152: The Ravager and the Shadow (Part Three) (End of Arc 4) (Patreon)

NOTE: Decided to split up an arc 4 chapter on RR into two, so it'll offset the chapter numbers by 1. Doesn't impact anything else on patreon, but tomorrow's chapter will be 153, not 152 :-)

The moment Vir glimpsed red in the corner of his eye, he threw on his rucksack, grabbed Maiya, and jumped, not waiting for the inevitable attack that was bound to hit them.

Not a second after he’d Leaped off Maiya’s Acira, Cirayus’ enormous greatsword sliced across where they’d just been.

Balancer of Scales is cheating. It’s absolutely cheating! Vir thought as he plummeted to the forest, Maiya cradled in his arms like a princess. A terrified, screaming princess.

Light Step broke his fall, and he gently set Maiya down.

“I thought we had a chance,” Vir said through gritted teeth.

“After all that… Vir, what do we do?”

“You give up,” Cirayus said, landing in front of them with the weight of a feather. “Either way, this is where you die.”

Balancer of Scales crushed them with the weight of an anvil, flattening them against the ground. Once again, Vir charged Dance of the Shadow Demon, but before he could activate it, three Acira swooped down from the sky, screeching.

“Think again!” Badal roared, diving on the giant. Not even the four-armed demon could ignore the new threats, bracing himself for impact. To his credit, his suppression field stayed active, though it held no sway over Dance.

“Run, Vir! We’ll keep him occupied.”

“No, stop!” Vir shouted at Badal, his face flat against the dirt. He couldn’t even turn his head. Such was the pressure from Balancer of Scales. “Don’t even think of fighting him!”

“If you really feel that way, then escape! We’ll leave as soon as you’re safe.”

There was no other choice. Vir and Maiya simply lacked the offensive ability to harm Cirayus. That remained true even with Badal’s support.

So Vir sunk into the shadows and retrieved Maiya, bringing her into the protection of the Shadow Realm while Cirayus fended off Badal.

Then he fled. He’d long ago mastered Dance of the Shadow Demon, leveraging every last drop of potential the ability had. When he used it in succession, he didn’t so much as appear and disappear, but rather swam through the shadows, like a fish darting through an ocean of darkness.

The moment Vir’s arm left the Shadows, he charged the ability, reactivating it. At any moment, only a limb or two was visible above the ground. The rest was safely tucked away inside the Shadow Realm.

Maiya, though terrified, quickly shut her mouth, lest she give away their position to the giant.

Each Dance invocation put distance between them and their enemy. Though Vir spent several seconds within the shadows, to an outside observer, they’d simply disappear and reappear some twenty paces away.

Vir couldn’t be sure exactly how fast they were moving, but it was definitely faster than an Ash’va.

We might have a shot at this…

If Badal kept Cirayus occupied long enough, they ought to be able to escape, and because Vir was continuously moving in one direction, there was no risk of depleting the ground prana. In fact, the amount of prana increased as he drew nearer to the Ash.

Only when he’d put several thousand paces between himself and Cirayus a half hour later did he stop and fully exit the Shadow Realm.

“We’re pretty far now,” he said. They’d left the forest behind and currently stood in a vast field of golden reeds that came nearly to their waists.

“We are,” Maiya said softly. “So, what now?”

Vir frowned. “I'll use Dance of the Shadow Demon to get us back to Sonam.”

“Will that work?”

Vir sighed. “I don't know. We'd be traveling at night, mostly. Say, what’s the nearest town to here?”

“We're at the southwest of Kin'jal. We should be close to Jalasa. Should be northeast of here.”

“Then that's where we'll—”

“A bit premature to be making plans, don’t you think?” a familiar voice boomed. An almighty force flattened them to the ground.

“Vir!” Maiya shrieked.

“You gave me quite the runaround, following you all this way. Unfortunately, you’d never have escaped. Not unless you’d fled into the Ash, and even then…”

“Badal! What’d you do to Badal?”

“Badal? Oh, your friends who valiantly stepped in to aid you? I killed them, of course. Decapitated them all, for good measure. Their Acira too. They hardly put up a fight, I’m afraid.”

“You Ash-damned chal!” Vir roared.

“Woah there,” Cirayus said, grabbing Vir’s arm as he sank into the shadows. “You won’t be pulling that trick again.”

“I’m afraid I can’t leave any witnesses, you see. I’m going to have to kill your girlfriend over there. Then I’ll deal with you.”

Vir squirmed under the immense weight, but nothing he did could counteract its effects. It was as if a great boulder had been placed on top of him.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Cirayus slowly approached Maiya. Pinned as she was, there was little she could do other than glare at the monster. As he neared, she defiantly fired a volley of Wind Blade and Icicle spells, taking the giant by surprise. More as an act of defiance than anything that might hurt him.

“Hah! You have quite the fight in you, girl. Fear not. I am no sadist. Your death will be swift and painless. How would you like to go? Shall I break your neck?”

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Vir shrieked.

“Oh? If you feel so strongly, why don’t you defend her, then? Or is this simply the barking of the weak?”

“Gaaaaaaaaaah!” Vir roared, shoving as much blood as he could into his legs, pulling Ash prana from the ground, supersaturating his body. The blood cycled faster than ever before. Ash prana coursed faster and faster. Out of control.

Needles of pain shot through his legs as his supersaturated blood ran out of control, seeping into places it shouldn’t be, damaging his blood vessels.

Vir didn’t care. The pain didn’t even register. Even when his muscles burst under the pressure, he didn’t relent.

Slowly, shakily, he forced himself up.

Mustering all of his strength… he took a single step. Then another. Forget saving Maiya; he had no plan, nor even the energy to lift his arms. Every ounce of his willpower was consumed with staying upright. Putting one foot in front of another.

“Don’t. You. Dare. Hurt. Her!”

Far too occupied with the task at hand, he failed to recognize Cirayus’ surprise. Nor did he see the faintest smile creep up on the giant demon’s face.

Agonizingly, he neared Maiya.

“Vir,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t worry. He looks scarier than he is. He won’t harm you.”

“Oho?” the big demon said, amused. “Bold words for someone on the brink of death. Where does this sudden confidence come from, I wonder?”

Vir put himself between Maiya and the demon. It was a meaningless gesture—Cirayus could simply walk around him, and Vir would be powerless to interfere. But he refused to let himself be cowed by this demon.

Slowly, he stripped off his brigandine, each slight movement taking intense concentration. The metal clanged to the ground.

Then he unbuttoned his shirt.

Cirayus’ expression morphed from amusement to one of awe. Of reverence, as he stared, transfixed.

That confirms it.

“You recognize this tattoo… don’t you?” Vir said through gritted teeth. “Because… You’re the one who brought me to Brij as a baby. You’re the one who gave me to Rudvik. The lumberjack. You told him to raise me.”

It was a gamble, pure and simple. Vir had no proof. But there were signs. For one, while Vir had seen a handful of four-armed demons in the Pagan Order, he hadn’t seen a single four-armed giant. Let alone one covered in tattoos.

That wasn’t all; the demon Rudvik described to him was supremely self-confident, and thudded whenever he walked. He possessed an almighty aura. Cirayus did the same.

Yet there was one fact that reigned above them all.

“You’re so strong, and yet neither Maiya nor I have a single scratch on us. Even if you’re here for a good fight, with your power, we should be injured by now.”

Cirayus stared at Vir blankly. Then Balancer suddenly ceased, freeing Vir and Maiya from their prison, and the corners of the demon’s mouth curled upward into a full-on grin.

“Caught on, did you? I honestly thought I made a pretty convincing bad guy.”

Maiya frowned. “How can you say that? You killed those Pagan Order demons!”

“Fear not, lass. I did try to reason with them, but they were having none of it. I was forced to knock them all unconscious. I suspect they’ll be waking up right about now.”

“I have a million questions for you,” Vir said. “But first….”

Vir’s words caught. He was about to ask who Cirayus was, but another question crept to his lips. One he’d wanted to know his entire life.

“Who am I? You know, don’t you?”

“Aye. That I do. Allow me to apologize for my impudence,” Cirayus said, plunging his greatsword and tower shield into the tall grass. “I wished to test you. To see how strong you’ve grown. I… er, sometimes take things too far. Especially in battle. Always been a bad habit of mine, hah!”

Gone was the giant’s overbearing aura. As he scratched his head in embarrassment, he looked almost harmless, despite the menacing tattoos on his face and his fearsome physique.

“There was no lie in my words. I am Cirayus. Known to some as the Ravager. But to you?” he said, taking a knee and bowing his head, bringing his face even with Vir and Maiya. “I am your sworn guardian and godfather, and I greet you now as your vassal. My liege, O Prince Sarvaak of Garga.”

End of Arc 4

Note: Alright! End of arc 4! Story's really gonna start picking up from here. Arc 5 is gonna be epic, and the later arcs just build on that! Hope you've enjoyed the ride so far :-)