Chapter 171: Primordial Nature

Chapter 171: Primordial Nature

The world shook again, but this time, Vir expected it. He flexed his knees and kept his balance as the oversized turtle took another gargantuan step.

So thats my goal, then? Vir asked. The center of this little valley?

The prana grew denser the closer one neared the center of the dip in the turtles shell, which in turn strengthened the beasts more than those at the periphery. It wasnt a slight change, either. The prana in the outermost domain was easily triple what it was where Vir stood, with deeper domains continuing the pattern.

Cirayus laughed. No, lad. See the hole there? he said, pointing at the very center of the valley.

In fact, Vir hadnt seen it. The cloud of prana was so thick it was visible with the naked eye, but Prana Vision, even dormant as it was, turned the cloud into an opaque black mass, essentially blinding Vir.

Still need to deal with that, he thought. It stood as his last hurdle to true acclimatization.

That wasn't the only reason, though. An ominous Ash Tear hovered in the distance, some twenty paces off the turtle's back. Like a looking glass into some other part of the Ash. It was too far to be a threat, so Vir ignored it for now.

It leads into the Mahakurmas shell, Cirayus continued. The center of the valley is nothing but an entrance to the final beasts lair, but to get there, youll have to deal with the others, first. Each beast here has claimed its domain. They will not let anyone pass.

What happens at the center?

Not at, but below. Beneath the surface, your greatest challenge awaits. You must journey down into the depths of the shell, where your final foe remains. The beasts up here cannot compare to the one who dwells below, so brace yourself. And pace yourself. We shall remain here as long as it remains safe.

Why wouldnt it be safe? I thought you said we were protected here?

Aye, but the Mahakurmas on the move. It may well wander into more dangerous parts of the Ash, where graver threats lurk. Trust me, you do not want to be caught in a fight between a Mahakurma and a Wyrm.

Vir didnt need any convincing. Merely imagining that clash of world-ending beasts sent shivers down his back. That wouldnt be a battle Itd be a natural disaster.

Cirayus paused for a moment, regarding the deadly beasts with a pensive expression Vir couldnt quite place.

Vir was about to sit down to meditate when the demon spoke.

This training is designed to teach you one thing, and one thing only.

Which is?

I cannot say.

You dont know? Vir echoed. This might very well have been the first time the giant admitted to not knowing something.

One of your ancestors was said to possess an ability so powerful, it turned him practically immortal within the ash.

The Ultimate Bloodline tattoos, you mean?

Nay. Something else. Something related to their prana circulation. Jalendra the Wise mastered it for certain. Whether the others did, I cannot say. However, it is my belief that you must master this ability if you are to realize your true potential. You have seen Parais memory, have you not? Did you ever encounter such a thing?

Vir thought for a moment, recalling all the patterns Parai used to cycle his prana. Patterns that gave him armor, boosted his vitality and likely did a slew of other things Vir wasnt aware of.

Possibly. But if you asked me to copy it, I couldnt.

Pity. Im afraid I cannot help you there, lad, other than telling you of the feats they accomplished.

That might actually help. If Vir understood the kinds of things Parai could do, he might reverse engineer the techniques.

The giant then spoke at length about Parais feats of combat, but in the end, all Vir understood was that Parai was unfairly powerful. The demon could shrug off lethal attacks and burst the blood of his enemies through prana manipulation alone.

Cirayus, do you know why Prana Channeling works the way it does? Vir asked. I copied Parais technique, but I still have no idea why it works the way it does. Even modifying it slightly messes everything up.

Vir still remembered the debilitating pain from when hed tried.

The basics, yes. Our Thaumaturges have several theories on the matter. It has to do with harmonizing the 144 chakrathe centers of energythat run through the body. Its by no means an exact science, and research continues on it to this day. Suffice it to say, that experimenting with new cycling techniques is strictly the domain of the foolish and the highly experienced. Youd best stay away from it for now, lad.

This was the first Vir had heard of such a thing, though with the abysmal state human magic development was in, it hardly came as a surprise.

What else do demons know about prana that humans dont?

Vir resolved to learn those answers, eventually. For now, he focused on the task at hand. First up was a little exploring.

Glancing up, he found the Ash Tear gone without a trace.

Not a bad idea scouting out the domain lords to see what Im up against, Vir thought.

He didnt plan to take them downat least, not yet. There were a number of experiments he wanted to run first. As optimistic as he was, he didnt think for an instant hed win against these foes. If he could, thered have been no point coming here.

Vir brought out some pen and parchment and began jotting down the local scenery.

The hill he was on supported a small forest that ran right to the base of a solitary mountain that soared hundreds of paces into the air. It was by far the tallest object riding atop the Mahakurmas back, and Vir thought he spied puffs of smoke shooting from the top. He jotted all of that down.

The forest ended abruptly, giving way to a saddle on the turtles back, where the beasts had marked their domains. He marked these as best he could, scrawling Xs at the various domain lords favorite lounging spots.

It wasnt especially obvious where one Ash Beasts territory ended and another began, so Vir spent a good hour sitting and waiting for the lazy creatures to move. Some patrolled their space diligently, while others were content to laze around, idling their time away.

Most were of types Vir had never seen, but thankfully, he did recognize the closest onethe beast hed have to fight first. It was one Maiya had fought during her time near the Ash Wall.

Shredders were bipedal lizardlike beasts that walked on their hind legs, bearing a passing resemblance to the Raptors Vir had dispatched earlier, on the Abyssal Flats. Unlike their lesser brethren, Shredders were solitary beasts, and as tall as Vason. Their elongated maws hid three rows of deadly teeth, and their razor-sharp claws and resistance to magic made them both dangerous and difficult to kill. Their semi-translucent, pasty white skin allowed a view into their internal organs, turning an ugly beast into an abomination straight out of a nightmare.

The bestiary had put their Balar Rank between 180 and 300, but Vir knew at a glance that this one topped the upper end of that range. Individually, it was stronger than even the Brood Matron, a beast Vir had struggled to kill even with Tia and her party backing him up.

Then again, hed benefited from the Ash as much as the beast had.

Well, not quite as much; the prana density grew dramatically as he approached, nearly forcing him to leverage Parais Reverse Technique to prevent discomfort. The Shredder wouldve had the benefit of living in such a region for months. Possibly years.

If its this strong here, how much denser will it be at the very center? And has it opened any chakras?

Vir had no way to tell, but the reward for besting one was twofold. Not only would it serve as evidence of his power gains, bringing him closer to his goal, but meditating in the beasts lair would grow his bloods prana capacity, strengthening him.

With excitement growing in his chest, Vir activated Dance of the Shadow Demon. After ensuring Cirayus shadow was within range for use as an exit, he entered his own shadow.

Cirayus expected him to take months to deal with these monsters, but Vir wasnt about to wait that long.

Today.

He didnt expect to win. Here in the Ash, there were no Balarian proctors. No ranks with which to gauge power levels. It was safer to wait. It made more sense.

Yet time was a luxury he simply didnt have. Already, weeks had passed in the Human Realm and he refused to burn any more here at the periphery. If not for Cirayus, for Maiya.

With the eyes of a predator, Vir watched. And he waited.

Its a monster, was Virs first thought.

Im gonna fight this thing? was his second.

Two hours later, Vir was convinced hed lose. He wasnt strong enough to fight it. Not yet. But he was still going to.

It wasnt like he was trying to be a reckless chal. Hed carefully studied the vile creature from all angles as it patrolled its domain. When his time in the shadows ran out, Vir simply reactivated Dance. Even if Ash prana could be depleted within the Ashen Realma big ifhe certainly wasnt capable of accomplishing that monumental feat. This meant he got to enjoy the luxury of infinite Talent usages, and he abused that luxury to spy on the enemy.

The Shredders small arms may not have looked like much, but prana coated them like a razor. It looked identical to Prana Blade, except it was always active. The same went for its three rows of jagged teeth, each lined with prana. Finally, its tail literally was a blade, and it, too, had prana to enhance it.

The other parts of its body, while less deadly, were no weaker. The prana armor that clung to the Shredders skin made Vir wonder if Prana Blade could even get through. It wasnt merely thickit was so dense, Prana Vision couldnt penetrate it.

Nor was it clumsy and slow like a Phantomblade. While it moved lazily, it was by choice rather than necessityits musculature betrayed its agility. Vir had caught the abomination Blinking at its prey more than once.

Fleeing would be hard, Vir thought, especially if it has good senses.

A glance at Cirayus confirmed the demon was observing his every movement.

Vir could run all the way back and hide behind him, essentially forcing the giant to deal with the beast, but something told him his teacher wouldnt be very pleased with that outcome.

Lets call it the last resort, then. Here goes nothing!