Chapter Ashborn 386: Liberation

Vir walked away from the kothi’s corpse, already eyeing his next target. There were few guards to begin with, and after the wolves’ attack, even fewer remained.

In the past, he might even have given the guard he’d killed a chance to redeem themselves. Back when it was only his safety on the line. But not when thousands relied on him. Not when his inability to make the hard decisions resulted in the deaths of innocents.

So Vir hardened his heart and surged prana through his new tattoo, yanking a kothi right off his mount. While he wasn’t yet good enough with Balancer of Scales to target individual body parts on anything moving that fast, the tattoo was hardly the only skill in his arsenal.

His chakram decapitated the fallen kothi right as he Blinked there, and he caught and stowed it in one smooth motion. Adding a power such as Balancer to his already impressive arsenal wasn’t as simple as he’d have thought. He’d fought for so long with his current set of abilities that he’d grown accustomed to them, having honed them to perfection already.

He’d learned how to combine his movement arts with his weapons and Prana Channeling in just the right ways, and the addition of Balancer actually threw that off.

He’d have to learn new ways of fighting, shifting his tactics to include the new power. As the first and only ability of his to impact a wide area, the Ultimate Art boasted immense power. Yet it was also restricted in many ways. Vir hadn’t yet learned to selectively target multiple enemies in a battlefield like Cirayus could. Let alone moving enemies.

Which meant he could only use it when facing a group of tightly packed opponents, with none of his allies nearby to get in the way.

Even so, the revelation that Balancer of Scales functioned within the Shadow Realm was both surprising and promising. Did the other Ultimates function in a similar way? If so, Vir could wreak havoc on anyone he brought down with him, and they wouldn’t be able to lift a finger to fight back.

One of the guard’s Ash’va panicked, bolting away, but Vir laid down a Balancer field, bringing the beast down and sending its occupant tumbling. Aborting the art on the beast, Vir concentrated its full power on the downed kothi, pinning him in place.

The wolves did the rest.

Before long, all the guards had been eliminated, leaving just the hundred-odd prisoners and their subjugation collars. A smaller expedition than the one Vir had been in, but then again, there were fewer guards, too.

The prisoners were subdued, though Vir suspected emaciation and exhaustion were more responsible for that than any elation they felt. Did they even know they were about to be freed?

It was Vir’s job to inform them of that.

Time for my newest trick.

Vir Leaped into the air above the group. Just as he reached the zenith of his jump, he activated Balancer of Scales, reducing his weight to that of a feather.

Doing so consumed an alarming amount of prana. At least, it would be alarming for any other demon. With the vast reserves of Ash Affinity flowing through Vir’s veins, he suspected he could maintain this hover for an hour. It would leave him drained after, but he wasn’t planning on staying up here that long, anyway.

“Hear me, brothers and sisters. My fellow Gargans. By now, you must have heard of my return. I was not killed, as the Chitran would have you believe. The Ravager saved me, and now I have returned. As the Akh Nara. As Sarvaak of Garga, here to restore my clan’s honor. On this day, I grant you—all of you—your freedom. Slaves no more, you must choose. Either disperse into the villages and towns of the realm… Or join me in my fight to overthrow the ones who committed these atrocities. Know that none who decide to leave will be judged. The choice is yours.”

Vir canceled the ability, allowing himself to fall back to the ground.

“Quite the speech,” Ashani said with a smirk.

“Really?” Vir asked, scratching his head. “I feel like I’m terrible at these things. Never know what to say. They’re not cheering overly much…”

The feeble cries of support seemed to prove his point… until he looked at the eyes of the downtrodden Gargans.

“Do you see?” Ashani asked. “There is a fire in their hearts. A fire that was missing only moments ago. Their bodies might be frail, but their hearts are not. They will join you.”

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And she was right. As Vir went around destroying their collars one by one, the range of reactions shocked him. Some thanked him profusely. Others bawled their eyes out in relief, while others still muttered prayers.

Not one expressed a desire to leave. Yes, leaving was a dangerous proposition, but this far from any Chitran stronghold, their odds of making it to a village were good. Especially since Vir offered to guide them.

And yet, not a single demon budged.

“You are sure of this?” Vir called. “Once you join me, there will be no turning back. No returning to this realm until our cause is won… Or until we are all dead. The path will not be easy.”

Silence.

“Very well, then,” Vir said with a proud smile. “Welcome to my army. Fear not, you will be treated better than the best Chitran warrior. Your every need will be met. This, I promise.”

Turning to Ashani, he nodded. She extended a hand, and a moment later, a Gate materialized. As usual, Vir fed it his prana, freeing Ashani from the task.

“Through here is the Ashen Realm, and my encampment. The acclimatization will not be easy, but we have Panav healers on hand to ensure you survive. Those of you who wish to continue, please step through the Gate.”

As ordered, the weak, weary demons shambled through the Gate to Vir’s outermost camp in the Ash. He feared even that limited prana density would prove too much for these poor souls to bear, which was why Tara and Balagra were standing by, ready to receive them, along with a small army of their staff.

His fears proved correct, as more than half collapsed immediately upon entering the realm, having to be stretchered to one of the healers.

“How do they look?” Vir asked, stepping through after the last demon entered.

“Not horrible, all things considered,” Malik said, coming up to him. “Between Tara and Balagra, they’ve stabilized most of them. Smart of you to use their magic to help them.”

Vir shrugged. “Beats defending a garrison in the Demon Realm while they acclimate.”

He’d discussed several options with his staff, and had determined that bringing them into the Ash was the simplest option, despite the risks. Thus far, none had perished, and Vir fully intended to keep it that way.

“Inform Cirayus that the raid was a success,” he said. “He’ll determine the raid schedule. I want us to hit as many Chitran slaver expeditions as we can, as fast as we can.”

“Consider it done,” Vir’s logistics expert said. Malike’s word was as good as seric. If he said it would happen, it would. “May I ask why the hurry? Would it not be best to spread the raids apart?”

Vir pursed his lips. “Our window of opportunity is short, and shortens every day. The Chits are no fools. They will soon protect against our raids, defending them more heavily. When that happens, we will begin to lose people. Both our own troops, and the very people we are trying to save. I suspect we have only a few weeks to free as many slaves as we can.”

Vir only hoped they had enough time to rescue enough to turn their band into an army large enough to storm and hold Samar Patag. If they didn’t… Or if the Chitrans forced Vir’s hand before they were ready…

No, it was pointless to fret over such things. He was doing everything he could, as was everyone else. Vir had to trust in that. They would be ready. They would prevail.

“My airship?” Vir asked.

“Coming through now,” Malik said, nodding to the steady stream of demons bringing Saunak’s disassembled craft through in pieces. “I must say they’ve become quite adept at taking that thing down and putting it back together again.”

Vir frowned. “I hope you’re not having them practice this in lieu of their training?”

“Are you kidding? Like Balagra would ever approve of such a thing. No, they do this on their own time. They consider it fun… And to be quite honest, were I mechanically inclined and had more free time, I would be right there with them.”

Vir couldn’t believe his troops would rather spend their precious off hours tinkering with his airship, but the thought of it made his chest blossom with pride. He could imagine a whole city of mechanics, churning out all manner of Saunak’s inventions, revolutionizing the realm.

Someday. Someday soon.

“You’re off to Jalak Kallol, then?” Malik asked as the demons crossed to the Gate Vir had just erected and disappeared through. They’d been trained in its reassembly, and the craft would be ready in just minutes.

Vir nodded. “To bring back good news, I hope.”

“Then we shall eagerly await your successful return,” Malik said, bowing to him, then to Ashani. While no one had gotten used to her presence, they’d seen her often enough that they could at least function normally in her presence. For the most part.

When Ashani returned Malik’s bow with a divine smile, he flushed, stepping over his toes as he rushed away.

Vir shook his head and turned to the goddess. “You haven’t been there before, so we’ll have to get there the old-fashioned way. Well,” Vir said, looking at the demons reassembling Saunak’s airship. “Maybe not quite so old-fashioned.”

“How exciting,” Ashani said, clapping her hands together. “I do love my journeys.”

The ‘long journey’ was perhaps not as long as Ashani had expected, for they were soon flying through the air, with Vir in the pilot’s seat and Ashani riding just behind him, tearing through the realm at speeds unthinkable for even the fastest demons. The wolves rode in a special metal cage Vir had asked Saunak to fashion. It sat behind Ashani, between the cockpit and the tail of the airship.

Saunak had grumbled that the ungainly box would cripple the flight characteristics of the airship, but he’d done it anyway, and now it was filled with Ash wolves. Vir could only pray they wouldn’t bite through the metal bars. Those were there not to imprison them, but for their own safety.

“Incredible!” Ashani shouted above the wind. “I’d never thought this would be such a thrill! It’s like it’s about to shake itself apart!”

“And this excites you!?” Vir asked, wrestling to keep the infernal thing under control. Being a prototype, the controls were rough, the construction shoddy, and he feared he’d count its life in days rather than years.

If it made Ashani happy, though, Vir would put up with it.

Banking the airship, he spotted the single road that led to the Iksana’s underground capital. After that, it was a simple matter of following it south, through the plains, fields, and mountain passes, until they arrived.

The journey that ought to have taken days for him and weeks for any normal demon would be crossed in a mere handful of hours.

What would he find there, buried in the secret city of the Iksana, in which none outside the clan were allowed?

Vir didn’t know whether he should expect a banquet or an ambush, but his heart beat faster. Regardless of the outcome, it was bound to be a historic encounter.