146: Upgrades (Patreon)

Two red demons faced off in a ring, though one was considerably larger than the other. They wore only loincloths and stood barefoot atop the sandy floor, appraising each other, each sure of his own victory.

“Fight!” the referee shouted, jumping away just in time to avoid a haymaker. The larger demon had made the opening move, but the smaller one easily avoided it, ducking low for a counterattack.

“See? Isn’t this a spectacle?” Badal said, munching on some fried flour snacks while Vir sat next to him with a concerned look. “Look, even your bandy’s enjoying this!”

It was true; Neel gazed at the combatants with rapt attention, his tail swinging energetically.

“Even now, my pursuers near Balindam,” Vir replied. “I don’t have time for this!” Every moment wasted made him increasingly anxious.

“Exactly why you should make some. You’ll be off to the Ashen Realm soon. The Ashen Realm, of all places. Trust me, you can use every bit of normalcy you can find before venturing into that place, because I assure you, you will miss this life.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Vir said softly. He’d been in the middle of packing his things when Badal had barged in and demanded they go watch the fights.

A popular sport here amongst demons in the Undercity, fights were common, as was betting. More than that, it was the feeling of safety Vir knew he’d miss. Nowhere was safe in the Ash. How long would it be before he could let his guard down like this again?

“So? Who do you think will win?”

Vir thought for a moment. The larger demon was no doubt stronger. Both were in great shape, but the bigger foe simply had more muscles, and by his movements, knew how to use them.

“The smaller demon,” Vir said. It wasn’t just that he was partial to mobility and dexterity; the smaller demon had anticipated nearly all his opponent’s attacks.

“Aye, the big guy over there winds up a tad too much. Lets on that a punch is coming. But I’ve seen him fight before. He’s got a trick or two up his sleeves.”

Just then, the smaller demon landed a hit. While it didn’t look like anything special, the larger demon stumbled back, encouraging the smaller demon to press his attack.

“It’s a trap,” Vir whispered.

The big demon suddenly righted his balance and threw a vicious punch to his opponent’s gut, sending him tumbling away.

He did not get back up.

“And we have a winner!” the referee announced.

Vir couldn’t help comparing this fight to the one he might very well have against the Hiranyan Mejai of Realms and his cadre. He fully planned on avoiding a confrontation, but fate sometimes had other plans.

“Now come, let us see the armorer.” Badal rose and beckoned Vir to follow.

Vir was planning on visiting there himself, but based on what he’d seen in the Upper City, he kept his hopes in check.

They left the giant cavern for one of the many tunnels that connected to it, and after a solid ten minutes of walking, finally arrived at a nondescript wooden door.

Unlike the door, though, the room inside was hardly bland. Weapons and armor covered the walls, and racks of steel glistened in the light of a forge that ran hot, casting a warm glow upon the room and complimenting the electrical rope lights that brightly illuminated the entire space.

With the subterranean construction, it all made for a cozy space, despite its large size.

And unlike the Upper city, here Vir saw plenty of high quality steel weapons, including some seric ones. Even seric armor.

While Neel wanted to bound around, Vir grabbed his collar, restraining his overeager pet. He couldn’t afford Neel knocking over stands and scratching up armor. Quite literally—Vir wondered how much these pieces cost.

Looks like the demons keep the best stuff for themselves, Vir thought, growing excited at the weapons on display. The Tribunal had even compensated him for his help during the raid, bringing his total wealth to a hundred and two silvers—just over a seric.

Only a year ago, the idea of having a seric coin to his name seemed unthinkable. He’d surely have swooned. Yet now, both he and Maiya had accomplished that feat. Sometimes, he pinched himself to make sure this wasn’t all just a dream.

“Ho, Akar! You around?” Badal shouted.

A sooty-faced four-armed red demon popped his head up over the racks and waved back. “Badal! What brings you ‘ere?”

“Looking for weapons and armor for this guy. Vir. You got the message from Lord Reth?”

“Disanna, actually,” the blacksmith, Akar, replied. “Came down ‘ere herself!”

“What’s this all about?” Vir asked.

“You get a discount,” Akar replied. “A hundred percent off.”

“A hundred… isn’t that—”

“By order of the Tribunal, you’re to take whatever you need for your trip. Free of charge.”

Vir’s eyes bulged. “Anything?”

“Anything. Well, anything you can carry on ye!” Akar said, laughing. “Can’ have you clearing out my shop now, can I?”

“That’s… but why?”

“Only the Tribunal could tell you that, friend,” Badal said, “but if I had to guess? They see in you a promising ally. They might not dissuade you from venturing into the Ash, but the least they can do is help ensure you come home safely someday.”

“I… I honestly don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

Akar shrugged. “Thank the Tribunal. I’m jus’ doing my job. So, what’ll it be?”

“Seric chakrams and chakris,” Vir said immediately.

“Hmm. Chakrams, eh? Not a common request. Don’t have any on hand—I’d have to forge ‘em from scratch. How long you got?”

“As soon as possible. I want to leave within a day.”

Akar exhaled. “Sorry, friend. I’m good, but I’m no miracle worker. Don’t think I can make that happen for ya.”

“I see…” Vir said, doing his best to hide his disappointment. “Truthfully, I’ve already got some good kit. My katar’s seric.”

“What about armor? Why don’t we outfit him with some seric pieces?” Badal offered.

“Aye, I could do seric bracers and greaves to replace the ones you got there. Make ‘em less gaudy, too. As for your cuirass… hmm. Might have just thing, if it’ll fit,” he said, beckoning them to the racks of armor displayed against the wall. With the electrical lights placed inside them, they glowed, as if alive.

Vir’s eyes immediately went to a black-and-blood red brigandine. Not only did it look menacing, its craftsmanship was exquisite. Upon closer examination, the black pieces weren’t black at all, but an exotic seric metal pattern, veiled by black chainmail that sat in front of the plates. Instead of leather to bind the plates, it used mail instead, allowing for more flexibility. And unlike most brigs where the metal was fully hidden, this piece left sections exposed to show off the metal underneath, using mail only where necessary.

“Noticed that oddity, did ya?” Akar said. “With seric being as strong as it is, there’s hardly a need to protect all of it with more leather. Keeps it lighter this way. More supple, but it doesn’t lose any strength. One of my masterpieces, if I’m honest.”

Though it lacked carvings or gold, the way the seric plates wove into the black mesh mesmerized Vir. It was the most beautiful piece of armor he’d ever seen, and suddenly, he felt very insecure.

“How much would this go for? If I had to pay for it?”

“Armor like this? A seric and a half, easy.”

Once again, Vir felt like no amount of wealth in this world was enough. In Brij, a seric would’ve made you a king. Most there hadn’t even seen a seric coin their whole life. Here? Even with ten serics, Vir doubted he’d feel rich.

“Right, then. I’ve got seric bracers, pauldrons, and greaves, ready to go. Jus’ take yer pick,” Akar said, pointing to the small selection of finely crafted pieces.

They varied slightly in design, with some being larger to cover more area, and others prioritizing ease of movement.

Vir normally would’ve opted for the lighter, smaller pieces in an instant, but this was the Ashen Realm he was venturing into. A single swipe from an Ash Beast’s bladed limb could sever his whole arm. More protection was probably not a bad thing.

And if there’s as much Ash Prana there as I think there is, I can use Dance of the Shadow Demon all I want.

He wouldn’t have to rely only on his parkour and Kalari training to evade enemies—Dance would give him a better option.

“I’ll take this one,” Vir said, pointing to a larger pauldron. Not the largest, but enough to fully cover his shoulders. Likewise, he opted for slightly longer bracers that covered his entire forearm, and segmented greaves that ran from his boots all the way to his cuirass. That one would take more getting used to—though it articulated surprisingly well, the extra weight required more effort on his part.

Luckily, he could abuse Empower to speed up his movements in the Ash. Almost like a second set of muscles. As fearsome as the Ashen Realm was, Vir was more than a little excited to see just how strong he’d grow there.

“Right. Come back tonight. Should have all this tailored to ya by then. We can do some final adjustments, and ye can walk right out wearing ‘em, if you like!”

“Thanks Akar,” Vir said, bowing his head to the four-armed demon. “This might very well save my life in the Ash.”

“Hope so, friend,” Akar said. “Tis why I make this stuff. So warriors like you come home safe ‘n sound. Now, if you’ll excuse me, you’ve just given me a lot of work and not much time to do it. Best get to it.”

After being chased out of Akar’s shop, Vir was about to bid Badal farewell when the gray demon stopped him.

“That money you have. What do you plan to do with it?”

“I… didn’t really have any plans.”

That was a lie. He was thinking of giving most of it to Maiya—coinage would be no good in the Ashen Realm, and assuming he made it to the Demon Realm, they’d likely use their own coinage. Silvers would be quite some extra weight to lug along on the off-chance that the demons used the same currency. While he could solve that problem by exchanging the currency for a seric coin, he’d kick himself if he took it with him, only to find out it was useless.

Instead, he was planning on using it to pay her for a service he’d hope she could render. Neither Neel nor Bumpy—currently stabled in Avi—could follow him into the Ash. He hoped Maiya could care for them in his absence.

The only coin he planned on bringing with him were Rudvik's coppers, which were tucked safely at the bottom of his rucksack.

“I have a proposition, if you’ll hear me?” Badal asked.

“How long will this take? I really need to prepare.”

“Trust me, it’ll be worth your time,” Badal said, guiding Vir through a tunnel that led back to the Upper City.

The tunnel led to a trapdoor that opened into a guarded room. Exchanging nods with the demons posted there, they exited to an empty alley and the blinding brightness of daylight. Though the tunnels were all lit with the Order’s non-magical light, their output was incomparable to that of the sun, and Vir and Neel both took a minute before they could fully open their eyes.

Badal led Vir through the streets to a location very near the Promontory—the hill Vir with a view of the Runean ocean—stopping in front of a house before rummaging around for a key. With a click, the door opened, and inside Vir found an empty, though spacious abode.

“What do you think?” Badal asked, gesturing at the tall ceilings. The third floor of the house boasted a commanding view of the ocean below, and the home itself was situated upon a clean, wide cobblestone street. The neighborhood was on the nicer side of those Vir had seen in Balindam.

“It’s… nice?” Vir said. “But I already have a home in the Undercity. Besides, this place is much too large for me, and I’ll be leaving soon. What use do I have for another house?”

Badal smiled. “Oh, no. This wouldn’t be for you to live in. You see the homes on these streets? They’re all owned by demons.”

“Demons live in there?” Vir asked in surprise. “Not the Undercity?”

“Few demons live here. They merely own the places. Human families rent these homes, paying a fixed amount each month. You could leave your money here, sitting idle. Or you could invest it while you’re gone. By renting out the home, you’ll accrue income, and when you return, you’ll have a small fortune waiting for you. Especially if you’ll be gone for a while.”

“That’s… I dunno, Badal. This all sounds nice, but I don’t have the time for this. It must be a lot of work going through the formalities. Not to mention all the work involved with renting it out.”

“No need. Give Lord Reth your coin and he’ll handle everything. The Order has a program for this very thing. By increasing the wealth of its demons, the Order increases its own power. A win-win situation, yes?”

“I see.” Even ignoring the free weapons they gifted him, the Order had done so much for him. They’d given him a home in the Undercity, and more importantly, had welcomed him as one of their own. They were even willing to defend him against the Mejai of Realms—the highest rank mejai below the Prime Mejai himself—as well as the powerful demon hunting him. Trusting them with money he no longer needed came easily.

“How much does a home like this go for?”

“These homes are subsidized by the Order. It’d normally cost several serics, but thanks to the government program, they sell for a single seric to demons. If you had more, I’d have suggested purchasing a business, but even with subsidies, those cost quite the pretty penny.”

“Do you own any?”

“Oh yes. I have several houses and a couple of businesses,” Badal said.

So he’s got far more wealth than I do…  Vir would never have guessed Badal was that wealthy. Neither his behavior nor his clothing betrayed a trace of it.

“Very well. On one condition. I’d like the proceeds to go to my friend Maiya. For safe keeping.”

Badal grinned. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”