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Aida looked at Cirayus, who nodded. “I know what you’re thinking, lass, but this wolf’s a bit special.”
“I can see that his mind hasn’t been tainted by the Ash,” Aida said, inspecting the wolf, who bristled, baring his fangs at her.
Shan shuddered, and black prana began to burn off his hide, forcing Aida back.
“What in the realms…”
“Think you ticked him off, lass,” Cirayus said, chuckling.
“H-how much prana does this beast have!?”
“About as much as the density of prana in Mahādi,” Vir said coolly.
The giantess froze. Her head slowly turned toward Vir. “M-Mahādi!? The fabled city of the Gods!?”
“He’s been there,” Cirayus confirmed. “Spent months in there. Training. Growing stronger. Even met an Imperium Goddess. In the flesh!”
“Ajja, now is not the time for such absurd jokes,” Aida said. Her shock vanished, and she slumped over a bit. “You almost gave me a shock.”
“Oh, that was no joke, lass,” Cirayus said with a wicked grin. “Look.”
Aida turned, and now Vir’s body was blazing with Ash Prana as well.
“It’s why I told him not to use all his prana, before,” Cirayus said. “It woulda dissolved your tattoo!”
Vir frowned, canceling his fire prana show. It was flashy, yes, but it also wasted a lot of prana for no good reason. Such tactics were best used sparingly, anyway. Too much and it’d lose its effect. Sometimes, though, it was just the best way to prove his strength.
“Well?” Aida said, having finally regained her breath. “What tattoo would you like? He uses Ash prana just like you, so I suppose we could inscribe anything. Even Bloodline arts.”
Vir had, of course, daydreamed about this moment for a long while. He’d weighed the pros and cons of the various bloodline arts against the Aspect tattoos.
In the end, however, he deferred to those who were far more qualified to decide.
“What would you choose?” he asked both Aida and Cirayus. With his centuries of experience, Cirayus knew combat better than most demons alive. And Aida, as a Thaumaturge, would have her own perspective.
Cirayus stroked his beard, sinking into thought. Aida put her hands on her hips and stared at Shan pensively.
Neither responded for a moment as they gave the decision the full weight of their attention.
“Bloodline tattoos are tempting,” Cirayus said slowly. “There’s a good reason they’re so selectively passed down. Sure, the Aspects be more versatile, but the Bloodline Arts are undeniably stronger.”
“And more difficult to master,” Aida chimed in.
“Aye, some can be,” Cirayus replied. “Though, not all. You’re a Journeyman Thaumaturge now, eh Aida? You’ve mastered Standard Bairan Bloodline Art Inscription?”
The giantess nodded. “Freshly promoted a decade ago.”
Vir’s brow raised. A decade ago is ‘fresh’ for her?
“I know what you’re about to ask, whelp,” Aida said with a small, terrifying smile. “And if you do, I’ll break every bone in your body. Akh Nara or not.”
“I… wasn’t going to ask anything,” Vir said innocently.
“Mhmm. Anyway, I can put Giant Hide, Giant Grace, and Spirit of the Geezer—ahem, I mean Ravager—on him. Only one, though. Lots of space on a giant’s body. Your friend may be large for a wolf, but tattoos can’t just be placed anywhere.”
“Well,” Vir said, forcing himself to maintain a straight face. “Shan’s already plenty fast, so I don’t think Grace would help much. On the same lines, his prana makes him pretty durable as it is. Of those three, Spirit of the Geezer would be the most useful. But it doesn’t sound all that powerful, does it?”
“Nay,” Aida said. “Who’d want to channel a geezer’s energy, anyway?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Cirayus said, laying down Balancer of Scales at full power. Vir’s legs buckled before he realized what was happening and countered the force, regaining his posture. Aida was forced to her knees.
“Was that… Was that the sound of bones creaking?” Cirayus said, dramatically holding a hand up to his ear. “Surely not from you youngsters!?”
“Ash Damned geezer,” Aida said, grimacing. “Just keel over and die already.”
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Cirayus undid Balancer and walked over, putting a hand upon Aida’s shoulder. She stiffened noticeably.
“Now now, Aida. Do I need to talk to your mother about your manners?”
“I, um. I must’ve been confused,” Aida said meekly, her face turning pale. “Did I say Geezer? Slip of the tongue. I meant Ravager. The Mighty Ravager. Of course.”
“Of course,” Cirayus replied. Then he burst out laughing. As did Vir and Aida.
Cirayus was the only actual family Vir had. Which was fine. His godfather alone was worth as much as a whole family combined, and Vir was beyond grateful to have him.
“All joking aside, I think you ought to consider some other options, lad,” Cirayus said. “Spirit of the Ravager boosts a giant’s strength for a brief while. Doubtless, it’ll benefit your friend there. Though, I have to wonder if it’d function better than an Aspect tattoo. The Bairan Bloodline Arts all work in tandem with our size and physique, amplifying our strengths. Taken together, they make a fierce combination.”
“But it may not be the best bet for a light and agile wolf,” Vir completed.
“So, an Aspect, then,” Aida said, tapping her chin. “I’d recommend sticking with the fundamental ones. Aspect of the Broken Realm and Aspect of the Stolen Stars might be powerful in theory, but I haven’t seen a single demon who hasn’t struggled with learning them. Maybe if you had a century or two… But I get the impression you want your wolf to be useful now.”
“I need him for the Tournament,” Vir replied.
Aida crossed both pairs of arms and nodded. “Then I suggest you go with Midwinter’s Embrace, Inferno, or Eternal Storm. Stone Sentinel’s also viable, but it sounds like you’re wanting some offensive potential in your friend.”
“Right. Preferably something that’s easy to learn and can occupy my foes,” Vir said, thinking back to Saunak’s experiments. The demon had committed unspeakable horrors to Shan’s crazed brethren, finding that only a tiny portion of beasts could use Aspect tattoos effectively. Instead, he recommended a host of other, specific magics that reminded Vir of human orbs. Enhanced visions, enhanced claw sharpness.
Those would indeed boost Shan’s capabilities, but they all felt so ordinary, and inscribing those prevented the addition of any further tattoos in the future.
And while Vir did need Shan for this tournament, he wasn’t about to cripple the beast’s potential for an immediate gain. Shan meant too much to Vir to even think of doing such a thing. Besides, Shan was far more intelligent than other Ash Wolves. If there was one among them who could learn to wield Aspect tattoos, it was his friend.
“Any of the three Aspects will do that, if you ask me,” Aida said with a shrug. “Freeze ‘em, burn ‘em, or strike ‘em down with lightning. All get the job done in different ways.”
“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, after all.
“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 for a moment, 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 that 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, falling silent.
“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.”