult one .
But that was a matter of later concern — first, he would have to search the battlefield for Elder Nikias's writings on the Forms . And with Hunters around, that would be no easy task .
Several hours of travel from the Hunters' camp, Arran found a dense copse of trees that provided a good amount of shelter . He quickly put up a series of wards to offer further concealment, then dropped his Shadowcloak and tried to make himself comfortable on the cold ground, intent on getting a good night's sleep .
He would begin his search of the battlefield the next day, and with the new obstacles that had arisen, being well-rested would be no luxury .
Moreover, if a new group of recruits was expected to arrive in less than a week, he would have to make the search a quick one .
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