3: The Village Life Of An Ashborn Primordial (Patreon)

“You sure you wanna be here?” Vir asked as he walked through the ancient Godshollow with Maiya and Neel.

Their boots  crunched on the dry leaves that blanketed the forest floor.  Thousand-year-old trees the width of Vir’s home towered over them,  disappearing into the sky. He breathed it all in—the crisp scent of  pine, the smell of ancient bark, and the sweet morning dew. The forest  never failed to fill him with inner peace.

Maiya, on the other hand, was not at peace. Not at all.

She currently had both arms wrapped around his left bicep, clinging to him like a lost puppy. Though she was carrying his gear, so maybe not exactly like a lost puppy. A lost Ash’va, then, he thought, snickering. His personal beast of burden. Vir shook the thought. That was incredibly mean of him.

“W-well, you’ve heard the stories about the Ghost of Godshollow,” she whispered, peering into the surrounding woods.

“Just a myth,”  Vir lied, ducking beneath a branch that had fallen decades before he  was even born. “If there really was a white ghost, father and the other  lumberjacks would’ve seen them by now, don’t you think?”

He’d heard  demonic voices in these woods for as long as he could remember.  Occasional whispers, nonsensical words, and sometimes even cries of  panic. He’d learned to keep this information to himself. The last thing  he needed was to give the villagers more reasons to label him a weirdo.

Maiya narrowed her eyes. “Maybe the ghost doesn’t want to be found. Did you ever think about that, Vir? Did you? Bet you didn’t.”

Neel barked, as if he agreed with her.

Vir rolled his  eyes. This wasn’t the first time Maiya had accompanied him into the  Godshollow, despite her fear of the fabled ghost. He realized years ago  that she actually enjoyed the sense of danger. And how could he blame  her? Thrills were few in a backwater like Brij. That suited Vir just  fine, but his friend craved a bit more excitement.

“I’ve been here more times than I can count, Maiya. The worst thing that ever happened to me was a broken ankle. Nothing’s going to happen. Don’t worry,” he repeated for the tenth time.

They soon  arrived at a clearing in the forest where his father and a handful of  other lumberjacks were currently working. Ash’va and wagons dotted the  work site, and suddenly, Maiya’s fears seemed to melt away.

She really was born a city girl, thought Vir.

“Ah, Vir! Good  timing, boy,” a great bear of a man in dirty overalls shouted, hailing  him with an arm the size of a tree trunk. “Come help me out here, will  ya? Oh? Your friend’s ‘ere too, eh?”

“Hello, uncle Rudvik!” Maiya said, running up to the large, bearded man who beamed at her words.

“Not yer uncle!” He grumbled, but his smile betrayed him.

Maiya giggled. “I’ll just watch you two work, if that’s alright?”

“S’no sweat  off my brow, Crimson,” Rudvik replied, using the nickname he’d given her  many years ago. “By the way, Vir… Did you, uh… Did ya, y’know?”

Vir’s expression told him everything he needed to know about the results of his magic test.

“Ah. I see. Still time, Vir. Still time yet,” Rudvik replied.

“It’s okay, father. It’s fine. Really,” Vir said, setting his pack down. He got straight to work, setting Weaken Object Utility  orbs all around the tree trunk that Rudvik was working on, positioning  and repositioning them in accordance with the others. While the orbs  weren't nearly as valuable as a combat orb, they'd cost Rudvik most of  what he had, purchased back when Vir was born. They lacked the strength  to fell a Godhollow, but there were plenty of smaller trees that grew in  the space between the great giants.

“Do you really have to be that fussy about their placement?” Maiya asked with amusement.

Vir nodded. “You gotta get the orbs just right to get the tree to fall in just the right way.”

“But as ya can see, we need a whole bucket full of ‘em, bein’ as weak as they are,” Rudvik said.

The lumberjack  had spent a small fortune on the orbs, but they were necessary in his  line of work. He’d never be able to make a living if he took the time to  chop each tree by hand.

“Figures, I  suppose,” Maiya said, tapping her index finger against her chin. “D  Grade Utility orbs can only do so much. But can you imagine how powerful  they’d be if you could weaken a tree like that with a single orb!?”

“Then they’d be combat orbs, Maiya,” Vir said with a smirk. He could always count on magic talk to fix Maiya’s mood or get her to forget her fears.

When the task  was finally done, Maiya and Vir stepped away to allow Rudvik to power  the orbs. He swung his ax into the trunk a few times to score it, then  touched each orb in turn, powering them.

Once finished,  he then walked over to Vir and Maiya, who stood near a spot with the  fewest orbs; the tree would fall away from that spot… if all went well.

Neel ran around excitedly, occupying everyone’s attention as they waited.

Vir took the  opportunity to inform Rudvik about his encounter with the Child of Ash.  The lumberjack was so infuriated that his face turned red.

“Unacceptable!  I’m gonna hunt down this mongrel with Apramor. Can’t have their ilk in  our village,” he shouted, startling Vir and Maiya.

“Uh, thanks  father, but I think the guardsmen are handling it,” he said, but he was  secretly happy at his father’s words. Rudvik was one of the few  villagers who ever got angry for his sake.

Crack!

The tree trunk  protested as the orbs slowly drained away its load bearing capacity.  The tree paused for a breath, then began to fall. Slowly at first, then  faster as it leaned more and more, finally impacting the earth with a  great crash.

Rudvik clapped  his gloved hands. “Welp, that be one. Let’s get these chopped and  loaded. Then ye can head back home with yer friend,” he said with a  wink.

“Understood, father… and thanks!”

“Well  o’course! Can’t keep you on yer big day now, can I? Also, I, er… well,  consider it my gift. Not much o’ a gift, I know…” the big man said,  looking away as he scratched the back of his head.

Vir shook his head. “Oh no, this is plenty. Thanks, father!”

Rudvik was  visibly relieved at his words, and Vir echoed his father’s relief. Money  was always tight. He’d been worried sick that Rudvik might do something  reckless, like buying him an expensive present.

Vir placed the Weaken Object orbs on the felled tree, allowing Rudvik to saw through it with ease. Once done, it was just a matter of setting Lighten Load orbs onto the chopped logs to load them onto the wagon Rudvik had nearby.

“That oughta be everythin’,” he said once they were done. “Have fun on yer day off, Vir! And be safe!”

“We will, father!”

“Thanks for letting me watch, uncle!”

The two  friends jumped onto the wagon and he grabbed the reins, giving Bela and  Garga the signal to start. Their muscular, four legged Ash’va beasts of  burden had been a part of the household for as long as Vir could  remember. With smooth gray fur, pointy ears, and large pink snouts, they  were docile—but powerful—creatures.

The two Ash’va  began plodding along the forest path back to Brij. It wasn’t all that  far, but with the load they pulled, they weren’t exactly fast, either.

Vir retrieved a  sack of pebbles and began throwing them at random objects beside the  road. Rocks, plants, tree trunks. Every subsequent throw was faster than  the last, striking smaller and farther targets, until Vir was hitting  rocks as small as eyeballs.

He only missed a handful.

“Is that fun?” Maiya asked with an abundance of skepticism.

Neel, on the other hand, eyed each pebble with rapt enthusiasm.

“More fun than being kicked around or mugged.”

“I—I’m sorry, Vir, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,  Maiya. The bullies know how far they can go. They don’t like prey that  has teeth. Not one bit. These days, they just sic their bandies on me,  but it turns out bandies don’t like rocks in their eyes, either. And  y’know? If you get good at it, you can even make a song, of sorts. It’s  kinda nice.”

He threw  pebble after pebble with precision, creating a percussive melody as they  went. The beasts of burden neighed once he really started getting into  it.

“See? Even the Ash’va like it!”

“Mmm lemme try!” Maiya said, grabbing a pebble and throwing it.

Her pebble  missed its intended tree by several paces, prompting a smirk from Vir.  Maiya grumbled and picked up another one, but that also went wide. “This  is so hard! How the heck are you so good at this?”

Vir laughed. “Practice. Hours upon hours of practice…”

They arrived  at Brij a half hour later. Vir groaned when he spied a bunch of village  kids loitering on the road. Akros' son, Camas, and his goons.

His home was  on the edge of the village, which could mean only one thing—they were  here for him. Vir flipped up his robe’s hood, but it was too late.

“Oi, look! It’s Red Eyes! Fancy seein’ you around here!” Camas shouted.

“I live here,” Vir said with a sigh, preparing his pebbles. The bullies shirked back instinctively.

“R-Really? I  don’t see no home for an Ashborn. Do you?” The hooligan looked at his  lackeys, who pretended to search their surroundings. “Don’t see nuthin  here!”

Before Vir could react, Maiya had already taken the reins, urging the Ash’va to continue.

Camas blanched. “What are you trying to pull, Maiya? You gonna run us over or what?”

“Oh! My bad! ‘Don’t see nuthin here’.  Must’ve mistaken you for Ash’va dung,” she deadpanned. “Do try to dress  yourselves up a bit more next time. You’ll be more visible. Then again…  Maybe not.”

Vir burst out laughing, which only made them redder.

Camas and his lackeys dove out of the way to avoid being run over by the massive beasts. Some actually landed in piles of dung.

“You think you’ll get away with this, Maiya!?”

“Sure I do!” Maiya said, sticking her tongue out.

“Why do you even hang out with that chal, anyway?” Camas said as the wagon passed them. “Your time’s better spent with us!”

Ah right, he’s got a crush on Maiya. How predictable, Vir thought, flashing his friend a glance. How lucky.

He wondered  whether he’d fit in with their group, even if they didn’t hate his guts.  They might have been an immature and somewhat droll bunch, but at least  they had a circle of friends. He… Well, he had Maiya.

Maiya shook  her head and sat back down, ignoring them. “Sorry about that, Vir. You’d  think they’d get bored with bullying you, but I suppose chals never learn.”

Vir chuckled.  “They’re all bark and no bite. They think I’ll reap their souls or  something. And me being prana scorned means they can say whatever they  want and get away with it. But, well, it’s nice not having to deal with  them for once. Thanks Maiya.”

Maiya shook her head, but he knew she was secretly happy.

Vir tied the  Ash’va up at the modest stable next to his house while Maiya fed them  some grass. But when the two approached his home, they found a hooded  stranger loitering around the front door. The man was very well dressed,  and clearly not from around here.

That’s two strange faces in one day…

“Expecting company?” Maiya asked.

Vir shook his head, immediately on guard.

“Oh? Good day to you! Good day,” the stranger replied in a terse voice.

Maiya sidled up to Vir and whispered, “Is this the Child of Ash you ran into earlier?”

Vir shook his head. “Can I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Ah, nothing, nothing. I’ll be on my way,” the stranger said, leaving in a hurry.

“Wonder what that was all about,” Maiya said. “Maybe someone here for your father?”

“Doubt it. I’ve never seen that man before. Have you?”

Encountering two unfamiliar faces in one day was an incredibly rare occurrence in Brij. Visitors were few and far between.

“Never,” Maiya replied immediately.

“So many strange goings on,” Vir muttered. “I don’t like this one bit.”

Vir fished for  the key in his pocket and inserted it into the door. The door had a  magical lock, but Rudvik had installed a separate mechanical one to make  things more convenient for Vir. Once inside, he washed his hands with  water from a bucket. Here again, Magic Tap was the norm in most homes, but Rudvik had prepared water beforehand for his use.

“Oh, come on! It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Maiya said, walking in behind him. “Nothing fun ever happens around here.”

“I dunno, I  rather like it when things are simple,” he said, longingly eyeing the  brown rice and lentil soup on the table. Rudvik must have made it for  him before he’d left for the woods, but it didn’t seem like Maiya wanted  to wait.

“It’s cake  time!” She said, “Rabbit Hill’s the perfect spot, don’t you think? Been a  while since we went there, too,” Maiya said, fidgeting.

“Yeah, it’s been, what? Three whole days?” Vir said.

Maiya rolled her eyes and held up the picnic basket she’d been carrying this entire time. “I’ll race you!”

Vir rolled his eyes back at her. “You know you’ll win… have I ever won a race against you?”

Maiya stuck  out her tongue and took off in a sprint. Neel looked at Vir, then at  Maiya, then back to Vir, before bounding after her.

Vir wasn’t in  the habit of fighting unwinnable battles, so he didn’t even bother to  match their pace. His constitution simply wasn’t good enough to exert  himself for long, and he’d pushed himself this morning getting to the  temple. He’d already begun feeling lightheaded from those earlier  exertions.

Ten minutes  later, Vir arrived at their ‘spot’—a small knoll with a large tree just  outside the village. A picnic cloth had been spread out on the green  grass, with rocks placed at each end.

Maiya was busy getting the plates out of her basket, while Neel watched her with rapt attention.

“You did all this for me?” Vir asked.

Maiya looked at him with an expression that said, who else?

“It really  isn’t much, Vir,” she said with a sad smile. “I truly wish these things  were normal for you. It’s normal for most kids, you know?”

Vir took off  his sandals and sat down on the picnic cloth. “I don’t think I’ll ever  be ‘normal’ in the way that you mean, but I really appreciate this,  Maiya. Thank you.”

Maiya shook her head, all smiles.

He began  salivating as soon as Maiya unboxed the cake. It was covered in the same  white frosting the baker used on his confections. He’d always wanted to  know what those tasted like… and now he would.

“I had no idea you were this good at baking,” Vir said, eying the work of art.

“Well, I’ve  been practicing,” Maiya said, cutting off a small piece and spearing it  with a fork. “Say ahhhh,” she said, bringing the piece dangerously close  to Vir’s mouth.

“Oh gods, no  way! I’d die of embarrassment,” he said. To Maiya’s chagrin, he  carefully took the fork from her and stuck it in his mouth.

Shock rippled through his body as he relished the explosion of sweetness.

“Vir? Um, is—is it good?” Maiya asked, blushing an squirming anxiously, “I couldn’t exactly taste it…”

“It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever had, Maiya. This is incredible!”

“That’s nice  of you to say, Vir, but I’m still a beginner at this stuff,” Maiya said,  her face continuing to redden. She looked away, twiddling her thumbs.

Vir helped  himself to several more mouthfuls, swearing to himself that each bite he  took would be his last, but the temptation was simply overwhelming.  Maiya helped herself to a few bites, but was content to look on as Vir  devoured her cake. He didn’t know how she managed such self-control.

Vir finally contained himself, saving half the cake for later.

“What’s up, Maiya? You’re awfully quiet.”

“Just been thinking, is all,” she said, gazing off into the distance.

“Let me guess. You’re thinking of Daha again? The capital?”

Maiya looked him in the eye. “I mean, come on,  Vir. This village is so boring! Can you imagine growing up just to be  like your parents? Having kids who do exactly the same thing you do?  Isn’t that depressing? Isn’t that scary?”

“Being the head priest doesn’t seem that bad though…” Vir began, but Maiya’s stare made him reconsider. To be honest, he’d love to  have Apramor’s job. It was probably the best job in the entire village.  Apramor had respect and authority and the entire village loved him. But  that wasn’t what Maiya wanted to hear.

Vir chose his  words carefully. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this  conversation, and he didn’t want it to end in an argument like it always  did. Especially not today. “I can see the appeal, Maiya. But I’d rather  just help Rudvik out in the forest. He works himself to the bone to put  food on the table for both of us. I want to contribute. I just want…” I want people to treat me like everyone else.

“You want to use magic,” Maiya completed, giving him a knowing look.

“Well, that too. A little would be nice. Just enough to open doors and light candles. It’d make life a heckuva lot easier.”

Maiya shook her head. “Not me, Vir. I’m going to be a mejai! A fire mejai. Someone famous.”

Vir clenched his fists. If only it were that easy for him.

“Uh, huh. You don’t even have a lesser affinity for fire magic. How do you figure that’s going to happen?”

Maiya stared  out into the distance, her chin held high. “It’ll manifest. I’m still  growing. And we don’t know that for sure, right? I mean, dad hasn’t let  me test my magic for a whole year! I could have an affinity and we  wouldn’t even know. Just have a good feeling about it, y’know?”

“Right…”  Vir was pretty sure that wasn’t how affinities worked. Children were  either born with it, or manifested it by age fifteen at the latest. He  himself hadn’t developed an affinity. And Maiya was one year his senior…

“I hope you get what you want, Maiya. I truly do. Even if you only want fire magic to match your red hair,” he teased.

“That’s not why!” Maiya huffed as she walked up to the leafless tree that dominated the knoll.

Vir was pretty sure that was why, but he didn’t argue.

His mind drifted back to the monumental hurdle he needed to overcome. Vir didn’t even know where his confidence came from. How was he  going to obtain magic? He simply didn’t have enough knowledge about the  subject. He needed a mentor, someone who knew the ins and outs of  prana. Apramor was the closest Brij had to a mejai, but even his  knowledge fell short.

“Maiya, wait!  That’s dangerous,” he said, noticing his friend climbing clumsily up the  tree. “You remember the last time you fell from there? I had to carry  you all the way back to your father.”

“I’ll be  fiiine,” his friend said, right as her leg slipped off. She barely  caught herself in time. Maiya was many things, but an expert climber she  was not.

“Don’t worr—wait…” She said, staring off into the distance.

“What? What is it, Maiya?”

“Vir! Come up here. Hurry!”

He grasped a  limb and vaulted himself up. When it came to acrobatics, few could hold a  candle to him… Just that he couldn’t maintain the exertion for long.

“There! To the west by the Godshollow!”

He followed  Maiya’s gaze and peered into the distance. When he saw what she saw, his  eyes widened. The haze of the midday sun made them somewhat difficult  to discern, but there was no mistaking those silhouettes. “Imperial cavalry!?” He cried.

“Looks like there’s almost twenty of them!” Maiya said.

Some wore full  plate armor, while others wore brigandine over a black gambeson. All  carried polearms and swords, riding their armored Ash’va.

“Vir, we should head back. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Agreed,” Vir replied. Imperial soldiers had never once been to their village. Why now?

A chill ran down his back. What if they’re here for me?