111: Party Time (Patreon)

“Are… you alright?” Tia asked, her expression tinged with concern as she looked him over. “Are you hurt?”

Vir wiped away the tears that flowed down his cheeks. He turned away, more out of concern for his face paint than embarrassment. Luckily, he’d learned a few tricks to make the paint slightly more waterproof. It didn’t come off nearly as easily as it used to.

But why am I even crying?

Comprehension dawned upon him—these weren’t his tears, but Narak’s. The giant whose memory he’d seen. His prior incarnation.

But unlike with Shardul or Ekanai’s memories, Narak’s had been far less coherent. Vir had to dig deep to gain anything of value from the memory at all. Rather, he mostly felt like he’d been left with the heavy burden of grief.

“Reyi,” he whispered. Narak’s wife had passed centuries ago. Perhaps even millennia. And yet, the pangs of guilt and regret coursed through him as if it were just yesterday. To grieve for someone long dead… for someone he’d never even met. It felt ridiculous, and yet there was undeniably a connection there.

Vir took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. The Narapazu’s lair was no place for such feelings.

“Let’s go.”

— —

The journey back up was far more arduous than the way down. Not only because Tia and her party had to use the lift—which was always in high demand—but unlike on the way in, they were all spent.

The wait for the lift was agonizingly long. After all, few mercenaries descended to the lowest level. Unfortunately, Haymi’s condition went from bad to worse. She’d been teetering on the edge of consciousness, but her pulse was now rapidly fading.

“Let me take her back,” Vir said. “I don’t need the lift to get back.”

“Using… that power you used back there?” Tia said cautiously, in a tone that suggested she didn’t want to pry.

Vir nodded. If he let Haymi die because of some twisted desire to keep his powers hidden, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

“Please do. We leave her in your care,” Tia said, backing away from Haymi.

She looked incredibly pale and was covered in sweat. Vir scooped her up as gently as possible, then walked off into the darkness before sinking into the shadows.

“That’s a neat trick,” Vason grunted.

Tia merely frowned and bit her lip.

— —

Vir rushed to the surface as fast as he could manage, invoking Dance repeatedly. Between the battle with the Narapazu and his prior invocations, he could feel the prana begin to run thin, even in this prana-dense region.

Moreover, he strained under her weight. She wasn’t a heavy girl by any means, but with her armor and Vir’s fatigue, he found he needed to Empower parts of his body to keep her in his arms.

I never did finish mapping out the Imperium ruins… Vir thought belatedly. He’d diligently mapped the area… until the Narapazu encounter. There had been no time to finish it. He at least hoped the incomplete map would gain him some favor.

But next to Haymi’s life, none of that mattered. It took several activations of Dance of the Shadow Demon to make it to the mine entrance, but despite that, the journey only took a few minutes.

Vir immediately handed Haymi over to the white tent that housed the mining company’s Life mejai, explaining the situation. They went to work immediately, rudely pushing Vir out of the tent, saying he was ‘in the way’.

Unhappily, he walked to a nearby bench, but stopped when he saw it was occupied. By a familiar face, no less.

Vir took a seat beside the haggard-looking man. With his hair disheveled and a stare that looked as though he’d witnessed Death itself, he was nearly unrecognizable compared to the man who had challenged Vir to the duel last night.

“Holding up alright?” Vir asked.

His question was answered only by silence. The man next to him slowly turned his head to stare at Vir. Then, several seconds later, his eyes widened in recognition.

“You!” he breathed.

“Me. So you made it out alive.”

“I… How?”

Vir raised a brow. “How, what?”

“Everyone hears the stories. From the Ash Wall. Hideous monsters… But I never thought they could be that bad. The Ash Biter… How can it exist?”

The man’s words were barely louder than a whisper, hoarse and broken.

“Trust me, there are fiends out there worse than that Ash Biter. I killed it, you know?”

“Thank Vera,” the man said, looking at Vir with true appreciation. “And, I’m sorry. For yesterday.”

Vir could scarcely believe this was the same overconfident man from last night’s party.

I guess it’s true that near-death experiences change you. Vir just never imagined it could be so… drastic.

He only hoped the change was for the better.

Just then, a haggard-looking healer exited the tent, interrupting their conversation.

Vir rose to his feet. “Will she—”

“She’ll live, don’t worry. Good that you got her to us quickly, though. Much longer and there would’ve been little we could do for her. Never seen that many broken bones and ribs in my life. What happened down there?”

“Ever heard of a Narapazu?” Vir asked.

The Life mejai shrugged. “Can’t say I have.”

“A giant beast with the head of an elephant and four arms. We fought it on the lowest level. Barely made it out alive.”

And yet, the fact that they had lived, let alone bested the creature, was a revelation to Vir. Tia had guessed the Narapazu’s Balar Rank to be in the several hundreds. Even with his powerups, Vir doubted he’d rank over a hundred, and though they fought as a party, their cumulative rank was nowhere near that of the Narapazu’s.

It went to show just how flawed the Balar Scale was. Or at least, flawed when gauging the results of a duel. The scale was built for military combat potential application in mind, but Vir doubted a single number could accurately gauge relative strength with a single number alone. After all, Maiya had ranked higher than him in their duel at Riyan’s place, though she’d have easily lost unless she carefully curated the conditions to Vir’s disadvantage.

And yet, when considering who could wreak more havoc in less time on a village, or on a company of soldiers, Maiya had the advantage. It’d take Vir far longer to cut down buildings, and he simply had no way of eradicating a group of enemies in one attack, while higher tier magic could do that with ease.

“Well, if her wounds are any sign, I’d say you got lucky,” the Life mejai said, shaking Vir out of his thoughts. “She’ll need several days of rest, but she’ll be back on her feet soon enough.”

Vir nodded. “Thank you.”

“It’s what we do,” the Life mejai replied with a small smile. “Do you have any injuries that need to be looked at?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

Tia and Vason arrived a half hour later, looking even more haggard than when Vir had left them, and once Vir assured them that Haymi would be alright, whatever energy they had left fled them.

They each spent the next hour taking quick naps while Haymi was readied for transport. Vir didn’t even remember the ride back—he spent much of it nodding off atop Bumpy. It wasn’t even that late in the day, but the continuous subsequent fights and the stress had drained them all. They all fell asleep the instant they reached the Sanctum and their heads hit their soft pillows.

Dreams of giants and loss plagued Vir’s sleep, and morning came earlier than it ought to have.

Though it was before dawn, try as he might, sleep no longer came, and lying in bed never made him feel better. Only action ever had, and so he got dressed and snuck out of their room well before anyone was awake. The hardest part was getting past Neel without arousing him, but his friend was fast asleep after his hard day’s exertion.

Wish I slept as well as you, Neel.

Few people were up at this pre-dawn hour, allowing Vir to visit the Executor booths in peace. The Executors maintained a twenty-four-hour rotation, so finding one was never a problem, even at this hour.

“Balindam booth. Enter,” the Executor said in a low, gruff voice.

Again Balindam, Vir wondered idly. Either the Executors were all in on some elaborate prank, or Fate itself frowned upon him.

“Acolyte Apramor. Do you seek a new contract? I advise you to pace yourself, lest your flame be prematurely extinguished.”

“Oh, believe me, I’m not taking on another contract anytime soon. Rather… I’d like to redeem some of my karma. For a favor.”

“Very well. Acolyte Apramor, your current karma stands at zero, I’m afraid.”

“What about the karma from the mining raid? I know the results aren’t out yet, but I should’ve gotten something.”

The Executor fell silent for a moment, and Vir wondered if he was somehow communicating with his ‘Collective’ as they’d called it.

“Very well. While I cannot tell you your amount, I can say whether you have enough for your favor.”

“Alright. First… is there any word on Maiya? I’d left instructions with Daha’s branch to tell her where I’d gone.”

“Checking… yes, it seems that one by that name has visited the Daha branch. They directed her to Zorin.”

Vir’s eyes bulged. Maiya came looking for me!? She’s alright! The weight of a mountain came off his shoulders in that moment, and he nearly slouched back in his chair. An inner warmth filled his chest. One that he’d not known for a very, very long time.

No. I can’t assume she’s alright.

“Can you tell me about her? Was she in distress?”

“Such information will cost you fifty karma.”

“Fine. Just tell me.”

“Very well. On the contrary, while she dressed in plain clothes, she flew into Daha on an Acira, and produced a seric coin to bribe our guildmaster there. Naturally, we declined. But I would say that this Maiya is doing quite well.”

An Acira!? And Seric?? Vir’s mind spun. How could she possibly have gained all that?

Now he wanted to know more. Where had she been? What had she done to have met with such success? The seric coin was incredible, but Acira cost dozens of serics, and only Sawai and royalty had access to them.

A sudden thought overcame him. Did she steal it? For her sake, he sincerely hoped not. Though I wouldn’t put it past her.

“I need you to leave a note with Zorin’s Brotherhood branch. Direct her to Avi when she visits there. Or, wait… has she visited already?”

“That information will cost another 50 karma.”

“Fine.”

“No, she has not. For an additional hundred karma, we can leave instructions with her.”

“Can you contact her? Did she leave behind any information?”

“I’m afraid not,” the Executor replied.

“Alright. I’ll pay. And,” Vir paused. He desperately wanted to know if she was alright, but asking for too much information might be a risk in case anyone found out. “Ask her to leave a note asking her if she’s alright. Or if she needs help.”

“Consider it done. Was there anything else?”

“Yes. Information on the Pagan Order. I want to know what they’re truly like. What secrets do they hide? Why do they hunt demons?”

The Executor paused for much longer this time, and just when Vir was about to ask him if everything was alright, he replied.

“I’m afraid this will cost you 3,000 karma, and is more than you will have, even accounting for your mining contract rewards.”

Three thousand karma!?

“That’s absurd!” he blurted. “Why is it that much?”

“I’m afraid I cannot say.”

Vir sighed. “I understand.”

Looks like I’ll need to do some more contracts, after all. If it’s that expense, then they’re definitely hiding something. Something big.

Vir returned to his room,room, both elated about Maiya and saddened that they couldn’t meet right away. . Despite having slept more than he ever had, he still felt groggy, rousing before dawn and feeling like he’d just aged ten years.

He wasn’t the only one, it seemed. Vason was already up, rustling some breakfast for the group, while Tia sat at the dining table in a daze. Her hair was so disheveled that for a moment, Vir wondered what blonde tentacled monster had invaded their room.

“Ten mercs,” Vason muttered, handing her a cup of hot tea. “A heavy loss.”

“Would’ve been worse if they’d gone all the way down. They were right to understand their own limits. Even so…” Tia replied softly.

“What happened?” Vir asked, pulling up a chair himself. Vason silently handed him a cup of tea as well.

“The mining company hasn’t put anything out yet, but the Brotherhood did. Ten mercenaries died in the raid.”

Heavy indeed. Fifty had entered. One in five was a startlingly high death rate. Then again, few knew exactly how powerful Ash Beasts were. Even weakened by the relative dearth of prana outside the Ashen Realm, they were horrors in every sense of the word.

“When are the rewards announced?” Vir asked.

“Later today,” Tia responded. “They’re tallying everything now. I know what you’re wondering, but I don’t have an answer. No one knows how powerful that Narapazu was. I think we ought to temper our expectations, just in case. Better to be happily surprised, right?”

Vir nodded. Between the Phantomblade, the Ash Biter, and the raptor, his bounty would already be impressive. But with the Narapazu added to the mix? Vir couldn’t wait to find out how much he’d earned.

Maybe I’ll be able to afford some new gear…

It’d help overcome his disappointment with his newest memory fragment. Balancer of Scales was the ability Narak had used to manipulate the weight of objects. But unlike Dance of the Shadow Demon, Vir didn’t see any way of replicating that ability—he’d tried. Without the tattoo that slotted into the icon on his chest, it seemed all but impossible.

He couldn’t even get Blade Projection to work, let alone manipulate objects far away from him.

Apart from the knowledge he’d gained about giants and the way they moved… The memory was a bust. Vir didn’t know how many ancestors he had swimming around in his head, but he suspected the memories from the others would be just as useless—corrupted by time.

“Param,” Tia said, staring directly into his eyes. Gone was her sleepiness—replaced by resolve. From the tone of her voice, Vir knew this wasn’t going to be a light conversation.

“You saved Haymi’s life.”

“I just—”

“No,” she said, cutting Vir off. “You did. If we’d waited for the lift, she would’ve perished. The Life mejai said as much. We owe you a great debt, Param.”

Vir didn’t know how to reply. The whole conversation was awkward for him. He’d done what any decent person would’ve done. In his eyes, he didn’t need any reward.

“I… know you rejected my earlier offer. But I’ve been watching you, Param. That Narapazu fight? We worked so well together. And… I get the sense that you enjoy it as well. It’s as if you’re searching for something, and every time you see us together, you get this look in your eyes.”

“I don’t—” Vir began, flustered at where the conversation was going.

“Look, I understand. You use strange Talents I’ve never seen before. You have secrets. So do I. I will never ask you to divulge anything you don’t want to and I’ll never pry. I’m just… offering you a chance to fight in a party. To fight with mejai support, and all the benefits that brings. Enhanced armor. Enhanced weapons. A Life affinity mejai at your side at all times. Plus, parties can take on more lucrative contracts than a solo operator. We split our rewards equally. There are a lot of benefits.”

As much as Vir wanted to deny it, he realized she was right. He did want to fight in a party. He did want mejai support and mejai-enhanced weapons. And he’d always wondered what it’d feel like to fight while augmented. Plus… he was jealous.

But then, he had no real reason to take on further contracts. The Brotherhood Karma he’d accrue from the raid would undoubtedly allow him to access all the information he needed about the Pagan Order.

But…

But what were a few more weeks now that he’d come this far? Surely Shardul and Ekanai wouldn’t mind if he fought in a party. He’d earn coin, hone his skills, and learn more about fighting with others. Surely, that couldn’t be a bad thing?

The more he mulled it over, the more he came to believe it wasn’t a bad decision. The Pagan Order wasn’t going anywhere, but with the coin he earned, he could deck himself out in the best armor. The best weapons—possibly even seric weapons. Given how fearsome Ash Beasts were, he’d need every advantage he could get. He’d need those weapons if he were ever to venture into the Ashen Realm.

But the danger remained—if Tia ever found out he was a demon, he didn’t know how she’d react. Then again, he had saved Haymi’s life. Tia owed him a debt. Even if the worst came to pass, surely she wouldn’t turn on him?

“Alright,” Vir said. “But only for a few weeks. I have business I’ll need to attend to before long.”

Tia’s face lit up. “Anytime you want to leave, just say the word. But until then… Welcome to The Spear’s Edge. Now, let me tell about this contract I’ve been eyeing.”

Vir had seen that glint in her eyes. Maiya had often given him the same look. Right before she sprung a trap.

— —

“Not that I mind this little tour you are bringing me on, but why exactly are we here?” Cirayus, the four-armed giant, asked the mejai beside him.

They, along with their retinue, had traveled to the Kin’jali countryside, where they based their operations. Cirayus couldn’t set foot in civilization owing to his great size, so this was the best they could manage while Hiranyan operatives scouted local towns and cities for any information that might lead them to Mina’s assassin.

“Believe you me, I am taking a great risk coming here. The Kin’jals will not be happy to learn of Hiranyan forces in their lands, though none of us are wearing anything that would tie us back to Hiranya. And you better not say a word, or I’ll activate your subjugation collar.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question. Why are we here?”

“We’re traveled south to Parul, and even north, but have found no trace of the princess’ assassin. The next logical place to flee to would be Kin’jal. They do not suffer Ashborn, but we know he is well versed in disguise.”

“Disguise, is it? Can’t say that’s a skill I ever picked up myself. Handy for a demon wishing to disappear in a realm polluted with humans, though.”

The Mejai of Realms turned around. “I understand you begrudge humans. But as I see it, I’m the one in control here. So you will mind your tongue, or else—”

“Or else, what? Cirayus said, standing to his full height and towering over the little mejai. “Don’t think for an instant that you have authority over me, little mejai. For it will be the last mistake you ever make.”