Author's Notes:
I've got nothing to add. Maybe I do, I've been asked to do a website for Dad on his chauffeuring business. Might affect chapter roll out? I take this more as leisure than a commitment, an knowing myself I do love to take leisure-full breaks a lot.
The Eight Pillar Devas were the once a fabled force to be reckoned with, a group that led the Golden Path to victory despite the numerous weapon and strategic advantages Pagan, Yuma and the Loyalists' had.
Upon Mohan's death, they grieved for months. Two had left to live in solitude of the mountains with the Sherpa. But six…
… Could not accept the outcome. The fight continued for eight years down into a stalemate where the Loyalists were kept isolated away from an entirely controlled Southern sector.
At first, it looked dire with the head of the Golden Path dying in the roadside like a dog instead of combat. But Pagavel too left the field for reasons unknown.
It was their chance they'd been waiting for, they thought. All they had to overcome was Yuma and those crooks from Hong Kong. Back then Utkarsh was still there's, the first headquarters of the Golden Path. Back when it was known as the Northern Division of Golden Path and the Southern Division was in Pacchim Valley at Tirtha.
Marching towards the Royal Fortress with a grand army to avenge the loss of their Great Leader, they'd cornered Yuma and her soldiers at what would become the Valley of Death while they stormed the Royal Fortress to reach the Royal Palace and exact terrible vengeance onto the man that took their leader's live through underhanded means.
Yuma and the Royal Guard, stuck in the Valley torched it to break through the lush green forrest that was in their way to rescuing her brother. The Royal army at the time moved in on the unprotected Eastern side of the Uttar region to close off the Golden Path Northern army from their southern counterparts.
But it did not matter, once Pagan was dead this war was won. And Kyrat would forever celebrate their victory. They managed to kill that traitor Kadayat and torch his house early on. So they were on high vibes…..
Until he came.
When an entire Company does not report during a critical operation, something is terribly wrong. They discovered that too late and ignored it to complete their besiegement of the Royal Fortress and had their backs exposed to that person.
One by one, reports mentioned of rear guard field commanders being killed reached the Sixes' ears. Three went to investigate and found this anomaly in their presence undaunted. They underestimated him and were caught and tied. When they came to, they had been placed within the walls of Rajgad Gulag to live out their days. The other two had also been caught in the same fashion, overpowered by a mysterious youth that bore striking resemblance to Ishwari.
The most unbelieveable thing happened when they encountered him and proposed close quarter combat due to the unfair odds of the three of them. To their surprise, he knew not just their sword arts and martial talents that were passed down exclusively to selective warrior families that protected the king since the Kingdom's conception. But had a weird fusion style that was both unpredictable and unreadable, reminiscent of the savage Hun's that the old Dynasty once assaulted. He possessed a talent that had the days of swords not been taken over by guns he would have been unstoppable.
He beat them fair and square, if not completely after they tried to gang him in the end when they felt their slipping odds. On that day, that man broke their pride and belief that the Eight Devas were unstoppable.
That man, was "Ruinous" Darshan of the Royal Guard hunters. The mysterious lonewolf in Yuma's ranks. Naturally, the credit went to her. But the story of that day was buried with them and so the Six Devas mysteriously disappeared in the Uttar region to those in the South.
"Remember what I said sixteen years ago? The moment you left that cell, your existence would be wiped off this earth." Darshan walked calmly towards them. They subconsciously backed away, knowing how dangerous he was. He'd been capable of capturing all of them, what was to say he couldn't kill them with less effort. He might appear in his early forties but he was definitely wiser and more experienced than them now.
The three only fighters among the Devas were hesitant to engage in a fight with this monster no matter the circumstance. Especially in their deteriorated conditions, they also lacked information regarding the changes in Kyrat as was made obvious by the change in Headquarters to that quiet region of Banapur. The Golden Path's decline was quite clear, yet an unforessen blessing had occurred.
Their thought dead leader had been alive all this while imprisoned as the young fighters described to them. His death faked while he was thrown into a cell to rot as his Golden path slowly died without his guidance. At first, they didn't believe it to be true. But if they were cut off from the North by a newly erected King's bridge checkpoint then how did they come in a Company size force.
Mohan had once spoke of a hidden passageway that only he his wife and the traitor Arjun knew of. That was the evidence to state it was really their brother that had come to rescue them they thought died. Nothing could express how joyful they were upon hearing this, now there was only one giant obstacle in their way.
Jason stepped forward.
"We don't have time to waste. Havildar, get them out now. I'll hold him."
The Devas, were inhearently shocked to hear him declare such a statement to them. Jason gripped tightly on his machete as he made his choice.
Kicking of the dirt floor, Jason launched himself from the stairs down to where the lone Royal Guardsman stood unphased. The Golden Path warriors were shocked by his sudden reckless action.
"Young one! Stop! He's no ordinary fighter!" But the Devas words fell to deaf ears.
Darshan barely moved from his postion and instead of drawing his kukri to parry he used the back of his hand to swat Jason's machete to the side so it became harmless.
-Wha-..
He barely saw his movements and thought for a second he actually missed his target. A quick sweep from his hand tapped the back of Jason's neck and he fell to the ground unmoving.
Darshan turned to the Devas and said….
"You next."
The Devas knew what this entrailed.
"Sanjeev, Bhishma, Crane guard."
"Right!"
"Ok!"
The most senior of them commanded and they instantly entered an unusual fighting formation for the three of them. Two in front in a position to dash around Darshan and the Middle one in a crouch position ready to pounce.
"Exalted one, it appears this is where we must part."
"Don't be ridiculous! Our brother didn't come all the way here to send us to our deaths!" The blind old man declined.
"It wasn't our decision to make from the beginning, Darshan is here. And Mohan needs you the most, you are the only one with access and location coordinates to the archives and vaults."
Bhaskar couldn't disagree.
"You go or none of us go! Young ones! We entrust the keeper with you, now go!" The Deva commanded.
"Uh-… Alright!" The Havildar made his decision and obeyed their judgement to their situation. The fighters climbed onto a vehicle in the garage and drove off. When they reached the blown out gate, Darshan appeared in front of them, much to their horror. But a speeding bullet struck Darshan sending sparks from where he parried the ferocious blow without losing focus. But the Deva had achieved what he intended which was to give them room to take away Bhaskar.
The senior Deva Vasu smiled wryly at them as they left the scene and turned to face Darshan once more while the other two clashed with him. His eyes fell onto the young foreigner.
"Why hadn't the fighters picked him up too, wasn't he their comrade?" It reminded Vasu of the time they were at the mercy of the Mercenaries who instead of following Pagan's orders to execute them had joined them instead. Where were they now? All dead, Yuma had made it her mission to eliminate all of them. He was at the last moments of the very last one, begging him to deliver money to his family which he intended to once the war was over. Who would have thought he would be trapped here for twenty years. Twenty years… what became of that mercenaries family?
This one had accompanied them on such a perilous journey only to be discarded, on who's authority. When he came back he would find out who was the spineless coward and crush him. He'd already failed one, this won't be the next in the list.
"Brother! Help us!" Vasu returned to reality after staring at the unconscious Brody.
Again, Darshan was overpowering them like before, only this time he was quicker and more dangerous. He really did mature after all that.
Vasu had no time to tend to the young foreigner at the moment with his brothers' lives on the line and rejoined the crane locking formation.
When he did, they circled around Darshan and launched attack after attack from different angles. They challenged his range of movements to the limits, yet it didn't seem like the last time. He had obviously had twenty years to look back and reflect on their movements.
"You didn't improve all this time." His venomous comment sent fire to their hearts.
"Ha!" Vasu swung the kukri he recovered from a fallen warrior to Darshan's back but he made the slightest correction in his step and dodged the kukri by a hair's breadth.
-He's gotten stronger.- was all Vasu could think of.
Darshan launched a roundhouse kick to the face and incapacitated Bhishma.
"Bhis- (Crack) Arrgh!" He took advantage of their split-second falters and struck the second one on the neck with the pommel of his short sword.
Darshan turned to the final Deva and paced towards him. Vasu walked back.
"It's over, Darshan. Mohan has returned and Pagan… Seems to be worthless now! Hahaha! How Ironic, it appears it was all for this moment that Kyrat will be free from that Tyrant!" Darshan answered him with silence and a face void of emotion.
"You've changed Darshan, I'll give you that! You're probably impossible to stop right now even by the six of us. But you couldn't possibly measure your strength against the will of the people that sought a revolution!" Vasu tried to distract Darshan with the pictured outcome of a Golden Path Victory to give his brothers time to recover.
Darshan stopped in his footsteps, Vasu thought he had gotten through to him for once. Perhaps age did something to break that unrelenting behaviour of his back then.
"That would be true, if the will of the people were actually against us now. A lot can happen in sixteen years as it can in five months." For the first time in twenty years of meeting him, Darshan smiled back but in a rather sinister way without actually appearing sinister.
"W-What do you mean?!... What did you do!?" Vasu began to get worried.
"I did nothing. But watched as Golden Path tripped on its own footing. Then there's the young one that's made Golden Path the villain of Kyrat now."
"Don't listen to him, brother!" The Devas recovered from the assault and told Vasu to ignore his gibbed tongue.
Vasu shook his thoughts and returned to his assault footing. They changed to a three colomn row formation.
"Serpent!" He said before dashing with the rest close behind him towards Darshan. Their enemy on the other hand stood right where he was.
A combination of three repeated strikes to the sword from each of them hoping to push him to the ground when he parried. Then after wearing him down they all struck at the same time from the three different directions they were in around Darshan.
"""HA!"""
Only to stab thin air. Vasu felt a heavy fist land on his face and pummelled him to the ground.
"Brother! Damn it!" Sanjeev rolled over to the nearby corpses and retrieved an assault rifle and blazed away at Darshan who jumped behind cover quickly.
"Bhishma! Help our brother up and escape, I'll hold him off!"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Don't argue! You're not in the condition to fight him as you are!" Sanjeev picked up a light machine gun to keep their dreadful enemy at bay.
"Brother…"
"Our brother needs you both. Fight hard… and I'll see you in paradise."
(Whistle) Their hairs raised as they recognized the sound of that Whistle. It was the call of the Hunters. What creature could possibly match a demon in its ferocity.
A wet leopard growl roared and a black shadow pounced over the wall. Sanjeev turned his gun but all too late, as the the shadow leopard bit into his shoulder and forced him to the ground.
"AAarhhhhhh!" Sanjeev screams from the big cat flaying his skin
Vasu instinctively moved forward to rescue his brother, only to be pulled back by Bhishma.
"Unhand me!"
"Don't insult his honor, Vasu!" But Bhishma argued back. Darshan closed in on them.
"I've wasted enough time with you three, you've had the privilege of living till this moment despite your constant treachery to the Kingdom."
"Brothers!-…..GOOOOOOO!" Sanjeev screamed as he locked the leopard into a vice grip determined to trap it to him.
Vasu's heart cried out to save his brother, but his conscience told him to run and live to fight another day and avenge his brother….. Like when they tried to avenge Mohan. Vasu snorted as his own self-serving hypocrisy.
"I'm done running."
"Vasu?-…"
"Today, Darshan dies or I will." Vasu steeled himself as he steadied his shaking hand that held the kukri.
"No… Brother-." Bhishma suddenly gathered what he was about to do. Sanjeev watched as he was almost about to faint from blood loss. The Leopard had withdrawn as she could see her prey was already doomed to die.
"Asato ma sad gamaya.….." The hairs on Bhishma rose as he recognized that verse and the significance of Vasu reciting it.
"Vasu- Stop!"
"… Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya.…." His brother wept tears as he recited his own death poem. Vasu adopted the stance to his families most prized Martial stance, "maut ke bhajan". Resigning himself to die, to let go of all the emotions that clouded his thoughts and movement. To devote every part of his body and mind to every blow that would be delivered. He charged towards Darshan with newly gained speeds, raising his kukri he swung with the force to crack bones, filled with all his hatred for Pagan, for Yuma and for Darshan.
(CLANG)
His hit was caught by Darshan's short sword but the latter was now force onto one knee. Registering the change in his opponent Darshan devoted full attention to the most veteran of the Devas.
"Mrtyor ma amrtam GAMAYA!" Vasu began to one-sidedly oppress Darshan.
"VASUUU!"
Vasu was about to let it run through Darshan's head once more how he earned the name "Deva".
Automatic fire, mortar barrages and RPG rockets blew apart the rumble searching for the one lone sniper that wrecked havoc amongst their formations.
Paul became more impatient by the minute, how could one fat bastard with a precision rifle cause him and the Golden Path battalion so much catastrophe.
Hurk remained where he was, to reveal himself was suicide at this point, but he had achieved what he initially planned. He'd kept the Golden Path preoccupied with him giving Daisy and the escapees precious time to reach the Tigers for help and protection. Or so the thought at first, he noticed that the forces attacking him were thinning.
It meant that they left a small group to suppress him as they made their way towards Jason's friends. Hurk could only stay hidden in the small crevice in the chimney for help himself as they bombarded the Brick factory with everything they had.
"Dais', Kid Bro….. please be safe."
(Huff) (Huff) (Huff)
"Come on! You wanna get to safety? Then hurry up!" Riley encouraged the lot to move as fast as they could. Currently they were unarmed as Hurk had confiscated all of it to slow the Golden Path down but it didn't mean they stopped chasing them yet.
Daisy helped the old Malla couple by piggybacking one as Lisa carried the other. Steve led the way and proved to be a competent navigator.
"I think that's it!" He pointed towards the lit-up encampment. It was the Shanath Training Ground outpost, they had finally reached the point to safety.
Daisy and Steve took point to do the talking with the Tigers who were on guard.
A searchlight mounted upon a truck turned their way.
*HALT! Stay where you are, you are on Tiger territory. Speak your business.* A megaphone called out.
They were seen earlier than expected. The group obediently stayed still in case the Tigers were the jumpy sort.
"We're seeking refuge in Baghadur, there are twenty-five of us including elderly and children! We currently don't have any weapons with us." Daisy announced to the speaker. After a while the megaphone replied…
*Stay where you are with your hands raised. We'll send someone to check all of you, in the meantime call all of your group members to stand where we can see you..*
"Ok! Just give us a while."
*Be quick.*
Daisy turned to the group. "Well, you heard him."
They all came into the light and five men walked towards them with their weapons at the ready to pat all of them down, men, women, young and old were not exempted. After the physical check, one of the men who was the outpost havildar smiled.
"Welcome to TigerLand. I'm your gracious host Arvat, we'll take you to a safe place from now on so rest assured."
The indigeouness escapees sighed a breath of relief as they were finally in good hands and followed the warriors to the inside of the outpost to rest. Daisy immediately appeared before the Havildar.
"I've got urgent news, the Golden Path sent a search ground to recapture us! They're on their way as we speak, you have to call for help!"
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Easy there! What's this about Golden Path attacking. Hello! It's new year's day!" The Havildar chuckled unconvinced.
Daisy had forgotten this key point that the factions were officially on rest during the holidays in a truce.
"Look! In about five or less, that road is about to be swarming with Golden Path on their way here!" The Tigers started to think they could be serious now and awaited their leaders orders.
"Call Sector HQ and tell them we need reinforcements here. The Golden Path are trying to be funny."
"Aye!"
"and you lot? What the hell are foreigners doing all the way out here at this point of ti- (Splat)" Like a balloon filled with red paint, the Havildar's head blew apart from a large calibre shot from the technical mounted Heavy machine gun. Gore smeared on their faces and they only responded after a delay.
"Enemy fire! Twelve and ten o clock!" One of the more observant Tigers shouted and went for the alarm.
Daisy pushed the old couple to the floor as Steven and Riley did the same for the rest of their gang.
Rifle fire sprayed and peppered the outpost where the Tigers were killing them instantly. Unfortunately, some of the escapees outside were hit and perished along with them in the heated firepower.
The Golden Path and Mukti Tigers fought in a ferocious firefight as the group kept their heads down.
Steven tugged at Daisy to crawl with the rest of them which they did like their lives depended upon it. The two sides were preoccupied to settle them and so they quietly slipped out and entered the forest once more. Daisy had spent all the time assisting the old Malla couple, Miren and Aryaa. It was difficult to get old people to run several kilometres where as it was already hard for all of them at their age.
They rested against the trees, huffing and puffing.
"That's it! I've had it with this place!" Liza screamed before sobbing. Daisy had no energy to scold her or tell her to shut up, but her sentiment was almost alike with hers.
No one could refute Liza's complaint, it was even worse than before, but most of all Jason wasn't there to save them.
"Hey, you lot… one thing at a time. We managed to get out of that prison, so what are all of you so glum about?" To their surprise, it was Steven who encouraged them being the cynical one originally.
"Man, being told by you is just the worst."
"Totally."
"Me three!"
"Way da pour the salt on the wound, Steve."
The group laughed to their hearts content. Miren and Aryaa smiled as they seem to overcome their tiredness by themselves.
"So what now boss?" Steve asked Daisy who recovered her energy briefly. She thought about it for a while before asking the Malla couple.
"Mr. Malla."
"Yes?"
"Would you happen to know any safe areas for refuge around here?" The last place they could go now with the Golden Path searching for them was Baghadur now that they'd likely captured that outpost. And headed in that direction, they'd only bump into more Tigers and lead them to their unfortunate deaths. It would reflex poorly on them.
"What about here?" Daisy pointed to a large site in the map.
"Shanath…. Arena?" Steven confirmed with Daisy.
"It a public place so there's plenty of hiding spots around there."
"And how will Hurk find us?"
"We'll travel to King's Bridge in the morning instead." The Airport was now no longer an option with Golden Path lurking this far within Tiger territory. The Tigers would most likely fight back the hardest but they would have difficulty identifying people who aren't their own or Royal army and fire upon them in this low light condition.
"Not in the condition we're in and especially not with them." Riley pointed out that the Mall couple were already fatigued, it wasn't something to do at their age.
Daisy was reluctant to let them go as Hurk had placed a lot of importance on them, they owed it to Hurk for even breaking them out from the City of Pain.
"Riley, go the roadside and see if we can get a lift from passerby vehicles."
"Aye, ma'am!" Riley immediately dashed towards the road by the river they were close to.
"We're sorry to have slowed you down young ones. Perhaps myself and Aryaa should stay behind-."
"Not a chance! Hurk left you I our care, we're not letting you go alone!" Riley declared on their behalf.
Miren sighed at their stubbornness but smile wryly at their good-natured character.
"Besides, Badala would want to see both of you as well."
When Daisy mentioned this, the old couple turned pale.
"W-Why would that dreadful person want to meet us?!"
"Uh-…" Daisy realized she had a slip of tongue, they weren't aware of their daughter's death yet nor the relation she had to the Northern Demon which Daisy deduced herself. "I mean, since we're going to the North we'd likely see him was what I meant!" Daisy laughed dryly.
"Boss! There's a truck coming our way!" Riley announced as Daisy made her way to the roadside where Riley stood and waved alongside him to the pair of bright lights.
(Screech) The tires burnt from the sudden stop as the driver noticed them at the very last minute.
Standing in the middle of the road, the truck had no choice but to stop.
"W-Wha-…. Why'd chu stop?"
"You want me to commit murder? Dream on you wanker! We might be in a lawless country but that don' mean we all have to be savages!" The driver complained back to the side passenger of his.
"Hey there! Where're you boys headed?" Daisy said as calmly as possible to avoid suspicion they were being chased.
The two discussed something between each other before the shorter one who was the driver spoke.
"Helllooo dear! Well I was-."
"We." The tall one corrected.
"-We were just heading to Shanath to stock up on the old herbs and spices that all, right? Yeah!" they nodded to one another then to Daisy and the rest to get them into the nodding game and agreeing with them.
"Cool! You mind if we tag along, we're got some old folks with us and it'll be great if you could shorten their trip." Riley pitched in to convince this truck that seemed to be inhabited by these two cockney gents from likely England.
(Sniff) (Sniff)
"Is that Fire OG I smell?" Oliver was drawn in by the smoke to quickly identifies the marijuana blend from the smoke that came out of their passenger compartment.
"Huh. Quite the little workshop chemist, aren't you?" The tall one was impressed with Olivers sense of smell and ability to descern the mix.
"Alright! You lot seem like pretty cool yanks, get in!" The short one granted them permission much to the tall one's displeasure for not consulting him first and earned a nudge from him.
"What?" He asked back.
"You want these hitchhikers to know the 'precious' cargo we've got loaded behind?" The tall one whispered to companion rather inconspicuously.
"Relax, I bolted them tight just before we went off and threw a blanket over them. They'd need a graduate degree in thievery to break that lock. Don't blow your whistles so soon, if they do we'll just drug'em and sell'em to the arena." The short driver assured his partner.
Daisy and the rest weren't there to hear that conversation as they were busy delivering the good news to the group.
"Thank God!" Liza sighs in relief.
"This is truly wonderful, please remember to thank them before we go now, my dear." Aryaa reminded Daisy.
"I will, come. Let's get you seated comfortably first."
Riley and Steven helped bring them up on the back-compartment space after climbing themselves. The old Malla couple were first followed by Daisy and Liza. Oliver had gotten a seat between the two English fellows.
"Climb aboard mate!" The Tall one offers a hand.
"Yeah, thanks bro." Oliver receives the hand to get up the ladder to the passengerseat next to the driver. The tall one squeezed to the middle seat in the front. Immediately when Oliver sat down, they drove off.
"Sup' fellas! The names Oliver, you can call me Oli!" Oliver greets them with a handshake each which they returned promptly.
"Reggie. I've got a good feeling about you." The driver introduces his name.
"Hey, Reg!"
"That there's Donald."
"It's Yogi!" The tall one angrily corrects him whilst shaking his head dissappointed.
Sparks flew from the contact between short sword and kukri. Bhishma couldn't believe his eyes when he saw it. To think Vasu actually caught up to Darshan, he now understood why on occasions he would murmur to himself about body movements. It was in preparation for today.
Vasu had been training to fight back, although he had to do it inconspicuously as he was still under the surveillance of the Fortress Guards when he was let out of the cells.
Bhishma watched eagerly from the steps, he was unwilling to leave his brother behind like the other that died long ago. He went over to attend to the bleeding Sanjeev, although cautious of the Black Leopard which growled at him for approaching near it. But the creature didn't stop him from going over to his greviously wounded brother. How strange, was it not a hunter's companion to Darshan or had it not been fully tamed? It sat comfortably on the pavement licking its paw as if nothing had happened at all.
"Urghhh…."
"Keep it together, brother. Just a little more and we'll be out." Bhishma tried to carry Sanjeev to the nearby motorpool and await their brother's victory over the Ruinous One.
(Clang) (Clang)
Vasu and Darshan found from limb to limb. Darshan now took vasu slightly more seriously than before but his expression remained calm and emotionless. With every sudden strike he would deliver, Darshan countered perfectly. As if he knew what was the next sequence of the stance, and so was not alarmed at all and anticipated his attack beforehand.
At first, he thought he was able to suppress Darshan judging from the strike he delivered a while back.
He had thoroughly underestimated his opponent. Because when he did so, Darshan began to use more fluid movements in favour of hard strikes like they did. He was able to parry away the heavy swings that Sanjeev, Bhishma and himself sent his way.
Vasu relied heavily upon the basis of all his close combat stances, taught to him at a young age by his mentor. It was herald as an invincible martial art that could only be rivalled by a user of the same art, something that had was of absolute secrecy among the warrior clans of Kyrat. It was the cornerstone which formed the Mantle of the Royal Guard. Those with access to it were from clans and families which had served the Kingdom since its birth, the numbers that had it could only be counted with one's fingers.
Yet here was Darshan, using the same familiar moves to counter him with some weird fusion of martial arts that was unfamiliar to him.
Vasu locked blades with Darshan once more.
"How is it that a complete nobody knows Bejod Saans, the most protected martial art under the warrior conclave of the King?!" Vasu yelled. He was so sure that Darshan was definitely not from any of those warrior families to be given the art.
"Khati." Was all Darshan responded. But the name was a shocker to Vasu who knew of it. He broke their lock and stepped back while Darshan closed in. Vasu laughed in self-ridicule.
"Why am I not surprised. That old geezer! Handing out National secrets like they're presents to strangers!"
-Why? Why did you to this, teacher?!- Vasu could not accept the outcome. Why did the kind-hearted mentor of his raise his hand against them when all they did was for the future of Kyrat.
"All Bibek cares about is the happiness of the people." Darshan answered his query to Khati.
"Happiness?! Look around you! You're telling me I was locked in this hell so that Pagan could destroy Golden Path? Is that the happiness he sought? Because if so… I'm gonna kill him!"
Darshan laughed at his fury, again it was a strange sight to see an emotionless person start laughing, much less talk a lot more than before.
"What!" Vasu shouted, already losing control of his anger.
"Golden Path is not the people." It was the simplest answer yet….
"Uh-…."
Somehow Vasu could not refute him.
"You don't even realized that you were on his good graces all this while." Darshan snorted.
"W-….What do you mean?!"
Darshan pointed his sword towards Vasu's head.
"There was only so much an old man with weary bones could do to save the poor hapless youths that galavanted around proclaiming they were doing righteous work when all they did was kill fellow Kyratis." Darshan was referring to them, the Eight Devas as a whole.
"So he made me swear that if he were to teach me Bejod Saans, the Royal Martial Art. That I was to let you keep your life." He revealed to him the reason he spared them that day, but that wasn't all.
"Why do you think you were all safe within these walls instead of dying that day? Old Khati told me about your history, you're an orphan in his house. So no one was gonna pay to keep you alive." It had been a hard fact that when they were captured, instead of executing them and the families they were to swear loyalty to Pagan and pay him an annual ransom fee to keep them alive, but for Vasu. He had no family…. Except-
Vasu's eyes widened as he realized the weight of what Darshan indulged him.
He had been kept alive all this while…. Because of his mentor, his father….. his family.
"Everyday, for the last sixteen years. Old Khati handed a fraction of his wealth so that the King would spare your miserable dog life. Do you know? How poorly he lives off in Sano Pahada, him, his wife and all the orphans he's still willing to let in?! Everytime there's a good harvest or pension he was promised by the King it went straight to you…. And all you have to say is you want to kill him?!" It was at this time Darshan released a scary expression that could not describe in full the hatred he had build up for Vasu's ignorance.
Vasu collapsed on his knees in shock and disbelief. Darshan walked up to him emitting an oppressive aura stronger than before, which took the breath out of him. As much as Darshan wanted to curse his existence for eternity, he kept his next sentence short.
"I think that sixteen years is enough for you." He said as he raised his short sword to behead him.
Vasu was too ashamed to get up and fight back. All this time he had planted in his head that his adoptive father betrayed him. And to think he was about to repay his father's kindness with a knife to the heart.
-You're right, Darshan…. Sixteen years has been a luxury.-
Vasu closed his eyes to accept his fate. Ignoring the screams from his two brothers to get up.
He could hear the blade cutting the wind as it came closer to his nape. One swift swipe to end his miserable life, the live of a Deva that took lives of his own people, a life that would have raised a hand against his own father.
-Thank you for all you've done for me…. Father.-
…
…
Jason opened his eyes slowly to find himself in a dark place. No. That's not right…
If it were dark, then why could he see his body clearly? It was a dark void. Jason realized he was in a dream-like state.
Before him, mist and smoke cogulated together to form a body. The features became more resoluted, revealing the appearance of a very familiar face.
"You….."
"I told you to watch out for those pretty little liars, didn't I Hermano. But noooo….. you didn't listen when all I did was keep you from making it."
"Making what?"
"The last mistake you'll ever make."
Somehow, this phrase had a haunting message behind it. He walked closer to that person but bumped into something in from of him.
"Opfff!"
He placed his hands in front to feel. It felt like an invisible wall was separating them.
"Hey! What the hell is this?"
"This Home, ese. Two years and fifty-one days, since the day Citra scratched that next level ink on you. Now it's yours."
"What?"
"You heard me, It's yours now. Oh! You thought I was just fucking around with you? no, Jason! What I'm saying is that you'll now take my place in purgatory." He said with a malicious grin.
"What the hell are you saying?! What is this?!" Jason banged frantically against the invisible box wall.
"Yunno… I thought I was gonna spent the rest of days, whispering to you like I was your fucking conscience- but who would have thought, someone else could fill in the fucking blanks that Citra left unfinished because you pussied out! It all Karma, bitch!"
"What do you mean?! W-What are you saying?!"
"I'm saying bye-bye Jason! I'll be taking driver's seat from now on. Adiós amigo!"
"Hey! Wait! WAI-…." His cries became muffled asthe one he had always thought to be his other personality was in fact not a personality of his…
…but someone elses.
Jason realized it was too late, he had officially lost. His body was no longer his, yet he was trapped within the recesses of his inner psyche. But faced the greatest despair of all, which was there was no one that would answer his calls for the rest of Jason Brody's natural life.
…..
…..
(Clang)
Vasu assumed that was the sound of the bell of enlightment for his passing over to the next life.
He had resided himself to die, not in the glory of battle but in acceptance for his crime against his teacher. He welcomed death that was delivered to him by the hands of Darshan. Awaiting the grim reapers sword to sever his head from its shoulders and end his life once and for all. Yet there was not a single feeling from the blade upon his neck.
Nothing at all.
Vasu found this to be strange as he was sure there would be a minimal amount of pain even before dying. But when he opened his eyes, he found he was still in the inner compound of Rajgad Gulag.
But that wasn't all.
The sound from before. The metal striking metal was not a miss on Darshan's account, but a deflection of his sword by machete.
Standing tall against The ruinous Darshan was the foreigner from before. Out from corner his mouth leaked an malicious grin and eyes that spoke of insanity.
"Peekaboo Motherfucker!"
