Paragon of Destruction

When he heard that were another two hundred Body Refiners waiting to be made citizens, the white-haired priest was sent into a near-panic.

Despite the Knight's barely veiled threats, he insisted that he could not do as Rannoc had requested — not without permission from an Archon. And sending word to an Archon, he claimed, would take at least two weeks.

Yet where the Knight's threats failed, Kaleesh's reassurances proved more effective. Using a careful mix of flattery and persuasion, he spent several minutes convincing the priest that his other troops weren't nearly as unusual as Arran.

Finally, the priest agreed to accompany them to the mines. While he was obviously displeased with the prospect, with his biggest fear addressed — having to waste more of his most precious liquid on outsiders — he reluctantly gave in.

The priest didn't come alone, however. He brought along half a dozen acolytes and twice as many outsider servants, as well as forty guards in white uniforms.

"Church guards," Kaleesh explained. "They answer to the Archons, rather than the Lords." He gave the group of guards an unfriendly glance, and in a lower voice, he added, "They're humorless zealots, but take care not to antagonize them. In the Imperium, you don't want to make an enemy of the church."

Gathering the group took the better part of an hour, but still, that wasn't the end of it. While Arran was anxious to leave the city behind, Muna spent another half-hour gathering an entourage of her own — Rangers and soldiers, to match the church guards' numbers.

Arran watched the Knight's actions with some interest. Although he couldn't be certain, he suspected she'd only decided to bring a party of her own because the priest had done the same.

Either way, it was plain to see that there was little love lost between the church guards and the soldiers. The two groups eyed each other with open suspicion, all but ignoring the outsiders among them.

"They don't seem to get along very well," Arran said, careful to keep his voice low.

"The church and the Lords can never quite agree who leads whom," Kaleesh replied. "Though with a Knight here, I'd say the Lords take it this time. Unless that priest scrounges up a Paladin somewhere."

Arran frowned. "A Paladin?"

"That's what the church calls its Knights," Kaleesh explained. "If you want my advice, avoid them at all costs. Those fanatics could look at a tree and see a blasphemer to be purged. As for outsiders…" He shook his head. "If you ever find yourself in the company of one, try not to say anything."

At this, Arran could not help but sigh. The more he learned of the Imperium, the less he liked it.

It was well after dawn when they finally departed the city, their small group somehow having swelled to the size of a small army, complete several ox-drawn supply carts.

Much to Arran's annoyance, the group's size meant that it traveled with the sluggish speed of a small army, as well. Eager though Arran and the captain might be to return to the Wolfsblood Company, the oxen drawing the carts clearly didn't share their concerns.

Still, although Arran had not slept a wink the previous night, he found himself not the least bit tired — something he suspected was related to the strange liquid he'd been given by the priest.

Although its power had faded from his body just moments after he'd taken it, he could tell that some part of it remained — a feeling of vigor and vitality that seemed to pervade his body.

Kaleesh and Sassun didn't share his experience, however. While they felt some small effect, both said it was so small as to be negligible.

That wasn't much of a surprise, of course. Arran had received a far larger dose of the liquid — the diluted god's blood, as the priest claimed — than either of them, so it stood to reason that he would be affected far more strongly.

Yet his curiosity remained. If he had a new power, he needed to know what it was — and, just as importantly, how it might help him.

Which meant he needed to get information from the Darians.

Between the priest and the Knight, deciding which of them to ask for information was an easy choice. The white-haired priest's eyes held resentment and suspicion whenever he glanced at Arran, and Arran very much doubted that he'd freely share his thoughts.

Muna, on the other hand, merely looked at him with curiosity. That still made Arran uneasy — he had plenty of secrets, after all — but it was better than the priest's barely veiled hostility.

He approached the Knight after their midday meal, as the long caravan was pulling into motion again amid the Imperium's green, sunswept hills.

"I have a question," he said, deciding not to waste time on pleasantries. "About what the priest gave me — the liquid."

"Your blessing," she replied, stifling a smile as he fumbled for words. "What about it?"

Arran hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What does it do, exactly?"

"It marks you as a Darian," she said. "In the eyes of the priests, at least."

"I'm not talking about that," Arran said with a shake of his head. While he was curious to learn how exactly that learned, he doubted she would answer that question — and either way, he had a far more pressing one. "What else does it do?"

She gave him a small smirk in response. "You'll discover that soon enough."

And that was all she would tell. Arran spent another half hour trying to wrangle an answer from her — though being careful not to offend her — she merely offered evasion and amused smiles in response.

Finally, Arran returned to the captain and Sassun.

"No luck?" Kaleesh asked, some curiosity in his eyes.

Arran shook his head. "She said I'd discover it soon enough."

Kaleesh shrugged, though his expression was disappointed. "Tell us when you find out."

The second half of the day passed much like the first half had, with slow travel along the Imperium's seemingly endless roads. And although they passed some small groups of soldiers along the way — Kadun's former troops, Arran understood — nothing of note happened.

Yet that night, after they'd eaten their meals and retired to their bedrolls, Arran discovered that he still wasn't the least bit tired.

He spent a good half-hour trying to fall asleep, but found it completely impossible. Eventually, accepting that he wouldn't sleep that night, he got up again. If nothing else, he could spend some time practicing his swordplay.

However, when he got up, he found Muna already waiting for him, an amused smile on her face.

"Starting to understand yet?" she asked.

Finally, realization dawned in Arran's mind. "The liquid — the blessing… this is what it does? It keeps me awake?"

"It gives you energy," she corrected him. "For the others, the difference will be small enough as to be barely noticeable. But in you, it will be stronger — strong enough that you can go weeks without sleep. And as you grow more powerful, it will strengthen further."

Arran looked at her with wide eyes, at a loss for words. Of all the things he'd expected, this certainly wasn't one.

"Disappointed?" she asked, her eyebrow raised as she faced Arran.

"Not at all," Arran said, shaking his head. If anything, this was far better than anything he could have expected.

At once, he understood how potent a power this was. Without the need for sleep, he'd have hours each day to spend on study and practice — hours to improve his skill, and grow stronger.

Seeing his reaction, she gave an approving smile. "So you see its value, then."

"I do," Arran replied, eyes still wide with shock. "But this power… do all Darians have it?" He glanced at the Darian soldiers, and saw that they were already sound asleep.

"They have the potential," the Knight replied. "Though few grow strong enough to fully enjoy its benefits. But you were lucky enough to require a proper Knight's blessing. And although this is one of the lesser gods' bloodlines, I've always thought it was among the most powerful."

Arran looked at her with curiosity. "So you have this power as well?"

"All Knights do," she replied. "As I said, this is a bloodline shared by all Darians — though that is because the priests can somehow recognize it. Any Darian who grows strong enough will develop this power, as well."

Arran nodded, already marveling at the many possibilities he saw. In the past, it had seemed nigh impossible to study all the things he wanted. But now… now, he realized it might be possible to learn more than he had thought.

"But enough of that," Muna said. "We have an entire night ahead of us, and little to do with it. How about we spar for a few rounds? I'm curious to see how strong you really are."

For a moment, Arran hesitated. Despite what the captain had said, he still felt uneasy revealing his strength to the Darians.

Yet denying her request would only draw her suspicion. And more importantly, he was anxious to see what he could learn from a Knight.

"All right," he said. "Let's spar."