Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 30: The Road To Saran

Vir was out the moment his head touched sand, and for the first few hours, he slept like a log. Then, as the sun rose, and the temperature went from pleasantly warm to unbearably hot, he began to toss and turn, as did Maiya.

It was the sweat that dripped into his eyes that forced him to wake up. His armpits had turned into a river, and his back was just as soaked. Thankfully, hed removed his shirt prior to falling asleep, but that just meant granules of sand now stuck to his wet back.

AAAAAH!! GET IT OFF GET IT OFFFF!!

Vir jolted upright to Maiyas screams. He immediately reached for his katar, ready to do battle with pirates.

How did they findoh! Nevermind. With a sigh, he slowly put his weapon back down.

Maiya, its just a little scorpion.

Its icky and gross noooo!

Uh, oh. Shes crying now. Better do something

Maiya clutched at her hair, desperately trying to rid herself of the small creature that was undoubtedly panicking as much as she was.

Just hold still, Vir said, gently pulling the scorpion out of her hair and setting it down on the sand outside the tent. You almost broke our tent, Maiya.

What was I supposed to do? Just lie still and hope it went away? Maiya said, sitting with her knees drawn up to her face.

Vir rolled his eyes. These scorpions cant hurt you, Maiya. At worst, theyll sting you, but their venom is useless against humans.

This wasnt the first time this kind of thing had happened. He was sure it wouldnt be the last.

Youre such a mess, she said, commenting on his makeup.

Thats rich, coming from you. Have you taken a look at yourself? Vir countered. Maiya hadnt taken off her top for obvious reasons, leaving her shirt sticky and soiled. Good thing Riyan gave us another set of clothes.

Ugh, was Maiyas reply. Vir was used to being dirty. Maiya? Not so much.

Bet you wish you had a Water affinity right about now! He teased. At least you wouldnt have to worry about keeping clean.

His friend frowned. I guess It sure would be nice to conjure water whenever I felt like it. Apex Fire and Greater Water would be nice. Rare combination, too. Yep, thatd be nice. Water affinitys supposed to be rare, though.

True, Vir replied. There were no utility orbs that could conjure water out of thin air, after all. Water was one of those unique affinities that had applications both in and out of combat.

Vir wondered whether ice affinity magic could conjure drinking water, but he didnt know what spells that school of magic possessed. He supposed Maiya would find out soon enough once she began her mejai training.

Peeking outside, he saw the sun still high in the sky. He made a fist and sneaked an arm outside the tent, then held it straight out. Four fist widths from the horizon to the sun.

Looks like four hours of daylight left, he said. See if you can get some more sleep. Ill get food going.

Maiya responded by flopping back onto the sand.

Vir crawled out of the tent, leaving its shaded protection. The sun blared down on his skin, but thanks to the makeup on his face and arms, he managed alright.

In this scorching heat, the last thing he wanted to do was to build a fire. But food had to be cooked, and he didnt want to dip into their nonperishables just yet. Vir resigned himself to his fate and unstrapped the small bundle of firewood theyd strapped onto Bumpy.

To hide the flames, he dug a small ditch in the sand. Even during the day, the light of a fire was visible from afar. Thankfully, it was a lot easier digging into sand than dirt. But because of the heat, Vir soon found himself heaving from exertion, anyway.

The one area that had improved the least was his stamina. Vir was forced to sit down to recover his energy, and as he analyzed his black prana with Prana Vision, he suspected why.

Hed noticed before that his black prana was a tiny trickle compared to the prana inside Riyan or Maiya. Finally, he understood why: it leaked, continuously. The more effort he spent and the faster his blood pumped, the more it leaked. Both into the air, and through his feet into the ground.

He didnt really understand what effects prana depletion had, but Riyan had said that it was the energy of life, so he doubted it was a good sign.

Its almost like Im being sucked dry, he thought. But why?

No matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldnt explain why only his prana leaked out. Was his body generating more prana all the time, only for it to be sapped away? The same leakage never once happened with Riyan or Maiya. And if prana really did support life, he wondered how the people in the Voidlands survived at all.

Did they also feel weak all the time? he wondered as he got the fire going. Since the man himself wasnt around to say no, theyd borrowed one of Riyans luxury itemsa magnifying glass.

Vir lifted the heavy lens and held it above the tinder pieces hed arranged at the bottom of the pit hed dug, creating a tiny spot of incredibly bright light on the wood.

Hed never used anything like this before, though Rudvik had told him stories about how they operated. All he really had to do was hold the lens long enough to heat the wood. Something about how it concentrated the suns light to fry whatever you pointed it at.

It sounded like magic to Vir when hed first heard about it, but as it so often turned out, reality disappointed. His arms grew heavy from hefting the heavy object when a small sizzle finally showed that the lens was working.

Now it was a race against time: would Virs arms give out first? Or would the smoking tinder catch fire?

Challenge Accepted.

Perspiration flowed down his face like a river, but Vir endured. And after a short but fierce battle of mind against muscle, his persistence prevailed. The tinder lithe had a fire, and meal prep was officially in progress.

Vir let the flames grow and then burn themselves out. Once theyd become embers, he placed some fresh vegetables directly on the bed of coals.

Led by her nose, Maiya crawled out of the tent, but immediately ducked back in as if shed suffered an attack.

How in Yumas name can you even cook out there? Its so dang hot!

Vir laughed. Just stay inside. Im almost done.

As the veggies roasted and mushrooms sizzled, Vir thought back to the pirate encounter earlier. He realized he shouldve kept a better watch on the coastline for ships. Maybe hed have seen them in time to avoid them entirely. If Riyan ever heard about this, he was sure the man would give them a long lecture about situational awareness.

But the bigger issue was his chakrams crippling flaw. Hed hesitated to use the disks because he knew that each one he threw would be lost forever. If he did eventually buy nicer steel chakrams, would he be able to just throw them away like that?

If only they returned to me

But alas, they were merely disks of steel, not Artifacts from the Age of Gods. They might float through the air better than a thrown knife, but they possessed no mystical powers whatsoever. Even if they did, Vir guessed they would require magic to use.

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He shook his head. Thinking that way was dangerous and foolish. What was a piece of steel worth compared to his life, or the lives of his loved ones? Weapons were replaceable. Maiya was not.

Maybe I can get that guy to teach me archery instead

But Vir loved his chakrams. Everyone had bows, but nobody used chakrams. At least, not that hed heard of. They were rare, exotic weapons from the Age of Gods. He liked that about them.

Vir brought Maiya a bowl of the salted vegetable stir-fry, which they both gobbled up with relish.

I never realized I was this hungry, Maiya said between mouthfuls. Vir hardly heard herhe was too busy shoveling food into his mouth.

Once theyd wrapped up, Maiya dabbed away her marred makeup and reapplied it, then did the same for Vir.

What do you think? She asked once they had finished.

Its good But maybe not as good as when youd first applied it? Vir said.

Well, obviously. Im not going to get the same results with a travel kit and a small mirror. But it should be good enough. I hope, she said with a frown. Anyway, what do you want to do now? Stay on a night schedule? Or should we push forward to Saran?

Vir knew without a doubt which option Maiya preferred. Saran, he said. I think were somewhat close to the Saran-Daha highway, and were close enough now that we shouldnt encounter too many bandits. Not like blazing our own path did us much good, anyway.

Maiyas eyes lit up at his words. Oh, I cant wait to sleep in a proper bed tonight! Maybe theyll even have a bath!

I wouldnt get your hopes up, said Vir. We cant really splurge on accommodations, or we wont have enough for all the supplies Riyan wants us to bring back.

Just a littles okay, right? Its just one night! Right?

Vir laughed. Well see, Maiya. No promises though!

The two worked quickly to break up camp. Vir shoveled sand back over the fire, erasing any trace that it was there, while Maiya disassembled the tent and swept the sand to erase their tracks.

Shed found an innovative solution to her sunburn problemshed darkened her skin a bit with makeup this time around, and so she just applied the same makeup to her forearms and hands, which had the benefit of matching her facial skin tone and protecting her from the sun at the same time.

Yknow, we make a good team, Maiya remarked as they mounted Bumpy once again. We packed that stuff up in record time!

It was true. Theyd taken only half an hour to get things packed away and ready for travel.

We can probably do it even faster next time, Vir said, scanning the horizon.

He led Bumpy in a vaguely easterly direction, using the suns position and his own mental map to guide him, while Maiya used some charcoal to scribble down additions to their papyrus map as they rode.

There it is! Vir said, spotting a snaking pathway through the desert in the distance. Guess I was right. We werent far from the highway, after all.

The cobblestone path that led from Saran to the Hiranyan capital of Daha was a delight to travel upon. Even though the stones were as hard as the rocks that had given them sore bottoms last night, the road was perfectly smooth and flat, making for a much smoother ride and a faster pace.

We shouldve just taken the road in the first place, Maiya said, grumbling.

For the first time during their journey, they saw other travelers, and they encountered more and more as they neared Saran. All rode Ashvas, without exception. Some were hitched to wagons or carriages towed by the beasts, but there wasnt a single person on foot. Only a fool would cross a desert without a pack animal.

They seem pretty friendly, huh? Maiya said, nodding to another traveler.

Seems like it. But keep your guard up. Never know what kinds of people you might run into here.

Ho there, travelers! A tall man called out. He had short cropped black hair and was dressed in the flowing white robes of most of the desert travelers they encountered, apart from some gold and silver accents here and there. But the mans most distinct feature was his enormous black handlebar mustache that looked like it was more wax than hair.

Unusual to see two children on the road alone, the man said, trotting his Ashva up next to theirs. Are you in need of assistance?

Noahem, Maiya said, remembering to lower her voice, were bound for Saran. Thank you for the offer.

The stranger chuckled. If youre headed this direction, you can only be bound for the port city. But are you alone?

Maiya glanced at Vir, who responded. Were the sons of a merchant based out of Daha. Weve made this trip several times. Thank you for your concern, but we do not require any aid at this time.

Vir was surprised by his own confidence. The pirate encounter had left both of them rattled, so he wasnt sure if he could pull it off.

Were on a trade run to buy Ranian textiles from Saran, Maiya said, riffing off of Virs statement. Better deals at the port, you see.

Oho? the man said, twisting the ends of his absurd mustache. He leaned over and stared for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Do you have any business with us? Vir said, growing anxious.

Has he seen through our disguise?

Not at all, young ones. I apologize for my intrusion. I pray to Adinat that your mission is profitable. Good day.

He kicked his Ashva and sped forward.

They both let out a breath. Thought wed been made! Maiya said.

Same. That was weird, Vir replied, watching the man disappear into the distance, his beasts hooves clacking against the cobblestone road.

And how the heck is his Ashva so fast!? He said, gaping at the animals speed. It moved twice as fast as Bumpy did when he ran all out.

Some Ashva are bred for speed, Maiya replied, but they cant travel as far. Of course, top tier animals can do both, but they cost a lot more.

Did Riyan teach you that too?

She shook her head. Nope, dad did. So anyway, what do you think that was about?

Wish I knew.

Yet something nagged at his mind as they rode on, like an itch he couldnt quite scratch. Minutes later, it finally clicked. Say, he said. Wasnt that man going the other way when he bumped into us? Wasnt he leaving Saran?

Maiya tapped her chin. Now that you mention it Yeah. Yeah, he was. Wait, she said, the color draining from her face. You think

I hope not, Vir said, but he had a bad feeling about this. Stay sharp, Maiya.

City walls appeared on the horizon just as the sun set, painting the sky with its brilliant hues.

For Vir and Maiya, whod never once laid eyes on a proper city before, the walls stood imposingly tall. Soldiers walked along its ramparts, and its many crenellations and arrow slits cued up tales of fantasy and myth in their minds.

Had they looked closer, theyd have noticed cracks in its foundation, gaps in the security patrols, and a myriad of other signs that told a different story entirely.

Time to put our acting skills to the test, I guess, Vir mumbled, seeing the line of wagons and carriages waiting to enter Saran. The guards were stopping everyone before allowing them to enter.

Dont worry, I got this, Maiya said. Let me do the talking. Riyan told me that businesses ordinarily need papers to get through, but Sawai dont. And apparently, its a big deal if a commoner is rude to nobility, so well play that to our advantage. Plus, were arriving during the day. He said the security checks get worse at night, since thats when the shadier types try to get in.

Vir wondered whether that was true, or whether it was just the less competent brigands who arrived at night. If he wanted to enter illegally, hed do so during the day, just as they were doing now. He suspected others did the same, but since no one caught them, no one knew.

Virs nerves grew tauter and tauter as they crept closer to the gates. We couldve traveled another dozen miles in the time its taken for us to inch closer to the gate. This is so frustrating! he ranted.

After what felt like an eternity to Vir, their turn finally arrived. As theyd discussed, he let Maiya do the talking.

Papers, please, the guard said. The man wore a full length gray gambeson with the Hiranyan coat of arms embroidered on his chest. His only weapon was a talwar, which hung from his waist, but the other handful of guards that loitered nearby all wielded polearms.

The mere sight of that infernal weapon drummed up terrible memories inside Vir, forcing him to look away.

Maiya feigned a look of shock. You would ask a child of the Suvir family for their papers? Do you not see who I am, you fool?

Vir could scarcely believe the words pouring out of Maiyas mouth. Her swaggering, overconfident tone was unlike anything hed ever heard before.

The guard jolted back at Maiyas words. No, ser, no, of course not. Just doing my job, ser. May I ask your lordship what business brings you to our city?

Maiya gazed at her fingernails as if she were bored out of her mind and that being here was the worst thing in the world.

Oh, its all very droll, you see. Father wants us to buy some of those new Ranian textiles everyones been talking about in the capital. Honestly, can you believe that? He tasked us to come out here to the arse-end of nowhere to do a servants bidding! Maiya said, letting out a very long sigh. But I suppose that well peruse the wares, now that were here. You understand, dont you?

Oh yes, ser. Absolutely. Please dont let us keep you any longer. We hope you enjoy your stay in our city.

Oh, I am quite certain I wont, but I appreciate the gesture, Maiya said, tossing a small sack of Imperium coppers to the guard.

The man fumbled to catch the sack before hurriedly stuffing it into his gambeson. Vir wondered whether bribery was the norm here, or if it was something that fell under the dont ask, dont tell category. From the way the guard hid the coins, he suspected the latter.

Vir guided Bumpy past the checkpoint and took a deep breath. His heart quickened and his palms tightened around Bumpys reins.

After all, it wasnt every day that someone stepped foot into a city for the first time in their life.

Next time: 31 - Country Bumpkins

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