Chapter 408 The Masters Bloodline (1/2)
Arran hid his unease as best he could, facing the Archon with an expression he hoped conveyed a confidence he did not feel Bloodlines were a dangerous topic, and appearing to hide so too much
”What I know of the bloodlines?” He paused in thought, choosing his words with the care of a clule knives ”Truth be told, I don't know ranted by the Gods to help the Iht Other than that, I know little of either the Gods or their bloodlines”
Archon Roshan gazed at hi eyes ”You arrived in the Io By now, you should now more than that”
”I've been preoccupied with other things” Arran ed an uneasy se ”I hoped to prove ht”
The Archon sighed ”The folly of warriors To believe that there is no question so great a sharp blade cannot answer it”
”Perhaps you can teach me about the Gods, then?” Arran did not let the opportunity go to waste The ot Roshan to speak, the better, because if the Archon was speaking, then Arran could hold his tongue
Roshan hesitated for a moment, and he briefly seemed tempted to accept the offer Yet after a norance would be a matter of days, perhaps even weeks I do not have that rateful for whatever wisdo the way he'd seen Kaleesh interact with the priests It was a poor impression, but one he hoped would be sufficient
To his relief, Roshan responded with a slow nod ”Very well,” he said ”I suppose there's no harh Arran was relieved to hear these words — if nothing else, theyhim — he didn't fail to notice how easily the man was convinced Fro — to not only steer Arran toward a path, but to make hi, so petty as to be almost childish Yet Arran understood what it reallyfrom him
As Arran pondered the Archon's true intentions, Roshan gestured toward the white marble statues that lined the walls of the circular chaazed at each of them
”Each of these statues represents one of the Gods,” the Archon said, ”but there are many other Gods, both known and unknown to us And while it is true that the Gods' power has allowed the Iht, that is not e revere theht Arran's attention ”Then what is the reason?”
”The reason,” Roshan said, an affected tremble in his voice, ”is that they represent a path to salvation — a path to divinity that even the least a us can walk Their existence tells us of what lies beyond mortality, and of e may become if we follow the divine path”
The words sounded well-rehearsed, as if he'd spoken theued by what he heard ”You mean to say that we can become Gods?”
”We can,” Roshan said, and this time, the fervor in his eyes appeared to be entirely real ”Do you knohat uessed
”Indeed,” the Archon confirmed ”It is power that separates us from the Gods, and power alone Should you — or I — become sufficiently powerful, ill become Gods ourselves But the power they wield is no e the world itself — to shape both the earth and oneself”
A frown crossed Arran's face ”Shape the earth? The way Sacrifice was created?” The words had barely left his ht occurred to him ”And the Gods' bloodlines…”
”Exactly!” Roshan replied ”The Gods created both the Desolation and Sacrifice, changing the very nature of the world in doing so Yet that wasn't all they changed — they altered their own nature, as well, granting theine Abilities that linger in their bloodlines even today”
”Then by gaining the Gods' bloodlines, we gain their powers?” Despite himself, Arran felt some enthusiasm at thethe Gods, gaining their poas anotherhe was most interested in
”Only the tiniest sliver of therant pohat they grant is only a shred of what the Gods possessed” He paused row into so more And with endless toil and labor, even the srow to match the tree from which it came”
Arran furrowed his brow ”Has anyone ever achieved that?”
”Of course,” Roshan replied at once, as if he'd expected the question ”The Gods themselves started life as mere mortals, men and beasts both Yet they beca, they showed the rest of us the path to divinity”
At this, Arran's frown deepened The Archon's words did not answer his question in the slightest — the Gods could hardly have followed in their own footsteps, after all Yet fro as much would be ill-advised
”So the Gods' bloodlines offer us a path to divinity,” he said instead ”And by following the Gods' example, we can becoht about it, the less sense it s than what the Archon could tell in a few short minutes, what little he'd heard hardly inspired confidence
Yet Roshan nodded as if he'd spoken an obvious truth ”Indeed,” he said ”The Gods' bloodlines offer a path, and greatness awaits those alk that path That holds true even for those who fall short of the destination”
”Then what's the difference between the types of bloodlines?” Arran asked ”If all the bloodlines coreater and lesser bloodlines?”
”A good question,” Roshan said, the earlier exciteone fro a student ”The answer is that not all Gods are equal While even the sreatest created bloodlines so powerful that even a sliver of theain thes us to your situation”
”My situation?” Arran gave a puzzled look ”Are the bloodlines connected to the dagger, somehow?”