Vir smiled and nodded. “I suppose you’re right. Now, while I have you here, could I ask you for another favor?”
Aida perked up her brow and smirked. “Hey now. My charity only goes so far.”
“Oh, it’s nothing big,” Vir replied, a devilish grin spreading on his face.
He pointed to Shan. “I was just wondering if you could inscribe a couple of Aspect tattoos on my good buddy over there.”
76SHAN EMPOWERED
Aida looked at Cirayus, who nodded. “I know what you’re thinking, lass, but this wolf’s a bit special.”
“I can see that his mind hasn’t been tainted by the Ash,” Aida said, inspecting the wolf, who bristled, baring his fangs at her.
Shan shuddered, and black prana began to burn off his hide, forcing Aida back.
“What in the realms…”
“Think you ticked him off, lass,” Cirayus said, chuckling.
“H-how much prana does this beast have!”
“About as much as the density of prana in Mahādi,” Vir said coolly.
The giantess froze. Her head slowly turned toward Vir. “M-Mahādi? The fabled city of the Gods!”
“He’s been there,” Cirayus confirmed. “Spent months in there. Training. Growing stronger. Even met an Imperium Goddess. In the flesh!”
“Ajja, now is not the time for such absurd jokes,” Aida said. Her shock vanished, and she slumped over a bit. “You almost gave me a shock.”
“Oh, that was no joke, lass,” Cirayus said with a wicked grin. “Look.”
Aida turned, and now Vir’s body was blazing with Ash prana as well.
“It’s why I told him not to use all his prana, before,” Cirayus said. “It woulda dissolved your tattoo!”
Vir frowned, canceling his fire prana show. It was flashy, yes, but it also wasted a lot of prana for no good reason. Such tactics were best used sparingly, anyway. Too much and it’d lose its effect. Sometimes, though, it was just the best way to prove his strength.
“Well?” Aida said, having finally regained her breath. “What tattoo would you like? He uses Ash prana just like you, so I suppose we could inscribe anything. Even Bloodline arts.”
Vir had, of course, daydreamed about this moment for a long while. He’d weighed the pros and cons of the various Bloodline Arts against the Aspect tattoos.
In the end, he deferred to those who were far more qualified to decide.
“What would you choose?” he asked both Aida and Cirayus. With his centuries of experience, Cirayus knew combat better than most demons alive. And Aida, as a Thaumaturge, would have her own perspective.
Cirayus stroked his beard, sinking into thought. Aida put her hands on her hips and stared at Shan pensively.
Neither responded for a moment as they gave the decision the full weight of their attention.
“Bloodline tattoos are tempting,” Cirayus said slowly. “There’s a good reason they’re so selectively passed down. Sure, the Aspects be more versatile, but the Bloodline Arts are undeniably stronger.”
“And more difficult to master,” Aida chimed in.
“Aye, some can be,” Cirayus replied. “Though, not all. You’re a Journeyman Thaumaturge now, eh, Aida? You’ve mastered Standard Bairan Bloodline Art Inscription?”
The giantess nodded. “Freshly promoted a decade ago.”
Vir’s brow raised. A decade ago is ‘fresh’ for her?
“I know what you’re about to ask, whelp,” Aida said with a small, terrifying smile. “And if you do, I’ll break every bone in your body. Akh Nara or not.”
“I… wasn’t going to ask anything,” Vir said innocently.
“Mhmm. Anyway, I can put Giant Hide, Giant Grace, and Spirit of the Geezer—ahem, I mean Ravager—on him. Only one, though. Lots of space on a giant’s body. Your friend may be large for a wolf, but tattoos can’t just be placed anywhere.”
“Well,” Vir said, forcing himself to maintain a straight face. “Shan’s already plenty fast, so I don’t think Grace would help much. On the same lines, his prana makes him pretty durable as it is. Of those three, Spirit of the Geezer would be the most useful. But it doesn’t sound all that powerful, does it?”
“Nay,” Aida said. “Who’d want to channel a geezer’s energy, anyway?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Cirayus said, laying down Balancer of Scales at full power. Vir’s legs buckled before he realized what was happening and countered the force, regaining his posture. Aida was forced to her knees.
“Was that… Was that the sound of bones creaking?” Cirayus said, dramatically holding a hand up to his ear. “Surely not from you youngsters!”
“Ash damned geezer,” Aida said, grimacing. “Just keel over and die already.”
Cirayus undid Balancer and walked over, putting a hand upon Aida’s shoulder. She stiffened noticeably.
“Now, now, Aida. Do I need to talk to your mother about your manners?”
“I, um. I must’ve been confused,” Aida said meekly, her face turning pale. “Did I say Geezer? Slip of the tongue. I meant Ravager. The Mighty Ravager. Of course.”
“Of course,” Cirayus replied. Then he burst out laughing. As did Vir and Aida.
Cirayus was the only actual family Vir had. Which was fine. His godfather alone was worth as much as a whole family combined, and Vir was beyond grateful to have him.
“All joking aside, I think you ought to consider some other options, lad,” Cirayus said. “Spirit of the Ravager boosts a giant’s strength for a brief while. Doubtless, it’ll benefit your friend there. Though, I have to wonder if it’d function better than an Aspect tattoo. The Bairan Bloodline Arts all work in tandem with our size and physique, amplifying our strengths. Taken together, they make a fierce combination.”
“But it may not be the best bet for a light and agile wolf,” Vir completed.
“So, an Aspect, then,” Aida said, tapping her chin. “I’d recommend sticking with the fundamental ones. Aspect of the Broken Realm and Aspect of the Stolen Stars might be powerful in theory, but I haven’t seen a single demon who hasn’t struggled with learning them. Maybe if you had a century or two… But I get the impression you want your wolf to be useful now.”
“I need him for the Tournament,” Vir replied.
Aida crossed both pairs of arms and nodded. “Then I suggest you go with Midwinter’s Embrace, Inferno, or Eternal Storm. Stone Sentinel’s also viable, but it sounds like you’re wanting some offensive potential in your friend.”
“Right. Preferably something that’s easy to learn and can occupy my foes,” Vir said, thinking back to Saunak’s experiments. The demon had committed unspeakable horrors to Shan’s crazed brethren, finding that only a tiny portion of beasts could use Aspect tattoos effectively. Instead, he recommended a host of other, specific magics that reminded Vir of human orbs. Enhanced visions, enhanced claw sharpness.
Those would indeed boost Shan’s capabilities, but they all felt so ordinary, and inscribing those prevented the addition of any further tattoos in the future.
And while Vir did need Shan for this tournament, he wasn’t about to cripple the beast’s potential for an immediate gain. Shan meant too much to Vir to even think of doing such a thing. Besides, Shan was far more intelligent than other Ash Wolves. If there was one among them who could learn to wield Aspect tattoos, it was his friend.
“Any of the three Aspects will do that, if you ask me,” Aida said with a shrug. “Freeze ’em, burn ’em, or strike ’em down with lightning. All get the job done in different ways.”