Ashborn 327: Flight of the Shrikes (Patreon)

The way out of the forest was both far faster and less fraught with peril. The first checkpoint had occupied or incapacitated a great number of demons, and Vir suspected that between those and the ones who fell at the Gate, less than half the initial four hundred remained. 

That was still a lot of demons, but they were now far more spread out. The chances of them running into anyone ought to be far lower. 

Vir encountered an Ash Biter and couple more Shredders on the way out, which he and Shan dispatched with ease, leaving tara no time to get in on the action.

“This is honestly unfair,” Tara said. She was now in her half-human, half-naga form. For reasons unknown to Vir, she couldn’t move quite as quickly in this form, but she was still faster than Vir while within the forest. She also gained better command over her speech, and the use of two limbs.

“The next kill is mine.”

“Need I remind you we’re not here to kill, or even to fight?” Vir said as they jumped through the forest. “Every encounter slows us down, reducing our chances of victory.”

“I know, I know,” Tara said. “Still, feels like I’m not pulling my weight. I hate that. Next one we come across is mine.”

“Understood,” Vir said, though he felt that her ability to cure wounds made her invaluable, regardless of her combat contributions. Vir would’ve been hampered without the full use of his arm if she hadn’t cured his poison earlier.

Their next encounter occurred soon enough, and Tara slithered ahead. Vir thought she’d slash or strike the Ash Wolf, but her tail whipped out as the beast lunged, catching it midair.

It wrapped around the wolf… and crushed it to death. 

Vir had to look away as its bones broke under her almighty pressure. The same pressure that had snapped his own bones just a day ago.

“Brutal,” Vir muttered.

Tara turned back and grinned viciously. “Efficient.”

Sounds from behind caused all three to look. They had company, and not the sort that could easily be dealt with.

A dozen demons had broken off from the fight at the checkpoint and were following.

“Opportunists,” Tara spat. “They’re following in our wake, letting us fight off the Ash Beasts so they don’t have to.”

Vir smirked as they started running again. “So you’re saying they’re doing exactly what we did to them earlier?”

“Fair point,” Tara replied. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. I say we take them all out. Better now than later. They’ll keep hampering us, which means we’ll have to watch our behinds the whole way.”

“While I agree they need to be dealt with, stopping to attack them… well, it’s not very efficient, is it?”

Tara’s expression went ice cold. “Oh? Then what would you suggest, master tactician?”

Vir agreed they had to be dealt with, but attacking them directly wasn’t efficient

The trio broke through the forest, encountering another vast field of Ash. Their current direction took them directly to a towering mountain range, whose peaks were ravaged by lightning.

Vir thought it over for a moment, then reached for his back.

He grinned. “Let’s see how they deal with this…”

Vir activated his Artifact Chakra, which hummed with deadly power. He threw it, and the blades deployed, cycling rapidly.

Were those to touch his competitors, they’d be dead in moments—at least, if they didn’t have some form of prana defense to block it.

Which would, of course, disqualify Vir and land him in deep trouble. He had no desire to kill anyone, regardless.

The Artifact sailed for the nearest tree, bisecting its trunk as if it weren’t even there.

The tree hung for a moment, then crashed heavily behind them.

It was followed by another, and another.

In Vir’s wake was a tsunami of falling trunks and wreckage.

Hazards their pursuers had to dodge, lest they be crushed underneath.

“Brutal,” Tara said, giving Vir a look of deep respect. “I love it. And you held out on me. Never said you had an Artifact of the gods. You have to show me when we’re back.”

Vir was getting used to the idea that all demon warriors were battle junkies. Somehow, it bothered him less with each passing day.

A screech sounded from overhead, and through the forest canopy, Vir saw a half-dozen black blurs.

“What was that!?” Tara shouted.

Vir had seen and fought enough of those creatures to know exactly what they were.

“Shrikes! Take cover!” 

Vir threw himself to the ground, and Tara flattened her serpentine body, lowering her torso. Shan was already on the ground, his instincts warning him well before Vir did.

It was perhaps an unnecessary precaution, but Vir had seen those beasts dive-bomb creatures in even the thickest jungle. 

In the distance, Vir heard their pursuers catching up. His mind lingered on the threat of the Iksana who’d attacked them earlier, making his decision easy.

Something had to be done about those beasts, and he had to be the one to do it.

“Continue to the forest entrance. Shan will accompany you,” Vir said, looking up at the canopy.

“What are you going to do?”

“Deal with them,” Vir replied, before crouching and High Jumping up to the forest canopy.

He left a gaping Tara in his wake. 

“Damn. He’s good.”

— — 

Vir jabbed his katar into a trunk before jumping again, clearing the canopy.

He checked—neither his Life Chakra nor Prana Vision sensed anyone around. And then he Leaped.

This was not a limited, shortened Leap, but his full power ability. It sent him soaring high into the sky.

It was not a maneuver that would have succeeded had he not had hundreds—even thousands—of practice attempts.

As it was, he had. And so, he landed perfectly on the trailing Shrike’s back, plunging his katar into its neck as he threw his Artifact Chakram at another Shrike.

The decision to use the chakram had been a calculated one. Up here, in the open, eyes would be tracking him. They’d witness its true power, unlike in the forest.

Normally, Vir would’ve wanted to hide such an ability, but if he played his cards right, it might prove to be an immense advantage. While its power waned substantially outside the Ash… his competitors wouldn’t know that.

Vir kicked off the Shrike before the now-dead creature fell out of the sky, grabbing his Chakram as it returned, having cleanly severed the neck of another Shrike.

It was when he landed on the next bird that Vir realized something was wrong. Or more accurately, different.

The Shrike would ordinarily kick up a ruckus when one of their own was killed, but they’d stay in formation.

They always stayed in formation.

Before Vir could throw his Chakram again, the Shrike Vir was on separated from the rest and dove, nearly sending Vir flying off. It was only by simultaneously sucking every drop of its prana and Blinking off that Vir managed to grab the tail of the next bird. The same thing happened here, where instead of thrashing, the bird split off.

Vir didn’t bother killing it. He Leaped… all the way to the leading Shrike.

It was then that he saw the red demon riding atop it.

His hands gripped the creature’s neck, but he didn’t appear to be attacking. His stance was almost… peaceful.

Vir immediately understood.

This demon was Aindri, and he was using his bloodline arts to influence these Ash Beasts.

Vir’s estimation of that Clan shot up in an instant. If they could control this level of Ash Beast, they were a threat to be reckoned with. Especially here, in this realm.

Vir didn’t bother attacking any other Shrikes. He threw his Chakram straight at the lead Shrike, even as his current one veered away.

That was alright. As far as he could tell, his Chakrams had no limits on their range, so long as they had prana to fuel them. And here, there was no shortage of that.

The Aindri’s Shrike weaved and dodged, but it was no match for the relentless Chakram. 

After the Chakram’s first successful strike, the Aindri had thrown the beast into a dive.

Vir jumped off his current Shrike, killing it in the process, and let himself free fall.

It was a good move on the Aindri’s part. Getting lower reduced damage from a crash, and it also helped him avoid the Chakram.

For all of about two seconds.

The Artifact of the gods slashed, ripped, and tore through the beast, making pass after pass, circling it like an angry hornet.

By the time the Aindri jumped off, the Shrike was nothing more than a bleeding carcass that slammed into the ash, kicking up an enormous plume of soot.

The Chakram returned to Vir’s hand. Not only had it ended the Shrike, it’d also destroyed the Aindri’s tablet, as Vir had intended. Here in the Ash, the weapon understood Vir’s intent, so long as it was simple.

Kill the beast. Destroy the tablet. Leave the demon alive.

Vir only wished it retained the same level of intelligence outside the Ash, but he took what he got.

Vir landed just outside the forest, using both the softness of the ash and Light Step to absorb his fall.

When he dusted off and looked around, he found two-dozen sets of eyes, all trained on him. They were arranged in a semi-circular formation, as if they were waiting.

An ambush. For any who exited the forest.

Like Vir. Like Tara, who’d just burst through with Shan. 

And like the dozen-off demons who’d followed them.

With enemies behind, and enemies in front, Vir was surrounded.

“What do we do?” Tara said, wide-eyed, scanning their enemies like a feral cat.

Vir did the same, twirling his Artifact menacingly around his finger as he scanned the crowd. He regarded them not with fear or panic, but with supreme, overwhelming confidence.

It was the confidence of one who knew he had an unassailable trump card. A weapon that instilled absolute terror in the minds of his enemies.

For each and every demon assembled had witnessed the aerial battle. They’d seen the true might of his Artifact Chakrams.

And so they knew to be afraid. 

“Tell me,” Vir said, grinning viciously. “Which one of you chals wants to be the first to die?”