127: Shattered Edge (Patreon)

Vir prepared to use Dance of the Shadow Demon to enter his shared bedroom suite. Partly out of a desire not to wake anyone, but with as big as the space was, that was hardly a concern. Rather, he wanted to grab his things and get Neel with no one noticing.

At least, that was the plan, until Prana Vision showed that everyone was awake.

“You’re all up?” Vir asked with a broken voice, entering the traditional way. “I thought you went to bed?”

“Well, we were about to, but then Haymi asked where you’d gone. I said you were just off getting some fresh air.  Haymi disagreed, and so we placed bets,” Vason said, looking at Vir with ravenous eyes. “There’s a lot of money on the table, so you better have been out for a walk. You were, weren’t you?”

“I… uh.” Vir debated lying, but it’d only raise more attention when he packed his things to leave. “I was speaking to an Executor.”

“No!” Vason roared, pounding his fists on the table.

“Told ya!” Tia said smugly, holding out an open palm.

“Chala’s Knees, Tia! Ugh. As if you need the money. Let us paupers be, will you?”

But Tia’s smile remained unchanged. “A bet’s a bet. You too, Haymi.”

Each took out a silver and handed it to Tia. Just a year ago, Vir would’ve balked at how people would be so frivolous. Now, it was just spare change.

“I, uh. I have some business to attend to. I don’t know how long I’ll be away,” Vir said, hoping they wouldn’t ask too many questions.

“Oh, perfect!” Tia replied. “We were just thinking about a change of scenery. When do we leave?”

“Uh, sorry?” Vir asked. “I, er, was planning on going alone.”

“You’re… leaving the party? After everything we’ve been through?” Tia asked, all joy leaving her face. Her reaction made Vir want to immediately retract his words, but he stood firm.

“Tia, come on. You yourself said you wouldn’t pressure me to stay. Truthfully, I like working with you all. And… to be honest, I’d planned on staying a bit longer. Yeah, the Matron fight was incredibly dangerous, but it was fun, too.”

“But this is more important?” Tia asked, leveling her gaze at Vir. There was no judgment in her eyes, nor scorn.

“It is. There is something I must do. Something… that I must know.”

“I understand. We won’t badger you. Just… where are you going? I’d at least like to know you’re safe.”

Vir thought it over for a moment. Though Tia might ask some questions if he told her he was going to the Pagan Order, it wasn’t bad to have an insurance policy. Especially with such volatile actors as the Order. The Executor gave him his word that Vir wouldn’t be harmed, and that counted for a lot, but one could never be too sure, given the Order’s reputation.

Also… I’d rather avoid bringing them into enemy territory. He’d feel terrible if something happened to Tia and the others there. This felt like a good compromise.

“The Pagan Order’s capital. Balindam. I honestly might only be gone a week, but I’ll write letters to you. If they stop coming… well, I’d appreciate it if you could come looking.”

The room fell silent upon hearing the words ‘Pagan Order’. Hardly a surprise, given their infamy.

“I… see. Apramor, be careful. I know you use Talents, but still. The Voidlands are… strange. It’s as if your very energy is sapped. Don’t expect to fight at your full strength there. And… beware of the Order. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. They might do the world a favor hunting demons, but I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them.”

Tia’s casual words felt like icicles in Vir’s heart, but his training prevented him from showing any anger on his face.

“Trust me, I’ll be careful.”

“Wait. How are you getting there?” Vason asked. “It’ll take weeks just to travel there? How are you expecting to be gone only—!? No way. An Acira?”

Vir smiled. “The Order’s sent one. It’s waiting on me as we speak.”

“Impressive,” Haymi said softly, giving Vir a pointed look. “They must want you badly.”

“Yeah, it’s odd,” Vir replied, scratching his neck.

“It’s more than just odd, Apramor,” Tia replied. “Most people don’t even see an Acira in their lives, let alone ride one. Even most Sawai don’t get the opportunity. Do you have any idea how much Acira cost to buy and maintain? We’re talking serics. I’m honestly shocked. For the Order to send an Acira. It’s unheard of.”

“Yeah. I dunno what to think.”

“I don’t think they’d harm someone they’re extending the red carpet to, but be vigilant.”

“Thanks Tia. Believe me, I fully intend to. But uh, that leaves Bumpy. Would… would you mind looking after him for me? He’s a good boy. I feel bad about leaving him behind like this?”

Tia smiled. “Bumpy’s the finest! He’ll live like royalty while you’re gone. No expense will be spared. You have my word. And, um, when you come back, maybe think about rejoining the party?”

“Thanks Tia. I will.”

Fearing an awkward silence, Vir left for his room and packed his gear. He didn’t have much; packing didn’t take long at all.

“Then… we’ll be off,” he said, returning to the common room with his rucksack. “Haymi, Vason? It’s been a pleasure.”

“Aw, c’mere. No way you’re going off just like that!” Vason said, enveloping Vir in a great bear hug that forced him to Toughen his chest to avoid being crushed. “Gonna miss you, Apramor. Had my doubts about you at first, but you’re alright.”

Haymi gave him a more reserved, tight-lipped farewell. “Goodbye, Apramor. I’ve also enjoyed our time together. I-it’s a shame we won’t be able to get to know one another better,” she said with a complicated look.

Vir averted his eyes. She knew he was a demon, and yet there was more to her expression that he couldn't quite place.

“L-Likewise, Haymi. I’ve learned so much from you. From all of you,” Vir said, flustered at her scrutiny. “I really owe you a debt.”

“Please,” Tia said, rolling her eyes. “You were the one who took on the Narapazu, mostly. You landed the killing blow on the Brood Matron. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Vir smiled. “I won’t. C’mon Neel. We’re leaving.”

The Bandy perked up, obediently following Vir out of the room and down the stairs to the Sanctum’s Acira landing area. Vir had never had reason to come to this side of the building, so it was all new to him. The lone Acira occupying the open space caught his eye immediately.

Jet-black and scaly, it looked fearsome, though he knew Acira were docile, domesticated, and posed no danger to anyone. They were strictly mounts for transportation. The best mounts, capable of traveling faster than anything other than an Altani Fast Attack Skyship.

“Apramor, I presume? A man in an ornately tailored robe said, bowing lightly as Vir approached.

“That’s right,” Vir replied. “Are you the one who will take me to Balindam?”

“Indeed. We appreciate your timely response, and sincerely apologize for the urgency of the situation.”

“It’s fine,” Vir replied, somewhat surprised at the man’s refinement. The Pagan Order was supposed to be a lawless place, full of barbarians, but if Vir didn’t know their reputation, he’d have thought this man was a Sawai from Rani or some other civilized country.

“I see you have brought along your Bandy. Will he be joining us on our flight?”

“Yes. Will that be a problem?” Vir didn’t know how much weight Acira could carry, but he doubted it was any less than an Ash’va.

“Not at all, so long as he behaves. The flight will be rather long, at five hours. We shall take only a single break. If your Bandy grows restless…”

“He’ll be fine. He’s well trained. Aren’t you, boy?”

“Awoo!”

“Excellent. Then let us be off!”

The Acira’s pilot guided Vir up its back to a saddle that had been positioned behind the pilot’s seat. Vir had Neel sit behind him, and the pilot tied a tether around Neel’s collar. In case the bandy slipped, at least he wouldn’t go falling off. Vir and the pilot both tied their own tethers around their belt.

“Do people ever fall off?” Vir asked.

The man smiled. “Rarely. But accidents can happen.”

Great…

Worse, in the air, Vir couldn’t use a single Talent. While Light Step would soften his fall, he’d never fallen from great heights before. For all he knew, he might end up a splattered mess on the ground. Luckily, the tether was there to prevent that grim demise.

The beast flapped its mighty wings, kicking up a cloud of dust and wind. For a moment, Vir wondered whether it was overloaded, but then it lurched up into the sky, making Vir’s stomach drop.

Blergh, Neel groaned. The experience hadn’t suited the Bandy and more than it had him.

The ground fell away rapidly, and for the first time, Vir got an aerial view of Avi. He’d thought the city beautiful from the ground… but he realized he’d only been seeing a small sliver of its beauty. With its network of waterways, bridges, and waterfalls that fell from the Legion Mountains, Avi was breathtaking.

The sight was almost enough to make him forget about the cool wind rushing against his face.

But after several minutes of travel, the refreshing breeze became more and more intolerable. He noticed the pilot had wrapped his entire face in a turban, and Vir did the same, tying some cloth wraps, leaving only his eyes open to gaze upon the scenery that blurred underneath.

Avi fell further and further away until the Acira was nearly at the same height as the lowest clouds.

Then they leveled out and sped forth. Vir had been expecting a whoosh of speed… but other than the butterflies in his stomach and the wind blasting against his face, the result was quite underwhelming. In fact, it was hard to tell that they were making forward progress at all. The land underneath crept by at a glacial pace.

Are we really going so slow? Vir wondered, before realizing it was an illusion caused by their incredible height. It’s the same as looking at a far off landmark while on an Ash’va!

Soon, the North Legion Mountains crept up under them, forcing the pilot to go even higher to avoid their peaks.

Navigating those mountains would have taken weeks… but the Acira passed them over in less than a half hour. Vir could scarcely believe such a mode of transport existed.

Wonder what it’s like on an Altani skyship… Or any skyship, for that matter. The idea of walking around the deck of a flying ship made him giddy with excitement… though he doubted he’d have that chance anytime soon.

He’d hoped to pepper the pilot with questions, but the noise of the wind squashed those hopes. So instead, the hours dragged on in silence, allowing Vir to ponder the nature of the mission the Order had given him.

Assassination, huh? He’d honestly thought his days of killing people were behind him. But Fate, it seemed, had other plans. Vir thought back to Janak’s words at Valaka Amara, deep beneath Daha. He’d mentioned beings known as Fateweavers. Entities older even than the Gods. Which, Vir now knew, was known as the Prime Imperium.

He’d never really thought about it, but the fact that all the world’s coinage was Imperium coinage now made sense.

So our money hails from the Age of the Gods…

After a while, Vir realized his thoughts had drifted. He’d no idea who the Order wanted him to assassinate, but he did have one fear.

The Pagan Order hunted demons. What if they ask me to kill a demon?

Could he manage that? Vir wasn’t strictly a demon—Lord Janak had said he was something more. A Primordial, whatever that was. That he was the seventh of his line. Despite that, Janak mentioned he should’ve been born in the Demon Realm. He at least had some amount of demonic blood flowing through him.

Truthfully, Vir knew precious little about them. The ones he’d met in Bakura’s hold seemed alright, but he didn’t doubt Tia’s words that demons had murdered her parents. Much the same as when he’d arrived at Daha with instructions to kill Mina, he lacked information.

Were demons truly evil? Or were they good?

Vir steeled himself for what was to come.

— —

A war raged within Haymi's mind. On one side was her duty to Tia. As the princess' sworn bodyguard, Tia was her top priority, no matter what. Her loyalty was unquestionable. At least… it had been. Then Apramor came along and threw all of it into chaos.

Why? It’s so silly. It’s so… juvenile. This feeling.

She hated it. Every day had been agony shambles ever since she found out he was a demon.

“Haymi, you look like you ate something nasty. What's up?“ Tia said, sticking her face right up against the mejai, causing her to yelp in surprise.

“I-It's nothing, Tia,“ Haymi said, unable to return her liege’s gaze.

“Well, princess?” Vason asked. “We gonna just let him go off to the land of barbarians like that?”

Tia fell silent. “I did say he was free to leave whenever he wished…”

“Except, he’s going to the Pagan Order,” Vason said, meeting Haymi’s gaze. “The land of crazies? I’m not saying we shouldn’t honor his wishes. Just, y’know… we could give the guy a bit of support? Maybe check on things, make sure it’s all going alright for him? As concerned friends.”

Haymi understood what Vason was getting at. Vason knew what Apramor was. A demon. And he was walking into a country that hunted them.

Though as much as she wanted to support Vason, her guilt prevented her. What right do I have to counsel Tia, having withheld such a secret?

The princess sighed. “Wish I could, Vason. But my brother…”

“Did he contact you?” Haymia asked immediately.

Tia ruffled her hair. “Yeah. Heaped his dirty laundry on us. Wants us to head to Kin’jal for some guard duty.”

“Kin’jal throwing their weight around again,” Vason spat. “They are no different than a village bully.”

“Be that as it may, we can’t simply ignore a request from the Crown Prince,” Haymi said.

“Eh, I think we can. I told him I’d think about it. I’m thinking about it. Ready our Acira,” Tia ordered. “We’re following Apra. We’ll check on him, then maybe we’ll head to Kin’jal.”

“Yes, your highness,“ Haymi replied, barely suppressing a smile.

I’ll get to see him again!