Ashborn Primordial

Chapter Ashborn 403: Those That Move In The Dark

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Raoul left the meeting feeling quite smug. The invasion was less than a month away, at least for those in the Deep Ash. For Samar Patag, only days remained.

It was why he had to be quick about this meeting. A necessary evil, yet one that Raoul could scarcely afford. How many days would pass in the hours he was away? How many plans would be made without his knowledge?

Raoul had done well until now, keeping abreast of the Akh Nara’s designs. To this day, the oh-so-great supreme commander didn’t suspect a thing.

Unsurprising, considering the boy’s lack of experience, but he had that infernal fossil—the Ravager—at his side. Little made it past that one’s eyes, and so Raoul had taken every precaution. From hiding his little meetings under the guide of genuine, actual work to support the rebellion to employing Iksana spies of his own, he left no stone unturned. No effort spared to ensure that his actions went unseen.

And, though Raoul was more aware of his limitations than most, he had done well with his limited means. Raoul was no Warrior. He boasted no tattoos and while he’d been forced to kill in the past, it was always a messy and panicked affair. He was just an ordinary demon… Who had gained command of the cult of the most powerful being in existence.

He’d yet to slip up, yet to make a mistake. And he intended to keep things that way.

Raoul stepped through the Gate young Sarvaak had erected just outside Samar Patag, in the forest to the south. It was the closest the Akh Nara had managed to infiltrate. Raoul often questioned why he did not create Gates within the city, but as time went on, it became clear just how soft-hearted the living deity truly was.

When he’d first spoken of his refusal to endanger his people, Raoul had passed it off as a fleeting whim. That the Akh Nara would surely understand the merit of bypassing the city’s walls to send troops directly inside.

And yet, at every meeting, his commanders brought up the topic, and in every meeting, he shot them down. Were he any other demon, the Ravager would’ve put a stop to his stupidity long ago.

Yet not even a veteran as decorated as Cirayus could stop the Akh Nara. How could he, when he worshiped the child like a god?

The thought made Raoul sick to this stomach. Did no one see him for the farce that he was? Yes, he could reincarnate. Yes, he wielded Ash Prana. He was a strong Warrior, Raoul didn’t deny it. Yet, while he might’ve been an army unto himself, Vir was no leader. He lacked the experience of centuries, or even decades.

Who in their right might would allow him to rule the Garga? And he had plans for the rest of the realm? Raoul snorted. Delusions of grandeur. Plain and simple.

Once through the hidden Gate, Raoul proceeded through the forest, walking for miles to the meeting point.

“Are we alone?” Raoul asked the shadows.

“We are,” came the gravelly reply.

Raoul nodded. “Good.”

The Akh Nara wasn’t the only one capable of wooing the Iksana. While Raoul would never manage the feat on their core clan members, there were always outliers. Dissidents unhappy with the current regime. It hadn’t taken much. A few feelers here, a few carrots there, and Raoul had himself his own personal Iksana spy.

It was one of the main reasons he could sleep peacefully at night, confident in the integrity of his cover.

It was only after Pi’Var confirmed their isolation that Raoul dared to retrieve his communications tablet. With the time difference in the Ash, it was nearly impossible to schedule anything on the outside. Raoul had tried in the past, and had missed by days. After that, they had devised a more convenient solution.

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Though nothing nearly as fancy as what the Akh Nara was said to possess, Raoul’s table would inform his arrival to his contact. And did he use that treasure to help his army? No, he used it to frolic and flirt with his mistress. Some human filth in another realm.

The fool, Raoul smirked. He would see, in time, when his rebellion fell and he lost all that was important to him. Only then would the Akh Nara see just how much he needed Raoul.

His informant arrived some time later, slinking his way stealthily through the bushes.

“Took your time,” Raoul said, turning only after he’d addressed the kothi.

The informant’s expression was priceless. “You detected me?”

“I have many means, Simran,” Raoul said, smiling. He neglected to tell the kothi that it was, in fact, Pi’Var who had informed him of Simran’s arrival. The kothi needn’t know that. Even dealing with the monsters set Raoul’s blood on fire. Though his goals might differ from the Akh Nara’s, there was not a Gargan alive who didn’t want to see Chitran burn. The atrocities they had wrought on Raoul and his family… The crimes they had committed against demonkind…

No, Raoul wished for the downfall of the Chits the same as all the other rebels. Only, for him, ousting them wasn’t enough. They needed to be annihilated. Wiped from the face of the realm and stricken from the history books until time forgot their very existence.

Nothing short of total eradication would suffice.

Raoul hid his emotions well as he smiled at the kothi. Not even a trace of his hatred made it to his eyes.

“I take it you have news of the Akh Nara’s battle plans?” Simran asked,

“Indeed, I do,” Raoul said. “But first, you have tarried long enough. Can you promise me what I require?”

The kothi grumbled. “You are in no position to make demands of us. You should be happy we are elevating you to a Ruler Calling. Even that is unprecedented.”

Raoul waited patiently, carefully controlling his face. It was no easy feat, being polite to a creature whose throat he’d happily rip out.

The knowledge that Simran was both a kothi and an elite Warrior stopped him. That, and Raoul’s plans. He would never be so foolish as to let his emotions get the better of him. That was how children behaved, after all.

“The Raja has agreed to your demands,” the kothi grumbled. “Despite what will surely amount to immense losses on our side, we will mobilize the army to attack the Ravager.”

“No, you will kill him,” Raoul corrected. These kothis, always trying to squirm their way out of contracts over technicalities. It was such a typical move on their part. “Guarantee his death, or the deal is off.”

“Yes, yes,” Simran said irritably. “We will kill him.”

“You would have to do get it over with sooner or later, anyway. What do you think he’ll do when you kill the Akh Nara?”

“He will flee, and if he had a tail, it would be tucked well between his legs.”

“If you truly believe that, then you are a fool of the highest degree. This is a demon who has devoted his life to that boy, the son of his lifelong friend. To whom he swore an oath, need I remind you… No, if you kill Sarvaak, Cirayus will embark upon a rampage so fierce, your people will wish they were dead.”

Not that Raoul would let them touch young Sarvaak, of course, but they certainly didn’t need to know that.

“Perhaps. Now, the battle plans.”

“The Akh Nara will raid Samar Patag from the west. Concentrate your forces in that direction.”

“The west?” Simran asked, her befuddlement plainly evident in her voice. “Over the Gargan Sea? Why?”

“Because your leadership will be expecting them from the east, that’s why,” Raoul said, sounding irritated. “Or have you perhaps forgotten that the Akh Nara possesses a fleet of airships?”

“Of course not,” Simran snapped. “Even now, we bolster Samar Patag’s aerial defenses. They will be shot from the sky like flies.”

Raoul shrugged. “If you say so. I warn you not to underestimate their strength.”

“This poses a problem, then,” Simran said, frowning. “If they mean to attack by air and sea from the west, our armies will be ill-prepared to fight the Ravager.”

“That is obvious, of course. Keep them within the city. Balancer of Scales suffers in close quarters. Even with his level of control, the Ravager will struggle to flatten your army as he would outside.”

“You would have our army abandon the walls? Are you daft?”

Raoul shrugged. “I care not what you do. So long as you manage to kill that monster.”

“What is your grudge against him, anyway?” Simran asked. “You are no Warrior. I doubt you’ve lost to him in combat, so this cannot be about honor.”

“That is no concern of yours,” Raoul said at once.

Simran shrugged. “Very well. Do you have anything else for me?”

“That is all. Expect the attack in the next days. This will be the last time we meet.”

“Then may Veera be with you,” Simran said, giving Raoul a small nod, which he returned.

“And you, as well.”

Raoul’s smile grew as he watched the kothi walk off into the forest, and when he returned to the Ash Gate, it was with a spring in his step. The plan was going well. The pieces were in place, the board set.

Now, how will it all play out? Raoul licked his lips. He couldn’t wait to find out.

Vir watched the cult leader leave the meeting, unaware he was being watched the whole time. He surfaced only after Pi’Var confirmed the demon had returned through the Gate.

“Well, that was something,” he muttered as Pi’Var and Ekat’Ma emerged in front of him. They knelt the moment they did.

In feeding lies to Raoul, Vir realized he had miscalculated. Until now, he hadn’t known what the demon’s goal truly was.

Now, he had an idea. And he didn’t like how events were shaping up. Not at all. “It would seem some changes are in order. That army cannot be inside Samar Patag when we attack.”