Ashborn 335: Vaak vs Nor (Patreon)

Vir paced around the waiting area, feeling like an eternity had passed. He wore his newly polished armor, and his katar and Chakram both glistened in his hands, ready for the fight.

If only he felt ready. Left alone along with Shan in a large room at the edge of the arena and a single Bairan guard, dark thoughts filled his mind. Until now, he’d been fixated on Cirayus, thinking him the only real threat. But the results of the qualification challenge had humbled him. He’d barely eked by, and though it wasn’t an outright test of combat, to have come in last…

Zarak’Nor would not be an easy opponent. With all of his handicaps, Vir would have to bring his very best. Even then, Vir had a bad feeling. Never had the stakes been higher. If he lost here—if he failed to obtain Balancer of Scales…

Vir took several deep breaths to center himself, resisting the urge to tap into the Foundation Chakra as he’d be using it extensively in the upcoming fight.

He glanced out the window. The Tournament was scheduled such that the main fights were hours apart—both to increase the feeling of suspense, and to get people to stay through the challenge fights that went on continuously. If the main duels finished early, most spectators would leave. And that meant less money flowing into Thaman’s coffers.

When the commentator finally announced Vir’s name, he was both horrified that the moment had finally arrived, and relieved that the endless wait was over. 

“And now, my dear demons and demonesses, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The second and final bout of the day! Our first competitor is a young demon, claiming affiliation to no clan.”

“That’s right, Samik,” the other commentator replied. “He bears no official Guardian Rank. Yet he claims to be of the Ash, and from what we saw in the qualifiers, I have to say, he certainly lives up to the title!”

“Indeed. Vaak didn’t break a sweat in there. To say nothing of that Artifact Chakram he wields.”

“That is one nasty weapon, I must admit, and let’s not forget his companion, the prana wolf! Even our reigning champion will have to play it safe with this one.”

The commentator’s words were followed by a round of booing.

“Well, now,” Samik laughed. “This will no doubt be quite an opening battle, folks! Without further ado, let’s bring out our Vaaaak—Of Ash!”

Vir made sure he waved enthusiastically to the crowd, ignoring the extremely lackluster response—most of which came from Baira and Panav. He was at least glad that there was no booing. If he won this bout in the manner he intended, he suspected there would be far more of that next time.

Doing his best to ignore the enormous floating projections that were currently showing Vir, he shifted his gaze to the very tops of the grandstands. To the small rooms that ringed the arena—one per Clan section. The seats of highest honor, reserved for the Rajas and their retinue. Except for the Aindri, every Raja in the realm was in attendance. 

Which meant Chitran Raja Matiman was gazing down at him even now… Vir wondered how the Raja would react if he had even an inkling of who he was looking down at. Vir wondered how any of the Rajas would react.

Only Thaman knew of his identity and existence. The others were still in the dark. To them, the Akh Nara was dead.

It would be pandemonium, Vir concluded. It might even be the spark that triggered the next inter-clan war.

And all that protected him—protected the realm—from that fate was the tattoo Cirayus’ granddaughter had inscribed upon his chest. A tattoo that required a constant flow of prana, and that—against an Iksana bearing Sight like Zarak’Nor—would be instantly discovered if Vir let up for even the briefest of moments.

More than losing, it was this possibility that scared Vir more.

“And now, introducing one who needs no introduction.  Our Reigning Champion. The Silver-Ranked. The One. The Onlyyyy. Zarak’Noooooooooor!”

Vir was surprised to learn Nor was only ranked at Silver, though he supposed his scale was broken with Cirayus as his point of comparison. The Ravager was one of the few Seric-Rank demons in the entire realm, after all. And while Vir had been classified as Steel by the Overseer, he had to wonder where he’d rank unfettered, with full access to his abilities. Given the beasts he’d slain in the Ash, he doubted very much he’d rank anything other than Seric.

While that was a minor consolation, it wasn’t one that would be immediately helpful in this match.

The Iksana appeared from the opposite side of the arena, taking his time as he stomped to the stage, utterly ignoring the crowd that exploded in cheers, hoots, and stomps for him. Not just the Iksana, either. Every section of the stadium lit up with roars. Still, despite the energy, Vir couldn’t help but feel a little smug that Nor’s reception wasn’t even in the same realm as Cirayus’. 

Vir sized up his opponent the moment he stepped out from his waiting room. Like most Iksana, Nor wore only light armor, with a half-helm that protected his head, a small chestplate, and small metal guards on his forearms and shins. Vir noted the demon was barefoot.

Unlike Aalok’Yar, who wielded a spear, Nor wielded a straight longsword that bore none of the distinct curve of a talwar, as well as two daggers that were sheathed on his hip. In his offhand was a small round dhol shield, similar to those Vir had seen warriors wield in both the Human and Demon realms.

By his equipment alone, Nor was a demon who prioritized arts and mobility. This was corroborated by Vir’s understanding of Nor’s past fights—narrated to him by Cirayus. The giant had told him a great deal about this particular opponent, in fact. Everything from his style to his habits to his favorite opening moves.

Vir took a deep breath, centered himself, and prepared to open his Chakras on a moment’s notice.

“Go all out,” Vir muttered to Shan, who stood beside him, teeth bared at Nor. “And be quick. Never linger in one place.”

Shan glanced up at Vir and barked. Vir returned a tight smile.

It wasn’t the Ashfire Wolf Vir was worried about.

“Combatants… FIGHT!”

— — 

Shan exploded forth, closing the gap in an instant, and was slashing and biting at Nor long before Vir caught up, Micro Leaping his way to the demon.

The Ash Beast had acted so fast that even Nor seemed to have been caught off guard.

“Well, would you look at that, folks!? That Prana Beast can move!”

Vir thought he heard Nor mutter something under his breath, eyes widening in surprise—and if Vir wasn’t mistaken—fear. “Not a prana beast…” 

Then Vir was upon him, pummeling the Ghael with strike after strike. Unfortunately, while Prana Armor coated his body and was covered by Aida’s concealing tattoo, the same didn’t apply to his weapons. Thus, his strikes lacked prana augmentation, though Vir did Empower his arms, striking Nor’s shield with relentless fury.

Even so, against two opponents, the demon was forced onto the defensive, blocking, dodging, and parrying in equal amounts. 

Vir attacked with both his katar and chakram, keeping it in his hand for now. Displaying its capabilities in the Ashen Realm had proven useful—many eyes had seen its destructive potential, and word had gotten around.

Zarak’Nor’s sometimes dodged his katar strikes, but he made it a point to always dodge the Chakram. Vir didn’t know how long it’d be until his opponents learned of its limitations outside the Ash, but Vir intended to press that advantage as far as he could.

Slowly, Nor was driven back. Back—to the outer edge of the ring. Step by step, he was forced to give ground, unable to sink into the shadows. Doing so would prevent him from moving, putting him at a significant disadvantage for the short duration it took to enter the Shadow Realm. 

Vir was intimately aware of that weakness, and so he kept up his assault, cycling Prana Current and empowering each and every movement with as much prana as he could muster.

Despite this, the Iksana fought methodically, betraying no hint of panic. And despite Vir’s onslaught, not one of his or Shan’s strikes landed. Not one found flesh, despite Nor’s relative lack of armor.

It makes no sense, Vir thought, feeling his frustration mount. It’s as if he has a sixth sense. Like a…

Comprehension smashed into Vir. He did have a sixth sense. He had the Third Eye Chakra, which imparted supernatural awareness. Only a few demons had mastered this ability. His opponent, it seemed, was one.

Vir’s attack finally ended when the Iksana fired off two Warrior Chakra attacks. One aimed at Vir, the other at Shan. Not bound to Nor’s weapon, they came without warning.

It was all Vir could do to abort his strike and wrench away at the last moment. Lacking any defense against such an attack, it was his only choice.

Leveraging his feral instincts, Shan avoided the attack a bit more dexterously, jumping back out of harm’s way.

By the time Vir regained his bearings, Nor was long gone—sunk into his shadow.

Time stopped while inside the Shadow Realm. Vir had leveraged that opportunity on multiple occasions, and now, for the first time, he understood what it felt like to be on the receiving end.

There was no gap between Nor’s disappearance and his sudden reappearance within Vir’s shadow. And unlike Aalok, Nor’s blade was too small to catch. Even if he could, Vir didn’t know if Prana Armor would hold. If it didn’t, and with the prana coating Nor’s own blade, Vir would lose his fingers, or even a hand.

So instead of attacking, Vir hurled himself into the air, hoping to exploit one of the few weaknesses of Dance of the Shadow Demon.

His shadow disappeared, but instead of Nor’s severed limb, or even the blade of his sword, Vir found nothing. The Iksana was far too experienced to allow himself to be caught in such a way.

Vir found Nor standing on the other edge of the arena—the Colosseum’s many shadows providing ample entry points and exits. 

“Shan. The shadows,” Vir said, pointing at the ground. Then he pointed at his eyes. “Find the shadow.”

This time, Nor didn’t bother attacking conventionally. It wasn’t his style of fighting. Like any wielder of Dance of the Shadow Demon, he fought with guile and deception.

Vir knew this. He just hadn’t known enough.

Nor popped out of Vir’s shadow, and once again, Vir jumped… Only to find Zarak’Nor, mid-flight.

Trust, Vir thought in horror. It was the name of Clan Iksana’s other Bloodline Art. The ability to form limited illusions. Vir hadn’t anticipated just how real they’d look. It had fooled his eyes. It had fooled Prana Vision, and now, Vir would pay the price.

Lacking any way to dodge while in midair, Vir blocked as the Iksana smashed into him, slashing with both his sword and the Life Chakra.

In the instant before Vir opened his Foundation Chakra, Vir was inundated with visions. Horrific scenes of death and torment. Iksana dying—being burned alive.

The visions cleared, but it was too late; the damage had been done.

Vir lay on the ground, bleeding. Nor’s prana-tipped talwar pierced through a gap in his armor, and while Prana Armor had blocked most of the impact, Vir’s moment of distraction had weakened it, and Nor’s weapon now gouged into his chest.

Even worse, his Chakram and talwar lay paces away, having been lost when he hit the stage.

Though it hadn’t penetrated his heart, and though Vir’s enhanced body prevented it from penetrating too deep, excruciating pain still bloomed in Vir’s head, threatening to take him over.

Simultaneously, Life Chakra attacks attacked his mental defenses, forcing him to keep his Foundation Chakra open. 

Immediately, Vir worked his blood, moving it away from the wound, ignoring the pain.

The only issue was that Nor’s weapon was still in Vir’s chest. It was an issue… But also an advantage.

“Shan! Now!” Vir shouted, grabbing Nor’s sword hand with both hands, clamping it in an iron grip.

The Ash Beast slammed into Nor’s back, and clung there, biting viciously into the demon’s exposed neck.

Nor, unable to move, took the attack and roared in pain.

Empowering his legs, Vir swept the Iksana’s feet out from under him, and with one hand on Nor’s arm and the other on his shoulder, managed to roll so that he was on top of the demon. 

Shan let go, but re-engaged, biting Nor’s leg and holding him there.

But Vir hadn’t just flipped Nor. He’d flipped him in a very particular direction. A direction that took him right to his Artifact Chakram.

Straddling Nor, Vir picked up the weapon and brought it to Nor’s neck.

The demon went very still, staring at the weapon in terror. Words might’ve been unnecessary, but Vir wanted to take no chances.

“You’ve seen what this can do,” he said. “And I’ll tell you right now, I haven’t opened the Shield Chakra. If you hit me with a Warrior Chakra attack, I’ll be forced to take it in full. And I know you know what that means.”

For one, it’d mean Vir would be crippled for life, but it also meant Nor would be disqualified from the Tournament, and would likely face criminal charges. It was, perhaps, an unorthodox way of fighting—admitting to a weakness.

Vir didn’t care. He’d use every means at his disposal to win. Especially when it meant depriving his enemy of an ability that would have killed him in any setting outside a sanctioned, nonlethal tournament.

Nor looked at Vir with a blank expression for a long moment, and then, without emotion, he spoke.

“I yield.”

There was silence for a moment. Then two.

Then the commentator finally spoke.

“V-Victoooor, Vaak!”

There was another moment of silence, and then the arena erupted. Not with cheers, but boos. 

“It was the wolf!” They said.

“Wolf’s victory!”

“No, it was the Artifact! That’s cheating, using a weapon of the gods!”

“Freeloader!”

“Hack!”

To Vir, the denouncement came as a mark of success. He’d done it. He’d not only defeated Nor, he’d won in a way that would cause his next opponents to underestimate him, paying more attention to Shan instead.

It was, in fact, the best possible outcome. For there was a saying to warriors who ventured into the Ash.

The Shrike hides its talons.

The first round was over. Only three more to go.

Vir stepped off the stage and smiled.