213: Saunak The Deranged

NOTE: Couple of edit notes:

1. I've added a mention in the early chapters of this arc explaining how Vir made it across the Ash as a baby. Cirayus had an artifact with him that protected Vir, as well as some of the retainers who weren't strong enough to brave the deepest parts of the Ash. He sent those Artifacts back to the demon realm with one of the retainers instead of risking it falling into human hands.

2. It was previously mentioned that Vir could start communing with his prior incarnations upon unlocking the third chakra. I've changed that to 'unlocking your chakras', implying that each chakra unlocked will grant Vir increasing ability to communicate with them. I felt this made for better progression rather than unlocking them all at once.

- -

This… is really bad, Vir thought, struggling within the Automaton’s grip. A hopeless endeavor—this was a creation of the gods he was up against. So he tried a different tactic.

“You’re Saunak, aren’t you?” Vir asked, prudently omitting his full monicker; Saunak the Deranged.

“Hmmm,” the wild-haired man said. With his white coat, dark goggles draped around his neck, and wild blue eyes, the demon fit the ‘mad thaumaturge’ image to a T. He was also a gray demon like Vir, which made him feel immediately familiar. There were so few of them that Vir felt like the gray demons in Balindam shared a bond. He could only hope Saunak felt the same.

“Help that demon and me get away from the Automaton,” Vir said, nodding at Cirayus, who had retreated away from the other Automaton and was approaching quickly.

“Oh? And why would I do that, young demon?”

“Because you didn’t come out all this way for nothing. You want something. And I’m guessing you want us.”

Saunak cackled. “Oh! Good. Very good. But no.”

“That can’t be true,” Vir said. “The Artifact—you’ve been using it to find us.”

Saunak frowned. “It seems you are under some misunderstanding. What I have is a beacon. A device that your Artifact uses to home in on. When close enough, my beacon alerts me of nearby presences. In your case, I needed a break, and you wandered near enough to my home that I thought an excursion warranted.”

He doesn’t sound all that deranged… Vir thought. On the contrary, Saunak spoke quite coherently. Logically, even. Yet, out of all the words the demon said, one stuck out to Vir in particular.

“Your home?” Vir asked. “You live here?”

Saunak cocked a brow. “Surprising the brute never mentioned it. Hmm. I see. I see how it is.”

“Look, if you help us escape…”

“Yes?” Saunak asked, a wild grin plastered on his face. “What will you do for this old demon, hmm?”

“We… Could bring you back to the Demon Realm?” Vir said, trying not to think about how easily Saunak could order the machine to crush him to death. His life was—quite literally—in its hand.

Saunak said nothing, simply staring. Not at Vir, but at Shan.

Then he burst out in maniacal laughter. Laughter that continued… and continued. Vir began to wonder if the researcher’s sanity was nothing but a thin veneer.

The mad demon laughed for a good twenty seconds as Vir’s anxiousness grew. He kept glancing at the other Automaton, which pursued Cirayus as he fled back to Vir and Saunak.

“Look, I don’t know what’s funny, but there’s an Automaton heading right for us,” he said, attempting to end the demon’s fit of laughter.

“Oh, yes! Would you look at that? Good! Saves me the hassle!” Saunak replied in between fits of giggles.

Then Cirayus arrived, and Balancer of Scales activated.

Saunak didn’t kneel as much as crumple. The demon was crushed on the Automaton’s shoulder, yet the Imperium creation didn’t react at all. Whatever mechanism Saunak was using to control the Automaton, it didn’t seem to need active control from Saunak.

Lines of prana arced from the Imperium metal tablet Saunak clutched. Ash prana.

“Unhand him,” Cirayus said, watching Saunak squirm. There was no trace of anger in his demand. Only a cold promise of death. That, and Sikandar’s blade against the demon’s neck, which promised much of the same thing.

“Now, you see,” Saunak said calmly. Though the increased gravity would’ve made speech difficult, Saunak showed no signs of panic. It certainly wasn’t the attitude Vir would have when facing such overwhelming force.

Is he hiding his strength? Vir wondered. He refused to underestimate anyone who had wrangled control of an Imperium machine.

“Hello, Cirayus. Long time!” Saunak said, despite his obvious pain. “How’s the wife? Ah, pardon. Wives. I’ve quite lost count at this point. How are the kids? Ah, silly me. You couldn’t know, what with the dozens of them running around. Do you even remember their names?”

Cirayus had mentioned he’d known Saunak, so the demon’s words didn’t come as much of a surprise to Vir. What did, however, was the revelation about Cirayus’ family.

Wife? Kids? Vir had never even considered Cirayus would’ve been married, let alone have fathered kids. Though, the more Vir thought, the more unlikely it was that he wouldn’t.

“Test me, Saunak, and it will be the thing you do. Release the boy. Now. Then we talk.”

Saunak grinned at Cirayus, and it seemed to Vir he was contemplating some witty remark.

“Fine. Fine,” Saunak said at last. “But you’ll have to release Balancer of Scales so I can use my control tablet.”

This is it. This is where Saunak will show his true power. Vir braced himself, though there was little he could do in the Automaton’s grasp. His arms were pinned, preventing him from using his Chakram—the only weapon capable of dealing damage to an Imperium creation. He’d already tried blasting his Ash prana out, but the Automaton hadn’t even noticed. His prana simply dissipated into its metal hand.

Still lying flat against the Automaton’s shoulder, Saunak placed his palm on his pure-white tablet… And the creation’s hand opened, dropping its contents.

Vir plummeted to the ground, but not before seeing the surge of prana pulses travel from Saunak’s tablet into the air, and then into the Automaton at a half dozen locations.

Light Step slowed Vir’s fall, and Leap brought him back up to the Automaton’s enormous shoulder, where Cirayus and Saunak argued.

“Why are you here?” Cirayus demanded—Sikandar still placed against Saunak’s neck.

“Uh, guys?” Vir said. “How about we chat after that Automaton’s been taken care of? Y’know? The one that’s barreling towards us.?”

“Saunak,” Cirayus said. “Do something about this.”

Saunak shrugged, grinning wanly. “Give this old man a break. I’ve just been subjected to arduous torture. I should like a moment to recover.”

“We don’t have a moment…?” Vir‘s voice trailed off, his eyes darted between the slowly approaching Automaton and the bickering demons. For whatever reason, the Automaton was taking its time. Perhaps it was unsure whether to strike an ally? Or maybe it knew Saunak’s Automaton was under enemy control. Regardless, it was barely two hundred paces away, and closing.

“Saunak!” Vir shouted, desperation bleeding into his voice despite the Automaton’s leisurely pace. Or perhaps because of it. “Can you stop it?”

“Why, of course!” the mad thaumaturge replied immediately.

“What do you want?” Vir fired back immediately.

“See, Cirayus? Here’s a demon who appreciates the value of those with power! You could learn a thing or two from him.”

Cirayus seethed, pressing Sikandar against the demon’s throat. “If you don’t stop that Automaton now, I swear to Vera, I will cut off your head and bring it to the Demon Realm for all to witness.”

“We don’t have time for this!” Vir roared. “It’s almost here!”

“Look at what I receive for my troubles,” Saunak said, putting a palm to his forehead. “All I wanted was for some good company. Do you know how lonely it can be here in the Ash? With only my Automatons to keep me company?”

“Cirayus!” Vir roared, preparing to Leap away.

He stopped.

Automatons… Not Automaton? Had the thaumaturge misspoken? Or…

The sphere-base Automaton approached to within ten paces… And stopped.

Vir groaned. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Saunak, who had just sat up, fell over, cackling.

— —

“Don’t tell him anything,” Cirayus said, for the fifth time. “Don’t allow him to goat you into admitting anything.” He paused. “In fact, it would be better if you just didn’t speak in front of him. Or anywhere near him.”

Vir rolled his eyes. “Cirayus, he has two Automatons. He could have killed us both if he wanted to. Heck, he didn’t even need to come here if that’s what he wanted.”

“Hasn’t killed us yet. Lad, if that madman learns who—what—you truly are… We are taking a dangerous risk in following him.”

“A necessary risk,” Vir replied. “He says he has a way to reset the Artifact to point us home.”

“You can’t trust a word out of that maniac’s mouth,” Cirayus spat, but he knew well that they had little recourse.

While they might escape Saunak, their Artifact would simply lead the demon to them. And if they threw it away, they were doomed to walk the Ash until a fortuitous Gate popped up. There was a reason why Amarat might have been the only demon in the whole Human Realm who’d survived with such a method.

Saunak commandeered both of his Automata, while Vir, Shan, and Cirayus followed, bounding a few dozen paces behind. They’d cleared the forest, and the Automata were setting a frantic pace toward their destination—Saunak’s home.

The question of whether Saunak had taken control of the Automata after he arrived still lingered within Vir’s mind. If so, Vir was willing to throw the demon a bone. He was eccentric, yes, but perhaps not completely antagonistic. If, however, he’d been in control all along, and used it to corral them… Vir would never be able to trust him.

It also irked him that Saunak kept throwing glances back at them. Or more specifically, at Shan. The thaumaturge clearly had an interest in the Ashfire Wolf, and Vir didn’t like it.

Unfortunately, the demon had insisted he could only assert his control near another Automaton, and the only way Vir knew to verify his words was by the threads of Ash prana that connected the white tablet to both Automata. He hadn’t seen those during their earlier fight with the sphere-base Automaton… But then again; he hadn’t really looked closely, either. They might simply have been too faint to have noticed.

The terrain slowly changed to rolling ash-covered hills, and then to cracked, barren plains, before Saunak took a turn, heading for a nearby mountain range. The same range as the one the three had sought refuge in, but separated by over a hundred miles.

“So,” Vir said after a long period of silence. “You’re a father, huh?”

“Aye,” Cirayus said after a moment. “That I am.”

“I… see,” Vir said awkwardly. It was something most people would have mentioned loudly and often, and yet he never had. Which meant the giant had a reason for wanting to keep it a secret.

They fell silent once again, but Vir found himself unable to shelve the topic. What was Cirayus’ family like? How many children did he have?

“I… I apologize if I’m overstepping my bounds, and feel free to tell me if I am, but I feel like it must be nice, having so many of your own kin.”

Cirayus sighed. “Aye, lad. It certainly can be. And no, you overstep no bounds. It’s just… Anyone my age has seen their fair share of life. Lives lived, lives fulfilled… and, inevitably, lives cut short.”

Oh no… Vir thought. Of course! Not all demons lived as long as Cirayus. In fact, from what Vir had seen, Cirayus was longer lived than most. He’d likely outlived his children…

“I didn’t mean to have you recall painful memories,” Vir said quietly.

“That’s the thing, lad. I’ve seen plenty of my own sons, daughters, and grandchildren perish. I grieve for them, yes, but you don’t live this long without learning how to bear the weight of their passing. Humans may rarely outlive their children, but with demonic lifespans, such things are common. I have my ways of dealing with it.”

“So, er… Why have you never mentioned it?”

“Because it is one thing to shoulder the loss of a single child. It is quite another to bear the loss of a dozen of my progeny, all at once.”

“A dozen of…” Vir blanched. “You don’t mean…”

Cirayus winced, looking away. “Aye. Much of my family fought for your father, despite my best efforts to convince them otherwise.”

And most of them died…

“Know this, lad. Individual power makes you strong. But what of those you care for? Would you lock them away to protect them? Or do you respect their wishes and let them run free, knowing you’ll never be able to save them all should harm befall them? I… fear I’ve not accepted their loss quite yet.”

Perhaps…, Vir thought. He couldn’t imagine what Cirayus must’ve been going through, and he didn’t doubt his words. But Vir doubted that was all.

“You didn’t want to make my burden any heavier,” Vir said. “Your progeny might have fought by my father, but ultimately, they fought for the Garga. For my clan.” For me.

Cirayus remained silent.

The lightning grew more fierce, reaching down to the valleys between the peaks, and strange green tones augmented the black clouds. Rather than helping, they only made the environment feel even more bizarre.

“We’re almost there!” Saunak shouted, interrupting their conversation.

Vir was the first to notice the bright green ring that seemed to pull all the nearby lightning to it. Nearly as bright as the sun and standing high in the sky, he wondered at its purpose.

“What happened between you and Saunak?” Vir asked. “Why do you hate him so much?”

“Lad,” Cirayus said, grateful for a change of topic, “we banished that demon from our realm a century ago. Most presumed him dead, and were happier for it. It isn’t only me who has issues with him. Anyone who knew him does.”

“What did he do?”

“His crimes are many, but they all stem from the same source. To Saunak, his research is king, and no oath will change that. To him, when it comes to thaumaturgy, the ends justify the means. He will happily torture and maim—both beasts and demons—if it means furthering his research,” Cirayus spat. “He’ll sell his research even to the worst criminals if he believes it’ll help him gather data. There are no limits to his zeal.”

“I… see,” Vir replied, eyeing the demon’s Automatons. If Saunak was some crazy madman, Vir wouldn’t have any trouble accepting Cirayus’ words. And yet, he’d survived in the Ash, alone. He’d lived here for a hundred years. And he’d managed to defeat Imperium Automatons. Not just defeat—control! Saunak was clearly a genius.

But what made him this way? What drove him to such lengths? What more was there to this ancient demon?

They pressed on. The lightning strikes grew closer and more violent, and Vir found himself sticking close to Cirayus as bolts touched off nearby, deafening them. Shan howled in misery.

“This is lunacy!” Vir shouted. “It’s suicide!”

“This is Saunak, lad” Cirayus shouted back, eyes glued to the black clouds.

As if on cue, the Thaumaturge turned and raised his arms theatrically.

“We’ve arrived!” he said. “Welcome to my home!”

Vir’s panic morphed into full-blown terror. “That’s your home!?”