“Even as a Mejai of Ash, Maiya, there are few who can charge three B Grade orbs in a single minute. I’ve no doubt I’ll be speaking to a Standard Mejai of Ash soon, and perhaps more.”
“I’m honored, ma’am. If I may… What’s my Balar Rank?”
“Of course you may. But a month ago, you were barely forty. Now, I rank you at one hundred. Continue honing your magic and you will no doubt jump well past that.”
Maiya blushed with pride. “Thank you, head handmaiden. I’m humbled.”
Mentally, her thoughts were anything but humble. Take that, Vir!
She couldn’t wait to brag to her friend. That Balar Ranks were always whole numbers struck her as a little odd until she learned the scale was quantized to the nearest tenth rank, to account for some of the uncertainty of assigning a single number to something as complex as someone’s strength.
“Well? Do you accept your new station?” the head handmaiden said, her black eyes glinting.
“Y-yes!” Maiya replied. She’d been so shocked she’d forgotten to give her reply. “It would be the honor of my lifetime!”
“Good. Then you shall return to Sonam at once.”
Now I can give Tanya some gossip. And now… Now I can finally look for Vir.
Her first stop? Riyan’s abode.
5ZORIN - TOWN OF RAINBOWS
The journey of ten days may have been uneventful, but that didn’t mean it had been easy. Hot desert days sapped Vir and Bumpy’s energy, and traveling at night posed its own issues. Bumpy’s degraded eyesight and the uneven terrain gave them no choice. Vir had risked traveling at night before, but now realized how much of a risk he’d been taking back then.
When the desert heat finally gave way to rolling grasslands, and eventually, breezy coasts, Vir rejoiced. While he and Neel had plenty of food, Bumpy’s hay had nearly run out, making the greenery a welcome sight.
The North Legion Mountains dazzled Vir when he’d first laid eyes on them. He’d never seen such impressively tall peaks in his life, though that wasn’t saying much—he hadn’t seen any mountains. Hiranyan land was defined by its flatness, with the Dahan Steppe being the only elevated ground in the entire kingdom.
Even now, on the tenth day of southward travel, the snowcapped mountains continued to loom, majestic and imposing. To his left, they ran like a finger pointing north, with the range dividing the sliver of western Rani from its eastern counterpart.
To his right, the vast Runean Ocean stretched out to the horizon and beyond. Either way he looked, dazzling views greeted him.
It was almost enough to forget the hunger. The tables had turned compared to the beginning of the trip. Now, Bumpy ate like a king while Vir rationed what was left for himself and Neel. The dried loaves of bread were long gone, leaving only a handful of nuts and dried berries.
Neel hadn’t caught anything for himself in days and the wild edibles Vir picked had done little to sate his appetite. The bandy kept wanting to jump off and run beside the Ash’va, but Vir stopped him. Expending energy like that would only burn through their food faster.
The frequent snowmelt runoff meant rivers and streams were common, so at least water hadn’t been an issue.
That was to say—it hadn’t been an issue for staying hydrated. Vir had to coax Bumpy to ford several rivers, making for some harrowing experiences. He’d had to detour several times to find a narrow, shallow spot to cross. Which meant faster currents that spooked the timid Ash’va, forcing Vir to dismount and lead him through, braving slippery smooth stones.
Only his agility kept him from falling and being carried away by the current.While no pirates or highwaymen had bothered him, the journey had nonetheless been an arduous one, and Vir was glad to be nearly done with it. Another half day’s ride would put them at the coastal Ranian city. Another half day to the comfort of a pleasant inn with a hot bath and a soft bed.
For most of his life, such luxuries had never tempted Vir. Sleeping on the ground was normal. Going unwashed was expected. Riyan had spoiled him silly. Having experienced the grotto and comfortable beds, Vir doubted he’d ever be happy sleeping on dirt again. And despite the occasional river baths, he was sure he reeked.
Though monotonous, the days of travel afforded Vir time to ruminate. About the dizzying array of events that had unfolded. And about his own power. If his experience in the capital proved anything, it was that one could never have enough power in this world.
While he’d learned Empower, there was another Talent he coveted. One he’d lusted after for a long time. Blade Projection. The Rare Tier Talent that was the dream of many a Talent wielder. Except Vir had soon understood that Blade Projection wasn’t the Talent he ought to seek right now.
That was an advanced Talent. One that built off of a more basic ability. The Uncommon Tier Prana Blade, that allowed one to wreath their blade in a prana-like coating, sounded more than just useful; it sounded deadly.
Of course, it wasn’t just prana-like. It was prana. Though since no one believed Talents ran on prana, the name was somewhat ironic.
Vir located a good campsite for the night, just as the sun approached the horizon and the shadows became long. Trees had been nonexistent for most of the journey, growing more numerous as they neared Zorin. The terrain was still largely sparse, but the occasional copse meant firewood was an option.
Using his legs to stomp down dead branches and his stolen knife to prepare them, he had a fire going in short order. While he couldn’t cook his dried food over the fire, it still helped to ward off the midnight chill. Rani’s climate was generally temperate and dry, but the nights could sometimes get chilly. That, and there was a mystical aspect to fire that helped soothe the nerves.
Bumpy appreciated it too, folding his legs beside the fire.
Vir laid out his bedroll in front of the Ash’va, leaning his back against the beast as he sat beside the fire, then reached into his fabric sack and stuffed a handful of cashews into his mouth.
Neel eyed him with big beady eyes. The bandy had already had his share, but if there was one truth in life, it was that bandies were never full. They’d simply eat and eat and grow themselves so fat they could barely walk. Neel, while not emaciated, had definitely lost a few pounds.
With a sigh, Vir tossed the remaining nuts to his friend. “That’s all the food we’ve got, Neel. Hope you appreciate that.”
The bandy was too busy chomping to pay his words any mind.
Vir’s eyes glazed over as the flames danced in front of him. Fire Affinity prana weaved together with its physical counterpart to create something beautiful. Something only he could see, and that made it precious.
He thought back to the experiments he’d run, seeking Prana Blade. None of his Talents had come easily, and this one was no exception. He’d tried to channel prana from the ground through his body, much as he did with Empower. He’d tried relaxing his control over Ash prana to allow it to shoot out of his hand, but the moment he did, he lost control of it. The prana dissipated harmlessly, and he simply couldn’t muster enough of it to cause any meaningful damage.
There was a missing piece here, one Vir didn’t know how to obtain. Controlling prana outside of his body seemed impossible. He wondered how mejai did it. They somehow powered swords and armor with magic, but Vir wasn’t privy to the details. He’d need to witness a mejai perform that feat up close to learn more, and the one he’d been best friends with was now gone.
Even with the fire, the stars were bright here, and starlight serenely reflected off the ocean. There was no breeze, so the only sounds were the soft crackling of the fire and the crashing of distant ocean waves.