"HA HA HA HA" laughed the old man, "I like you kid", as he looked at the money in Kush's hand, it hand been a long time since he had seen so much money together in one place, he too was poor, this store was his only one and that too in such a remote location, seeing a kid this age having so much money made his eyes wet a little, but he held back his tears. He shook his head and took a 100 Swarna note from the pile and said. For this I will give you 33% share in my company but sir "But sir…" the old man interrupted him "Kids to should listen to their elders son. Thank you, for your taking time to talk to this old man, it's been a long time but looks like this old man will have to bring out guns. Now off you go" Kush tried retorting but gave up and went on his way slowly as if carrying 300 kgs on a body riddled with injuries all over. After the old man was left alone he said to himself "Sigh… Kubera, never thought you would need the help of a child to boost your morale"
After he reached the inn, Kush started training. He noticed that he had difficulty in swinging his axe and it was pretty much impossible to do it now, since his left shoulder was impaled. So he decided to train his torso, he tied every weight he had on him including his axe to his back or chest. He tied a few wooden logs he collected along the way to his legs to keep them in angled shape without any strain on them and tied the whole mechanism to a point on a steel rebar then once upside down he started crunches, probably the toughest crunches he had ever done. Whenever he could not proceed, he would let himself hang and start-cultivation. At first he completed 163 and then cultivated for 10 min, then he completed 97 and the cultivated for another 10 min so on this went on till he completed 10000 crunches. It was the middle of the night when his parent came back, they had a blue box in their hands which was the size of ring (jewelry) box. It did not disclose what was inside it. When they came and saw Kush exercising, they did not disturb him and went on their way to their rooms. Kush too continued through the night, the fatigue was killing him and exercising the same muscle through the night was not easy but he persevered. He was feeling the need to sleep, next day was cloudy, it seemed it was going to rain, continuous cultivation had made it so that he was not bleeding but he couldn't start swinging his axe yet. He looked out the window as his parents went on their way out again, probably to buy something. Soon it started raining and that too really hard, hitting the windows with water droplets almost like a water fall down the walls of the inn. He decided to take a break for lunch when he saw what appeared to be silhouette in the rain, he neared the human space the rain had split apart in air, it was like a ghost an apparition. He saw through the glass in the ground floor door. He saw there, in the beautiful body which would have been fair but torrential rain had made it red all over, the hair of the person was matted all over her face, like the girl from 'The ring' this woman's hair had thinned out due to the rain water so could make out the face. When he reached the gate peering through the glass, she came nearer and that's when he saw her appearance and identified her. He quickly opened the gates, by now even Rhodos had run down the stairs to the gate and she saw her and removed her gown to cover her a non-cultivator (almost) human, else she might catch a cold. But she ignored what was given and went down on her knees once again and begged, please allow me to come along with you, I will do whatever you ask me to.
"You know, fall on your knees a lot. It is said that women have fortune in their knees, soiling it so many times will ruin it" Rhodos said as she picked her up and Kush wrapped his shawl around her.
Gauri replied after standing up replied "I don't think I was given any fortune in my knees or anywhere, so I am going to build mine using my two hands" she had a firm resolve on her face, a face desperate enough to walk in a fiery pit to survive if need be.
"But then you will soil you fortune which you earn" Kush said with an innocent face
"How?" asked Rhodos
He replied by saying "cause your hands were on the ground as well"
Gauri just looked at him staring at him without showing any response, she was in a foul mood, here she was needed to be his maid. Rhodos realizing something was off, requested Kush to go in and she would take care of Gauri. Kush agreed without arguments and went back to his training. Gauri was surprised when she saw the braces on his body, when the wooden floor bent with every one of his slow steps, she realized the boy was fighting those pigs whilst wearing those weights. "How…" she wanted to ask but just drifted off to sight of him leaving "We just it chalk it off to his monstrous endurance"
They went to Rhodos' room where seated before going down had just woken up from her mana absorption period. An aasan (a thick piece of cloth to sit on the ground) was on the ground where she was sitting. She offered a chair from the room to Gauri while she sat on the aasan. The two just sat there for a while, Gauri had her head down, she was shivering when Rhodos flipped her hand to make the room warmer.
"I want to be strong" she said, tears were dropping down her eyes on to the floor
"…" Rhodos was quiet.
"I want to be strong" she said again. "I want my fate resting in my hands"
Both her fists were shut tightly, slowly a thin stream of blood started to flow along the tip of her fingers on her pink nails and flowing down along her fists to the floor of the room. With each drop that flowed down her hand, the intensity of rain reduced 'tap… tap… tap…' by the seventh drop the rain had subsided altogether.
After calming down, on advice from Rhodos she went back to her mother's body and arranged for her cremation. Now she did not cry, just stood looking at the pyre where the body was being burned. She carried her ashes and immersed them in the Ganga ocean and prayed for her soul to have a better afterlife. She then made her way to the mansion of the noble Chandan the next day. The old man was concerned about her wellbeing, since she did not come to work for two days. With a heavy heart she told him she wanted to quit to which he smiled and said "My child, I never wanted you to work here, I gave you a roof over your head when heard your plight all those years ago. I am really sorry about what happened to her, I wish you nothing less than a happy life. Never let this new master of yours force you to do anything against your wishes." He placed his hand on her head and blessed her. She then walked to her house to pack her things when a 6 ft man dressed all in black came to her door and said "Sis, are you going to leave today?" she turned around to see the most fearsome archer of outer city of Kashi and ran up him and hugged him. Tatya was what he was known by throughout Kashi, to his sis he was a cute Parth. Parth the archer, he always retracted his yellow eyes when he was with his sis, he always removed his mask when he was with his sis, he would always lose his anger when he was with his. For as long as he could remember he was alone, there was no concept of orphanage for the outer district in Kashi, he food from temples when he was hungry and lived and slept on the road for as long he could remember and bathed in the ocean. At a very young age he developed all his powers and he was so strong that he never had to fear anything, but as child with a tender heart he was always alone. Alone till he was found by Gauri and her mother a few years ago. They were very kind to him and invited him upto the noble's house to eat and sleep sometimes, it was to help them that he stole from another noble for the first time. But when he gave them the money Gauri rejected it saying that even though she doesn't mind the fact that money was stolen, but there were more people that needed Parth's help. So re-started the Saga of Tatya the messiah of the poor decades after the original one's death. She cupped his cheeks with her hand and replied to him "Parth, I too have decided to become strong and this is the path I have chosen". Parth saw her tear stained eyes which had not been rested in the past few days, he had wanted to intervene the moment the noble had started his vile intentions flow, but refrained because he too knew there were people a lot stronger than him a 19-year-old poor man who had no one to back him up and if he killed a noble it would have not ended so lightly. If things took the worst of turns, him and mother daughter duo would have died as well.
"I have never seen the conviction you possess in your eyes ever" said Parth "they always seemed like those of a dead fish" he said mockingly
Gauri got angry at the comment and smacked him across his biceps "Hmph… if you like this, you will never get girl your whole life"
Parth ignored her comment "So who's your teacher?"
Gauri replied "Well I am not going as a student per se"
Parth was surprised "Then what?"
Gauri looked the other side and said slowly "Maid…"
Parth shocked "What?"
Gauri "Maid…"
"I heard you the first time"
"Then why did…"
"Doesn't matter. What sex crazed pervert did you go to this time?" This really pissed him off.
"Why don't you make one good decision? I told you long ago to leave that old man and come live with me, none of this would have happ…"
"Shut up!! Who gave you the right to decide what I do? Huh? I make my own bed, you were shitting your ass off in the cold when I gave you shelter fed you and fixed you up. I have lived as a good obedient girl for a long time and now I have decided never to depend on anyone and become strong myself and I will go to the depths of Bhoomi to do so. I am older than you and have seen darkness of life in the eyes, when you were running around looking for your mommy, I was already taking care of mine. So just shut you trap, if you can't support me in my decision and fuck off"
Anger which seemed unwarranted right now, seemed to be coming out of Gauri. The mild Gauri who helped everybody, who even in the toughest of situations had a smile on her face, to whom respect of elders and love for those who were younger was above all else. The pent up anger in her heart was coming out in form of poison for Parth. It was weird feeling for her, meekness was pummeled into her not by her parents but by life, but today, today it had overflowed beyond the brim, even she could not bear it. But due to her kind heart she immediately regretted saying these words, she turned around and said "Parth, I am …"
She saw him smiling there standing still, he said "What? You thought just cause you said something mean to me I would be run off angry?.... Sis you take me too lightly, the weight of your and auntie's debt on me is too much to let go just cause of few words and I am sorry too sis for not understanding your conviction. But I will not support you, not before I test out your future master myself. So who is it?"
Her eyes were wide open, despite all the poison she just spewed he reacted this way. She absentmindedly replied "His name is Kush, the one armed boy from yesterday"
"What? I am plenty stronger than him, what can he teach you?" he said as he turned around marching out the door making his way towards his destination. Gauri followed after him running, again unsure of what she had set in motion.
At the inn today, Kush could not get a wink of sleep since his loss to the goons the other day. This had concerned his parents a lot, sleep was need to rest their minds, though to Kush sleeplessness of this degree was still within his tolerance. His body had healed and he had started swinging his axe in the courtyard of the inn like a mad man he did 500000 swings a day unable to rest for even a moment, he only allowed the mending of his muscles when they were stretched to the extreme, it was painful just seeing him do so, but he did so without the instructions from his father who had decided these days to be leave for both Kush and Rhodos. In between one of these sessions, Parth came to the inn following directions from Gauri, standing at the gate of the courtyard he shouted "The one armed Kush, come fight me, let me show you how to fight you pathetic little dog" This surprised Kush. He had not made any enemies in the city, ones who knew his name anyway, so who was this guy here. Thinking so he walked to the gate from practice location in the courtyard to the gate and saw in front of him the person with probably the most fearsome Karmic power ever recorded in history of Bhu-Loka Universe. It was said that such a person would descend and be unstoppable, one of the few Karmic power discussed in Manusmriti. Kush was shaken as he looked at him, unconsciously his vision went to his eyes the same fearsome eyes he had seen that day, the one that sent a chill down his spine fear Kush like anyone else yet took a step back, unable to understand, it was like being seen like a prey by an eagle in the sky, soaring following your every move even as you duck below the low hanging branches of the tree or you go hide in a shrub, like a fawn shivering when facing the ultimate truth of life. A cold sweat ran down his spine, never had he involuntarily backed away from anything, he thought since he was scared he should probably quit while he was still ahead and run away but stopped or for the lack of a better word forced himself to stop when every cell in his body was telling him turn around and walk away. 'Lubdub Lubdub Lubdub Lubdub' his heart beat audibly as if warning him not to go against the force of nature, Kush felt strength in his hands and legs weakening but he strengthened himself, "Stand!" but his body did not respond "Stand!!" his did not respond so he closed his and thought "what is it that you have yet to face, you don't have an arm" his lost the goosebumps "You have been impaled" his heart beat in normal rhythm "You have been cut" his hands came back to normal "You have been near death's door more than many warriors in a life time" his legs came back to normal "This guy will never be able to feel what you have felt, respect his power but believe in your training as well" he straightened up and opened his eyes. The guy was a foot taller than Kush at least, but Kush looked into his eyes and said "The fuck do you want, you fucking rat".
Parth's eyes split open, never before had anyone reacted to him this way, he was used to people cowering to him after looking into his eyes, he did not understand why, he knew it was his Karmic power and sent people weak in their knees, but this child, he did something even the general of Bharat was unable to do cause he too started running the moment he saw him.
Sagar saw this from window upstairs and was surprised first when he saw Parth, "heh now this is ridiculous, first Rhodos then the kid Kartikeya and now the wielder of 'that'. Oh lord, what great disaster are you sending our way for there to be so many heroes including the wielder 'that' are born in the same era." When he first heard it from his son he thought it was ridiculous, why would another being this strong be born in this era, two were clearly unprecedented, but seeing with his own eyes this true cause every word of description matched what Manusmriti has stated. Thinking so he closed his eyes and thought, "hmph, this just goes to show that even my son and I have shot at this". While he was thinking so he saw his son back up and he thought "oh well, its ok to back up considering who his opponent…" his eyes opened wide and he smirked "The power which can scare the Devas and Gandharvas themselves and look at this little shit trying to fend it off"
Kush stood there undaunted by the weight of the power, Parth who was now on the back foot said "You pip squeak think you can be the master of my sister? Before you do so you will have to face me to be qualified."
Kush understood he was talking about Gauri and replied "I am no one's master, everyone here works in exchange for something they want, if she doesn't want to she can say so herself, from what I can see she is a strong minded and determined on what she wants"
Hearing the commotion even Alicia came out to see, what was happening and had the same reaction as her Sagar.
Parth was taken back a second time in one day, he had come to meet a spoiled rich brat and expected his parents to come downstairs to huddle around him, cause the one he wanted to face against was the real master, but instead of cowering and reacting as he wanted, the brat was facing off against him.
Alicia too was amused by the proceedings, oh well it will take some time for an unguided person master 'it's' power.
Parth replied "She can decide whatever she wants, I may not be able to stop her but if I don't deem you to be fit, I can simply move you out of the way if need be"
Just then a voice came from upstairs while Sagar unleashed a bit if his aura "Move who out of the way you dumbass paper boy. Looks like you small victories against nincompoops around you has boosted your confidence to a new high, let me drop you a notch, you fucking gutter bug"
All the people Parth, Rhodos and Kush started gasping for breath as they involuntarily lowered their heads and knelt to the ground dry heaving their way into life, Alicia placed her hand on his shoulder and he calmed down.
"Hmph don't spoil the inn I have booked, go find yourself somewhere else to play." Said Sagar turning around in a fit.
Parth realized how wrong he was when he saw the awesome power of Sagar but still was the first person to stand up and then Rhodos. Kush still had trouble breathing in, but seeing the two, he too stood up and faced the boy though he was still panting. Parth looked him in pity and turned around to move out.
"Wait… pant…" said Kush panting "where… pant… do you… pant… think are you… going… pant" after a long breath he too had caught up on his breath.
"I can already see he that she is in good hands, I can't complain now so I am leaving" said Parth
"Hmph. You think father is the only force to be reckoned with. I will be the strongest man on this planet" said Kush
"Heh, yeah… we'll see" he said derisively
"If you doubt it then let's test it out" Kush said
Parth looked at him with a side glance and said "I have clearly seen how powerful the man upstairs is clearly, and you still want me to challenge you, listen kid go play with you dolls in your room and come to me when you are ready to play in the big leagues"
Since Kush had seen Tatya easily subdue the noble he had the pangs coming from the bottom of his stomach to challenge him but was afraid of his Karmic power, which was probably the natural response to his power by all intelligent life forms, but after facing off against it and still standing tough had given him a little bit of confidence. Then he realized that the person did not even consider him a speck of dust in his eyes, which is the natural reaction of course of someone seeing such a young boy trying to challenging him, a person yet to find a suitable challenger in Kashi, the largest city in the world.
"Hmph if you are scared of my dad, then I pledge on my honor, whatever happens today my dad will never intervene nor will he hurt you should anything to me"
"Kid, this is no child's walk in park, duel between men is not something you can turn around from said"
In reply to this Kush swung his Tanka "BANG" as it hit the hard ground, the ground split apart, this surprised Parth, even with strength attribute this is a bit too much.
"alright already, I know a place follow me"
Before leaving Kush said "Wait!!"
'Dhan… dhan… dhan… DHAN…' came sounds of heavy objects hitting the floor
The sounds surprised Parth so much that he turned around and saw four heavy weights hitting the ground from the body of the kid. The weight had dented the floor where they fell, they would have been north of 150 kgs in total and on this the kid was swinging that hulking axe, this was the second time he watched him wide eyed and in his mind he had only one term for the kid "monster".