Vir chose not to reply, instead flinging himself into the air once again. This Leap took him over the summit ridge, and the moment he did, a wall of wind blasted him. The force was so much that he was blown away.
Luckily, they landed right at the edge of the summit—on a precipice that overlooked a thousand-foot drop.
The strong winds thankfully prevented the ash from building up, so Vir let Tara down, and together, they trudged to the checkpoint.
It was when they were just ten paces away that Vir saw the Shadow Prana signature. He shoved Tara away just in time to avoid a spear that surged out from her shadow.
He’s trying to kill her? Vir thought in panic. Vir assumed the Iksana was after him, not Tara. But perhaps, knowing she was a Naga, had the Iksana decided to take her out to avoid a repeat of earlier?
Vir cursed under his breath.
Tara had her talwar at the ready, and had turned, so her shadow was minimized. Even so, it’d do her little good.
The Iksana wielder was fast, and Tara would have almost no time to dodge.
What should I do? Vir thought. For a moment, he considered sinking into his own shadow to take the fight to the enemy. If he was alone, he would’ve done just that. With Tara here, it was just too risky.
There was, yet again, only one option that would work.
Vir once again scooped Tara into his arms, nearly eliminating her shadow. He Leaped to the checkpoint, bounding through the air to minimize his time on the ground.
This had two advantages. It not only gave him immunity to Dance of the Shadow Demon, but it also allowed Vir to anticipate the timing of the Iksana’s next strike.
Vir’s blade was already in motion the moment he landed. The spear launched out of his shadow… And was bisected by Vir’s Empowered swing.
Losing no speed, Vir kicked off and Leaped again, finally bringing him to the checkpoint. The Iksana had either given up, or couldn’t keep up, and though Vir looked back as he jumped off the mountain peak, he caught no glimpse of their attacker.
Whoever they were, they were good. And patient.
The worst type of enemy.
Tara did her best not to scream on the way down, but as they picked up more and more speed, plummeting the thousand feet to the bottom of the mountain, Tara’s terror took over.
She thrashed, and her limbs flailed, bashing Vir’s head, though she only managed to hurt her own hands in the process.
Activating Light Step just before he hit the ground, Vir brought them to a soft, cushioned stop, and let Tara down smoothly.
The Naga fell to her knees before shifting into her half-serpent form. Her tail shook, and Vir suddenly felt like he was in grave danger.
“That was awesome!” Tara exclaimed. “You never said you had movement arts that slow your fall! We have to jump off more mountains together.”
Vir miscalculated her emotions. Somehow, her reaction spooked him far, far more than if she’d just been angry. Vir took an involuntary step back as Tara regarded him with hungry eyes.
If he wasn’t mistaken, he caught her licking her lips. Maybe that was just a Naga thing, but it unnerved him nonetheless.
“Er, right,” Vir said sheepishly. “How about we focus on the challenge for now? We shouldn’t get distracted until we’re through.”
“Of course,” Tara said, shifting into her fully serpentine form. “I’ll run the rest of the way. Go on ahead if you feel like you need to.”
Vir might ordinarily have done just that, but the Iksana gave him pause.
“Let’s go together. Pretty sure we’re ahead of the competition, anyway,” Vir replied.
The rest of the journey went without a hitch… Until they found themselves at the Ash Gate.
A battle raged, though it wasn’t by Tournament fighters in the Ash.
No, dozens of beasts swarmed, attempting to cross the Gate into the Demon Realm on the other side. Vir spotted Chakra and magic fly through the gate, destroying the creatures, but there were so many that some were bound to get through.
Moreover, they completely blocked the Gate. To get past, they would have to kill the horde.
There was just one problem.
“I recognize those beasts,” Vir muttered.
“You’ve fought these before?” Tara asked.
“Yes. Those are Hunter-Gatherers. And that,” he said, pointing to a much larger Hunter in the thick of the fight, “is a Brood Matron.”
89THE FINAL MOMENTS
Vir sent his chakram flying, and it began to reave through the Hunter-Gatherers with brutal efficiency. Limbs went flying as the beasts were bisected one after another. Four, eight—a dozen.
“That… is one unbelievable weapon you’ve found,” Tara said in awe. Awe, and a hint of jealousy. “Where did you say you found that again?”
“Deep within the Ash,” Vir said. “But it may not be as impressive as you may believe. Look.”
The Brood Matron caught on and shrieked, ordering her Hunters to pull back. Workers took their place, occupying the chakram as they were sacrificed like fodder.
Unfortunately, the chakram’s intelligence wasn’t sufficient to identify between high-priority and low-priority foes. It uselessly slaughtered Workers and Scouts, allowing the Hunters to resume their assault on the Gate.
“They adapted so quickly,” Tara said, frowning.
“She’s smart,” Vir said, letting Tara down. “Exceedingly smart. We need to take down the Matron. Without her, the horde can’t function.”
“You said you’ve fought them before,” Tara said, unsheathing her talwar. “How do you suggest we approach this?”
Vir weighed Tara’s abilities. She was strong, yes, and had the benefit of being able to recover from any injury in a near-instant.
“Can you use Yuma’s Embrace for this?” Vir asked.
“I’d rather not,” came Tara’s immediate reply. “Maybe this isn’t part of the challenge, but it’s the Ash, after all. I wouldn’t put it past Thaman to consider this an exception. If I’m caught using my Ultimate…”
“Right,” Vir said. “Alright. Work on the Hunter-Gatherers. Their attention is focused on the demons beyond the Gate, so striking from behind should prove effective.”
Vir had only fought those beasts in the Human Realm, where they were prana starved. The prana here not only strengthened them—it made them smarter, too.
“Don’t allow yourself to get surrounded. If you do, shout for my help. I’ll be right over.”
“Oh?” Tara said with a grin, swinging her sword menacingly. “You’ll be right over, huh? And I’m some damsel in distress in need of rescue, is it?”
“Wait, no. That’s not what I—”
Vir never had a chance to finish. His instincts blared at him to run away. To be anywhere other than here. And his instincts had yet to let him down.
He didn’t Leap away. He Blinked, and he activated Haste for good measure.
For the very air that surrounded Tara warped and darkened, turning a deep, toxic purple.
As an expanding cloud blotted the Naga from sight, Vir understood what he was witnessing.
This was Corruption—one of the bloodline abilities of Clan Panav—except it was on a level incomparable to what Balagra wielded. Tara’s power felt like a cloud of death, ending the life of all that it touched.
The Hunters took notice, giving the field a wide berth, not even daring to venture close.
“Show off!” Vir yelled, even as a grin crept across his face. Tara would undoubtedly make a terrifying opponent when he fought her in the tournament, but now? Now, she was the most reliable ally he could’ve hoped for.
Vir Leaped, leaving Tara and her toxic cloud behind.