Cirayus let down the two demons he’d carried on the way back, some hundred paces outside the Garrison.
“Er, sir?” one of them asked. “We don’t mean to overstep, but why did you drop us off here?”
“Don’t ask me, ask the lad.”
“Sorry, you two, but do you mind walking the rest of the way?” Vir asked. “We’re in a bit of a rush.”
“Oh, I, er… of course, Lord Akh Nara.”
Vir nodded, pacing ahead of the two demons with Cirayus.
“Lord Akh Nara, eh?” Cirayus said.
“Please. Don’t even begin.”
Cirayus chuckled. “So you told them.”
“Only seemed right, after all I forced them through. This is the core of my army. These troops will be the most seasoned veterans. Those who train all the others. I felt you should meet them.”
“Aye. But why did you leave those demons back there?” he asked, thumbing to the demons tailing behind.
“Oh, you’ll see. Shan? Cirayus? Follow my lead.”
Vir bounded forth, before Leaping high into the air.
He was soon joined by Cirayus, though Shan, who was incapable of bounding so high and so far, followed on the ground.
“Ah! You hope to make a show of it!” Cirayus laughed as they sailed through the air.
“I don’t have to hope, Cirayus,” Vir replied, an equally big grin plastered on his face.
He was the Akh Nara, after all. Who’d blame him for acting like one from time to time?
Red giant and gray demon soared high into the air, reached the apex of their bound, and came falling furiously to the ground.
To the exact center of the Garrison.
“Now, listen here, you sorry louts!” Balagra said, slithering amongst his troops. “You’ve gotten better, yes. But don’t think for an instant you’re ready to face what’s out there.”
Life had been harder without the Akh Nara’s protection, but Balagra ultimately deemed that a good thing. It was difficult to thrive under a mother’s overprotective watch, after all.
And the Akh Nara was overprotective to a fault. The young demon was so unlike anything Balagra ever expected, he quite frankly didn’t know how to deal with him.
Which was perfect, since the Akh Nara was gone, leaving him free to train and test his troops as he saw fit. If it occurred to him he was fighting someone else’s battle—that this liberation was truly none of his business—Balagra didn’t notice. He was enjoying his job far too much.
Balagra pointed to the walls. “Outside, there’s a whole world of hurt. You’ve survived because you’ve gotten lucky, and because the Akh Nara cleared out the actual threats. You’re lucky he isn’t here, though. What do you think he’d say if he saw you as you are? Green. Undisciplined. Fearful.”
“Uh, s-sir?” one demon asked, hesitantly raising a hand.
“What is it, Warrior? You’d interrupt your own commander? I better hope you have a good reason.”
The demon didn’t reply. He simply looked up at the sky.
Balagra followed his gaze and found two figures, growing rapidly larger.
Balagra’s mouth dropped. “Attack! We’re being attacked! Seek shelter—!”
Balagra had no more time to warn the others. Bringing his spear up, he barely blocked a blow so heavy, he felt his bones creak in protest.
“Y-you!”
“Yes, me,” the Akh Nara replied, back-flipping in the air before landing gracefully on his feet. The giant behind him… less so.
The force of his tremendous impact quaked the earth, sending shockwaves through the entire Garrison.
The four-armed giant slowly stood to his full height and dusted off his arms.
Shan bounded over the wall and lazily walked up to Vir, who scratched his neck.
“Lad? Your entrance was good. I’m afraid mine was better.”
Vir kept a neutral face as he swept his gaze across the awe-struck troops. Most had already taken a knee. Some actually prostrated, and the few who were standing had been too dumbstruck to move.
“Looks like you have the camp in good order,” Vir said, thoroughly relishing the rare opportunity to see Balagra caught on the wrong foot. Or, tail… Nagas didn’t have feet—not in their serpent forms. Vir still struggled to comprehend how someone could shift their body at will like that.
Balagra mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘Ravager’ and ‘Why am I not surprised?’ but quickly cleared his throat when he realized Vir could hear him.
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Balagra said, recovering swiftly and bowing his head in deference to Cirayus. “You must be surprised at seeing a Naga commanding the Akh Nara’s troops.”
“Hmm? Oh, no. Live long as I do and you see all sorts of things. It’s become less common these days, but I’ve fought against several capable Naga Warriors in my time. No, I was just thinking that you must have a grizzled history. You strike me as the type of demon who’s been tempered by the forge of the Ash.”
“That’s… correct, sir,” Balagra said. “I’m surprised you knew.”
Cirayus simply chuckled.
“Looks like the troops are coming along nicely,” Vir said. Already, there was a marked difference in their stance, in the way they gripped their weapons, and how they scanned their surroundings.
Balagra grunted. “Long way to go, still. Are you back for long? The troops would be delighted to train under the Ravager.”
They walked away from the training troops into the nearby command tent, where they huddled around a large wooden table.
“I’m afraid not,” Vir said. “Only long enough to establish a new Gate to Baira.”
“While you’re out there, would you mind making one deeper into the Ash? Not anything too deep. Just a bit more than what we have here.”
“That wouldn’t be difficult—most Tears lead there, after all. In fact, I’d planned to, as soon as you’re ready.”
“I think we’re ready,” the Naga said. “I’d like to get us deeper as soon as we can to take advantage of the time shift. Or at least, to have it stop working against us.”
Vir nodded. “That was exactly what I was thinking. If we can establish new bases deeper and deeper, we can move new troops as they become able.”
“A solid plan,” Cirayus said. “And an excellent way to exploit the lad’s ability to create Ash Gates. I can’t tell you how many demons would sacrifice their child for such an opportunity. Let alone the clans. Train up a few thousand soldiers in the deeper parts of the Ash, and you’ll have an army the likes of which the Demon Realm has never seen.”
“That’s the plan,” Vir said. “But we’ll need Thaumaturges and Chakra mastery if we want to fight on an even field.”
“Aye,” Cirayus replied. “The first one I can handle. I’ve a few Thaumaturge friends in Camar Gadin. If you can establish a Gate there, I believe they could be persuaded to join your cause here.”
“That would be immensely helpful,” Vir admitted. If there was one thing he lacked, it was a network of useful contacts. Luckily, Cirayus had that in spades.
“As for the Chakras, I’m afraid that can only come with time. With luck, we’ll bring more and more Warrior Callings to our cause. They’ll already have unlocked their Chakras.”
“Figures,” Vir said. “Well then, it sounds like I have my work cut out for me.”
Vir stepped out of the tent and began his search.
Finding a suitable Tear was easier said than done. Though Tears outnumbered stable Gates easily a thousandfold, finding one that led to a suitable location was far harder. For his purposes, he needed one large enough to fit demon-drawn wagons, and he needed it to lead deeper into the Ash. But not so deep that the density would be lethal to the un-acclimated demons. It had to be on the ground, and it couldn’t be too far from the base. Nor could it rest within some Ash Beast’s lair.