The Spoils Of Battle

"Commanders!" Captain Kaleesh called out. "Gather up!"

The three commanders joined them moments later, and as they did, Arran saw that only Gar had some small wounds. Sassun and Lasha, meanwhile, had somehow escaped the battle unharmed.

"Looks like they got you good," Lasha said with a glance at Arran's bloodied clothes. There was a hint of disapproval in her eyes, as if she thought being wounded by the soldiers was almost shameful.

"Just some small scratches, is all," Arran replied.

In truth, the wounds he'd received were already long gone. The soldiers' deaths had provided his Blood-imbued Dragon's Ruin with plenty of power to feast upon, and none of his shallow wounds had lasted for more than a moment.

But that was a secret he could not share. The mercenaries might be his allies, but he would not reveal the full extent of his powers even to them. To do so would be every bit as dangerous as announcing that he was a mage.