Cirayus waved his concern away. “Only Iksana Ghaels bearing the Bloodline tattoo can wield it. I know not how you managed even a limited version of the ability without it, but I doubt anyone other than an incarnation of the Akh Nara could pull that off. Luckily, that title belongs to you, and you alone. Unless, of course, you die and reincarnate.”
“Of course.” Vir rolled his eyes. “I’ll see what I can do, but they’re too far right now. I need to get closer before I can spy on them. Twenty paces is about all I can manage.”
Cirayus stroked his long, black beard. “Hmm. Well, lad? What would you recommend?”
Vir frowned. “We know nothing of these enemies. Did they kill the beast that lived here? Or did they just move in after it died? We should err on the side of caution.”
“Meaning?”
“We wait. And observe.”
“Agreed, lad. Good decision.”
Vir noticed Cirayus was a big fan of waiting. Whether searching for landmarks or foraging for food, the demon’s patience seemed bottomless.
Then again, he’s lived for centuries. What’s a day, or even a month for someone like that?
Having barely lived sixteen years, it was a thought Vir could hardly process.
And so they waited. Minutes became hours, which turned into a whole day. In all that time, the creatures continued to shamble around, groaning and occasionally bumping into each other. They fell over often and sometimes took minutes to right themselves.
They looked weak, but Vir knew better than to believe that. If they were weak, they’d have died long ago. Anything that survived in this realm was highly lethal. To assume otherwise was a good way to die.
Still… does it warrant a whole day of observation? Vir itched for a fight. Cirayus had been so preoccupied with finding his bearings, Vir hadn’t gotten to fight a single beast the past week. His improved blood prana capacity remained untested. Sometimes, he’d turn off the layer of saturated prana near his skin to revel in the feeling of unbridled vitality.
When fully saturated, he felt like he could tank Wind Blades. Of course, Talents became less effective in this state, forcing him to pull prana from his limbs in the same manner he’d done in the Human Realm. He had more options here, so reverting to his old technique was suboptimal. It took more time and forced him to route prana up from the ground.
Luckily, he didn’t have to choose. In the past week, Vir’s prana control had grown even better. When not actively using Talents, Vir could now saturate individual limbs with prana to boost his natural strength. When coupled with the efficiency and strength gains bestowed by Parai’s Prana Channeling, his regular movements looked as though he used Micro Leap.
Before long, Vir’s attention lapsed, and his eyes grew heavy. As the ‘days’ revolved around his fatigue, he tended to stay up longer and sleep less than he’d done in the Human Realm.
At least the soft ash makes for a somewhat comfortable bed, even if it does get in everything.
They’d been observing nonstop, and the demon didn’t look like he had any intention of stopping.
Cirayus, it seemed, never got tired. Nor did he ever rest, that Vir could tell. Either that or the demon slept with his eyes open. Which, he concluded, was a distinct possibility.
“Tell me about the Garga,” Vir said, half to stave off the boredom, and half to keep himself awake. “What are—or were—they like?”
“I’m likely the wrong person to ask, lad,” Cirayus replied, keeping his eyes locked on the humanoids in the distance. “Seeing as I’m half Gargan myself.”
“Keep forgetting that,” Vir thought he understood. “You’d mentioned back when we first met that you’re only half-giant. Is that normal? Inter-clan marriages?”
“Hardly. In fact, it’s something of a taboo among the clans. My parents’ decision earned them quite a bit of hate.”
“Why, though? Aren’t they all demons?”
Vir wondered if it was like the way humans hated demons and vice versa. Though while he knew the clans weren’t united, he never thought it’d be this bad.
“Not quite. Not all clans are hostile to each other. Garga and Baira have long maintained close ties, and the Panav are on good terms with just about everyone, even maintaining open borders and welcoming other clansmen to set roots in their lands.”
“Then why?”
“The issue lies with the Bloodline tattoos. I mentioned that each clan has tattoos only they can use, yes?”
Vir’s eyes widened. “It has something to do with their blood, doesn’t it? Their lineage? If they intermarry, they’ll lose it?”
“Exactly. Not only their blood but their affinities, too. Baira’s Giant Hide and Giant Grace both use Life Affinity. Spirit of the Ravager needs Earth, and Balancer of Scales uses Earth and Life affinities. Any guesses which affinities you’ll find in most Bairans?”
“Earth and Life…”
“Aye. You’ll find that most demons in a clan are born with similar affinities. There are always exceptions, but nearly all Bairans have Earth and Life affinities. The Iksana are mostly born with Shadow and Life prana. And the Garga, Fire and Earth. Fitting, too. There is no clan more noble than the Garga. If any Bairans caught me saying that, there would be blood on the streets. But it’s true. They model their namesake well.”
“Their namesake? Does the Garga mean anything?”
It was the name of one of Rudvik’s Ash’va at Brij, but he’d never given any thought about the name’s significance.
“’Tis the name of an Ash Beast. Most closely resembles a bull, though far larger. It likes to rush headlong into its enemies. The actual beast is quite simpleminded, but it never backs down from a fight. That is the trait the Garga Clan named themselves after.”
Why does that sound so familiar?
Cirayus’ description sounded incredibly familiar to Vir, though he couldn’t quite place it. Then it clicked. The tunnels under Daha, when I ran from the Prana Swarm!
He’d been gored by one of those beasts, which had then been consumed by the swarm.
“Every clan has their strengths and their weaknesses, but there is none I’d rather have at my back than the Garga. I don’t need to guess to know they’d give their lives serving their cause. They did exactly that, in the end.”
“Fighting off the Chitran?”
“Aye. Power mongers, the lot of them. Always been that way. Can’t say it was a surprise. Just never thought they’d unite the other clans under one banner.”
“Why did the Chitran do that? You never mentioned it.”
Surely an entire clan wouldn’t have united against the Garga without due cause.
“At the time, Chit territory shared the longest border with the Ash,” Cirayus said, frowning. “Just as with the Human Realm, the Ash creeps upon the Demon Realm, consuming our lands. The Chitrans feared for their future.”
Like Matali, then.
“The Gargans weren’t willing to compromise? Couldn’t they have worked together to redraw the borders?”
“The Garga proposed exactly that, but the Chits merely used it as an excuse for war. Never satisfied, they demanded Samar Patag, the Gargan capital. The capital! Who would give up their most prized city to a rival clan? Beyond ridiculous.”
“I get why the Chits might attack Garga in retaliation, but why would the other clans support them? Surely they’d never agree to such unreasonable terms?”
“Ordinarily, yes. The Chitran, however, can be persuasive. Their Bloodline Arts all revolve around coercing and controlling others. Needless to say, they do not bear the best reputation.”