Age of Asura [Progression, LitRPG, Apocalypse]

The path forward dove down a gentle slope into a small open space that was crowded on all sides by tall and withering buildings. The road itself transitioned from broken asphalt to dry sand and then into wet mud. Uruvi felt her heart beat pick up with each step. The harsh sun burnt her skin, causing it to sweat profusely. ‘Calm yourself, girl. What is wrong with you?’ She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the violence that was sure to come up. She knew well that no matter how diplomatic they were, blood was going to be spilled. The blacksmith’s words continually echoed in her mind, ‘monsters dressed as humans’.

Rambha trotted forward and appeared beside Uruvi. “Is everything alright, babe? You look… tense.”

“Yeah… Just a little worked up about what we will face down there.”

“We all are,” said Ashwin. “But we must try to keep our heads cool.”

Rambha looked back at Ashwin with her cheeks puffed up and furrowed eyebrows. “Not helping…”

“Sorry,” he replied in a flat tone.

She put her hand around Uruvi and said, “relax babe. We will get through this together. Like we have been doing so far!”

Uruvi put on a soft smile and said, “thanks babe.” She really wanted to tell others what the blacksmith had said, but hesitated as she did not wish to put a seed of doubt in them as well. She stepped up her pace and pushed forward.

At the center of the open space sat a small, raised platform made of concrete. Upon it stood a large flagpole with no flag at its end. Before, three men, tall and burly, were huddled up and deep in discussion. However, on seeing them, they immediately stopped and turned towards them.

The man in front, who sported a white shirt that was tainted by streaks of red, approached them. He had a sly smile on his face but no weapon in his hand. “Well. Well. Well… what is a beauty like you doing here?”

Uruvi scoffed, but was grabbed by the face and pushed aside.

He continued forward as Rambha hid behind Ashwin. Uruvi quickly spun around and grabbed him by his shoulder. He stopped and looked back at her.

“What? I am not pretty enough for you?” she asked, her eyes burning with ire.

He let out a chuckle and shrugged her hand off. “What do you want?”

“Looking for a man named Sashwat. Do you happen to know where he is?” she asked.

“The Rank 1 guy? Gutsy, aren’t you?” he replied. “You know he didn’t reach there by just killing monsters?”

“Doesn’t matter. We want to meet him. If you could kindly help us…”

“What you got to offer?” he interrupted.

She let out a sigh and asked, “what do you want?”

He looked back at Rambha, who was still hiding behind Ashwin. “Give us the girl and go.”

Uruvi grabbed him by the back of his head and shifted her weight forward. She pushed into the ground below, planting his face in mud. “I asked for directions, not your sick fantasies.”

The two men behind her charged, but were quickly pushed by a blast of light from Ashwin.

A loud whistle filled the dead air around them. Uruvi got back up on her feet and looked around, only to see about five men charging at them from the shadows.

“New prey has entered the field! Get them!” shouted one of them.

She saw numbers, ranging from 13 to 14, appear on their heads along with a health bar. She felt her stomach churn violently. ‘Not backing down now…’ She reached for her axe and paused before switching to the club. She saw the blades in their hands shimmer under the light of the sun.

‘Let’s try that new skill, shall we?’

Third Eye – See the world through a lens uncommon to those who believe only their eyes. The user becomes hyperaware of the surroundings and is able to see the world through a mix of senses, including energy signatures.

It took her a second to adjust to the new vision, but at the same time, the world around her seemed to slow down. It turned into various shades of orange and violet, with multiple streams of colors flowing around her. Her mind seemed to have already been flooded by the required knowledge. She was able to not only tell what each color meant, but also what each undistinguished stream of energy meant.

‘Whoa! This is new…’

An arrow shot through the air and appeared right before her eyes. She swiped the club across her face, knocking the arrow away.

A stream of light shot past her and danced about the swarm of opponents. Many came to stop and watched it in confusion.

Ashwin dashed ahead with the sword in his hand. “Let’s make quick work of them.”

Uruvi followed. The light smashed into their shields, shattering them on impact. It managed to take out four of the seven shields before dissipating.

She lunged forward and smashed the first opponent right in his belly with her club. He gritted his teeth and pushed back before bringing his sword down onto her. She dodged it with ease, rolling to her right and slamming her shoulder into another.

She spun her club around, forcing her opponents to leap back. “Thunderclap.” A ball of shockwave erupted from her body, throwing a large chunk of her opponents off their feet.

She chased after them. “Domino!” she shouted as she clubbed the first opponent she could get hold of. The hit propagated through to five of them, dropping their health bars into the red.

“Uruvi. Get back!” said Ashwin.

She quickly put a good distance between them.

He raised his hand into the air and said, “Heaven’s blessing. Light of destruction.” A dome of brilliant golden light erupted from his hand, throwing the remaining enemies into the air and back onto the ground.

When the dust finally settled, the battlefield was littered with their bodies. A few appeared unconscious while others crawled in pain.

“Wow. I didn’t have to do anything!” said Rambha, as she walked up to Ashwin with Uruvi close behind.

His eyes caught sight of one of them, crawling away from the battle. “Before you leave, we have a few questions for you,” he said, walking up to him.

The man on the ground, who appeared scrawny and weak, turned around and looked at them with fear-struck eyes. “How…? How are you so strong?”

“How are you so weak?” asked Uruvi. “You guys are level 14.”

He looked confused. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Huh?” That is all Uruvi could muster.

“They are not contestants,” said Ashwin.

Uruvi felt her chest turn cold. “Wait. Seriously?”

“You have seen something like this before, haven’t you?” said Rambha.

“Yeah…” Uruvi said. She suddenly felt the pain that she had tried to forget.

“Let’s get back. We have a few questions. Answer them straight, and you can… crawl away without any trouble.”

“I don’t… I don’t know. Only Tej does,” said the man.

“And who is he?” asked Uruvi.

“The one, whose face you planted into the ground.”

“Oh.”

She found him crawling in the mud, trying to get away from the battle. Grabbing him by his shoulder, she violently turned him around, staring into his bloody face and flattened nose. He immediately put his hands up and began to shake them.

“I will tell! I will tell!” he said. His words suffocated under his heavy breathing.

“Oh, on…” she replied.

“That guy never sits in one place. But you might find him in Chandini’s Bar in the evening. It is the only thing I know about him.”

She looked up and saw that the sun was ready to set.

“Good. Now. Why don’t you tell us what is going on here? Why are these people fighting for control over this place?” asked Ashwin.

He fell silent.

“I will give you one more chance,” she said.

“I can’t. They will kill me…” he replied.

“Good. We got the right guy. Go ahead. Kill him. I will resurrect him and get the details for his dead body,” said Ashwin.

Uruvi’s heart froze. She saw that Ashwin’s face was expressionless, while Tej’s face was filled with dread. ‘Hope he falls for it…’ She lifted the club into the air and brought it down onto his face, stopping inches away from it.

“I will tell! I will tell!” said Tej.

“Good. Go on,” said Ashwin.

“They are not fighting for control. They are fighting for the Rank. The bosses have a boss. No one but the people at the top knows him. He said he met a Maharishi (Great Sage), who promised salvation for him and whoever is on top of the leaderboard.”

The three looked at each other, trying to process the absurdity, before turning back to Tej.

“And you all just believed him?” asked Uruvi.

He paused and said, “have you seen what is happening?”

“So, they are just trying to kill each other to get the points? Why not kill Sashwat himself?” she asked.

“He is practically invincible. He has killed everyone who has challenged him. It is just not his Level 25. He has the skill and… boy is a warrior in modern times.” He sat up straight, wiping the blood from his nose. “So, they are trying to outpoint him.”

“Who is the boss of your boss?” asked Ashwin.

Tej threw a tired expression at him. “Didn’t you hear me? No one but my boss knows.” He looked back at the ground, shaking his head. “I am dead. I am fucking dead.”

Uruvi smacked him on his head. “Get out of here. The door is right up there.”

“They won’t let me. Nobody who enters leaves,” he said.

“They are points. Valuable points,” said Ashwin. “Go. We will protect you.”

Tej looked up at them hopefully. He hopped on his feet and asked, “Really?”

“Won’t say again,” said Ashwin, coldly.

He paused for a moment, looking at them, and then made a run for it. He dashed towards the large iron gate, with as much speed as his legs could muster.

Uruvi’s eyes scanned the area, looking for any signs of movement. ‘An ambush? Once he is up the slope, there is nowhere for them to hide…’ Suddenly, her third eye activated. She felt the air form an untraceable amount of air current. ‘Bullet!’

Ashwin leapt at the bullets, parrying them with his sword. “Rambha! Protect him!”

“On it!” she said. The suitcase popped open, and a new Meka Meka popped out of it. “Meka Meka! Protect him from the bullets.”

Uruvi turned around and saw the rest of the gang retreat.

“He is fucking dead!” declared one of them as they disappeared into the shadows.

Her eyes scanned the area, searching for the shooter, but found none. ‘They are hiding from the third eye?’

A flicker of light appeared in a sea of bricks. ‘There!’ Her eyes locked on as she dashed forward towards a fallen spear. She kicked the pole up into the air and caught it with her right hand before throwing it at the target. Her aim was off, but the power of the throw was enough to smash the surrounding wall.

She looked back to see that he had almost reached the gate. Meka Meka took the last of the bullets before shattering into pieces as Tej slipped through the iron door.

“And just like that, one guy gets away scot-free,” said Rambha, with a ting of annoyance in her voice.

“I am sorry. I needed to rattle a few feathers,” said Ashwin.

“I know. Luckily, I am a very kind and forgiving person,” said Rambha, with a smirk on her face.

He looked back towards the old city and said, “I know. But I doubt they are willing to be so kind.”