Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 33: The Culprit

Vir!? Vir! Oh, gods!

Vir heard someones voice, but as his consciousness ebbed in and out, he found it hard to even walk.

Into yer cell, boy! Said the jailor.

A great force crashed into Virs back, sending him to his knees. His palms scraped against the rough stone floor, tearing his skin. His arms, unable to bear his weight, gave out, and his face hit the ground.

What did you do to him!? someone shrieked. Maiya.

As he lay with his face touching the cool stone, colors flooded his sight.

Great, now Im hallucinating. That cant be good, he thought. It took him a while to realize that he was actually quite wrong.

Though his sight barely workedone of his eyes had swollen shutPrana Vision flared at full capacity. In fact, hed never seen such vivid colors before. The browns of Earth prana shone like an infinite expanse of prana, and the grays of Shadow affinity prana were brighter than ever. Even the blacks were visible, interspersed among the brown

Wait Black prana!? Was there supposed to be black prana?

Something felt off about that in his mind, but he was simply too addled to think straight right now. Where even was he? Was Maiya alright? Virs thoughts came haphazard and jumbled through the pain.

He got what was comin to im. Lying about bein a ristos grounds for execution. But were merciful folk here at Saran, so yer both sentenced to hard labor instead. Ten years.

What!? Maiya screamed. You cant do this to us! You cant!

We need to get out of here, Vir thought. His entire body throbbed with pain, and it was all he could do to endure it without blacking out.

We can do whatever we want ta nobodies like you. Speshully lyin nobodies, the jailor said with a snort, slamming their cell door shut.

Vir heard his footsteps die away as a pair of soft, slender hands turned him around.

Oh, Vir, Maiya said, tearing off her sleeve to wipe the blood from his face.

Vir grinned, but as disfigured as he was, his expression had scared Maiya, making her flinch. He gave her a thumbs up. Im okay, Maiya. Bruised, is all.

Vir, what in Veras name happened!?What did they do to you?

Theyd been treated well enough, initially. Vir had taken a light slap to the face for daring to escape from the guards, but at the time, theyd considered them sons of Sawai aristocracy. The guards couldnt do much beyond that.

Then theyd arrived at the city dungeon, and things went downhill pretty quickly. Vir had never anticipated that theyd have a literal booka registryfilled with aristocratic names, both Hiranyan and foreign. After cross checking the Suvir name, they quickly found that there was in fact no such family.

And the penalty for lying about ones status was severe, as he soon found out.

Didnt Cough, didnt take my makeup off, Vir said between hacking coughs. It boggled his mind how they hadnt discovered his disguise through all the beating and bruising. The makeup must have been severely marred. He thanked Yuma that hed refused to wear a wig. It would have come off, revealing his subterfuge.

Thats Vir, Im so, so sorry. If only Id jumped up to the roof, back in the alley If only I hadnt negotiated as hard with those merchants, this wouldnt ever have happened.

Vir shook his head, gingerly sitting up. Wasnt you. We were framed. I asked them. Said there were mass robberies. Goods outright stolen by the crate. You didnt steal a thing. Someone set us up.

We let our guard down. After their run in with the man outside Saran, Vir should have been more cautious. Maybe if he'd spotted the guards earlier, they could have escaped. At the very least, he should've had a contingency plan in case they were ambushed. It was not a mistake he would ever make again.

You protected me, Vir. You shielded me from all this

Vir had taken charge the moment theyd entered the jail. He claimed sole responsibility for his actions and actively provoked the guards to ensure that their attention rested squarely upon him.

He grinned. You really think Id let them lay a hand on you?

Of course, that meant his actions had gotten him beaten to a bloody pulp the moment the guards realized he wasnt an aristocrat. Bruises covered his thighs and biceps. One of his fingers blinded him with pain when he tried to move it, and his left eye was swollen shut.

Doesnt look like they broke any bones at least, he said. I managed to deflect their attacks. Made for some good training.

You call this training!? Maiya said, tearing up.

Shed done everything in her power to clean up his wounds, but without a Life affinity orb, there was little else she could do apart from cradling Vir in her arms, soothing him with her words.

Several moments passed in silence as Vir ebbed in and out of consciousness. Then, once he'd gained some lucidity, he bolted up.

We need to get out of here, Vir said, trying, and failing, to stand. He sat down on the stone cot instead, resting his head on Maiyas lap.

Believe me, Ive tried, Maiya replied. I dont think theres a way. I dont even think our katars would help if we still had them. I think I think we may have to wait until they take us away.

Vir shook his head. Theyll have us in chains. Wont be able to escape. Surprised were not chained up right now, actually.

Ill keep looking for a way, Maiya said, gently pushing on his chest. You lie down and get some rest, Vir. Please?

Sure, Maiya, he lied, closing his eyes. If they wanted to have any chance of breaking out of this prison, theyd need an edge. Any benefit they could get.

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And the only thing Vir had a lead on was Prana Vision. It had aided him in combat several times before, and if he could activate it on demand, it may give them exactly what they needed. Even just being able to see prana signatures through walls would allow them to slip past guards far more safely than if they relied on just their eyes and ears.

Vir turned his vision inward, keenly observing his prana flow.

He already knew that prana flow was locked to his blood flow. What he saw now only confirmed that theoryhis blood moved in different ways now, in response to the shock of his injuries. There was actually less blood flowing to his extremitieshis fingers and his toes. But in return, his largest blood pathways had opened up further, pumping enormous amounts of blood around his bodyespecially to his heart, his lungs, and crucially, his head.

Specifically, his eyes.

So it really is all related to blood flow, Vir reflected.

Hed already guessed as much, but here was irrefutable proof. The flow of his blood may have been different in response to fear versus pure exertion, but in the end, the concept was simple.

Namely, the more bloodand thus pranathat flowed to his eyes, the stronger Prana Vision became.

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That meant it was just a matter of controlling the prana within his body. If he could grab a hold of his prana and move it to his eyes, it should have the same effect. The only question was how exactly to do that.

The thought had occurred to him before, but hed dismissed it as an impossibility. He was sure hed spend hours, or possibly even days, on this task. There was no way this would be so easy.

Vir took a deep breath and saw the prana going into his head, then reached out and, with every ounce of his willpower, forced it to stop.

The prana actually stopped! Virs eyes shot open, joy and surprise rushing through his body.

I did it!? I actually did it!! He could scarcely believe it! With this, hed unlocked several options.

I cant wait to tell!? Virs thoughts were cut short as pain erupted from his head.

Then he blacked out.

Some unknown amount of time later, Vir awoke to wracking pain.

What happened? he thought, cracking an eye open to find his head in Maiyas lap. She had dozed off at some point.

She mustve thought Id nodded off, Vir thought, rubbing his aching head.

Vir righted himself, but immediately regretted it. Even the slightest movement made him want to puke.

As the cobwebs cleared from his mind, he thought back to what could possibly have happened, and quickly realized his mistake.

Hed reached out and stopped prana flow into his head. All the prana.

Since hed never even once seen prana flow independently from blood, that meant hed actually stopped his blood too.

Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid, you grakking chal! What was he even thinking? He could kill himself, fumbling around like this! He knew that cutting blood flow to his head would be a terrible idea all along.

Yet he knew why he did it anywayhe was confident it wouldnt work. He was sure hed fail. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his first attempt to be a success. It had worked! Just that itd worked too well.

He sat in silence for several minutes as his headache and nausea abated, reflecting about how hed have to exercise caution with his experiments from now on.

Psst. Hey! Hey you! Oh, cmon. Wake up! a voice whispered from somewhere nearby, interrupting his thoughts.

Maiya, weve got company. Vir nudged his friend awake, suspiciously eyeing the stranger outside their jail cell.

An emaciated girl with long, pasty black hair stood barefoot at the entrance of their cell, skittishly glancing down the hall. Her wrists and legs were so thin, Vir felt like he could snap them without even trying. She looked to be a few years younger than Vir, and her dress was a stained patchwork of repaired fabric and holes.

I feel like I recognize her from somewhere

Vir exchanged glances with his friend. Whoever this newcomer was, they clearly didnt have permission to be here.

Who are you? Maiya whispered.

Someone who can help. I can get you out! the girl said, holding up an enormous keychain with dozens of keys on it. Lets see This one? No, this one.

She slotted the key into the lock, but didnt turn it.

I can help you escape. But

Vir narrowed his eyes. There was always a but.

The girl looked at him sheepishly, then rubbed her thumb against her fingers, in the universal gesture for money.

Of course. The girl looked like she was starving. If it was coin she wanted

How much? Vir asked.

Everything you have.

Maiya snorted. Thats hardly reasonable. We can give you a quarter of what we have.

Look, mister, Im only here because your friend over there was a lil nice to one of our own. Guess I read you wrong. Oh well, she said, pulling the key out of the lock.

For the first time, Maiya panicked. This negotiation wasnt going according to her script. Vir stepped in to help her out.

Wait, he said. We need the rest to buy supplies. Please understand.

The girl held up two fingers, a sly grin plastered over her face. Half.

Vir gave Maiya a small nod.

Maiya understood his message. Okay. Well come with you, she said. But we need answers first. And well need the gear we were carrying with us.

No way. No, no, no. Too dangerous! The girl said, shaking her head vigorously.

Look, you want our money? Its in our gear.

The girl looked at them incredulously. You dont hide your money near your privates!?

What!? Vir and Maiya said in unison.

Your privates! They never check down there. Nevermind. Alright! Fine. I think I know where they keep stuff theyve taken from prisoners, she said, unlocking the door, which thankfully swung open silently. Vir wondered why there was no magic lock on a door like this, but he realized the guards likely considered them harmless.

Thank Yuma! Maiya whispered, clasping her hands together in prayer as she stepped out of the cell. So, where to? She asked the girl.

Their savior beckoned them to follow, and they did. Magic Lamps placed on the walls at regular intervals filled the dungeon hallway with plenty of light. Which only made sneaking around that much harder.

Riyan had once told them that true subterfuge meant being able to walk into a kings palace and walk out with no one being the wiser. Along those lines, the best disguise for a dungeon like this was a dungeon guards uniform. Not that theyd ever prepared anything like that. Vir wondered what Riyan would do in this situation.

Who am I kidding? Riyan wouldnt have allowed himself to be captured in the first place, Vir thought to himself.

The hall ended in a T junction, beyond which voices could be heard. Sounds of grumbling and gossip came from somewhere on the left junction. Vir braced himself for a fight, but the girl turned to the right, away from the voices.

She then turned left, and left again, putting them at a wooden door.

Vir and Maiya both had the same thoughtthe girl was far too good at this. She moved with the confidence of someone whod infiltrated the prison several times in the past. Just who was she?

With practiced efficiency, the girl picked the doors lock, but this one had a magic lock on it as well.

How are you going tooh, Maiya said as the girl swung the door open effortlessly.

They didnt build these doors properly, she said. If you get past the lock in the right way, you dont need to worry about the magic one.

Smart Maiya commented.

Vir bolted inside the moment the door swung open and handed Maiya her rucksack. He opened his own pack and rummaged past the rice and other supplies theyd bought. He breathed a sigh of relief when he located the money box hed hidden within. Intact, locked, and just as full as before.

Alda held out her hand expectantly.

Now? Vir breathed. The girl didnt seem like shed compromise. Vir handed the box to Maiya, who unlocked it.

Show me everything in there, said the girl.

Maiya obeyed, showing the girl the contents of their coffersix silvers and ten coppersbefore handing her three silvers and five coppers. The girl took the coins, handling them with reverence, before depositing them into a leather sack shed pulled out from who-knew-where, giving it a satisfied pat.

Vir retrieved his katar, slipping it inside his waistband, hiding it under his shirt. Maiya did the same.

Lets go, he said, hurriedly donning his rucksack. Though theyd been fleeced, he still couldnt believe their luck. Which was why he knew it wouldnt last. Ever since theyd left the cell, hed been on guard, ready to spring into action the moment they were spotted. Every time they approached a turn, he prepared himself to encounter a half dozen guards on the other side. Every sound they made, he was sure the guards heard.

Virs nerves continued to fray with each empty hall and silent corner they encountered, to the point where his heart felt like it would jump out of his chest. He contemplated trying to activate Prana Vision, but decided against it. If he blacked out again now, itd be disastrous.

Yet as time dragged on, and after they crawled through a hole in the prisons foundation, leading to an alley, Vir finally realized that theyd made it out. In secret, and with no issues at all.

Maybe the gods are real after all He couldnt imagine having escaped so easily without the blessing of at least a handful of deities.

No. He refused to grow complacent. Things never went this well. Theyd not only escaped ten years of hard labor, theyd escaped the very same day, with their supplies! It was too good to be true. Which probably meant that the girl was leading them into another trap.

Sarans city lights illuminated the streets against a darkening blue skythere were no windows inside the jail, so Vir had no idea how much time had passed. By the looks of things, itd been at least six hours, and dusk had just fallen.

Vir didnt know who this girl was or what her intentions were, and he wasnt going to find out. Theyd mistreated him, and he was angry. Angry enough to turn on the person whod helped them. Perhaps it was paranoia, but it was the cautious who survived.

He signaled to Maiya with his hands. Be ready. Biding his time, Vir waited for the right opportunity. The girl led them across a main road, then into another alley. It was perfect. Empty, dark, and with branching alleys that they could use to make their escape.

Well, you fleeced us, but thanks for the help anyway, he said, drawing his katar in one fluid motion. Were gonna go our own way now. Dont follow us. If you do, well retaliate.

Before the girl knew it, she was staring down the blades of two katars, her back pressed against a stone wall. W-wait! Im not a bad person, I swear! I just We wanted to help you, she said, scratching the back of her head.

Why? Nobody risks their neck for strangers like that, Maiya said.

Its because, uh well. Ysee Im kinda the one who set you up?

Vir and Maiya's blades were at the girl's throat before she'd even realized what happened.

Next time: 34 - A Sheen Tarnished