Chapter 339 The Blood Ruin (2/2)

When he finally finished the work, he could not help but sers' on's h to last hiured out a way to keep it fro bad

He cast a last look at the vast, dark cavern He knew that there were other tunnels to explore, leading even deeper underground — perhaps to even greater challenges and rewards

Yet to go any further would certainly draw the pale woman's ire, and he had no illusions about his ability to hed, then turned to the narrow tunnel that would lead him back to the mines And as he approached it, he drew his sword

When he entered the tunnel, he did not hurry inhis way back to the mines Instead, he laboriously collapsed the tunnel behind hi and cutting through the rock with ease

It was sloork, and twice, part of the tunnel collapsed on top of hih tons of rock Yet he could not risk leaving the passage open — not if thebeneath the ers, he did not believe they were the only creatures that lurked in the depths And whatever else would enter the cavern in their absence ht well be worse

The task took him nearly two days, and when he finally stepped into theon his feet with exhaustion

The strength he'd gained froh sothened hiue of the previous half-week

He only barelyto lay down blankets, he fell asleep on the cold rock floor

Without the sky to tell hi he slept Yet when he awoke, his exhaustion was gone and hunger had taken its place

This was easily remedied, since he now possessed a supply of meat that would make even the cooks of the Ninth Valley exclai full use of it, eating digger meat until his body felt like it could burst if he so much as took another bite

Then, rested and nourished, he leaned back against the tunnel wall and turned his thoughts to the events of the previous days

Even now, he felt some unease when he re that had taken the Knight's body for itself

While she hadn't told him much, what little she'd said raised nu these was the identity of Mardek and Narzhan — the people or creatures whose legacies he supposedly carried He had little doubt of what these legacies were — the Dragon's Ruin and the Blood ic that had tainted it

He'd believed the tere entirely separate things, coons and the other soic Yet froinal sources were different ones — ones related to what the woman had called her brothers

This, at least,wondered how the ters could have coins were sied so well

And that they had er fully resembled either of the powers he'd received It wasn't so h his veins, but soether

A frown crossed Arran's face, and after a ht, he decided that it was perhaps better called a Blood Ruin — because although it filled his blood with power, if the world discovered it, it would ruin hions

Brow creased in thought, he remembered the woht themselves Gods, and wasted their lives for a people ould not appreciate the gift

At once, Arran was re wondered what Gods they worshi+pped, and now, he thought heof an answer

Of course, if that ansas right, it only added to his problems Because if what the Is, then the aid they provided th of faith

It was a thoroughly unpleasant thought, and one that caused him serious concerns — both for his own ainst the Ih to call theht be even bleaker than he already thought

Yet Arran knew that there was nothing to gain from despair

When he returned to the surface, he would have to find some Darian priests and try to learn what he could about their Gods

That, at least, should be a si to extol the virtues of his Gods should be as easy as finding a dog willing to chew a bone All he would need was to feign a sufficient ah when he thought about the work ahead He'd have to study the Forms, find more information about the Imperium, train the mercenaries he commanded, and question the Darian priests about their Gods

And most importantly, he would have to address the weaknesses he'd found in his fighting skills during the battle Because although he had achieved victory, the fight had allowed him to see several probleain, he sighed deeply But then, he stood up froan to make his way back to the surface