169: Emperor of the Ash (Patreon)

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“You must listen to me, Ekavir. The lands we’ve crossed are incomparable to where we are headed. Stay close by my side. Promise to follow my every command, for I fear my skills may not be enough. Not in this realm. Not against the beasts we’ll face. For this is where your training truly begins.”

That was a week ago, and Cirayus hadn’t exaggerated his words. If anything, reality had been worse. The monsters they encountered, the battles Vir had endured… The giant had been right. Training in the Human Realm would’ve been useless. Nothing fought like the creatures here. Forget their strength—which was in another league next to the Ash Beasts in the Human Realm—the tactics they employed, the erratic, unpredictable behavior, all of it made them lethal in a way Vir wasn’t used to.

Gone were the training gloves. Each day in the Ash was tougher than the one before it, bringing more dangerous and more cunning beasts. If that wasn’t enough, Vir fought barehanded. He fought with time constraints. He fought with all sorts of handicaps.

And he hadn’t grown any stronger.

Yes, his body’s prana capacity was steadily improving, allowing Vir to either boost his muscle strength or alternately charge Talents faster by maintaining a pressure differential within his body, but these were not new things. He’d been doing that ever since entering the Ash.

They had, of course, analyzed Vir’s performance in every battle, picking apart his mistakes, highlighting the tactics that worked.

To be sure, Vir had benefited from the instruction, fighting tighter, employing tactics that put him at less risk while maximizing his advantages. The giant had also corrected bad habits in his Kalari form that had crept up over time, honing his strikes until they, too, had visibly improved.

Still, there had been no new Talents. No breakthroughs about the workings of prana or chakra. Nor really much in the way of instruction on Cirayus’ part on how to obtain true power. Fixing footwork and optimizing tactics was fine, but it wasn’t the sort of change that would allow Vir to crush a hundred Raptors with a single move. It didn’t make him invulnerable to the strikes of his foes, nor did it give him the Herculean strength to wield a blade larger than anyone had a right to wield.

A blade he’d yet to see Cirayus use even once, much to his chagrin. The weapon hung lazily off his back, jutting up into the air.

“There is no substitute for experience. No shortcut to power. Fight. Endure. Fight again. Grow.”

Every time Vir asked, that had always been the giant’s response.

Then again, Cirayus also made it clear that tattoos bestowed much of the power demons possess, Vir thought, glancing at his godfather gliding beside him.

Without Balancer of Scales, Giant Hide, Giant Grace, which allowed Cirayus to move as dexterously as Vir, and Spirit of the Ravager, which strengthened his already-powerful blows, Cirayus would be far less deadly than he was.

“And you’re sure we’re headed somewhere I’ll be able to unlock a new ability?” Vir asked for the dozenth time.

“There are no sure things in life, lad. Let alone here, of all places. If anyone claims otherwise, they’re a seer or a liar, and prescience has never been one of my strengths. Still, if there is one place that will forge you into something new, it is there.”

Cirayus mentioned no details. Only that it was a spot ideal for training, and that he knew generally where to find it. Because as much as the Ash prana density had grown in the past week, the giant had made it clear it was nothing next to what was to come.

Cirayus came to a halt and held the vaguely orb-like Artifact he wore like a necklace. The one that told them where to go.

Vir had expected something flashy, like the prana-infused structures at Valaka Amara, or the giant spinning prana siphon deep beneath Balindam, which the Pagan Order used to create the Voidlands.

It was a dull metal sphere, almost completely unadorned except for a single circular hole that led to its core, shining a dim blue. So dim, Vir could hardly even see it until he put his eye right up to the orb. It seemed it glowed brighter the closer they were to an Ash Gate that led to its counterpart in the Demon Realm, but thus far, it’d remained nearly unlit.

Nor did the Artifact appear any more impressive to Prana Vision. In fact, it was a void. Dead. Completely lacking in prana of any kind. Vir knew that was unlikely, so instead, the metal must have had prana-deflective properties, preventing his eyes from penetrating through.

It was, far and away, the most interesting aspect about it. Mejai armor scrambled Prana Vision, but never had he seen anything that masked its signature so perfectly.

If it could be fashioned into armor…

Well, it would be quite useless, wouldn’t it? It’d stop any Iksana with the Sight Bloodline art from knowing about him, but that was all. And it certainly wasn’t worth dismantling an Artifact that could guide them across the Ashen Realm. There weren’t enough serics in all the realms to put a price on a treasure like this.

“Well?” Vir asked. “Any closer?”

“Nay, though ‘tis to be expected. We’ve a long journey ahead of us, lad. Even if an Ash Gate leading to the Demon Realm did appear, I’d hesitate to enter with your current strength. Patience. If my eyes do not fail me, we are near our training site.”

Vir peered into the distance, but his eyes failed him because he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just jagged black cliffs jutting up from the ground, several hundred paces away. In between lay ash, hordes of beasts, and yet more ash.

“What do you say, lad? You think you can take them?”

Vir blinked. “Sorry? Which one? There have to be at least a hundred out there.”

Cirayus grinned evilly. “Aye. Stay safe, lad.”

Meet me on the other side. And be ready to climb. You may use all weapons at your disposal.”

“Climb? What do you—”

Cirayus soared into the air, deftly jumping over the horde of deadly beasts, and landed on the other side. He’d traveled over four hundred paces in one bound.

Will I ever be able to match that? Vir thought in frustration. Owing to the downright scary pressure difference between his body and the ambient prana, Leap now took him a solid 120 paces. An incredible distance, to be sure, and yet far short of his mentor.

Leap’s drastic power potential had caused other issues as well. The ability activated so rapidly and violently now that if Vir mistimed it even slightly, he’d rupture his leg muscles. It had happened on more than one occasion, requiring emergency treatment from Cirayus and leaving him crying in pain.

As expected from the giant, he picked up the skill in seconds despite never having used a healing orb, relying on his centuries of experience to heal Vir to perfect health.

Even when Vir flawlessly executed a full power Leap, there was the issue of the Ash. Ash was simply not a solid platform to launch from. The ability blasted enormous plumes of the stuff in his wake, robbing power.

On a solid surface, Vir might’ve jumped double the distance… assuming his muscles held out. While the unstable ground robbed him of power, it also cushioned the impact on his body.

It was a no-win scenario. If he boosted the amount of prana in his blood, his muscle strength, but the Talent became less powerful. If he kept himself dry, his muscles couldn’t weather such an explosive move.

Luckily, with the amount of prana everywhere, flooding his body with it was trivially easy, and taking no longer than an instant.

Vir cracked his neck, then crouched, placing his palms upon the Ash. Cirayus carried his rucksack, unburdening him.

Bang.

An explosion of soot blasted out behind Vir, and he roared toward his first targets—a group of two Ash Biters. Somersaulting midair, he kicked both legs out.

At the exact moment his boots touched the Biter’s oversized humanoid maw, he pulled prana, sucking it out of his enemy. Then he Leaped off.

This time, the explosion was of a different sort. Not of dust, but bone and flesh. The Ash Biter’s head blew apart into a hundred pieces, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, some of which killed nearby Raptors who’d been looking for an easy meal.

The Biter’s friend had no time to react. Vir’s Prana Bladed, Empowered katar drove into its skull.

No amount of prana armor could hope to stop a strike with so much force behind it. The armor failed. Its skull caved. Vir didn’t stop.

Using the momentum from his strike, Vir sunk into his own shadow, lashing his katar at the hapless Raptors who’d been watching the show. The spectators turned into mincemeat, destroyed by a strike they had no hope of avoiding.

After all, what creature could dodge its own shadow?

Ten down. Only about ninety more to go.

Vir didn’t dare consider taking them all. He’d fought too many battles to know his initiative wouldn’t last. Even his most successful raids ground to a halt when the stronger beasts engaged. His advantage was his explosive mobility, and his ability to escape from sticky situations.

Luckily, the skies weren’t as cloudy today, allowing Dance of the Shadow Demon to function as it should.

Most of Cirayus’ tips recently had focused on how to make his battles more fluid. Rather than a series of individual attacks, Vir picked his targets such that he could flow between them, as he just had.

It kept him moving, which kept him safe, and it made it harder for his enemies to react.

Still, he hadn’t progressed to where he could take on a hundred foes in one fluid motion. His body couldn’t sustain the exertion that long, and even if it could, he lacked the skill to pull it off.

So when the Phantomblade Alpha squared off against him, he knew his run was over. A beast in the Balar 200 range, he’d fought a similar one in the depths beneath Avi.

No, it was best not to draw that comparison. That Phantomblade had launched its deadly back spikes one at a time. The Phantomblades of the Ashen Realm weren’t nearly as kind. A barrage of vicious spikes blasted Vir, kicking up a trail of ash in its wake.

Anticipating the strike, Vir Leaped aside, pummeling into a nearby pack of Ash Wolves who clearly hadn’t expected an attack. This, too, was the result of Cirayus’ coaching. Predictability was a weakness, and defensive movements that didn’t also hurt the enemy were wasted opportunities.

Vir’s katar slammed into an Ash Wolf’s ribs, breaking its natural prana armor and sending it tumbling end over end into the Ash. Of all the beasts he’d fought, Ash Wolves still gave him the most trouble.

They were neither the strongest nor the fastest of foes, but their intelligence more than made up for it. The deeper he ventured, the greater their intellect grew. As did their suicidal tactics. They acted logically and tactically, yes, but there was a certain madness driving it. That went for all the Ash Beasts, and it only multiplied their lethality.

Because the only thing scarier than a mythological beast was a mythological beast with nothing to lose.

A great shadow eclipsed Vir as two of the wolf’s brethren pounced in a coordinated attack.

He had neither the time nor the skills to deal with them both individually, so he sunk into the shadows.

Not a moment too soon. His fight was over. The lords of this area had arrived.

The Shrike made themselves known by the field of death that lay in the wake of their attack. Balar 400 — 800 avian beasts that enjoyed dive-bombing their prey at speeds that defied imagination, with their razor-bladed beaks, they could pierce any armor, and there was never only one.

Adding to their terror, the acid they dispersed could melt even steel. Vir had seen enough hordes decimated by just a few of those things to know he stood no chance. He had no intention of joining the tragedy that was about to unfold.

Choosing the farthest exit, Vir emerged from the shadows, then Leaped the instant he was out. He jumped a hundred paces and barely cleared the battlefield before the mayhem began.

The venom dropped like acid rain, sending sizzling steam soaring to the sky where it hit ash, and deathly screams where it touched flesh.

None were spared. Not the Phantomblade, nor the Raptors, nor even the Ash Wolves who’d had the good sense to flee. If the acid didn’t get them, the Raptors’ beaks did. Beasts that weighed a thousand pounds were tossed sky-high, their own weight killing them when they crashed back to the ground.

“You made it!” Cirayus said with all four of his arms crossed.

“Don’t you think we oughta put some distance between us and those Shrikes?” Vir kept both his eyes on the terrifying beasts as they toyed with their prey. Four hundred paces was nothing for them; they could’ve closed the gap in the blink of an eye.

Normally, Cirayus was the one with an abundance of caution, so his behavior struck Vir as off.

“They won’t bother us,” the giant replied. “Not here.”

“Why? What’s here?”

Cirayus pointed up at a sheer vertical cliff that soared hundreds of paces into the sky.

“Our training ground.”

“These cliffs?”

“Aye. They sure look like that, don’t they?”

Cirayus casually placed a hand on the side of the cliff face. “What was that silly scale humans use? The one that attempts to assign a number to one’s power?”

“The Balar Scale?”

“Ah yes, that’s the one. I’m curious. What did it rank a Mahakurma as?”

Mahakurma? Vir thought. The name sounded familiar, though he couldn’t recall exactly why.

“Ah, you might know it by another name. The Colossus.”

“Is that the name of a mountain?” Vir asked.

“Nay. A beast. One that will be our home for the foreseeable future.”

“Beast?”

“Aye. It is, without a doubt, the Emperor of the Ash. The largest Ash Beast, and some say the most powerful.”

Vir fell to his knees. All traces of hope and excitement left him as long-forgotten numbers materialized in his head.

Mahakurma. Balar Rank: 30,000. Threat level: Cataclysmic.

“This is absurd, Cirayus. Why are we—!?”

A deep rumble rang the earth. Softly at first, then crescendoing until Vir had to plug his ears. When he thought it couldn’t possibly grow louder, the ground began to shift. Quaking.

“What’s happening?” he shouted.

“Rejoice, lad! We’re about to witness a rare event! I’ve only ever seen the Colossus move once in my life!” Cirayus roared back, barely audible above the din.

The mountain in front of them began to lift off the ground. Dirt and rock tumbled off its sides, smashing the ground where they stood.

It was as if Adinat himself had picked up a mountain and was moving it.

“Well, lad? What are you waiting for? Climb!” Cirayus yelled, jumping and grabbing onto the rapidly rising mountain.

Vir stood a moment longer in a stupor, gaping at what might have been the most surreal sight of his life.

A mountain is moving…

Crouching for a High Jump, he prayed to the gods. To Janak, to Adinat, to Yuma, and even to Badrak.

I’m sorry, Maiya. I won’t be able to keep my promise, because I’m going to die today.