“Aye, true. There are other factors, however. Much of a demon’s ability to learn an art comes from their compatibility, I’ve found,” Cirayus said.
“Prana compatibility?” Vir asked.
“That too, but compatibility on a spiritual—even philosophical—level can be just as important. A gentle soul who seeks to master the art of frying one’s enemies into a crisp will meet with resistance, more often than not.”
“Makes sense, I suppose,” Vir admitted.
“So then, let me ask you this, lad. When you look at your Ash Wolf over there, what element do you feel suits him best?”
“Fire,” Vir said without a moment’s hesitation. What else could there be? The black prana that escaped Shan’s hide looked almost identical to burning flames.
“Then that is what I recommend,” Cirayus said.
Vir walked up to Shan, who’d been lazing on his belly, clearly uninterested in the conversation.
“Well, friend? Would you like fire magic?” Vir asked, staring the wolf in the eyes.
The beast sat up, and Vir could’ve sworn he saw flames dancing in the beast’s pupils.
Shan regarded him in silence, then reared his head back and howled into the sky.
“Aspect of the Inferno it is.”
Vir watched intently as Aida worked. The sheer amount of precision to her movements was something that left Vir in awe. The more he observed, the more details he noticed. Flicks of her wrists, the incredible attention to the depth and placement of the inscription.
Shan’s tattoo sat on his belly, and Aida had sheared off his fur before getting started. The wolf hadn’t made a single sound in protest through the entire ordeal, despite the pain.
Perhaps Shan knew this was for his own betterment. Perhaps he understood he’d obtain power—Vir never was sure how much the incredibly intelligent animal caught on.
Regardless, Vir was thankful for Shan’s compliance. He couldn’t very well force this upon his friend, after all.
The more Vir watched, the more he realized that his ambition of learning Thaumaturgy with only a bit of effort was nothing but a fool’s hope. The consequences of erring were severe, and the level of perfection demanded from the art was nothing that could be gained easily.
It was no wonder so few demons took up the profession.
In due time, he’d master the art. It’d just be a matter of years instead of months.
But that was alright. The more Vir experienced, the more he realized he didn’t have to do everything himself. Even Warriors seldom fought alone. For a leader to do so was unthinkable. He had to delegate to those he trusted most.
“It is done,” Aida said at last, rising from the wolf, who’d fallen asleep some time ago.
“And I’ve just about reached my limit.” The giantess pointed her etching needle to Cirayus in annoyance. “You never said anything about doing two tattoos.”
“Hm, actually, I was about to ask you for far more.”
“What!” Aida snapped. “After all I’ve done, you want even more? I’m sorry, Ajja, I’ve got a life, too. I have to head back—”
“What the Chitran did to us…” Cirayus spoke softly, but the weight behind his words stopped Aida in her tracks. “To our family. You’ve never forgotten.”
Aida frowned. “Of course not.”
Cirayus pointed to Vir. “This one is building an army in secret. In the Ash.”
“Are you insane?” Aida said, shifting her gaze between Vir and Cirayus. “You led an army of demons into the Ash? You’ve doomed them all!”
“Think, Aida,” Cirayus admonished. “If that were true, how are we here?”
“I… I dunno! You got lucky! Found an Ash Gate! It happens!”
“Aye, it happens. And never with any reliability,” Cirayus said. “What if I told you this mad lad can stabilize Ash Tears? That any Tear he finds can become a fully functioning Ash Gate? What if I told you he’s building a network of Gates to move between realms?”
“You’re… you’re bluffing,” Aida said, her voice laced with doubt.
“Would I bluff about something like this?” Cirayus said. “Think of it. This is our chance! The Akh Nara has returned. He’s building an army. An army that will be forged and tempered by the Ash. That can strike anywhere, at any time. Now, imagine it. The Garga, restored. Our family avenged.”
“Killing the Chits won’t bring them back,” Aida said. “Your words. Not mine.”
“Aye,” Cirayus said. “But it will prevent more deaths from occurring in the future. And I believe those were your words. Not mine.”
Aida stared at Vir.
“It’s true, Aida,” Vir said. “My forces in the Ash could really use a Thaumaturge. We have a couple of Garrisons, and they’re getting stronger by the day, but without tattoos, they’ll never access their full potential. Moreover, we need people we can trust. People like you.”
“The lad has the right of it. Besides, I know you’ve always wanted an excuse to work in the Ash,” Cirayus said. “Here’s your chance.”
Aida looked up at the deep red sky for a long moment, then groaned.
“Oh, fine.”
77TO BAIRA
Shan awoke soon after, looking no worse for the wear. He loped around, the same as ever, and were it not for the shaved fur, Vir wouldn’t even have known the wolf bore a tattoo.
“I imagine that’ll grow back rather quickly, thanks to all that prana he stores within him,” Cirayus commented as they headed back to Camar Gadin.
Since Aida lacked the movement arts the rest of them possessed, she sat on top of her grandfather’s shoulders, one leg straddled on either side of his head like a child.
Except, where most children were a fraction of their parents’ size, Aida was quite a bit bigger, making the whole scene incredibly comical and somewhat surreal. The sight was made even more ridiculous by Cirayus’ effortless bounding leaps, as if Aida weighed all of nothing. Which, thanks to Balancer of Scales, she didn’t.
If Vir wasn’t mistaken, the giantess was at least four times his own weight—though he dared not utter that in her presence. There was something utterly terrifying about her when she became angry.
Vir had to wonder if it ran in the family, and whether Cirayus ever became that way. The warrior was terrifying in combat as it was. Vir wasn’t sure he wanted to imagine what an angry Cirayus looked like. That, and Sikandar, were likely the reasons behind his Ravager moniker.
They made good time, and despite Vir keeping a close watch on Shan’s prana, he found nothing amiss.
It wasn’t the black gates of Camar Gadin that stopped the group, but rather a group of Ash Beasts. And they were diving straight for a convoy off in the distance.
“Shrikes!” Aida called out in panic. “Take cover!”
More Ash Beasts, and they’re delving deeper into the realm now, Vir thought as he High Jumped without hesitation. Taking cover was just about the last thought on his mind. Shrikes were exceedingly dangerous opponents, even outside the Ashen Realm. Most demons didn’t stand a chance against them.
Vir intercepted the leader of the flight of six midair, slicing off its neck. Grabbing onto the falling corpse, Vir swung his legs over, and kicked off, bounding for the next dive-bombing beast.
He was joined by Cirayus, who cleaved a Shrike in two with a single strike of Sikandar.
Vir cut through the second Shrike without pausing, pitting his upward momentum against the downward momentum of the diving birds to reave through two more before he finally lost his speed.
As he fell back to the ground, Vir watched Cirayus clean up the remaining Shrike. Body parts crashed into the ground like rain, forcing Aida to dodge using Giant Grace. Those she couldn’t, she bashed away, leveraging Giant Hide.