Although the Knight's attack came with no more warning than a flicker in her eyes, that fraction of an instant was enough for Arran . He had already been wary of the woman's intentions, and now, his response was immediate .
At once, he drew his own weapon, moving to parry the Knight's sudden attack with every shred of strength his body contained . He did not dare underestimate his opponent . If she was even half as strong as he suspected her to be, he was in mortal danger .
Yet when Arran's blade met the Knight's as he parried her attack, the violent impact he expected did not come . Instead, when their swords clashed, he barely felt any resistance at all . It was as if his sword had struck a twig of willow .
At that moment, Arran's eyes went wide with shock .
Although he felt no resistance, his sword suddenly moved backward, pushed aside as if some irresistible force controlled it . And as Arran's defense failed instantly, the Knight's strike came soaring at his neck .
He jumped backward at once, narrowly avoiding the cut that would've sliced his throat if he'd moved an instant later . And even so, his opponent's blade left a shallow wound on his neck .
There was no time to consider the bizarre attack . As he retreated, the Knight came at him again, somehow crossing a dozen paces in a single unhurried step . And the moment she reached him, she calmly thrust her sword forward .
The attack was almost laughably slow, but as Arran moved to defend, he found that his own movements were even slower . The thrust was one he should have deflected with ease, but instead, there was nothing he could do but watch helplessly as the Knight's sword pierced his shoulder .
It was like being stuck in a dream, where the normal laws of the world had ceased to function . Yet the pain from his wounds told Arran that this battle was all too real .
And so far, he was losing miserably .
Once more he retreated, eyes fixed on his opponent as he took several steps backward with his sword raised before him .
By now, any doubts he'd had about the Knight's strength were long gone . Two brief exchanges had been enough for Arran to understand that her insights were far beyond what he had imagined .
He still remembered the battle between Lord Rannoc and Lord Kadun, and he was all but certain that this supposed Knight' power rivaled theirs . With Arran not even able to match normal Knights, that meant his chances of winning against this monstrous opponent were all but non-existent .
Yet he had no choice but to fight . He knew he could not outrun the woman, and she had not even asked for his surrender .
He still had a single advantage, however — she did not yet know all his secrets . And as small as that advantage might be against an Imperial Knight, even a sliver of hope was better than the certainty of death .
No more than a breath had passed when the Knight's attacked again . Though Arran had retreated several dozen paces, she crossed the distance in an instant, her sword flashing out in a strike that shimmered with power .
Again, Arran parried with all his might, moving his blade to block his opponent's weapon as it came soaring at him . But this time, his strength wasn't the only thing he relied on . Instead, as the two weapons clashed, he imbued his defense with the full power of his true insight into binding .
The effect exceeded his expectations . The moment the two blades connected, it was as if they were suddenly frozen in space and locked together, bringing the Knight's attack to a sudden and complete halt .
Surprise flashed across the woman's face, and in her brief moment of confusion, Arran did not hesitate to seize the advantage . In a single movement, he withdrew his weapon and struck with all the power his body could muster, drawing on his true insight into severing to obliterate his opponent in a single strike .
It was an attack that could not be blocked . With Arran's full strength and his insight into severing behind the blow, the Living Shadow sword cleaved down with such power that nothing could stand in its way . Even if the Knight tried to parry the strike, her weapon would be torn asunder as easily as her body .
Yet Arran's blade met only air .
Strong as the attack was, it was no use . His target had vanished into thin air before he could hit her . And as the overwhelming power of Arran's strike tore a deep scar in the ground ahead, a voice sounded behind him .
"Interesting . "
As the word sounded, a chill went down Arran's spine when he felt the cold steel of the Knight's sword against his neck . He did not know how it was possible, but somehow, she'd vanished and appeared at his back .
He'd been defeated .
But the death blow he expected did not come . The sharp blade against his neck disappeared an instant later, and the Knight said, "Sheathe your sword . I've seen enough . "
Arran did as she said . While he had intended to use his magic as a last resort, he doubted it would do much good . And it seemed that, at least for the time being, the Knight did not want him dead .
When he turned around and faced her, he found her looking at him with a calm expression . And not just that — her eyes carried something that appeared to be approval .
But although the Knight was calm, the same could not be said for Arran . His blood was still heated from battle, and although he now understood the Knight never intended to kill him, that did little to soothe his anger .
"You were testing me . "
"So I was," she replied . "And you did not disappoint . Your strength is even better than I expected, and those two insights of yours are phenomenal . And I see your wounds are already closing up . If your foundation wasn't lacking, you would be close to matching a common Knight . "
She gave Arran a pleased smile, almost appearing like a teacher who praised a student for an unexpectedly good performance . From the look on her face, one would never have guessed that she'd stabbed him in the shoulder only moments earlier .
"What do you want?" Arran asked in a cold voice .
Though he felt some small relief at still being alive, it could not compare to the fury he still felt at the attack . Even if the Knight had never planned to kill him, he hadn't known that when they fought . As far as he knew, he had been on the verge of death .
"I would think the answer obvious," the woman said . "What I want is to give you an invitation . "
Arran suppressed a scowl as he faced her . "And if I refuse?"
After the Knight's attack, he had little interest in accepting anything she had to offer . But angry as he might be, if the alternative was death, he wasn't so foolish that he would reject her invitation .
Unexpectedly, the Knight shrugged . "Then you are free to do as you wish," she said . "You can choose to become a lackey in some Lord's service, or you can choose a more pious path and join the church . The choice is yours . "
She briefly paused, then added in a more serious tone, "Though you should know that the church does not look kindly upon heretical bloodlines . If they discover that bloodline of yours, your bright future will meet a swift end at the hands of their Paladins . "
Arran knitted his brows in confusion . "Heretical bloodlines?"
"As the church would tell you," she explained, "the Darian bloodlines are sacred gifts from the gods, granted to resist the abominations that seek to destroy us . But a bloodline like yours?" She whistled between her teeth, then shook her head . "To the church, that's no less abominable than the Blight . "
"But you disagree?" Arran asked, looking at the Knight with curious eyes . He still knew little of the divisions within the Imperium, but even so, this latest twist was a particularly unexpected one .
"Look around you," she said, gesturing at the hundreds of Blightspawn corpses that littered the ground . "A century ago, no Blightspawn had ever gone beyond the Desolation . But now, with every passing year more land is lost . Even if Sacrifice and the other great bastions do not fall, it is only a matter of time before they are cut off from the Imperium, islands in a sea of Blight . "
Arran remained silent, though he looked at the Knight in wonder . As far as the Shadowflame Society knew, the Darians — or Hunters, as they called them — were zealots without exception, dedicated to purging all mages from the world .
Yet the more he saw of the Imperium, the better he understood that the truth was far more complicated .
The Knight paused for several seconds . Then, finally, she clenched her jaw and shook her head, frustration clear in her eyes . "We need power wherever we can find it . The Imperator knows this, even if the church is too blind to recognize the truth . "
"Then my bloodline isn't an obstacle if I wish to become an Imperial Knight?" Arran asked, his eyes narrowed .
"Not unless you're foolish enough announce it to the world," the Knight replied . "Unusual talents aren't as rare as you might think, among our numbers . Truth be told, I think the Imperator would recruit even mages if it didn't mean war with the church . "
It was only with great difficulty that Arran managed to stop himself from exclaiming in shock . If what she said was true, the implications were massive — perhaps the war between the Imperium and the Shadowflame Society could be avoided, after all .
"So you're offering to take me as your apprentice?" Arran asked, his interest in the woman's offer now far greater than it was before . If the Imperator and his Imperial Knights were potential allies, then joining them might be an opportunity he could not afford to lose .
Yet now that the woman had raised his interest, she casually shook her head . "Apprentices are recruited before becoming Rangers . While you haven't received the title yet, you've already moved far beyond that stage . "
"Then what is it you're offering me?"
A small smile crossed her lips . "Though most Imperial Knights are recruited as youths, it isn't unheard of for those who achieve glory in the Desolation to be invited to our ranks . Should you prove yourself worthy, I will speak for you . "
At this, Arran's expression turned sour . "You're inviting me to win my own place?"
The Knight gave him a wry smile . "Had you accepted my first invitation, your path would have been easier . Now, you will have to rely on your own strength . But don't despair — even my apprentices need to earn the gods' bloodlines in the Desolation . "
Arran let out a deep sigh . Despite the Knight's words, he had little doubt that her apprentices had a far simpler road ahead of them .
But then, it made little difference . He would travel into the Desolation anyway . And, if nothing else, at least he would have more time before having to make a decision .
As promising as the woman's description of the Imperial Knights sounded, he would not blindly trust her words . Nor, for that matter, would he tie himself to a faction before learning more about the true situation in the Imperium .
As Arran pondered this, the Knight cast a final look at the Reaver's corpse . "I've seen enough," she said . "We should return to the village . I have matters to discuss with that captain of yours, and I suspect my apprentice will wish to speak with you . "
As they set off toward the village, Arran gave the Knight a curious glance . "You have something to discuss with Kaleesh?"
She responded with an amused smile . "You didn't think yours was the only talent that caught my eye, did you?"
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