298 Departure

Arran's mind was filled with worry as he drew his sword and prepared to practice. While the portal was foremost among his concerns, it was far from the only one.

Whether or not the portal closed, he would soon leave the caverns. And when he did, he would finally set off to accomplish his original tasks — to retrieve the Forms and to infiltrate the Hunters.

The first of these things would rely more on luck than on skill.

Although Arran knew where to find the battlefield that had claimed the life of Elder Nikias, finding the Elder's writings would be no simple matter. Even assuming there were writings in the first place, decades had passed since the battle — plenty of time for the battlefield to be looted.

But that was just the beginning.

After he searched the battlefield, he would travel to the Hunters' lands and try to join their ranks, to find information that would help the Ninth Valley in the approaching war.