Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 21: The Lost Chakram Arts

Vir itched to test out his new weapons, but the training dome wasnt exactly an ideal environment for an amateur to learn, Riyan insisted. His instructor forced him to practice outside, claiming that hed mar his beautiful room with chakram dents. In fact, the man had barred the room off entirely, doing something inside, but neither Vir nor Maiya had any idea what.

With great reluctance, Vir left the cool home to practice in the blazing midmorning heat.

The only target nearby was the tree above Riyans abode, at the spot. It was that, or a half hours journey to Maiyas oasis, which was far less convenient.

Vir worried that the bladed disks would damage the tree, but Riyan had given him a blunted training set. It made him wonder why Riyan had sent him outside in the first place; the balancing posts in the training dome wouldve been plenty durable. He figured that Riyan just wanted everyone out so he could work in peace.

He obviously wants us to suffer, Maiya said. Shed been grumpy ever since shed lost their duel, and the fact that Riyan had given the chakrams to Vir and not Maiya only soured her mood further.

Vir? Ohhh Viiiir? Maiya said after several minutes. The heat was no fun for her, either. Why do I even bother? Youre always like this. When something gets your interest, its like the rest of the realm doesnt even exist. Im going back inside. Buuut you probably didnt hear a word I said anyway, so why am I even talking to myself?

Maiya stood up and picked up one of Virs chakris, throwing it at the tree. It missed by several paces, landing with a soft thud in the sand.

Sorry, what? Vir said, finally realizing shed been talking to him. What did you say?

Maiya rolled her eyes. Nothing at all. So? Feeling good about your progress?

I mean, I still suck, but can you imagine how strong Ill be when I master this? Look at Riyan! I could lop off

Yes, yes. Very impressive, Vir. Youll be a master assassin, able to lop people's heads off with a flick of your wrist, she said, clapping slowly.

Maiya, cmon. Dont be like that.

She heaved a great sigh. I know. Im happy for you, Vir. I really am. I just feel so antsy about all of this. I want to learn magic! I just I want to be better than you at something!

You mean, like how you can run ten times the distance I can without keeling over? Or how you have a greater and a lesser elemental affinity while I cant even use the most basic utility orbs?

Thats Im sorry, Vir. I didnt mean it like that, she said, looking at her feet.

Vir chuckled. No problem, Maiya. Youve got a ton of things Id kill to have. I just feel youd be happier if you valued that more.

Maiya let out an enormous sigh. Youre right. Youre totally right. Anyway, she said. Im heading inside. Weve still got to give each other massages today, so dont burn yourself out training, alright?

Vir hesitated, then nodded. Hed forgotten all about that. Riyan had forced the unusual task upon them, claiming that it was an integral part of the Kalari arts.

Ill cook up some dinner, so dont worry about that, she said as she walked away.

Thanks, Maiya. Hed be sure to give her an extra nice massage, then.

Both of them found the massage sessions incredibly awkward at first, but now they could hardly live without it. The soothing therapy loosened their muscles and undid much of the strain of the days activities. Before, theyd wake up sore and stiff, and merely making it through the day was a chore.

The days were still long, but at least the massages limbered them up and helped them start the day fresh and ready. Plus, though neither of them would ever admit it, they felt so good even if it hurt. A lot.

The inner edge of the disk was rounded to allow the wielder to grasp without being cut, but even so, his palm still touched the bladed side, which was why he currently wore the faded half-finger leather gloves Riyan had given him. Though this set had been blunted somewhat, they still had enough of an edge to make them uncomfortable to his bare hands.

Vir continued to practice with the thrown weapons after Maiya left. The smaller chakris didnt fly as far and were harder to aim, but as Riyan had pointed out, they were incredibly easy to hide; he could wear the weapons as bracelets and no one would bat an eye. The chakrams were less concealable, but they made for fine jewelry around his neck so long as he didnt mind being stared at. But the chakrams were incredibly stable in flight and could fly much farther, making them indispensable in combat.

Hed been experimenting with various grips, and noticed that when he held the chakrams in a vertical orientation like a wheel, they didnt fly nearly as far, having a tendency to drift off to the left or to the right. On the other hand, he could generate a scary amount of force when throwing them that way. He pitied whoever was at the receiving end of an attack like that. Even if the blade didnt cut them, the impact would surely hurt.

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A horizontal grip yielded vastly different results. He couldnt quite put as much force into his swing, but the chakrams flew much farther.

Wondering why, he inspected the chakram closely. He traced a finger over the gleaming steel disk to discover that the bottom of the chakram was flat. After running his hand over the topside several times, he was sure of itthe top of the blade had a very slight curvature from the thin edge to the inner ring.

Like the wings of a bird Hed had plenty of opportunities to inspect avian corpses when hed plucked their feathers for Rudvik; hed grown quite familiar with their structure.

While he didnt really understand how that made the chakrams fly better, it made sense that the disks mimicked a birds wing shape.

Out of curiosity, Vir pulled out his old bushcraft knife, took careful aim, and threw it at the tree. The knife hit the trunk, but bounced off.

I see He muttered. Hed just discovered the crippling flaw with throwing a knife. A knife was dangerous only on one side. If he wanted to do damage with it, hed have to judge his distance and adjust the number of rotations such that the blade would strike the enemy. That sounded incredibly difficult.

Chakrams and chakris, however, were bladed on all sides, eliminating that requirement. Plus, he could throw them with far less force compared to the knife. Vir had to wonder why more people didnt use these amazing weapons.

The hours sped by, a blur of thrown disks.

While Vir had to rest constantly to regain his breath, hed made steady progress, inch by inch. He threw the weapons while ducking and jumping. He launched assault after assault at the tree while spinning and diving.

All of his flashy attacks missed, but his throwing technique had already improved noticeably.

If he stood still and concentrated on his form, he could now reliably hit the tree at fifteen paces away with chakris, and twenty-five paces with chakrams. Not bad for a few hours of practice.

His years of lobbing pebbles in the village were paying off. The muscle memory translated almost perfectly to the chakram arts.

The thought of him reliably striking targets while parkouring and vaulting made him so giddy, he could hardly contain himself. By the time hed stopped, the suns rays had grown long in the sky, and the temperature was dropping precipitously.

I feel like Im forgetting something here He thought as he returned to the abode.

It struck him the moment he entered inside. Chalas Knees, the massage!

He returned to his bedroom to find an irate Maiya and a droopy-eyed Neel.

About time! You fall over with exhaustion a minute into our duels, but somehow, you manage topractice for hours out there in the searing heat, huh?

Vir looked away sheepishly. Sorry, Maiya. Lemme wash off with a quick shower. Ill be right back.

He picked out some clean clothesRiyan had procured several sets of sturdy, simple pants and shirts for them since theyd arrived dressed in ragsand rushed over to the shower.

Foods in the kitchen! She called as he fled the bedroom.

It took every shred of his willpower to wrench himself away from the soothing heat of the shower, especially after a hard days effort.

He managed it. Somehow.

After cleaning off, he raided the kitchen and wolfed down the lentil soup and olive bread that Maiya had rustled up. Though hed been learning, he still couldnt compete with her incredible culinary skills. With access to Riyans ingredients, shed made some of the best dishes hed eaten in this whole life.

The Kalari massage technique Riyan had taught them was bizarre, to say the least. Fabric tassels hung from the roof of their bedroom, and a thick rug lay out on the floor. Maiya had already stripped down to her underwear and was lying on her stomach, waiting.

Vir began by applying eucalyptus oil to her back, arms, and legs, being sure to work the liquid into her muscles. The oils fresh scent filled the room, creating an aura of peace and tranquility.

He could never get enough of that pungent smell. There wasnt anything quite like it back in the village. Probably owing to their obscene cost; he didnt even want to guess how much the oils had set Riyan back.

The next phase of the massage involved the fabric tassels. Carefully stepping onto Maiyas back, he gripped the tassels for balance and began driving his heel into her muscles, working his way up and down her body.

It was actually a decent amount of work on his part. Not only did he have to balance himself, but he had to apply just the right amount of force in exactly the right places to loosen her muscles. Too little force and the treatment would be ineffective. Too much, and Maiya would strangle him to death for hurting her. Theyd both been subjected to some pretty torturous massages when they first began. Thankfully, their skills had improved in recent weeks.

For his own sanity, Vir had learned long ago to ignore the pained groans that left Maiyas lips during each massage. He felt genuinely bad for hurting her, but the feeling that came after the massage was pure bliss.

Whoever had to massage second always drew the short end of the stickthe massages were so effective that it often sent them right to sleep. Staying up after a massage was a monumental challenge in its own right.

Alright, Maiya, Im done, he whispered, wrapping up with the massage.

She didnt hear him. Her soft snores told him everything he needed to know. Yet again, shed nodded off before massaging him.

He gently scooped her up and lifted her onto his bed. Maiya wasnt exactly heavy for a girl, but the exertion still caused him to burst with sweat, forcing him to go back to the shower to towel off.

Vir knew that the prudent thing to do would be to lie down in his warm, soft bed, and drift off to sleep like Maiya and Neel already had.

But then he eyed his chakrams, reflecting the light of the dim Magic Candles. He knew at that moment that any choice he had in the matter was gone.

Vir picked up his disks and headed out.

The night was young, and there was training to be done.

What he didnt notice were the two pairs of eyes on a nearby dune. Tracking his every movement.

The same pair that had spied his arrival at Riyans abode watched him even now. Whenever he stepped out onto the sand, and every time he returned, the two figures in white robes logged his actions, diligently reporting back to their master.

Patiently, they watched And they waited.

Next time: 22 - The Akh Nara Sends His Regards

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