Chapter Ashborn 354: Bringing Home a Goddess

“Knocked out!” Cirayus roared for what had to be the tenth time. “Ah, to see the look on his face when he wakes up. Can you imagine?”

“I can! I really really can!” Aida replied, slurring her words.

Cirayus was, of course, drunk, and he wasn’t the only one. Aida had had her fair share as well. The level of alcohol required to get a giantess and a heavyweight like Cirayus drunk was something else. Vir wondered just how they made enough ale and mead to service the whole tournament. The operation must’ve been staggering in scale.

“What’re you smirkin’ about, eh?” Cirayus said, clapping Vir on the back.

“Oh, nothing,” Vir replied with a small smile. Just a little surprise. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Cirayus replied with an “Eh?” but didn’t ask further. He’d likely forgotten all about that conversation by the time the two giants stumbled into Cirayus’ home.

Both froze. The house was not empty.

A gorgeous black-haired, red-skinned demon woman stood at the other end, idly stroking the fur of a half-dozen wolves, who lay lazily around her. A couple jumped to their paws when Cirayus arrived, but relaxed upon seeing Vir.

Cirayus was the first to recover. “To what do I owe the pleasure? For such a peerless beauty to grace my abode, I must have done something right on this day?” He said, without the faintest trace of his prior stupor.

Vir rolled his eyes while Ashani laughed softly into the back of her hand. How the giant managed that, Vir would never know.

“Did you not see the wolves?” Vir asked. “You know? The Ash Wolves, all bigger than Shan?”

“Why, yes,” Cirayus said, scratching his nose. “I take it these are your friends, milady? Quite interesting company you keep.”

“One could say that,” Ashani replied in her melodic voice, which seemed to captivate both Cirayus and Aida.

“Well, as much as I appreciate the fine company,” Cirayus said, “I must admit you have me at a loss. May I inquire what you are doing in my home? I have a feeling someone as strong as yourself isn’t just here to chat.”

There was an edge to his voice that conveyed his meaning perfectly—explain yourself. It seemed not even Ashani’s beauty and copious alcohol could subvert Cirayus’ centuries-honed battle instincts.

“Relax, Cirayus,” Vir said, stepping forward. “She’s a friend. I brought her here.”

Cirayus’s eyes widened. His posture slackened and he let out a breath. “Well, why didn’t you say so! Any friend of the lad’s is a friend of mine. Come, lad, Introduce your ladyfriend to me. Do I need to inform Maiya you have a second mistress?”

“How rude!” Aida admonished, promptly kicking her grandfather in the shin.

“Ow!” Cirayus yelped, exaggeratedly hopping around, cradling his leg. “What was that for?”

“I would never do that to Maiya, Cirayus,” Vir said, meeting the giant’s gaze. “And you might just come to regret those words in a few seconds.”

“Oho? Why’s that?”

Instead of answering, Vir turned to Ashani and gave her an awkward smile. “Sorry about that.”

“Oh, ‘tis no problem at all!” Ashani replied with an amused expression. “I see you enjoy quite the warm relationship with your vaunted godfather.”

“I suppose you could say that,” Vir admitted, scratching his neck. “Would, uh… Would you mind changing back? I think that would probably be the best way to show them.”

“Change back? Show?” Cirayus asked.

Ashani nodded, and her red skin turned pale white all over her body. Her eyes reverted to their brilliant blue. The black armor melted away, reforming the white one piece dress she always wore. Completing the transformation, her hair shifted from black to platinum blonde, bordering on white, and her whole body seemed to glow.

Both Cirayus and Aida’s mouths hung open.

“Lad?” Cirayus asked, his voice trembling.

“Cirayus? Aida? Meet my dear friend, Ashani. Ashani, Cirayus, my godfather, and his granddaughter Aida.”

“A pleasure,” Ashani said, bowing her head towards them.

“L-likewise,” Aida replied, flustered.

“Um, Cirayus?” Vir asked after the giant failed to respond.

“Lad? This wouldn’t happen to be the same Ashani you met in the Ash, would it?”

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“It would, actually,” Vir said, feeling his lips creep up.

“The one who sucked you through that Ash Gate?”

“Yep.”

“The person you said was a Goddess from the Age of Realms?”

“The very same.”

More than Cirayus’ expression, it was Aida’s that amused Vir the most. With every exchange, her eyes widened further, until her face was etched in a comical expression of shock and horror.

Cirayus immediately dropped to his knees and prostrated.

“Aida! Quick! You are in the presence of a deity!”

Aida seemed to finally get the message, and followed her grandfather in prostration.

“We have disrespected you, O Great Goddess! Please, forgive us!”

“No, please!” Ashani replied, running up to them. “Don’t! I’m no goddess! Please don’t treat me like this.”

Cirayus slowly raised his head. “Truly?” he asked.

“Yes!”

“Then, if I may ask, what are you?”

Ashani perked up, relieved to clear the misunderstanding. “I am an Automaton created by the Prime Imperium. Specifically, by Janak, to befriend his daughter Siya in her last days.”

“Janak… You were created by Lord Janak,” Cirayus repeated, his voice trembling. “To befriend the Goddess Siya. The Goddess of myth and legend.”

“Oh, she was just a girl. Not a goddess. And Janak was no lord. Merely a researcher…”

Ashani trailed off as Cirayus and Aida redoubled their prostration, driving their heads against the ground.

Ashani looked to Vir pleadingly, but received only a shrug in return.

“I don’t want to say ‘I told you’, but… I told you.”

“I never expected it to be this bad,” she said, biting her lip as Cirayus and Aida prostrated in front of her. “Please, rise, both of you.”

“Is that your wish, O Great Goddess?”

“Yes! Yes, it is,” Ashani said. “I insist. No prostration. No bowing. And please just call me Ashani!”

“As you wish, Goddess Ashani,” Cirayus said, rising along with Aida, though neither of them made eye contact with her.

“Is this how the rest of the world will react?” Ashani asked.

“I’d say Cirayus’ reaction was rather subdued. Don’t be surprised if you have cults and religions forming around you…”

Ashani buried her face in her hands. “This is… Not what I wanted.”

Vir’s smile faded. Cirayus and Aida were desperately glancing at him for answers, clearly at a loss for how to behave.

“Ashani? Would you mind giving us a few minutes to chat? I’m afraid this will take a bit of explaining.”

“Of course,” Ashani replied, walking over to the other side of the great room. “Please, take all the time you like.” She began studiously analyzing Cirayus’ kitchen and bar equipment, as though it were the most interesting things in the world. Were it anyone else, Vir would say without a doubt it was an act. With Ashani… She might very well be as interested in the kitchen as she seemed to be.

“It really is what she wants, you two,” Vir said in a hushed voice. “Please, I know it’s hard, but just treat her like a good friend? She’d like that very much.”

“How, lad? How’d you go and pluck a living goddess from the Ash? Wasn’t she trapped deep in the Mahādi Realm?”

“You knew about this?” Aida hissed. “And you didn’t tell me? A living goddess! From the Age of Gods! Do you have any idea what this means for the world?”

“Aye, that I do,” Cirayus replied. “But the question remains. How?”

Vir let out a long breath and narrated the events that led to him entering the Ash with Shan. Even now, he couldn’t quite believe what had happened.

“‘Tis as though Fate itself led you to her door,” Cirayus muttered after hearing the explanation, which perfectly echoed Vir’s own thoughts.

“Well, that, Shan’s instincts, and Ashani’s alarm that informed her visitors were near a Gate she’d previously established.”

“Do you understand what this means, lad? With a goddess at your back…”

Vir pursed his lips. “I know,” he said. “But I also know that’s not what Ashani wants. She’s been trapped in that realm for millennia, Cirayus. She wants to explore the world. The last thing she wants is to become a goddess revered and worshipped by everyone. You saw how she reacted!”

“Aye, lad, I understand, and your desire to uphold her wishes is honorable. Tell me, is it more honorable than freeing our people and uniting the realm? If she blesses you in public, the other Rajas will have no choice but to accept you as the new sovereign of the realm.”

“Come on, Cirayus, that’s not fair,” Vir replied with a frown. “I’m not going to force her to take that role. I’m sorry.”

“Aye,” Cirayus said with a sigh. “And you are right not to. To befriend a goddess is no small thing. She will remain when we are all long gone. Besides, there are other issues with relying on her.”

Vir nodded. “Nobody would respect me. My rule would be propped up by Ashani, and the moment my enemies see an opportunity, they’ll strike at me. It’s not like Ashani’s all-powerful. She’s got some amazing magic, but I’d say the strongest demons could best her in combat. Truthfully, she was never even a goddess. That’s just something humans and demons made up.”

“Aye, that might all be true, but tell me this,” Cirayus said. “How many beings do you know who can live for millennia? How many beings are made of metal, as you claim she is? And how many beings can create Ash Gates at will?”

Vir smirked. “I can.”

“Thereby proving my point. For are you not also a living god?”

“Never feels that way,” Vir muttered. “But I see your point. Ashani is certainly different enough that people would worship her, regardless of her combat power.”

“Aye.”

“Now, that’s a little rude, don’t you think?” Ashani called from the other end of the large room. She had a ladle in her hand, which she’d apparently been inspecting. “I admit I may not have been built to fight, but I think I’ve done well holding my own against the beasts of Mahādi.”

It was slight, but Vir could swear she’d puffed out her cheeks a bit.

Cirayus’ eyes went wide while Vir laughed. “Sorry. Forgot about your super hearing.”

“You are forgiven,” Ashani said theatrically, which sent both Cirayus and Aida prostrating again. Ashani immediately realized her mistake, and once again ran toward the two, desperately trying to get them to stop. It was more than a little funny from Vir’s perspective.

Some time later, when Cirayus and Aida had finally risen, Ashani turned and addressed Vir.

“I thank you. For considering my wishes. It… means a great deal to me.”

“Of course,” Vir said. “I consider you a friend, Ashani. It’s what anyone would do.”

“As do I,” she replied. “Which is why I feel I must clarify. While I do not wish to become an object of worship—I am not a deity, regardless of what your people might believe—I do wish to aid you in your plight to the best of my personal ability.”

“Thank you, Ashani,” Vir said. “That really means a lot.”

“‘Means a lot’, he says,” Aida muttered. “Goddess calls him a friend. Says she’ll help him… I feel like I don’t even know what’s real anymore.”

Ashani let out a melodic laugh. “Quite a family you have here,” she said. “I do believe we’ll all get along just fine.”

“So. What now?” Cirayus asked.

“Now, we fight, Cirayus,” Vir replied. “Now, I defeat you in the final round. Now, I show the world that I am worthy of Balancer of Scales.”

“And then?”

“Then, we all return to the Ash, where we’ll train up our troops. Push them deeper into the Ash. Maybe even to Mahādi.”

“Aye. And when they emerge, they will be the finest fighting force this realm has ever seen. I can feel it in these old bones.” Cirayus glanced at Ashani. “It won’t be long now. The rebellion. Not at this rate.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No,” Vir concurred. “Not long at all.”