Ashborn Primordial-Chapter Ashborn 402: The Akh Nara Effect

Nayan was done for. The moment the Akh Nara intervened, he knew. He’d be thrown out of his leadership position, at the very least. In some armies, his failure could have him court martialled… But this was the Akh Nara’s army. As feared as they were by the other demons, it was, perhaps, the most lenient and generous army he’d ever seen.

Not that Nayan had seen very much—he’d been a Laborer before all of this, like everyone else—but he’d seen how the Chits ran their armies. True, the conditions here were dangerous. Beyond dangerous, and each warrior worked themselves to the bone.

But they were well-fed, serviced by some of the best chefs Nayan had ever seen. They’d each been bestowed Aspect tattoos for free, and the gear they received was seric steel, personalized and tailored to their fighting style.

Moreover, the Akh Nara did not punish his troops when they failed. No, he encouraged them instead. Told them where they had gone wrong, and sought ways to help them improve. The Ravager was no different. Despite his fearsome reputation, Nayan found him to be one of the most pleasant, mild-mannered demons he had ever met. Were it not for the vaunted tattoos running all over his body and his legendary reputation, Nayan might’ve passed him off as just a half-sized Bairan.

Nayan did not know if this behavior was normal, and the Chitran were the exception, but he somehow suspected it was not. What the Akh Nara had built here was the finest fighting force in the realm—even a blind demon could see that.

And now, Nayan had failed them. He had boldly organized this raid through the Gauntlet, and he’d failed. As forgiving as the Akh Nara was, Nayan knew there was no recovering from this.

Their leader descended softly in front of them as if he weighed nothing. He did weigh nothing, Nayan corrected. As if his legends weren’t already grand enough, the demigod had gone and gotten the Bairans’ Ultimate Bloodline Art.

What purpose his army served, and why they trained so hard to take down a city when they had not one, but two living deities on their side, Nayan did not know. Nor was it his place to question.

“Well done, everyone,” the Akh Nara said, nodding to Nayan’s squad. The great leader had appeared in front of him like this a handful of times, and whenever he did, Nayan was reminded of just how young he was. While the Akh Nara was millennia old, to Nayan and the others, his current body was just a babe’s.

And yet, here he was, leading what was perhaps the greatest demon army of all time, plotting to overthrow an entire clan.

Who was Nayan, in comparison? A lowly Laborer Calling who had wasted his life, toiling away as a slave for the very demons who slaughtered his whole family…

“Your strategy was sound,” the Akh Nara said. “Your squad showed discipline and sound decision-making.”

Nayan felt the hot spark of pride swell within his chest. It was quickly extinguished.

“So? Where did you go wrong?”

He hung his head in shame. “The fault lies with me and me only,” Nayan said, forcing himself to stand straight. “I accept full responsibility.”

The Akh Nara’s lips curled up in amusement. Had Nayan said something off? Had he offended the deity, somehow?

“Admirable,” the Akh Nara said. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

Nayan’s blood ran cold. Sweat formed on his brow, and he thought his heart might falter. First, the failure, and now this?

“A thousand apologies, Akh Nara. We failed because we were outnumbered. As the leader, I should have known this before we were swarmed.”

“Why were you outnumbered?” the Akh Nara asked, ignoring Nayan’s admission of guilt.

“I failed to account for the rate at which the beasts could swarm into the Gauntlet. I believed our squad capable of dispatching enemies faster.”

“So you blame your troops, then?” the Akh Nara said, and when his eyes came to rest on Nayan, it felt as though they bored holes into his very soul.

“No, Akh Nara. The fault is mine for underestimating the enemy.”

The god nodded. “You overestimated your own capability. Given more time and experience, that estimation would have been sound. As you are, however, your troops are an insufficient match against this foe. Continue to train and ply yourselves. I’ve no doubt you will soon be ready.”

“Yes, Akh Nara!” his squad cried.

“Dismissed!”

Nayan’s troops filtered back through the Gate one by one. They’d earned a half-day of reprieve—all who attempted the Gauntlet did, regardless of outcome.

Nayan had just turned to leave when the Akh Nara spoke again.

“Not you.”

Nayan stiffened.

Here it comes, he thought, turning slowly, not daring to look the deity in the eye.

“Tell me about yourself,” the Akh Nara said.

Nayan didn’t even question why his supreme commander would ask such a thing. He simply replied.

“Nothing of note, my lord. I was a tailor when Samar Patag fell. My family… did not survive.”

Nayan heard footsteps, followed by a pressure on his shoulder. He stiffened.

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“I’m sorry,” the Akh Nara said. “Truly.”

“N-no, please,” Nayan stammered. The Akh Nara was touching him! Was consoling him! Him! Nayan’s heart beat like mad… But the memory of his family cut through his nerves like a seric executioner’s blade. “It is good they didn’t,” he said at last. “I would not wish what happened after upon my worst enemy, let alone my wife and child.”

The Akh Nara said nothing for a long moment, but the pressure on Nayan’s shoulder increased. This was not how he envisioned this meeting would go.

With a gulp, he mustered his resolve. “What is to be my punishment?”

The Akh Nara spoke with such presence, Nayan was convinced deities like the Akh Nara were different on a fundamental level. His bearing was just so… regal, in a way Nayan could never hope to match.

“Punishment?” the Akh Nara asked, as though the question surprised him. Were it anyone else, Nayan would have thought that. But nothing surprised a deity. No, it was Nayan’s misunderstanding. He was being tested. Yes, that made much more sense. Nayan chided himself for thinking otherwise, even for a moment.

“Yes,” Nayan said, more boldly. “For failing my troops. For putting them in danger.”

The Akh Nara… laughed. “Yes. Let’s see. Your punishment shall be most severe. You will know neither rest nor reprieve. Your every waking moment will be a living nightmare.”

Nayan braced himself for whatever was to come. He’d given his soul to the rebellion, after all. He’d sworn to honor his Hetal and Darshan’s memories by restoring justice to the world. Or, if not the world, at least to his clan.

“Anything,” he breathed.

“From this day forth, you will report directly to Cirayus.”

“Come again?” Nayan said, feeling his head spin. The Akh Nara had misspoken.No, Nayan must have misheard. Yes, that was it. Surely…

“The Ravager will take you on as a pupil. Do as he commands. Listen to his every word. For he is the best instructor you’ll find in any realm.”

Nayan gulped. What in all the realms was going on?

Vir walked away from the sobbing Gargan as steadily as he could manage. Internally, he was anything but. He’d never been good at handling situations like these. That whole conversation, he’d been at a loss for what to say. Did his words of sympathy come across as cold and insincere? Did the demon hate him now?

Vir shook his head. Regardless of what Nayan thought of him, he was too valuable to leave unpolished. It would take time, but Cirayus would turn the commander into one of Vir’s best.

With Raoul’s impending demise, Vir was in dire need of leaders like Nayan. He only hoped he could nurture enough, and that they would be ready in time.

“Ekat’Ma,” Vir said, returning through the Gate to the army’s primary base.

“At your service,” came the reply from his own shadow. Ekat’Ma had become indispensable as of late, serving as the mouthpiece for the eyes and ears that were his network of Iksana spies.

Vir worked the small team hard, sending them everywhere from Baira to Samar Patag to track his ally’s progress and keep watch on his enemies.

“Have you… been well?” he asked, regretting his words before they’d even left his mouth. Just how insincere his small-talk have sounded.

Ekat’Ma remained silent, heightening Vir’s anxiety.

“What you have done… What you have given us… A miracle.”

“A miracle?” Vir asked. “You refer to the strength you’ve gained from the Ash.”

Ekat’Ma surfaced fully from the shadows. “Yes. We are now the strongest Iksana. In all our lives, would never have this opportunity.”

Vir waved away her words. “You know as well as I that I did this for my sake. To prove my worth to your Raja.”

“Does it change the fact that we are stronger?”

“I suppose not,” Vir replied.

“Iksana value trust. We value those who treat us well. I cannot speak for Sagun’Ra or the Iksana, but with us, you will never fear betrayal. Come what may.”

“You would go against your own clan?” Vir asked, more than a little shocked. The Iksana gave their loyalty to no one aside from their Raja.

“Yes,” came Ekat’Ma’s curt reply. It was all that was needed.

“Thank you,” Vir said. “I will strive to be worthy of that trust.”

Ekat’Ma said nothing, sinking back into her shadow.

Even with just a dozen Iksana, Vir had expanded his awareness beyond what a hundred normal spies could have accomplished. If he had thousands?

Vir didn’t dare imagine the true breadth and depth of the Iksana intelligence network. For as much as Maiya boasted about the Children of Ash’s capabilities, Vir doubted it was in the same league as the masters of shadow.

“Is everyone ready?” he asked.

“Ready and waiting,” the hidden ghael’s voice came.

“Then let us ensure we put on a good show,” Vir said, angling for the base’s main entrance.

What had once been a small garrison had grown into a sprawling operation a half a mile in each direction, engulfing the Gate nexus that had initially been outside the original premises. Its log palisade walls were tall and tough, and its ramparts heavily patrolled at all hours.

Within the compound, further patrolled walls divided each subsection, guaranteeing that any invader met with stiff resistance.

It was a fort within a fortress within the Ash, which was itself a sort of impregnable barrier of its own. His Sanctum Sanctorum.

Vir hoped to one day move the army even deeper, to where the Gauntlet had been set up. Alas, that day would not come soon. In the meantime, he was content knowing that any fool who fought their way through his Gate network and periphery bases would meet only despair and defeat.

Vir Leaped his way to the command center. The large, newly expanded building served as the central information hub for his army, where demons toiled at all hours of the day, tracking logistics, organizing training schedules, sending emergency dispatches to the furthest reaches of the Ash, and relaying messages to and from the Demon Realm.

It was the brain of his entire military operation, and was thusly surrounded by a triple set of walls that dominated a whole corner of the enormous compound.

For this meeting, the room had been cleared of all nonessential personnel, leaving only Tara, Cirayus, Ekat’Ma, Vir, Balagra, Malik, and, of course, Ashani. His core leadership, aside from Greesha and Janani, who were unable to enter the Ash.

“Report on the preparation for our invasion,” Vir said, turning to Cirayus.

His godfather nodded seriously. “Well. With the help of your Ash Gates, we have had good luck staging supplies in the forests that surround Samar Patag.”

“Any evidence our movements have been detected?” Balagra asked.

“None,” Cirayus replied. “We’ve taken great pains to keep our activity stealthy. The Chits don’t have a clue. Even so, I have to wonder why we don’t simply create Ash Gates in the city itself.”

“I have to agree,” Balagra said. “It seems like as though—”

“No,” Vir said, slamming the large circular table that dominated the center of the space. “We’ve been over this before. I refuse to put innocents’ lives in jeopardy. Besides, you all know of Ashani’s limit. She’s created as many Ash Gates as she can. To make any more would require us to tear down existing Gates, and we need each and every one for this operation to be a success.”

His commanders all frowned, clearly harboring misgivings, but none spoke any further.

“With that resolved, let us move on to other matters. Malik. Logistics.”

“Yes, Akh Nara. Things are proceeding smoothly, though I’m worried about our food stores…”

The meeting went on for a half hour before all items were addressed. By the time Vir finished, he was utterly exhausted.

As much as he wished to sequester himself in Mahādi and train, there was still work to be done.

“Well?” he asked, once everyone had left the room. Everyone, that was, except for a certain Iksana spymaster.

“Not at all. Raoul is making preparations to leave through the Gate as we speak.”

“Like a bandy to its owner. Good,” Vir said, sinking into the shadows. “Then let us follow.”