Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 77: To Wake From A Nightmare

Vir dared not linger within these depths longer than necessary. Who knew when the Prana Swarm would change its mind and come back to snack on him? It was just a matter of time before he met his doom here, to one mythical beast or another. But before he moved on, he had to take care of his injury first. Namely, his arm. He'd pulled away quickly, so only his skin had been damaged, but even so, it hurt far more than Vir thought it would.

But to treat it, he needed his sight.

As much as he wanted to keep his body purged of prana, Prana Vision required it to function, so he allowed his body to equalize to the ambient prana density. Vir still felt it strange that Ash prana existed down here in higher concentrations. He had to force himself not to stock prana within his bodythe habit had grown so ingrained that he now found it more difficult to keep himself dry than full.

Without it, he felt weak again. Like he'd reverted to the weakened boy he'd been for most of his life. Luckily, this time, it was only temporary.

Vir flared Prana Vision, then tore his shirt and retrieved antiseptics and soothing balms from his rucksack. As a prana scorned, he'd learned long ago just how invaluable such remedies were. They paled next to magic, but they could very well prevent a gruesome death from infection.

Clenching his teeth, he allowed the alcohol to drip onto his wounds, blinding him with pain. Despite his best efforts to remain silent, he let a groan escape his lips. An agonizing minute passed in silence. The Prana Swarm hadn't noticed him. Letting out a breath, he applied his soothing balms, which immediately lessened the pain, then tore his sleeve to wrap the wound.

His arm was now serviceable, and thanks to his treatment, he soon wouldn't notice the pain at all, though he did dread the amount the Brotherhood healers would demand to properly heal his wound later.

With the Prana Swarm moving down the tunnel, there was only one direction to go. Vir walked away from the direction it headed, deeper into the tunnel, away from Valaka Amara, the city where hed met Janaks avatar.

Once hed gained some distance from the Prana Swarm, he allowed himself to use his Talents, slowly allowing Prana to refill his body. Every few paces, hed activate Dance to search for an exit, but hed been doing that all along and hadnt found a single one.

The long walk gave him some time to reflect upon the dizzying series of events that had just happened. From finding a lost cityor outpostof the gods, to meeting Janak, to all the things Janak had said to him, Vir didnt even know how to begin unraveling it all.

What surprised him most was actually the fact that neither Shardul nor Ekanai had come to his rescue against the Prana Swarm. That was as close to death as hed ever been. Until now, theyd always rescued him whenever things got too dicey. Now that Maiya was gone, they couldnt threaten her any longer, a fact Vir had hoped to exploit. Hed hoped Shardul had been bluffing.

But clearly, his prior incarnation meant what hed said.

So Im really on my own for now.

Ekanai, Shardul, and even Janak told him to see the Ashen Realm. Janak wanted him to go even further, to the Demon Realma place Vir hadnt even heard of.

While he hadnt been able to fully trust the voices in his head, when an avatar of a god spoke those same words Virs resolve started to crumble. Maybe there was a way to survive.

Virs boots crunched on the loose rock as he walkedthe road had deteriorated rapidly as he progressed away from the city, leaving him walking through an unfinished, rubble-strewn cavern. He kept both eyes peeled, even as he debated his future in his head.

The Ashen Realm had always been a place of myth. Something that may have existed, but that Vir never really thought about. Like a far-off kingdom on the other side of the known world. But now, after his run in with the Prana Swarm, it had become real, leaving him torn.

No matter how he wracked his mind, he saw no hope of surviving that realm, where monsters even stronger than Prana Swarms roamed. If he was going to even consider it, hed need information. The bestiary in Daha was a place to start, if he could gain access to some of the restricted records, but he recalled Janaks words: seek the Pagan Order.

The Pagan Order captured demons, so it made some sense that they might know more about the Demon Realm. The mere thought of interacting with those fanatics made Virs skin crawl.

Whatever course he chose, it would have to wait until his affairs in Daha were settled. Until hed squared up with Riyanone way or another. And before that, he needed to get out of here.

Vir spent an hour combing the tunnel, activating Dance every few minutes to check for exits, until he came to a dead end. A cave-in blocked the way forward, and Dances range wasnt sufficient to get past it.

Perhaps undercharging the ability might shoot him into an opening somewhere, but given how unpredictable that seemed to be, Vir wasn't going to mess around with that ever again. Better to sacrifice a bit of range if it meant controlling where he'd end up.

There were no other exits or crossroads for him to take, which meant hed have to double back, possibly risking a confrontation with the Prana Swarm.

In addition to the prospect of certain death, there was one other reason he lingered in this tunnel. The entire time hed traveled, the road had ascended. He felt like he was as close to the surface as he was when hed arrived.

Which meant that Dance might just need a small boost. The solution was obvious, and he kicked himself for not thinking of it earlier. Dance could take him through shadows twenty paces, but with the tunnels high ceilings, twenty paces barely made it to the roof.

Vir activated Dance of the Shadow Demon and sank into the shadow realm. He kept most of his body inside, and snaked only his arm outonto the roof. Due to the pitch darkness of the tunnel, he could pop out literally anywhere. It was all shadows.

With an Empowered thrust, he dug his katar into the caverns wall where it met the ceiling. This would have been impossible nearer to the lost city, where the road and tunnel were far more intact, but out here, all had eroded away, leaving bare rock. And thankfully, this rock was quite a forgiving one.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

With his katar anchored near the ceiling, Vir brought the rest of his body out of the shadow, allowing himself to dangle. He placed his free hand up to the ceiling, and again activated Dance, allowing himself to sink back to the realm of shadows.

Vir peered at all the exits, but came up empty.

So he repeated his trick, moving around the ceiling, hoping to find an exit above close enough for the ability to reach.

It was on his fifth try that he finally struck seric. At the very edge of the abilitys range was a single shadow that lay outside this tunnel network.

Vir took it, easing himself out into another tunnel. A much smaller tunnel, barely higher than his head and wide enough for a single person. From the cobwebs and the stale air, the place hadnt seen human traffic in years, if not decades.

Which made him wonder about the world beneath Daha. He hadnt found a single entrance or exit. Maybe hed simply missed them, or just maybe there were no entrances. He somehow doubted Dahans would sleep at night knowing the kinds of monsters that lurked just below their city.

Clearing cobwebs with his katar, Vir slowly made his way through the passage, only to run into a dead end a few paces away. He turned and headed the other way, eventually coming to another cave in.

He activated Dance again, and this time found an exit in what looked like a basement cellar, near the edge of his range.

Though pitch dark, the cellar was well maintained, clean, and free of cobwebs. A staircase in a corner led to a locked door. Locked from the other side.

But doors had long since stopped posing issues for Vir, thanks again to Dance.

This time, he exited outside the house the cellar belonged to, finally finding cool night air.

Vir collapsed to his knees in the garden that bordered the house, feeling like hed just escaped the Ashen Realm itself. A weight that had been weighing on his shoulders suddenly lifted, allowing him to breathe deeply.

Fresh air! The outdoors!

If Vir hadnt already wept away his tears after surviving the Prana Swarm, hed be bawling his eyes out right now.

As it was, he realized he was quite visible, and dressed in his smelly rags, didnt fit with the scenery at all.

Vir Danced to a nearby rooftop and stripped off his clothes. Then he brought out some herbal anesthetics and applied them to his left shoulder. The wound had been less serious, so he'd ignored it until now. Thanks to Toughen and Light Step, he'd avoided any serious injuries under Daha, but the bruises still throbbed. The salves would keep him going until he returned home, and after that, a good night's sleep would be all he'd need.

With his first-aid done, he gazed out at the city, and only then did he realize where he was.

The wide, dirt-free cobblestone roads, the oversized tall stone buildings, and the ornate arches, carvings, and gold inlays all pointed to one location.

The District of Internal Affairs.

Hed found a way from the Commons into the District. Itd only taken him traveling through ancient tunnels to a lost outpost of the gods, a run in with a Prana Swarm, a horned Ashva, and nearly losing his life to do it.

Yeah Definitely not going that way again.

As he gazed upon the silent district, with its fancy homes all lit up by far too many Magic Lanterns, he pondered his next course of action.

By luck or fate, hed arrived here. He could easily get back to the Commonsthe guards never bothered anyone leaving Internal Affairsbut he had no way of getting back.

Which presented a unique opportunity for him. An opportunity to check out the royal castle, and possibly even infiltrate it, bringing him one step closer to being done with this city. One step closer to reuniting with Maiya.

Vir tested his arm, which actually felt perfectly fine. Though he knew it wasn't, deferring treatment for a few more hours wouldn't hurt anything. This was simply not a chance he could forego.

Brimming with excitement, Vir started toward the tall walls of the castle, then immediately stopped.

What do I hope to accomplish there?

Was he going to assassinate Mina? If he did, and if he did it with no witnesses, then there wouldnt even be a downside for him. He could complete Riyans task and be free.

And yet, his body rejected that violently. Hed only ever heard Riyans side of the story. Param and his wife held the princess in high regard, and his run in with her had only corroborated that image. Was she truly evil? Evil enough to die?

Vir had to admit, he didnt know yet. And he wasnt about to commit murder unless they absolutely needed to die.

Even still, squandering this one-in-a-million chance would be a tragic waste, so he came to a compromise.

Ill infiltrate and map out the castle.

If he could find a direct way from the Commons to the Castle Grounds, it would open new doors for him.

And if I see Mina He paused again. What should he do if he saw her? Should he try to chat with her? He could easily picture what would happen. Shed scream and call for her guards, and Vir would be forced to run.

Well, hed cross that bridge if he ever got to it. For now, he needed a way into the castle.

The buildings of the District of Internal Affairs were both larger, taller, and more spread out than the buildings of the Commons, which shared walls more often than not.

Finely manicured hedges rimmed the roads, and Vir got a glimpse into what Daha might have been like, decades or centuries ago. Today, its wealth only existed in this small district of the city.

Leap was out of the questiontoo visible. Once more, Dance proved to be his ideal tool for moving around undetected. Not only did it allow him to slip out of the world entirely, becoming effectively invisible, but he could scope out each exit carefully before appearing. It drastically reduced any chance of him being detected. Not to mention that handy ability to travel through walls.

Soon, Vir found himself at the nearest building to the Castle Ground walls. A gap of forty paces lay between him and the walls, where guards patrolled atop its ramparts. Far too many to risk sneaking across, even at this late hour.

They sure like to build big walls, Vir reflected.

The smart option would be to turn around and head back to his inn. Back to Neel, who was no doubt anxiously awaiting him.

The less smart option would be to create some diversion that distracted the guards, allowing him time to scale the wall.

And the least wise option was, of course, to Dance halfway to the wall, then Leap the remaining distance to the wall, then scale as much of it as he could before Dancing through the wall onto the other side. If it worked, hed be in, and hed be undetected. If it failed well, he could always use his Talents to get away before anyone found him.

It turned out that his last option actually ended up being his best one when a runner appeared on the ramparts and hurriedly communicated some message Vir couldnt hear. Then the soldiers all followed the messenger off, leaving a scant handful left to man the wall.

Vir thanked Janak for whatever crisis they were forced to attend to and readied himself.

But first, he dropped his rucksack and changed his clothes and makeup. The clothes Mina had given him made for a perfect disguise. If only she knew hed be using them to infiltrate her home. A sewer rat had no business in the castle. But a Sawai risto? Well, theyd at least think twice before attacking him.

With his face altered and his dirty clothes thrown under a nearby bush, Vir planted his palms on the grass. He crouched his knees and prepared to Leap.