Chapter Ashborn 392: Clan Hopping

Despite wanting nothing more than to explore the hidden city of the Iksana, Vir knew he would not be welcomed there. As Sagun’Ra said, he had yet to win the clan’s seal of approval. His curiosity would have to wait for another day.

Upon reaching the surface, Vir was surprised to find a dozen Iksana Ghaels, all wearing gray hooded robes, awaiting him.

“The Iksana who will join you,” Sagun’Ra said, gesturing to them.

One among them, a woman ghael, stepped forward and bowed deeply. A tad too deeply, Vir felt.

Only wisps of gray hair remained on her head, though with Iksana physiology, Vir was hard-pressed to determine her exact age. “I am known as Ekat’Ma,” she said, her voice slightly less raspy than Vir was used to coming from an Iksana. She looked up at him with oversized, bulbous green eyes. “We have been briefed on our mission. We are pleased and honored to accompany you.”

One thing was for sure. She was strong. And if Vir’s hunch was right, highly experienced as well.

Vir gave the other ghaels a once-over, and came away impressed. “Your prana capacity is impressive,” he said. “More than I would have expected.”

“My top warriors,” Ra beamed. “Highest prana capacity of the clan. Most likely to survive.”

Vir nodded. “A smart choice. Thank you for assembling them on such short notice. Now, where should we place the Ash Gate?”

All the Iksana present stiffened. They’d heard the rumors, they’d known of the stories, but this would be their first time seeing Vir and Ashani in action. Vir would have to put on a good show, then.

Ra led Vir to an empty, single-story stone building that might have been a storeroom at some point, and summoned guards who took up positions all around it. “It shall be guarded at all hours,” Ra stated.

“Good,” Vir said casually. He wasn’t worried about anyone entering the Gate. Most who tried would succumb to the Ash, and those who survived would end up in Vir’s heavily fortified Garrison.

Ashani reached a hand out, and an Ash Tear ripped open the fabric of reality, before stabilizing into an oval Gate. Vir finished the process, injecting his own prana. Jalak Kallol was not especially close to the Ash, and so this Gate would require frequent maintenance. A small price to pay for such a strategic location.

The moment the Gate was created, prana surged through, causing the assembled Iksana to step back. The Iksana peered through the Gate in stunned silence, and already, Vir could feel he was making an impression.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, raising an amused eyebrow. “Thought those rumors were false?”

There was no reply, and so Vir shrugged and walked through to find a small army of his demons ready and waiting on the other side. They’d come to expect surprise Gates popping up nearby, and their response was the very definition of efficiency.

Stretchers arrived in record time, followed by Tara, and then Balagra. A half-dozen demons swarmed the Gate, ready to help.

Despite her obvious hesitation, Ekat’Ma was the first to set foot in the Ash.

She immediately fell to her knees, but Vir’s demons were there to support her, including Balagra and Tara, who were standing by.

“As you can see,” Vir said, “We have Nagas with Yuma’s Embrace standing by. There is little risk here.”

His words, and the fact that they’d witnessed that their leader live, gave the others the courage to follow her through. All except Sagun’Ra, who stood watching on the other side with keen interest.

Most of the Iksana Warriors fell to their knees, but a handful managed to stay standing. All were treated in turn, and when their conditions were stable, Vir approached Ekat’Ma.

“Would you like to return with us? I’ve some unfinished business in the Demon Realm, and I believe you would be quite interested in what you will see.”

Ashani raised a questioning eyebrow, but when Vir returned her suspicion with a smile, she nodded.

True, having an Iksana around for where he was headed next may be… unconventional, but Vir wasn’t worried about betrayal. He was fairly confident she wasn’t stupid enough to leak information to anyone other than her Raja. And if she was, well, Vir would know not to trust the Iksana. He’d rather know that now than in the hours before the war began.

“Iksana keep many secrets,” Ekat’Ma said, as if reading Vir’s mind. “Yours are safe with me.”

“I’ve no doubt of it,” Vir said, turning away. If he had eyes on the back of his head, he would have noticed the sparkle in Ekat’Ma’s eyes. Not of malice, but of awe.

Returning through the Gate, Vir headed to his airship with Ekat’Ma, Ashani, and Shan. The Iksana had recovered from her prana poisoning almost immediately upon returning, and the three of them piled into the craft with the other wolves.

Neither Ekat’Ma nor Ashani were very large, and so both managed to squeeze into the seat behind Vir. While not the most comfortable arrangement, it worked in a pinch, and their flight would be rather short.

Taking off with his entourage, Vir angled south. To Baira. To Camar Gadin.

Having learned his lesson, he stayed low, only a few hundred paces off the ground. Though the airship was silent, demons along the roads still caught sight of him, pointing in wonder and confusion.

They weren’t the only ones flustered. Through Prana Vision, Vir could see Ekat’Ma’s rigid posture, unmoving as she held the frame of the airship in a death grip. Though she said nothing, Vir could imagine the thoughts screaming through her head at that moment.

“Will it not be a problem if they see you flying like this?” Ashani asked from behind.

Vir shrugged. “The realm will know soon enough, regardless. Besides, I’ve no reason to hide the airship. Let them think what they may. It only serves my interests to have my foes fear a fleet of these craft, ready to descend upon their cities.”

He didn’t have that, of course. While Saunak could readily produce more, Vir was the only one in all the realms capable of shunting enough prana into the craft to keep it in the air. Despite the mad Thaumaturge’s best efforts, progress had been slow to make the system more efficient. While Vir hoped Saunak would one day solve the issue, it would not be in time for their raid on Samar Patag.

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Not that they required the airships. Vir had something far superior, after all.

“Quite devious of you,“ Ashani said, leaving the rest unspoken. It was the same strategy he’d used during the tournament with his Chakram, after all. There was no need for the utterly stricken Ekat’Ma to know the truth. Not in this case, at least.

Vir’s back stiffened a moment later. “We’re coming up on Camar Gadin.”

“Where will you land?” Ashani asked.

“Why not make an entrance?” Vir said, a devilish grin creeping onto his face. “I think Thaman’s manor will do nicely, don’t you?”

Ashani giggled. “Oh, traveling with you is just so much fun!”

The horrified expression on Ekat’Ma’s face said she felt otherwise. Vir wondered if she was regretting accepting his invitation so quickly.

Vir’s grin melted into a gentle smile. “I’m glad, Ashani. I’m glad I’m finally able to show you these sights. Primitive though they may be, it is good to see that you’re not bored.”

Ashani reached forward and squeezed Vir’s shoulder, bringing her lips to Vir’s ear. “Never,” she whispered.

That one word filled Vir with warmth. Though it’d mostly been her doing, he’d brought her back, and now that he had, he couldn’t wait to show her more.

Swooping low over the oversized Bairan city, Vir accelerated the craft to maximum speed, and soon arrived at Thaman’s manor, carved into the base of the nearby mountains.

Bringing the airship to a hover, he descended upon one of the several courtyards, setting it down gently upon its landing gears in the very center.

Having undoubtedly seen his approach, armed guards flocked to his position just as he helped Ashani alight.

“In the name of Baira, stop!” they shouted, leveling their spears at Vir, their Giant Hide and Giant Grace tattoos burning proudly. “Identify yourself or you will be annihilated!”

Vir sighed and shook his head. He’d have to have Thaman brief his troops, so this didn’t keep happening.

“Wait!” a guard muttered. “I recognize him. That’s… That’s the Akh Nara!”

“Nonsense,” another guard said. “What are the chances the Akh Nara would be here, now? With an Iksana in tow, no less?”

“How many other demons do you know possess a flying ship, hmm? It’s him! I’m sure of it.”

“Hey, you!” the guard said. “Are you the Akh Nara?”

Vir almost laughed. “As a matter of fact, I am. Tell Thaman I’m here to see him.”

“You expect us to believe you? And even if you were, our Raja would never see you. Do you have an appointment?”

Vir wanted to pull out his hair. This was getting ridiculous.

Prana Current flared, and he was about to burn prana off his body when a new arrival eliminated the need.

“Sarvaak, of Garga,” Thaman said, marching up to Vir. “And I was wondering what the ruckus was about.”

“Apologies, sir,” a guard said, snapping to attention, as did the others. “We were about to deal with the intruder here—”

“No need,” Thaman said, dismissing them with a hand. “Go back to your stations. All is well here.”

“Yes, sir!” Saluting, they broke away, scurrying off to the edges of the courtyard.

“You could have knocked, you know?” Thaman said, glancing at Ekat’Ma before turning to Vir. “Most people knock…”

Vir shrugged. “Since when have I been most people? Besides,” he thumbed at the airship, “you have to admit this makes more of an impression than walking in, yes?”

Thaman’s eyes narrowed as he walked around the airship with suspicion. The pack of Ash wolves that glared at him from inside their cage couldn’t have helped. “Does this contraption truly fly?”

“I’d bet a few thousand Bairans would say it does,” Vir said, patting the wooden hull.

Thaman shook his head. “First, Ash Gates. Now this? You are simply full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Vir grinned. “Believe me, you haven’t seen anything yet. This is Ekat’Ma, by the way. Sent here by Raja Sagun’Ra, as a liaison of sorts.”

“That right?” Thaman asked contemplatively, sizing the Iksana up. “I suppose this means we’re to count the Iksana as an ally?”

“Not quite yet,” Vir said. “Call it a courting process. I’m optimistic I’ll sway them before long.”

“Then I shall trust your judgement in bringing her here,” Thaman said, before turning to the airship. “How many of these do you possess?”

It spoke volumes about their relationship that Thaman casually accepted Vir bringing an agent of a clan that could very well be hostile to the rebellion.

Vir’s grin grew wider, and not out of pride of Saunak’s contraption. “Enough,” he said. “But I’m not here to talk about airships. Preparations continue. We have much to discuss.”

Thaman let out a heavy breath. “Indeed, it would seem we do. Shall we retire to my manor? Or would you like to visit the site?”

“The site,” Vir said, starting to feel giddy at the prospect. “But first, let me create a Gate inside your manor.”

After being led to one of Thaman’s most secure rooms, Ashani created a Gate that exited to one of Vir’s several perimeter bases in the Ash—a sight that boggled Thaman’s mind.

“I could see this a thousand times, and it will still never cease to amaze me,” he whispered.

Vir swiftly replaced Ashani’s prana with his own. Owing to the relative lack of prana, the Gate would require frequent maintenance, but a Gate leading to and from Camar Gadin, the stronghold of his closest ally, was more than worth the cost.

Losing no time, the entourage set off, bounding across rooftops until they’d left the city. For this journey, Vir carried Ekat’Ma on his back—something that had taken more than a little convincing. Apparently, the Iksana considered it demeaning to be carried in such a manner.

If any Bairans thought it odd that their Raja was soaring across the sky with three strangers and a half-dozen wolves, no one said anything, though Vir didn’t doubt their departure would trigger a fresh round of gossip.

Exactly as he’d hoped. This, his flashy entrance, and his visit to Jalak Kallol would eventually propagate to Chitran, Panav, and Aindri ears, causing them all to come to the same conclusion.

The Akh Nara’s power grows.

It was several hours later, having traveled through endless barren plains, when they finally arrived.

The land was entirely flat, without a mountain in sight. Just cracked clay for as far as the eye could see.

That, and about a hundred small thatched roof buildings, organized into neat rows and columns. There were no walls, no central squares, nor any of the other amenities one might ordinarily expect at a settlement like this.

“Much remains to be done, of course,” Thaman said. “However, your Gate will speed up work considerably. Currently, we bring all the supplies here from Camar Gadin by wagon. Not to mention, I am financing all of this personally, without tapping into Bairan reserves.”

“Thank you, Thaman,” Vir said, moving closer to grasp Thaman’s forearm. “I know this cannot have been easy for you, even with your means. As per our discussions, I will ensure you are amply compensated.”

Thaman waved Vir’s concerns aside. “Furnish Baira with your Gates, and we’ll be more than even.”

Nodding, Vir turned to Ashani. “Mind doing the honors?”

“Where would you like the Gate?” Ashani asked, turning to Thaman. “I must warn you, it will not last long out here. Vir will have to return frequently to recharge it.”

“Hopefully won’t be much of an issue,” Vir said. “With our pre-existing Gate network and the one in Thaman’s manor, getting here from our central base in the Ash ought to be no more than a half-dozen steps.”

Thaman, who’d done an excellent job of avoiding eye contact with Ashani until now, just pointed to the center of the small village.

“Very well,” Ashani said with an amused chuckle.

Ekat’Ma, for her part, observed silently. Whatever thoughts she was forming, Vir could only guess, though he hoped she’d be more confused than anything. That was good for now. Let her theorize and conjecture. Vir was quite confident she’d never guess his true plan. Not until he revealed it to her, surprising—and hopefully impressing—her further. Shock and awe, as it were.

“Place the other end directly next to the Gate at Thaman’s place,” Vir said. “Not only is it more convenient, this Gate will benefit from the prana coming from the Ash from our other Gate.”

The prana rushing through the Gate from the Ash wouldn’t offset the Gate’s decay, but as Vir had discovered, it did slow the process.

Repeating the process they’d done so often, Ashani created the Gate and Vir stabilized it. Thaman stood nearby, glaring at the Gate contemplatively.

“More than your Ash Warriors, more than your power as the Akh Nara, it is these Gates that will win your war,” he said. “I pray you use them to their full effect.”

Vir looked at the Raja with amusement. “Have you forgotten we have Cirayus?”

Thaman laughed. “Indeed, I nearly did. I suspect that old fossil will exploit your advantage beyond what anyone can imagine. Tell me, what is your plan?”

Vir smiled. “Complete and total domination. And if we do it right, not a single innocent will die, either. I say this not out of naivete or inexperience, but from a position of power. As you said, our Gates are our greatest advantage. And not only is our strategy ingenious, Cirayus himself helped come up with it.”

If anyone had been watching, they would’ve seen Ekat’Ma’s eyes widen. They would have seen the hungry anticipation that burned in her soul.

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