Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 88: Princess Assassin (One)

Dusk gave way to darkness, and when night arrived, Vir was ready.

After spending all day working on Empower, moving around to several districts to avoid depleting Ash prana, hed finally mastered the timing. Empowering his arms still took longer than it did for his legs, but he could work around that limitation. With good prana reserves, it took four seconds to charge. Four seconds was a long time in the middle of battle, but he was confident he could bring that number down further with more practice.

The hardest part was routing the prana through his body while focusing on other taskslike combat.

Hed shadow boxed as much as he could, and had even wrestled with Neel to give him more distraction. Four seconds was his in-combat timing. If he spent all of his mental power solely on activating the ability, he could do it in two.

Satisfied with his progress, hed returned Neel to the Brotherhood Sanctum and had even checked up on Bumpy. If things went south and he needed a quick escape, Bumpy had to be ready to go. The Ashva was more than ready for some exercise. Even with the regular trots hed been getting, Vir could tell he was raring to stretch his legs.

Vir had then turned his attention to his disguise before the sun set, robbing him of light. The mask Riyan had given him was an odd thing. Made of a rubbery material, it looked horrific when missing its adornments. In fact, it hardly even looked human.

But it took well to makeup, and the best part was Vir could apply the makeup perfectly without the use of a mirror. After spending an hour on it, he now looked like an average Dahan. Tanned skin with gaunt features. The inside of the mask was sticky, so after applying it to his face, it even mimicked his facial gesturesthough he had to exaggerate every expression to make it visible through the thick material.

The worth of the mask wasnt in mere disguise, however. Vir already had makeup on his face. What it did was give him a second disguise. With only a moments notice, Vir could rip off the mask, change his outfit, adjust his voice and body language, and hed be another person.

It was like a freebie in that regard. A priceless boon for someone about to infiltrate the royal castle.

Vir idled on a rooftop until the dead of the night to make his move. San said the priest slept early, but he wanted to give enough time for Minas sedative to take hold.

Four hours after the sun set, he began.

Vir slunk down into the alley containing Minas secret hatch in the Upper West Side Commons district. Cleverly placed next to several crates and bins, it blended in with the ground almost perfectly. Despite knowing where to look, Vir only found it by the Magic Lock orb discreetly embedded into it.

This was his first hurdle. It was locked from the outside, and there was no physical keyhole. The lock might be mechanical, but the key was magical. Which meant Virs lockpicks were useless.

Dance of the Shadow Demon would allow him passage, but he loathed to use his trump card this early on. While the Ash prana in the area had recovered, it was still barely enough for a single Dance activation. It was his last resort.

Using Prana Vision, Vir analyzed the hatchs hinges, probing for any weak spots. There werent any, but the wood itself wasnt especially thick. A High Jump might have delivered enough force to break the door, but Vir had better options now.

Activating Empower, he relied on his katars superior thrusting force, and struck right where the wood met its hinge.

His newly sharpened weapon pierced right through, breaking the hinge.

The door fell when its other hinge broke with his next strike, falling loudly into the stairway below.

Vir froze, scanning the alley for anyone who might have heard the sound, but there was no one around.

The secret passage was now completely exposed, rendering it a secret no longer. Vir stepped down the stairs and entered the long, dark tunnel.

Letting Prana Vision guide him, he ascended the spiral staircase that seemed to never end. Hed felt it was long on the way down, but the way up was far worse.

Vir was forced to take it slow, for fear of sweating and ruining his makeup under his stuffy mask.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the exit. The wardrobe that served as the secret door obstructed Prana Vision, but Vir could tell there was someone lying on a bed in the room beyond.

He took an entire minute to swing open the door, praying it didnt creak on him. If Sans sedative was as strong as the prince claimed, itd make no difference, but Vir didnt want to risk the chance.

Its well-oiled hinges allowed it to open without a sound, and Vir edged closer to the sleeping princess.

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He froze.

Without the wardrobe obstructing Prana Vision, he could now see the sleeping girls affinities.

They were not Minas affinities. They werent Water and Lightning.

The person who slept there possessed Apex Earth affinity. A Talent wielder, and a strong one at that.

Whats more, they wore armor. And they werent asleep. The rise and fall of their chest did not resemble the calm, even rhythm of sleep. Rather, it looked more like someone trying to feign sleep.

This is a trap! Mina knows Im coming.

Vir looked to the door of the princess room, and through Prana Vision, saw a dozen guards posted outside, weapons at the ready. Pointed outward, at the hall.

Whyd they be guarding from intruders coming from the hall? Unless

Vir wracked his mind to piece together this puzzle as fast as he possibly could. He could not linger here, with the Talent wielder so close. Should he abort? Or should he proceed with the mission?

Mina knew he was coming. Did prince Sanobar betray him? Or did her taste tester somehow catch wind of the sedative?

If the former, then Vir would be best served by doubling back and aborting the mission. But if it was the latter well, maybe he couldnt take out the princess, but at least the royal priest was still an option. If Mina thought this was an attempt on her life, then the priest ought to be sleeping in his quarters.

There was no doubt that turning back now was the safest, wisest option. He could regroup, ascertain Sanobar's loyalty, and then formulate a new plan.

But...

When Vir's thoughts turned to the man who'd ordered the deaths of those he'd loved, he found himself unable to retreat.

The priest would be gone tomorrow. Maybe Vir would get a chance to kill the man in the future, or maybe he wouldn't. But tonight was his best chance. Even if it meant giving up on Mina, he had to take this opportunity. With Mina on guard, there may not be another.

Moreover, Vir couldn't live with himself knowing he let an opportunity to end Harak slip through his fingers.

With his mind set, he snuck over to the large stained glass window next to Minas bed, carefully stepping with his heel first, bending his knees, all to soften his steps.

Once again, Dance of the Shadow Demon could get him outside the room, but if he used it here, hed lose his greatest power.

The window was the kind that swung open. If he could get there unnoticed, he could sneak out, then scale the wall to the castles roof. From there, hed use the fortress ramparts to get closer to the temple building where the royal priest slept. Itd been his plan all along, just that the stakes were now higher.

Vir edged to the window and grasped the latch. Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened it.

Unfortunately, the windows hinges werent nearly as lubricated as the wardrobe's. It squealedonly for a split second before Vir stoppedbut it was enough.

Who goes there? The woman in the bed shouted. In one smooth motion, she jumped off the bed and drew her talwar.

Vir didnt wait. Riyan had warned him about Minas bodyguard. Balar 100. If this was herand Vir doubted Mina would trust anyone else with this taskhe stood no chance against her.

Activating a micro Leap, he crashed through the window and sailed through the air to the castle grounds.

Using Light Step to dull some of the impact, he threw himself into a roll, leveraging his momentum to run through the gardens.

Minas guard, being a Talent wielder, was hot on his heels. He had to assume she possessed every Talent he had, plus some others.

Shes catching up!

Vir vaulted hedges. He ducked and rolled and sprinted as fast as he could, but it wasnt enough. The woman Leaped with each step, rapidly closing the distance.

He had to do something, or hed end up fighting her. Even if he could hold her off, itd only be a matter of time before guards swarmed him.

Dance was unavailable; running made it impossible. He needed his feet on the ground for at least thirty seconds. In anticipation, he changed his trajectory. Out here in the open grass, he was a sitting duck. He angled for the walls of the castle instead.

His pursuer made her move. Feeling a pulse of prana behind him, he threw himself to the side. Just barely in time. A blade of pure prana shredded all the vegetation in its path, leaving a line of upended dirt and devastation. It only dissipated after it had traveled far into the distance.

Blade projection? No!

Projection merely doubled the reach of the blade. True masters could triple their blade length, but that was the limit. The Talent shed just fired was far, far more powerful. It was pure Earth affinity prana that traveled independently. Like the C Grade Wind Blade, but far stronger. Where Wind Blade was small and traveled through the air, this Talent traveled through the ground, cutting everything that touched the earth in its path.

Blade Launch!? Vir realized as his blood ran cold. It was a Mythic rarity Talent that few in this world possessed. Was she really only Balar 100? Or was that a deception?

Chalas Knees, I almost lost my legs

Vir immediately stopped and raised his hands, slowly turning around.

There was no winning this battle. To try was to die. She was in a league of her own. The only way outthe only chance he hadwas to stall and hope she took mercy.

Please, he drawled. II surrender. Ill tell you anything you wish to know.

Twenty-Five seconds

Minas bodyguard Leaped right up to him and leveled her katar at his throat. Drop your weapon. Do it now!

Vir slowly retrieved his katar and threw it down.

Your chakrams and chakris too. You cant fool me, assassin.

Tch. Vir reluctantly dropped his weapons one by one, taking his own sweet time.

Ten seconds

Youre a slippery one, arent you? Ive had operatives monitoring you since you entered the city, and believe me, you havent made it easy. Youre quite good at hiding, Ill give you that. But all was for naught. We have you now. We know Riyan Savar sent you. Theres no point hiding it. So, will you come quietly? Or shall we do this the hard way?

She's tailed me for that long!?Wait, no. I'd have noticed her. But if she used regular people to follow me... Prana Vision wouldn't have picked up on their signatures. After all, someone adept at tailing didn't necessarily have to possess Talents or magic.

P-Please dont hurt me! I was coerced into this. Hehe threatened me!

Oh? You seem a bit too proficient for someone doing this under blackmail. We know all about General Savars plan. He sent you as a distraction while he made his own move. But unfortunately for both of you, things arent going to work out as youve planned. Weve already dealt with Riyan.

Riyan was going to launch his own attack? Vir thought. He hadnt heard anything to that effect, though it wouldnt surprise him if the man was operating in secret behind the scenes.

Ino! Vir said, feigning shock. And youre mistaken. It wasnt this Savar person who sent me.

Oh? Then please enlighten me.

W-Well, you see, I was most surprised myself, he said slowly. I work for someone you know quite well, after all. I was sent byyour mother.

By the time she reacted, Vir had already disappeared into the shadows.