One day ago -
"Y-You can't be seriously thinking of doing what I think you're doing, right?!" Boomed a desperate voice in the presidential suite accommodation for the King of Kumsa.
"This is the sole dying request of our clan's benefactor and our duty as men of Kumsa to honour our words." The King rebuked.
"That ancient request? Nobody even knows who he was or cares less!"
"But there are, the young Kyrat Lord has shown us proof they exist. It was as Patriarch Wise Head of the Demon Banisher Order had foreseen. The Rakshasa have risen again, and they will bring destruction upon us all."
But the young prince would not hear of it. He was frustrated, that his father clung to this old tale like temple commandments.
"That was just him worming out an excuse, you see how he tries to justify everything he'd done in court yesterday?"
"I expected more from you, my son."
"It's called pragmatism and being realistic. There's no such thing as Rakshasa here, only a demon of a man." The King shook his head sighing.
"Is it because of this?" The King raised his hand revealing the mark of an elephant tattoo cicrumferenced by vedic scriptures. The Prince shuddered for a moment which indicated he was spot-on.
"You believe in our forefather's ceremony of succession, yet you do not believe in the looming threat."
"That crest is a symbol of our rule. Giving it to that-… that demon is equivalent of giving our Kingdom to him!"
The King looked at his son with disappointment, he believed the crest was a right of succession. As Surendra's father had passed it to him as did his father and so on. Those that bore witness to it believed it was the secrets to rule and the authenticity of their domain in Kumsa. But the truth was far from it.
"I'm going to quote what Badala once mentioned to Lord Min. Since then, it has radically changed him for the better. The Kingdom is the people."
Manendra gave a stricken look at his father.
"As long as there are people in Kumsa, there will be a Kingdom to protect. The people chose their leader, it is not for a mark to decide that."
Surendra looked at the mark on his hand and sighed at the misunderstanding it caused to his son.
"This mark has been a curse on our family for far too long."
"You call the mark a curse when it has brought us prosperity and longevity?"
"That is the curse. We can never be more or less, we're restraint to holding on to the mantle."
Surendra looked out the window with a bright smile.
"At least that was what I thought. Until Badala came and fulfilled the prophecy the Patriarch left us. My son…." He reach out his hands and placed them assuringly on his shoulders.
"This legacy belonged to the Patriarch, its been calling out to be returned to its rightful owner."
"Rightful-…owner?"
"The one who unites the lowland realm of humanity undone by the demon god." Surendra bit into his lip just hearing his father rant on about it.
"If I do not return what is his. I'll be letting our ancestors' expectations down, I'll be letting myself down for not being a better person than I am a King."
"Fathe-."
"No, son. While I'm still king, I will make the final call. For once, our Kingdom needs his protection. And we'll at least give him the correct support to fight on our behalf." Surendra was ready to leave.
"You're willing to trust a demon over your own son?!" The Crown Prince shouted as he
"I trust our ancestor's beliefs before even my own. If I don't, then what has our Kingdom being made upon all this while? I love you, son. But I will carry out our family's long running will. After this, our family will at long last be free." Surendra said before leaving. He was too glad to notice the expression of grief that was the Prince's face.
(Crack) A vase was thrown at the floor from its stand.
Pushed over by a bloodshot Manendra. His mind was a mess.
"If he hands over the seal to Badala, I wonder what your people will think?" A voice taunted him from the shadows.
"Who!-." He spun around with a sabre pointed at the neck of the assailant that had appeared.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I'm looking to be friends with you my dear prince."
"Who are you?! Guards!"
"I would avoid calling them."
But the door burst open and in flooded the guards who converged onto the assailant. "Arrest him!"
Manendra ordered and anticipated them dragging him out but their footsteps and even their motion was halted.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and-."
(splat) The guards had blood splurting out of their necks as the collapsed to a bloody heap.
It was almost unnoticeable, but a thread dirtied with blood allowed him to see the entire room covered in threads. A woman was standing at the corner with most of those threads woven around her fingers.
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk! That's not a good way to start of first impression."
"You're the one to speak."
"My dear, Vel. Context." He said to the woman's retort.
"Who's your dear, creep." She didn't want to be here, but he couldn't even manage this himself. So Mohan sent her to guard him.
"What do you want?!"
"I want to be your friend, my King."
"I'm not your king."
"No. Not yet, but you will be."
"That is not certain."
"Oh? And why isn't it? You're the only son to Surendra Kumsa, shouldn't you be taking the crown as it is rightfully yours?"
The prince remained quiet.
"Why are you so uncertain of your own coronation to King, dear prince?" He approached closer to him until he was at his ear.
"Is it Badala?"
Manendra stepped back hesitantly. The crook smiled delightfully.
"We have a common enemy, dear Prince. The demon Badala. If only he appeared at the right time and disappeared all the same. Then you wouldn't have to face jeopardy of losing your title and regality to a common man."
"Shut up!"
"These are just facts, my dear prince. Kyrats nobility has been eradicated to the bone because he was allowed to act against them and prosecute them. Not even the Canton noble families were left. So what do you think will happen when your father passes his blessings onto him than his own son?"
"… Who are you?"
"You already know who we are. Who else has been whispering into your head that this would have eventually come to fruition?"
Manendra became afraid, that his dreams were known by this individual.
"There's still a chance for you to rule Kumsa as King, dear Prince."
"What are you after?"
Sabal gave his signature charismatic smile of assurance and a guarantee of success.
"Like I said, we're looking to be friends with Kumsa."
Present -
Under house arrest, there was nothing much he could do. The Papirese Government was nice enough to grant him accommodation in the presidential suites instead of a prison.
A multitude of events happened which put the trial under complication. For one, the entire industrial cog of Kyrat grinded to a halt as workers went on strike to establish their protest against the injustice. Workers protested, soldiers abandoned their posts to return home, union groups refused to cooperate. Pagan had to enact Martial Law and declare on national broadcast that he would return with his subject personally.
Ajay-… more specifically Badala was both a hero and a demon to the population of the Himavanas. Kyratis venerated him, Yinkians were inspired by him while some did despise him, Papirese were fearful of his expansion, Kumsans were the most annoyed by his actions for disrupting the long enduring peace they'd lived in. By such actions like the destruction of an American Expeditionary Force and Carrier Strike Group.
It was audacious of him, to act so recklessly to endanger them with bigger monsters out there. They were afraid of American and UN retaliation most of all. But Ajay had taken steps to ensure that such an event was far from happening. Because while he was forced to wait here in idle, a series of events had already been set in motion.
The story had already hit the headlines in international news agencies around the world.
"Himalayan "Demon" devours US armed intervention"
"Nuclear Winter in Arabian Sea, May God Rest 10th Carrier Strike Group." And Ajay's favourite headline news of all time…
"Madman in White House arrested." To be honest, he laughed so loud that the guards came in expecting assassins or something along that line.
It was clear to see what had happened. The President had been betrayed by his own people in the White House and Pentagon. They were not willing to take the fall for his authorization of the Nuclear device upon the Carrier Strike Group as the mass media was aware from that point. So they unanimously decided to frame him as a lunatic in power and quickly deposed him.
Russia and India expressed their profound condolences over the tragic loss of sailors to the detonation. Intelligence communities were all ablazed with the word "Rakshasa" trying to source the meaning behind it. But both countries had taken measures to suppress word and deny existence of the beings known from scriptures as the fabled Rakshasa. This were intel only a select few were aware of.
For the time being, the American Vice-President took over till the reelections would resume at fall. The President now former-president would spend the remainder of his life going from one courtroom to another over the crimes he had commited, his treason against the land of the free. Rumours were that a certain woman candidate stood the highest chance.
Of course, Ajay had nothing to do with it. How could a nobody thousands of nautical miles away from even the closest state influence politics in Washington at his whim? Ajay did however play one of his cards, a favour from Ahab. Supporting this candidate from the shadows to be the next President of the United States was the powerful private conglomerate known as CNS. By elevating her to Presidency, CNS would be overlooked for their future underhanded deals and weapons research that exceeded moral boundaries. They would become the next supplier of the US armed forces, selling them their guns and equipment and at the same time virtually owning the army.
The benefits to CNS and Ahab were greater than they were to Ajay, but he still had them act in the way he wanted. The old man now had no choice but to hold respect for the way Ajay operated and leave his region alone. They were both crooks of the same breed after all, nihilistic megalomaniacs. By leaking his collective evidence of Langleys' scandal in Kyrat, the Nuclear incident adding to over twenty thousand casualties of a war nobody knew existed till now. It was the worst covert military disaster since the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba. In exchange for the favour, the second advanced suit soldier was returned. One Captain Dane Ostergard, now only Dominic remained in his possession. The mass media received a story they could publicise at their disgression, so they chose to demonize the current administration and forced Congress to scuttle their hopes in the administration to save their skins less they become implicated as well. They sent their president forwards as a sacrificial lamb to the merciless media, he would be grieving for the rest of his mortal life. Perhaps suicide was a better option for him now.
And so, Ajay toppled the Kingdom of the world's most powerful man at his own game. But his plan to ensure the Himavanas had cemented its standing in the world had not yet been complete. He relied on Ahab to help get him in touch with a certain party in Pakistan, for this was where he'd make sure the US would never come to Central Asia again. Measures were being taken to have the stage set, but Ajay would have to wait until this trial was over. Then he could mobilize the Himavanan Army to carry out one last "intervention" before focusing entirely on the Rakshasa threat.
Unravelling the scrolled-up hide of leather up on the table, Ajay began to study the piece of the Kalinag Thangka he recovered at the site where he fought Brody then Purushartha. All he saw was an unimportant piece of history, nor was he having that strange trance he experienced the last time. Perhaps if he gathered all five pieces it should give a clearer indication. After all, it wasn't originally broken up. That was Darpan's doing on his father's orders to protect the Kalinag Thangka.
Thinking about it, he never would've guessed he was a distant descendant of the legendary Kalinag. Ironically, from archived events of the Civil War, Mohan had never implied he was scion of Kalinag, the Legendary Hero of their folktales. That should've done a considerable deed to his reputation and brought more supporters. Some doubts crossed his mind as he recalled the images of a half-warped Kalinag wrestling with the Banisher Patriarchs in their last stand. Was his family hiding something because they were aware of this reality? That the heroic Kalinag and the demonic Yalung were one in the same. His father said it himself.
If so, then his resonance with the Asura trapped under the mountain was linked by blood. He was fated to turn up at Hajura Amako Hatama, because one of the keys to unlocking the essence of Yalung was one of the same blood. The reason why he had no abominable mutation like the "awakened" was precisely because of their blood match.
Ajay sighed, to think that fate was really being predetermined for him.
"Eternal Heaven." The almighty being supposedly in Shangri-la. The Rakshasas true enemy and their intended vanguard in assaulting Shangri-la was him or rather the Demon.
Ajay meditated to gain better control over his Prana whilst harbouring these thoughts and reflecting upon them.
(knock) (knock)
"Does it really matter if you knock?" Ajay posed the question to the guard outside, he was their prisoner, not their guest. But the guard nonetheless awaited the word to open.
"(sigh) Come in, what is it this time?"
The door opened, revealing not just the guards but an old man who had been in the council seat for four. He was King Surendra of Kumsa.
"Your Royal Highness…" Ajay wasn't above greeting him. He noticed he wasn't alone, some of his royal guard accompanied him, fearing for their liege's life for waltzing into the abode of the demon.
"Forgive me for visiting at a time like this, young one. But I just had to meet, I've been waiting quite patiently in Kyrat for you only to learn first hand how busy you are."
Ajay waved to the coffee table to show him to have a seat and gazed at the guards. The bodyguards trembled as their eyes met his.
"Leave us." Surendra ordered as Ajay ordered the guards from outside to fetch him drinks worthy of a king his guest.
"My king, he's-."
"Lord Badala will do no harm to an old man such as myself. You have my word on that, leave us. I wish to discuss some private matters that I'd rather keep yourselves ignorant to for your safety."
Having put it that way to his guards, they gave up on pursuing further and left with the door behind them. But waited behind the door if anything bad happened.
Surendra sat down at the appointed seat for guest, Ajay went over to scavenge for anything in the mini-bars or pantries to serve as refreshments.
"I paid a visit to Kyrat recently, and I'd have to say. You've really made quite drastic changes since the Devi families rule."
"A lot of people keep saying that. But in truth, I just point them in the direction I want them to go. Kyratis are naturally quite driven, you just need to let them know that there's something at the end of the tunnel."
The old king chuckled.
"You're just as Pagan said you were. A very selfless lad whose actions are misunderstood as tyranny."
"I don't deny that I've done a lot of horrible things….."
"You do however put thought in your actions, which is better than most have done in the past or present." Ajay handed him a cup of Chai.
"But most importantly, you take responsibility for your words and actions."
Ajay's eyes met with Surendra's and stared for a long while.
"What can this hot-blooded fool do for his Royal Highness then?" Ajay approached the topic of the Kumsan King's meeting him.
"Do you recognize this?" Surendra unraveled his sleeve and unbuttoned the clasps of his vest.
When Ajay saw it, his eyes widened for a moment before composing himself. He saw a hieroglyph of an elephant, not dissimilar to those around his arm or those that bore Guardian Animals on theirs.
"As I thought, but to be safe. I'd like you to tell me what you see."
"Your Royal Highness, what business do I have with that mark?" Surendra laughed dryly.
"I expected more desire, but perhaps I am mistaken."
"Desire?"
"I was wrong to judge, Manendra was wrong as well." He lamented to himself.
Ajay remained quiet as he monologued.
"We, the Royal Family who bear the name Kumsa and the country bears ours have a benefactor over a thousand years ago."
"Ok?"
"He was a grieviously wounded elder which our humble Ancestor nursed back to health at the expense of his own lifelihood. The Elder was thankful and left our Ancestor with a reward of riches he would never have laid eyes upon. Riches that would allow him to become lord of his own land. Our grateful ancestor granted the Elder a favour for this windfall and he took it. This elder is only known to us as Patriarch Wise Head of the Demon Banishers."
Surendra noticed a light in Ajay's eyes when Demon Banisher was mentioned.
"You're one of them, aren't you?" He asked with a smile.
"I'm not sure if I can be counted as one."
"I see, but you are aware of their existence at least, their purpose."
"….."
"I'll ask again, do you know what this is?" From the way Surendra phrased it, Ajay seemed to get that even he didn't know what it was for. The old man had a look that was eager to know as it would lay some thoughts to rest.
"…. It's a sealing hex to Yalung. One of ten sacred guardian talismans casted by ten Patriarchs of the order." Surendra's eyes widen in awe of the power the Patriarch possessed. To imprison the demon god, spoke much of his supreme and the fortune that their ancestor had in meeting and putting him in favour.
"How long have you lived, Your Highness?" Ajay knew it was a blunt question, but he had some knowledge from Darshan about the nature of those seals, which was to alter the nature of its bearer. Just as it did to his retinue of fighters.
"Long enough, I suppose. This unnatural longevity did give me the chance to see my grandchildren grow however." He said with a thoughtful look.
"So…. Will you take it?"
"Excuse me?"
"Was it not your mission to collect them?"
Ajay continued to hold a baffled look.
"The Patriarch said that he who unites the lowlands should bear the talismans."
"I think you've misunderstood, your highness. These seals aren't meant to be brought together, they're supposed to be scattered."
"So I may pass it on to you then?" Ajay noted he seemed eager to get rid of it.
"That would be highly inappropriate."
This remark shook the King as he looked up in disbelief.
"No- I didn't mean it that way… What I meant was, it must not be brought to me."
"I don't understand."
"….. I seem to have part of Yalung in me." Surendra was awed by what he heard but understood the point Ajay was carrying across.
"So giving it to you-."
"Might break a seal. I already have enough on my hands as it is with the Rakshasa. I don't need the demon god coming down those mountains to begin a second reign of terror."
"….So he's real…" Surendra murmured silently to himself.
"Curious, my ancestor insisted that the seal was meant to be passed down to you."
"Maybe it was interpretation." Ajay suggested.
"How about I recite it to you? Then you can judge for yourself." The king got all excited suddenly.
"Ok, sure." Ajay listened attentively.
Surendra cleared his throat and drank some Chai to moisten his pipe. "Ahem! (cough)…. Right."
He reflected on the words passed from Kumsan King to Kumsan King.
"Valley fractured to the rampage of the bloodied one, valley awhole by the reborn. Unseal the asura…."
"Unseal the asura?" Ajay was having funny thoughts about what was being said. Why would a demon banisher patriarch want to unleash Yalung after sealing it? Surendra was unaware that yalung was also referred to as an Asura, only Ajay knew.
"Eternal Heaven fears the Asura, yet relishes the Demon."
"Eternal-….. Heaven?!" Surendra noticed that Ajay wasn't unaware of that name but in reality, he was genuinely surprised to hear it mentioned.
Ajay was deep in reflection. This was the second time he'd heard that name. Once by Esha as a warning, and now as a prophecy by a Patriarch of the Demon Banishers a thousand years ago. Eternal Heaven, enemy of the Rakshasa and….. of the Demon Banishers?
That thought was concluded from Patriarch Wise head's intentions to release Yalung once more. As if the Demon Banishers had been deceived by a high-plane entity like Eternal heaven and manipulated into sealing Yalung.
Yet, Darshan had specifically warned him about the seals. Unless Darshan was deceiving him as well for his own ends. He had been using him a lot, even during the trainings. Darshan simply didn't trust anyone but himself. But there was also a possibility that the Patriarch was batshit crazy after performing the ritual of sealing. After all, how could ten humans seal a god? Darshan's laws of Demon Banishers was made clear. Humans didn't have enough Prana to seal away a being stronger than them. What kind of resource did they expend on sealing an Asura? It couldn't have gone well, it might have even cost them their lives, or in Wise Head's case, sanity.
Ajay had no way of knowing-…. Actually, he did.
He dug into his pocket and drew out the demon banisher seal Darshan gave him, the annoying mind whispering jade seal medallion. The moment he pulled it out in line-of-sight to Surendra's mark, the seal rattled violently.
Ten Vedic Talismans
Ten Sacred Guardians
Seal-…..
Ajay covered it with a cloth and it lost sight of the mark. Surendra watched in amazement to the item that reacted to his mark. It proved that his ancestors were not wrong, there was really a mystical world out there.
Ajay stared at the mark and pondered about it. He looked at his own courtesy of the Rakshasa ritual site, the circumference of his arm held the Bear, Tiger, Badger, Wolf, Dragon, Dhole and Rhino. Three missing slots were edging him to fill the gaps, the Kumsan King's guardian could be the next one.
Darshan was against him collecting the seals. Yet a banisher patriarch was for it. His instincts were also siding with the ancient Wisehead, but Ajay learnt long ago not to trust his curiosity sometimes. What really annoyed him was that everyone that knew something was hiding it from him, so he had no choice but to discover the secrets of the ancient kingdoms himself.
Deep down, Ajay had a feeling that If he left it alone, he would regret it somehow.
-Screw it.-
"Alright, I'll take it."
Surendra witnessed Ajay paint a diagram upon the floor with salt with a section missing for someone to sit upon.
"You seem to know what you're doing, have you done this before?"
"This circle gives me a look at your Chakra, likely where the Sacred Guardian rests. Because it has a life of its own, it may not want to come out. Well, we'll see. And no, this is the first time."
Surendra was surprised by his confidence despite the experience amounting to zero in this sort of thing. Ajay handed him a piece of thread which he wove around his wrist over his mark and had him sit in the centre of the diagram.
"I'm very sorry to have forced this upon you." The Kumsan King felt like he had imposed on him rather than benefit him in any way.
"What made you think that?"
"I always believed that from this mark, could only come good omens. It was responsible for keeping our sovereigns healthy in rule and immune to poisoning. The mark had also guided me in the way to rule."
"Drink this." Ajay handed out a bottle which Surendra obediently drank.
"What is it?"
"An elixir that'll cure your osteoporosis." The King was surprised Ajay could even determine his prevailing ailment despite not being of medical profession and do so without apparatus even.
"Mmmm, I feel better already." He said as the fluids went down his throat and a cooling feeling followed.
"I lied."
"What?"
"That's just a flavoured drink from the minibar. But you believed it would helped you, so you drank it. In truth, the drink did nothing. It was your body that made you feel better." Surendra understood Ajay's analogy immediately.
"Your family was always capable of ruling, Your Highness. Hopefully, your son will realize that in time." Ajay said with an assuring smile before he went back to completing the diagram around himself as well.
Surendra watched silently with admiration. The young Kyrat Lord was capable of so many things. A celebrated soldier, a cunning politician and bureaucrat, a benevolent and manevolent leader of men, even possessing medium abilities and a deep philosophical understanding. He didn't act his age at all. It was like he'd lived even longer than Surendra himself. An aura of mystery still lingered about him, who he really was, what was his true intentions for Kyrat and the Himavanas.
Surendra was convinced however, the Duke of Lakshman would do no harm to the Kingdoms but seek a prosperity for them. Surely if he was to rule Kumsa…
"Can I make another selfish request?" Ajay gave no response, but it didn't mean he wasn't listening.
"Will you succeed me as the King of Kumsa?"
Hearing this, Ajay sighed instead of becoming flustered.
"Can I ask why would you think such a thing? Not to mention, what will you even tell you son?"
"If Kumsa were to be annexed into Kyrat it might bring our ideal of a united country into fruition. As for Mani, I will take the responsibility to inform him as much as it would displease and let him down." Surendra studied Ajay's body movements for signs of agreement, but found none.
"I have no idea what you've discussed with his royal highness. I'm a subject of Kyrat, period. Frankly, I don't think merging Kumsa with Kyrat is the right thing to do either."
"Why?"
"Your people becoming our people might be too much for Kumsa. I mentioned this before, your kingdom like ours was founded over a thousand years ago with the bones and blood of our ancestors. Just like you believed in your ancestor's words to find me, they're no different in believing in the sovereignty and freedom in your Kingdom. Take that away from them, and Kumsa will truly be lost in here as well." He tapped his chest where the heart was to exaggerate with his hands.
"….." It was a matter of national pride that simply couldn't be discarded.
"But I will keep an eye out for a neighbour."
Surendra was greatly relieved to hear that, he took the measure of expressing his gratitude by bowing. But Ajay prevented him under pretext that they were already under influence of the formation he drew, but it was simply respecting his dignity.
"I'll begin now, it'll take a while. First, you'll fall asleep and by the time you wake you should be free to move. Just don't disconnect the thread or I'll be in trouble."
"What about you?"
"I'll still be in dialogue with Wise Head's guardian sigil, it might have adversity with someone bearing imprints of the one whom its master seal with its help."
"…. Alright, I will do as you say. Good luck."
"Mmm." They both closed their eyes and relaxed themselves.
Ajay chanted the vedic scriptures from the Banisher Manual he'd been forced to memorize by heart and repeated until both himself and Surendra had fallen asleep into a trance. While his body was asleep, his consciousness was still wide awake. He traced the thread with his divine sense till it contacted Surendra's mark of the Elephant.
…
…..
[Who art thou?]
An authoritative voice boomed in this dialog room of consciousness accompanied by an elephant's call, his talisman helped translate it into an audible language he understood. Ajay turned around in the dark void and saw a giant ancient elephant with eyes burning with intelligence.
"Ajay Ghale, friend of Kumsa. I've a dozen other aliases and titles but I'll go to the one that really matters. I'm an initiate of the Demon Banisher Order."
[The order? Hmph! What good did those geezers do for my master? They swore oath as brothers yet banish him when it should have been demons!] The elephant bellowed angrily, threatening to crush him where he stood.
[Begone!] It wanted him gone to leave it in peace. For whatever happened between Patriarch Wise Head and the rest of the order seemed to be a falling out.
"The order is gone, I and another inner circle member are the only ones left."
[Gone? Then good riddance!]
"The Rakshasa are coming." The elephant stomped closer intimidatingly.
"You respect your master, Patriarch Wise Head. That can be seen clear as day. But I have no idea what went on between him and the other Patriarchs."
[You lie-.]
"No, I don't, Guardian. Its been over thousands of years since the order perished with all nine patriarchs. My brother was coronated by the will of one of those Patriarchs."
The elephant seemed greatly distressed about what he'd been informed.
[What became of them?]
"They sealed away, Yalung. A rampant Asura that was tearing up the mountain and valley." It showed some form of grief when hearing this, but turned to Ajay with resolve to ask him.
[Why have you come then, Ajay Ghale? You would not come all this way to inform me of such.]
"I need you to confirm something for me."
The elephant made a sort of gesture that seemed to resemble a nod but with the trunk.
"When the Patriarch bestowed you to the first Kumsa ancestor, he told him of a prophecy."
[And the order laughed and belittled my master! He knew all along, he told them of his divinitation, but they refused to believe that warrior would turn.]
"Warrior….. are you referring to Kalinag?"
[That was his name, yes?... So they managed to seal him in the end, just as he predicted.]
"You'll have to explain to me, what do you mean he predicted?"
[Valley fractured to the rampage of the bloodied one, valley awhole by the reborn. Unseal the asura. Eternal Heaven fears the Asura, yet relishes the Demon.] The elephant guardian recited for him.
"That part, what do you mean unseal him?"
[What else do you think it means, unseal him!] The elephant said cross with him that he couldn't even understand simple instructions.
"Perhaps I didn't make it clear when I said Yalung- Kalinag tore up the mountain and valley, poisoning it with his blood and all."
[Young one….. I see. You came to discern the truth.] The elephant found his inquiries to speak for his ignorance, Ajay was a little surprised by its intelligence for a sentient animal spirit essentially.
[Do you know what we are?]
"Sacred Guardians?"
[Beyond that, fool!] He ended up being reprimanded for taking so long to understand.
"Look, long nose. I'm here because that old man you're residing in pressed me to take you out from him." The elephant looked at his eyes and studied them.
[Impossible….. You?] It seemed to be in some sort of inner monologue.
"Me what?"
[Quiet! I am not speaking to you….]
It was murmuring away on its own before it turned back.
[How many?]
"Excuse me?"
[How many have you gathered within you. The others.]
"About seven, why?"
[Seven-….. Already?]
"Speak to me, buddy. What did you mean what are sacred guardians? Aren't you just some spirit animal the patriarchs keep around?"
[Impudence!]
The elephant stomped and shook the void. Outside, Ajay puked blood whilst still in trance.
[We are the threads that wove to make Yama Paashastra!]
"The what?" The elephant roared in agony from Ajay's continued ignorance.
[How can you not know one of Lord Yama's sacred Astra!]
The elephant sighed exasperatively and rested his trunk over Ajay's head. A stream of events passed through his mind.
A vision of the underworld, Hell.
In the hell forges worked a blazing being with an intimidating face, slamming his hammer upon threads that seemed metallic in nature. Raising his azure hand, the threads bounded together to form the weapon of judgement, Yama Paashastra. The life severing lasso, used by the King of the Underworld himself, then by Rakshasa Prince Indrajit of Lanka, the son of Ravana. Life of the lasso was transferred from hand to hand by the will of its original maker. Until it fell into the hands of a human mortal, a devotee of Yama. That man was the 1st Generation patriarch and founder of the Demon Banisher Order. To broaden the order's power, he broke up the original threads to grant each of his ten students to form a lesser version of the weapon. These ten would become Patriarchs of their own. These patriarchs increased the power of the Demon Banishers even in the absence of the 1st generation patriarch. But unlike their master, they could not rebind the threads to form the Astra it once was. Soon, they made the pilgrimage to Shangri-la and made camp in the mountain and valley which would become their home and final resting place. While understanding the mysteries of the mountain and valley in their search to enter Shangri-la without the Rakshasa's consent, they chanced upon another means to increase their potential.
One Patriarch had been in meditation to comprehend Nirvana and had stumbled upon a route to cultivate. The path of the mountain and valley's inhabitants, born and a part of it. Ten majestic creatures that they lived alongside. Each Patriarch comprehended an animal with that particular mindset and focus of its nature that it represented their character. And so, it became part of their ruling sigil. Using the lassos to channel this cultivation had also changed the nature of the fragment of the once powerful Astra and began to have a mind of its own. The threads turned into what Ajay was looking at before him.
A sacred guardian of the Demon Banishers.
"Awesome intro story. Back to the point, why did Wise Head say unseal the Asura?"
As frustrated as Ajay had dissed the origin story it shared, it indulged him on the reasons that Ajay wanted so bad.
[I do not know.]
Ajay wanted to fall over but instead had a smug look on his face that irritated the elephant.
"You sure you didn't just forget?"
[We elephants do not forget.]
"Ololololo…. I thought you were supposed to be part of an Astra?" He teased.
"But if you didn't forget, then don't tell me-."
[Fine! I do not know, is that not what you wanted to hear?!]
"Yup. That's all, no lies." Ajay was satisfied with the response without ulterior motives. The elephant guardian was stubborn in nature and arrogant, but a little gullible as well.
[Hmph! Now begone.]
"So I take it you're not going to join me? Like the rest."
[Gather like a herd of sheep? You wish.] Technically, it was a zoo around Ajay's arm, but he kept it to himself not to upset the elephant any further.
"So you're gonna stay in this old man till he dies?"
[Better than with you]
"Fair enough, One last thing."
[What?] The elephant was extreme annoyed with his presence.
"What happens when all sacred guardians are gathered into a vessel to supplant Yalung? Does it strengthen the seal or weaken it?"
For the first time, the elephant gazed at him seriously.
[Ajay Ghale, you told me no lie about being a Demon Banisher Initiate, correct?] The elephant took threatening steps towards him, even Ajay's sixth sense was going off blares and whistles.
[Are you a traitor?]
"There's no one left to betray." The aura died down instantaneously.
[Fair point.]
The elephant gathered its thoughts.
[The answer is that the seal will weaken only if they are gathered in a vessel with a fragment of Yalung. Now….. answer me, do you possess such a fragment?]
Ajay nodded. The elephant looked at him with sympathy.
[Forgive me, young one. I judged you before seeking to learn more about your circumstance.]
Ajay didn't know what to say about the change in attitude 180 degrees from it.
[The fate that awaits you is more horrible than you can imagine. Even so, as a dear friend and companion to my master. I will advise you to abide by his prophecy.]
"Why should I?"
[Fate is a funny thing. The more you run from it the more likely it will happen. But if you find the strength to face it, catastrophne may yet be averted. For you have fulfilled the prophecy but have decided your own fate by your own actions.] For once the elephant tried to play the wise one's role.
"Very well."
[You learn quickly, I am impressed. Then I shall do the same.]
The elephant raised its front leg towards Ajay, a Vedic seal formed on the stump of its foot and pointed to Ajay.
"Weren't you a little reluctant a minute ago?"
[Then do not give me reason to change my mind! (sigh) I just might regret being taken by an annoying runt such as yourself.]
"Too late." The sacred guardian ignored him as he focused to transfer over.
The vedic symbols grew to such proportion that it encompassed them, all those scriptures had been compressed within the sacred Guardian.
[As instructed, I shall also pass to you the legacy of Patriarch Wise Head.]
"Wait. Weren't you that legacy?"
[I'm honoured to be thought of as a legacy. Hmph. Maybe being around you and the others might not be so bad after all.]
Ajay felt his arm heat up and was sure that the same was happening in the real world.
The elephant was already breaking up into glittering stars as those balls of light embedded themselves upon his hand.
[Recite after me.]
"Alright? Let's hear it then."
[Born from ashes, return once more…..]
"Born from ashes, return once more."
[Cycle of karma unbound, undone.] Ajay was having a sense of nostalgia. It couldn't be-…
"Cycle of karma unbound, undone."
[Righteous will uncontested, banish this writ of karma.] He could feel the momentum build, with every sentence, the aura grew stronger.
"Righteous will uncontested, banish this writ of karma."
[4th Demon Banishing Hex, Karmic Severing!] The sacred guardian bellowed out said spell for Ajay to send out.
Karmic Severing. The laws of nature dictated that karma between two could only be severed by those two individuals. Yet, this Banisher magic presented a way to cut ties between anyone. Longtime friends could become enemies at a moment notice, or enemies becoming friends. A banisher magic with the potential to change the world. Of which the Human psyche had no defense against. This was the all-powerful 4th Demon Banisher Hex, Ajay had been unaware that there was even a preceeding magic to the 9th Banishing Hex that did not resemble it at all. 4th Hex was no predecessor, but one of potentially ten other Banisher Hex Magic series.
The mental image of an elderly man with a dignified look he could only guess was Patriarch Wise Head, showed him the movements to accompany the spell. The vision then pointed to the sky. Ajay did the same, this small space represented the recesses of which the sacred guardian resided. Therefore, if he were to cast it here, he would physically sever the karma between the Sacred Guardian and the line of Kumsa. Freeing the Guardian from this place and Kumsa from the Guardian, he repeated after the vision.
"4th Demon Banishing Hex, Karmic Severing!"
(Snap)
….
….
Just as Ajay had said, Surendra awoke to find Ajay still in the trance meditation. He was able to move freely but only within the circle and with the thread still attached. He waited patiently for Ajay to complete the transfer. At one moment, Ajay spewed out blood from his mouth that greatly worried him, however the expression on his face was still the same calm look. So Surendra trusted in his ability.
He had the chance to meet with Saraswati who returned to the room from gathering intel, only to find them in this arrangement. A short explanation was all she really needed from Surendra, although she was not completely satisfied that he was flinging some other burden upon him like that.
Then suddenly, Surendra felt a burning sensation below his wrist where the mark lay and witnessed the ink of the mark fade slowly but surely. When it had fully vanished, he felt an ethereal presence leave him and whisper something to him to which he smiled and thanked the entity for protecting his family for generations. The thread that linked between himself and Ajay caught fire and quickly broke, then patterns began to form in the empty slot of Ajay's intricate tattoo of the sacred guardians sealed within. An elephant took its place in the circumference of Vedic scriptures.
Ajay's eyes flashed open and immediately checked the tattoo on his arm to confirm that Patriarch Wise Head's Sacred Guardian was there.
"Well? Was it a success?" Surendra asked him.
"… I've severed the karma between Kumsa and the mark, I also took back Patriarch Wise Head's legacy."
"Good! Good! Wonderful!" The old King was celebrating to tears, a great emotion of joy had overcome him. The Kumsa Family were finally free to pursue their own destiny, unhindered by karma sowed with the ancient Demon Banisher Patriarch.
"His Highness gave me a rough explanation, did you find anything within?" Saras asked.
Ajay shared with her the things he'd found out from the Sacred Guardian, including the part of a prophecy that Wise Head told the Kumsa Ancestor. Unsealing the Asura, freeing Yalung.
"Why would he say that?"
"I have no idea, not even this fella could tell me that despite how he claims to be almost akin to a companion to him thousands of years ago." He said as he tapped the elephant marking on his arm feeling a rise of annoyance from within.
"…Still…. Yama Paashastra?"
The highlight that caught Saraswati's attention, when notions of an Astra were indicated. Ajay hadn't really thought about it much until now. When he realised that collecting the ten Sacred Guardians was equivalent to gathering the threads that made up that ungodly weapon.
"Do you know what it is?"
"Do I know what it is? Its the life severing lasso, used by the King of the Underworld, Lord Yama. Legend says it forfeits the life out of anyone it is used upon unless they're the Trimurti."
"Anyone, huh?" Ajay dedicated some thought process to it. A weapon that could kill anything under the three principal Devas of the Hindu religion. No wonder the Demon Banishers were so powerful during their time for being mere humans. Could this weapon be used to keep the Rakshasa at bay from destroying his Kyrat? Esha possessed a multitude of boons and treasured artefacts belonging to the old Kingdom of Akaash. It was fair to say, she had Astra weapons in her stock as well. But at least, Ajay didn't feel so barebone without anything to protect his people with.
Ajay felt strange that his first thought wasn't to kill Esha with it and end the conflict between the Rakshasa and humanity. He was starting to grow sympathetic to their cause even though he was an enemy and a victim if this continued on. Yet, deep down, something was telling him that he was wrong somewhere. That Esha was doing what was best for him. He didn't know, she gave off a different feeling from the rest of the Rakshasa. She had features more humanly than the rest of her kind, almost as if she wasn't actually a Rakshasa at all.
And how much did Darshan know of all this? His lack of communication was what led Ajay to distrust him more than others he'd call enemies. Darshan's motives were obscured in a veil of darkness, it wasn't solely to slay Esha. That was what Ajay felt.
And now, Ajay possessed the legacy of Patriarch Wise Head. The 4th Demon Banishing Hex, Karmic Severing. The power to end relations and destinies between people. He could fortify the bonds between the Himavanan states whilst causing a rift between the United States and its Allies. How well would it work on the Rakshasa, Ajay wasn't sure. For now, he would keep it hidden as a trump. Even from Darshan. And if dealing with Darshan wasn't as he expected, he could sever it as a moments notice. Ajay realized from just these thoughts and the convenience of this spell showed how formidable and how dangerous it was, what were the consequences of using this hex spell? Ajay had yet to find out.
He looked at the jubilant Surendra, sharing the joy he experienced to Saraswati and the guards that entered the room baffled by the sounds. Ajay had sort of figured out why the line of Kumsa had maintained its standing for so long, and a critical component to this was the 4th Banishing Hex.
As the sacred guardian watched over Kumsa ancestors till this moment, it had wielded the 4th demon banishing hex inheritance to destroy the Kumsa families' bad karma relations and kept good relations to a certain extent. It was double-edged as they would never obtain true good luck through relations or the hex spell would sever it. It partly explained why Kumsan royalty had always distanced themselves from the affairs of the lowland Himavanas. When Papir had a revolution insinuated by British East Indies, the Kyrati Civil War and Mountain Wars with the Hunnic tribes, Yinkes velvet revolution by Shining Way. And the minor wars conducted against one state versus another to reign supreme.
Ajay decided to keep these thoughts for after he had dealt with the trial and mobilization.
"Men, have a seat with us. Someone bring a bottle of champagne!" Surendra entered a celebratory mood and became generous with his own Royal Guards.
"Badala, any fine choices? Colonel Roka?" He asked the two.
"Dom Perignon?" She suggested to him as he talked to a butler that walked in.
"What the lady says."
"Yes, your Royal Highness. We have ranges from '69 to '06."
"Get the best! I will prepare returns for the palace when we're done." The butler nodded and bowed as he left.
"Is everything alright?" The old king asked as Ajay had a distant look on his face.
"I'm fine, your highness. Just reflecting on the weird things, the guardian mentioned that's all. He's a stubborn one."
"Don't let these thoughts dwell too long, did you not say you received a legacy item from your orders' patriarch?"
"It was very beneficial, so rest easy, your highness. You didn't inconvenience me one bit, it was worth the risk." Surendra was only glad to hear from him this and went to celebrate with his guards.
"Have someone bring my son over!"
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince informed us he was returning home to the Velvet Palace."
Surendra sighed but did not remove that smile from his face. He was not aware of Ajay any longer. It irritated Saraswati a little to know that this ritual had cost Ajay in some way yet Surendra was celebrating for having it passed on to Ajay.
"Are you really alright?" She inquired from him personally.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just more questions that need answering. I wasn't lying when I said the returns were great."
Saraswati decided she was satisfied with just this response. There was no point for them to dwell on what could have been. She ran her finger over his left arm where the talisman tattoo was inked, a new slot was filled, bearing a new resident that she hadn't seen before.
She was ever so cautious of each marking. As Surendra had once said that the mark was akin to a curse. He might be eternally grateful, but Ajay was carrying seven other marks of different animals before his. What type of strain was he carrying already? Ajay made no indication of pain for her to tell.
"Join us, Badala! At least for a few glasses."
"If we're gonna join you, it'll be all the way." Surendra was extra ecstatic, he planned to have Pagan join as the toastmaster. The guards around Ajay's place were not deterred, if Ajay remained in Garud Durbar it was alright for him to roam the places unrestricted.
"How about it? It's on the Kumsan King's tab, this one. At least you can tell the kids, I drank with a King." Ajay asked her if she wanted to go or not.
"Even though I meet one on a weekly fortnight basis? Our own king. (sigh) I guess for the company."
They gathered on their way out to head back to the King's suite when a butler was walking with an entourage all holding samples of Dom Perignon champagne as he had requested. Ajay wasn't sure why at that moment in the corridor when they encountered each other, he was feeling something wrong with the setting. It was not just him, Saraswati was another experienced fighter so she could taste an aura that spelt of a battlefield imminent.
"That's not the same butler as before." She said with her guard up.
"Ah! There's the booze." King Surendra Kumsa walked forwards to collect one of the bottles from the trays held by one of the waiters.
Ajay sprinted forwards and snatched a rifle from one of the Kumsan Royal Guards. The guard barely had time to process as Ajay fired the first shot at the butler's head.
(Bang)(Bang)
Double tap, to the head. From the sudden change in the flow of things, the servants holding the liquor acted the way Ajay and Saras had foreseen. Dropping their trays covered with cloth and pulling out weapons upon them.
The man he'd shot got up without many indications of pain inflicted from the two neat wounds in his forehead.
"Protect his highness!" Ajay shook the Royal Guards into action as he entered first into the fray. This was the worst time to be fighting them for Ajay, all of his equipment was left in the Homestead during his arrest. He was left with the Royal Guardsmen's old L1A1 SLR rifles used for personal protection.
Ajay had expected their firepower to be directed at him, but half of them pursued Surendra protected by the Royal Guard and Saras who decided to keep the Royal Guards in check against this powerful group of assassins.
He was unable to prevent three enemies from passing by him as he grappled one of the Exalts and snapped his neck. Exalts were not immune to losing brain activity entirely, that was why the Royal Army had been forced to use explosives and heavy weapons .50 cal and above to properly kill them. And they didn't have weapons or ammo for days, while the Golden Path ranks might've fully restored to at least thirty thousand strong. They didn't have to recruit from Kyrat anymore, that was the advantage of having someone as charismatic as Mohan to lead. Even if he wasn't really the one pulling the strings, the Rakshasa just might let them be the inheritors of the earth when all were annihilated. But by then, the earth would be so barren there was nothing left but their hopeless pride.
"I never pictured Kumsa for Mohan's enemy."
Sensing the hopelessness of the situation, they hadn't expected the Demon to be accompanying the Kumsan king. The one taking point had shown too much suspicion and acted rashly, compromising their stealth. The fifteen fighters in disguise made no comment and split up to make it difficult for Ajay to pursue all fifteen. Ajay ignored them and went to where Surendra and his Royal Guards were making their run.
"Security, Code Red! Protect King Min!" Ajay yelled into the security contingency line on his cellphone before dialled for Kamran. Hopefully, the Kyrati Royal Guards would already be on their way to Pagan's suite to form a protective guard around him.
They had reached the outside of Garud Durbar Palace and were running to the motor pool. Hot on their trail was an increasing number of hidden sleepers that gave chase.
Three followed them and went around the bend only to be surprised by Saras, who emptied the clip of the battle rifle into the unfortunate soul in front. Using his body to shield her from the others as she heaved the corpse with fleshy remains for a head onto them. Grabbing her sidearm and firing off rounds repeatedly into the second exalt's head. The Royal Guards of Kumsa fired a volley at the third fighter whose body was peppered with 7.62mm NATO but after shaking off the damage to his body, he bull-charged them like he hadn't even been shot.
"Protect his highness!" The Captain of the Guard shouted as they positioned in front of the charging fighter like an American Football defensive row.
"Garrgh!" "Arrhh!"
But the fighter ran them over like bowling pins and reached out for Surendra. He missed his target as Saras knocked him aside and out of trajectory. As the fighter got up to his feet, Saras picked up a fallen self-loading rifle and fired at his head in a continuous stream of single shot rapid-fire. The fighter fell to the ground with a smoking head filled with holes.
"Madarchod!"
"What the hell was that?!"
"I could have sworn we shot him like thirty times!"
The Royal Guards were suffering from the reality of the Exalt Fighters' augmented strength.
"Colonel Roka-…"
"We need to move now, there's no telling how many there are." She cut a nervous Surendra. Many thoughts ran through his head, but most of all…. Why was the Kyrati Golden Path terrorist group after his head?
The Royal Guards picked him on his feet and gathered around in a box formation to protect him. As they made their way through the courtyards to the motor pool they cautiously scanned the perimeter and took slow cautious steps. Saras took the point and scouted the sections ahead, making them a little ashamed to be depending on her so much. But she had proven to remain calm where they panicked at the sudden ambushes, and she took them down with ease with careful tactical manoeuvres and close combat which the Guards weren't as well-trained.
It made them realise the disparity between their forces once more. The Kyrati army might be fighting this sort of enemy on a daily basis, while they were standing in idle around the Palace courtyards and being the arbiter to the staff for palace traffic. They were being outmatched by a woman.
As they approached the motor pool, they could hear a firefight in their direct path. Carefully peeking around the corners, they spotted Golden Path sleepers in plain clothing charge up to the demon himself to take him down. Ajay had overtaken them by virtue of the second floor he was on that had straight access to the motor pool at the time he wasn't been chased.
He knew this was where both parties were headed, one to escape while the other to ambush. So he set up a perimeter full of traps and aids using the weapons and equipment he collected off the dead sleepers. The Golden Path arrived first, mustering in the motor pool before planning an ambush, only to spring the trap set for them. Already, their numbers that added to the deceased list were at thirty. They were hard to kill but not unkillable with small-arms. They heard Ajay had been arrested, but never had expected him to be in Garud Durbar instead of a Papir prison. So their simple mission had turned awry, or so they were made to believe as Ajay helped himself to the blood of a Havildar to gain instant intel.
They numbered around fifty a unit without knowledge of which other units they were operating alongside. Maintaining absolute secrecy, but they did have a common mission.
"Liberate Kumsa from tyrants." This was the mission they were given by Sabal.
Ajay had not the slightest clue how the Kumsan kingdom could actually contribute to the Golden Path beside manpower. So it could be an assimilation plan to absorb the population into their ranks.
Surendra and his guards arrived at where Saras and the Captain were to witness the fierce firefight between the Golden Path and the Demon. Even by himself, the amount of dread they had for him was enough to break their morale easily. Word went around in the ranks of the Golden Path that Badala made an actual pact with Yalung, the presence of the Rakshasa provided the belief that it was entirely plausible.
When the last of the Golden Path retreated to find help from other units. They came out to meet Ajay and requisition a vehicle to escape on.
"Didn't you discuss a ceasefire with them?"
"With Esha, I did. Apparently, the Golden Path don't count." He said as he chambered another round in the G3 rifle he picked off a dead fighter. The Captain of the Guards appeared before him with Surendra.
Ajay tossed the keys to him and pointed to an MRAP marauder vehicle which he'd found from the motor pool manifest. It had been brought here as a VIP escort vehicle for Dhir and Pagan as they traversed the roads to meet the border village chiefs.
"Wouldn't it be better to evacuate his highness by helicopter?" The Captain asked.
"I've evacuated his Royal Highness Min by heli-evac already. I will not put both your sovereign and mine in equal jeopardy. It'll only make for a juicier prize for Golden Path. We'll take His Highness to the airfield directly with this." Ajay put out the plan for them. The captain was reluctant and a little offended he prioritized Pagan in such a way when his own lord was the one in danger. But Surendra persuaded him against it and to abide by Ajay's suggestion. After all, they had the company of the demon with them.
"Mount up. Have one guy man the minigun. The rest of you appropriate some ammo from those guys who don't need it." He said pointing to the dead Exalt fighters. The guards did as he instructed and confiscated the ammo and weapons from the dead fighters.
Ajay passed a look at Saras before teaching the basic function to turn on and run the MRAP to her and the Royal Guard how to operate of the turret mounted minigun. Surendra sat in the centre comfortably as Ajay latched the harness belt across him.
"Why would they come for me? I don't understand."
"Neither do we, but I'm not gonna wait around and make it easy for them. When we've brought you to the airfield, I'll arrange for a flight to take you to New Delhi for the time being to wait this out."
"Was this something to do with what we did?"
"Not even close, once we've cleared out the Golden Path in hiding here in Papir, we'll survey the other states and then you can return home." Surendra left his safety entirely in Ajay's hands.
"Then I shall trouble you again." Ajay nodded curtly and took a bulletproof vest from inside the MRAP to provide some minimum protection against firearms as well as other munitions.
When all were seated inside, Ajay went to the front passenger seat next to the driver and climbed the step up to get in. And just in the nick of time as the Golden Path came over the walls for another attack on Surendra's life. Where were the Papirese Palace Guards all this time? Ajay had been in the room for a while, so he didn't know. They should've been patrolling wherever he passed on his way out. Ajay didn't want to think the worst, he had the life of the Kumsan sovereign as the highest priority now.
He closed the armoured door just as bullets fell and struck against the hull.
"Let's get going." He told Saras to roll out. The MRAP revved up with the power of 300 horsepower, accelerating forwards. Up ahead, technical trucks came into view and positioned themselves to block the way.
"Hit the gas!" (vrrrrrrrrrr)(BANG) The chassis of the technicals were shoved out of the way as the MRAP came roaring out on its escape. Rounds impacted the armoured hull and cracked but not penetrate the ballistic glass.
(blare)(blare) Saras pressed the horn and blinked the lights to tell the civilians on the road to move out of the way.
(bump) Something hit Ajay's side of the MRAP and it didn't match the bullet impact or stuff hitting the side of the vehicle as they ran over some stall baskets.
Suddenly, Ajay's passenger door opened, and a hand reached in to pull him out. Ajay swatted it out of the way and kicked the leg that was balancing of the steps of the door. To his surprise of who had been the one to latch onto the MRAP at 60mph.
"Ajay Ghale!?-….. you again!" Sabal expressed disbelief to find him with Surendra in custody.
Ajay used that moment of hesitation to shoot his hand resting against the door and made Sabal flap to stay on the vehicle. As he was falling back, Ajay grabbed hold of his arm by the wrist.
"I really wish I could find a better time to kill you." (Bang) Ajay said before putting a slug between his eyes, Sabal fell back. But just as he was about to clear, his hand naturally gripped onto his vest tightly and pulled him along with him out of the vehicle.
"Ajay!" Saras called out for him as he left the vehicle. But kept her foot on the gas as she could not stop to pick him up when the hazard in the town they were driving out of was getting higher by the second. So she sped off on her original route, leaving him behind.
Ajay and Sabal crashed into a stall vendor for fruits which broke Ajay's fall, but Sabal ragdolled being shot in the head previously. Even so, Ajay wasn't convinced he'd die that easily. True enough, Sabal got up as if he'd been asleep and turned to Ajay which he glared with hostility.
The Golden Path fighters mustered in to close off his escape since sabal was with them to contend with him.
"Arghh. Fuck me! You're really starting to piss me off. If you want me to kill you that badly, then one can of whoop-ass just for you, coming right up!"
"You're surrounded, you insolent fool!"
"You really shit on the name Ghale, don't you? You admire my father but try to kill his son. Do you see the irony?" Ajay said with a grin.
"You don't deserve to be called Ghale-… You don't deserve to be his son!" Sabal shouted in a feral way. Ajay was beginning to miss his slayer which he would've discharge upon Sabal right about now to silence him everytime he flapped his mouth.
But Sabal was kind of right, in the given situation he was indeed surrounded. He had none of his wargear on him and his opponents were Exalt fighters. He didn't have sufficient armour or weaponry to deal with them. Thinking about the situation, Ajay let out a laugh that unnerved the Golden Path around him and irritated Sabal.
"That'll be your last laugh."
"Unfortunately, no."
"Give up and I promise you a clean death!"
"You are the farthest person from keeping promises, we've been through that over a dozen times."
"But you have not enough firepower to combat us, no escape room to hit and run-.."
"But that doesn't mean I don't have a trump."
Ajay stood in a stance he'd just learnt recently.
"You are all fools, you should have at least had Rakshasa accompany you, but now I'm not gonna let any of you leave here alive."
Hearing this absurd remark made Sabal laugh maniacally and the Golden Path followed. Yet, Ajay held a crescent-shaped grin that nobody was able to notice.
"Born from ashes, return once more.."
Sabal noticed his unusual sentence and hadn't sensed anything yet as he thought he was murmuring a death poem. A common practice amongst Golden Path before battle.
"Cycle of karma unbound, undone…" His men noticed it was very strange for a poem.
"Righteous will uncontested, banish this writ of karma!" His words carried an ethereal power that shook the world around them and they felt their hearts in jeopardy.
"Ajay Ghale, what are you doing?!" Sabal wanted to know what he was planning. He had not seen Ajay since the time in the mountains he was beaten to an inch of his life. He was not aware of the changes Ajay had undergone. So like him, none of the fighters was aware of his identity as a Demon Banisher nor what it meant to be one.
Ajay had found a strangely convenient time to put the new banishing hex to the test. And who better to try it on whilst taking baby steps towards use against the Rakshasa than the Golden Path Exalts. Ajay pointed his finger into the air but pictured the threads of all the fighters through his third eye linking to him and someone distant in the general direction of Akaash, he could only guess was Esha or the Pillars who bestowed them this power. Ajay smirked at Sabal before turning his attention to completing the spell that would rob the Golden Path of the strength that made them invincible in one fell swoop.
"4th Demon Banishing Hex, Karmic Severing!"
Author's Notes:
Exams again for Early November will be a while till the next chapter.
