Chapter 48 – Heartless
Uruvi watched as Ashwin crashed to the ground, his blood splattering all over the mud-caked walls and floor. Her body moved, with a mind of its own. She lunged at Sashwat, with her axe at the ready. However, he had already seen her coming.
He turned around in a whip, and the two axes clashed. Her eyes burned with fury, while his eyes looked calm and cool. She steadied her footing and charged at him with a series of swings. He parried all her attacks before returning with a flurry of slashes. She blocked them with her blade, but she felt the overwhelming power of each hit as they pushed her back.
He leapt into the air and twirled his body, letting the weight of his axe build momentum. She watched the move with keen anticipation. Red aura filled the air around her as she smashed her blade into his. His weight bore down on her, pinning her down on the spot. She tried hard to push him back, but his strength overwhelmed her.
She gritted her teeth and said, “thunderclap!”
The resulting explosion threw him off her as she sank onto her knees. Fine dust covered the room, making it hard for her to breathe. She looked up and saw her opponent walk up to her.
He wore a wide grin on his face. “Not bad. You got some bite. More than him, for sure…” He turned to the corner where Ashwin was supposed to be. “Where did he go?”
“Run…” She heard Ashwin whisper. A black figure appeared before her, which was followed by a blinding yellow flash. She grabbed the figure by the waist and ran through the door.
Ashwin let out a loud squeal. “Easy!”
She tightened her grip around him as she sprinted past a blur of houses. “Not an option, buddy!”
Ashwin let out an audible cry of pain, causing her to pause. She took a sharp turn and ducked under a small roof, where she finally let Ashwin down onto the ground. She finally saw the damage inflicted. A large cut ran from his right shoulder down to his stomach. However, it had been semi-closed, and in its place was a large fissure with a dark red clot running down the middle. He clenched his teeth, biting through the pain.
“Whoa. Rejuvenate did that?” she asked.
“You will need a stronger spell than that.” He pushed himself up and rested his back against the brick wall. “Heads up. We got company.”
She spun around and saw the brooding young man walking up to them. She quickly grabbed her axe and placed herself before Ashwin.
He had a tall and rugged figure that was extenuated by the tight maroon t-shirt that hugged his torso. His square face was clean-shaven with short black hair covering his head. “Let’s see what we got here…”
She looked down at her hand and saw that the gauntlets were still on. She quickly dropped them and switched to the blade.
“Only 16?” He let out a scoff and continued, “you certainly got more fight than the assholes left in this place.”
“Listen… I am not looking for a fight…” she said.
“And I am not looking to make any deal,” he replied.
“You could be saving a lot of people.”
“Like I care.” He wore a light frown on his face.
She let out a grunt. “Why do you people have to be so difficult?”
“Think you can be a hero? Fine then. I am looking for a good fight anyway. Take all the time you need. The next time we cross paths, you will have one chance to kill me and reach the top.” He turned around, ready to leave, when he paused and said, “You and your chums can use the bar as your hideout. No one will dare come there. I am going to go get some sleep.”
She patiently watched him leave. “Is he serious?”
“He is belligerent,” said Ashwin.
“He is an asshole.”
“That is also true.” He tried to get back up on his feet, but raging pain sent him back onto the ground. “Uruvi… a little help?”
***
They slowly hobbled their way to the bar. Inside, the place was dark and dead silent. It reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. Uruvi let out an audible gag as she helped Ashwin settle down on a worn-out leather couch.
“Easy now…,” she said as she gently let him down.
“Are those Gauntlets from the guy you fought?” asked Ashwin.
“Really? Is that what you focused on?”
“No. I am focused on not dying. But a distraction helps,” he said as he adjusted his posture and made himself comfortable. He exhaled and asked, “Pass me a flask of whiskey, won’t you?”
She trotted over to the shelf and rummaged through the collection before finding the rectangular bottle filled with amber liquid.
“Here.” She passed the bottle to him, and he immediately drowned the entire bottle.
He let out a grunt and said, “Rejuvenate.” Relief washed over his face as his body relaxed. “Oh yeah. That feels better.”
She let out a chuckle and said, “Much better, huh?” She looked around the dark space and asked, “where is Rambha?”
“She was supposed to be here,” said Ashwin as he put his head on the couch.
“What happened?”
“Pretty much what you think would have happened. We found him enjoying his glass of alcohol with a pack of cigarettes. At first, he paid no heed to us, so we felt a little confident… we were fools. After spending a good while explaining things to him, he replied with a simple fuck off.” He shook his head. “Things went south real fast. He was itching for a fight… he just needed a reason to start a brawl. He gave me the same offer. Kill him and get the Rank.”
“And you did?”
“I ain’t that stupid. I turned him down, but he didn’t care. The rest, you saw what happened.”
“He is belligerent.”
“He is. Which means we have no other option but to kill him.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” she asked.
“I should be asking you that. Cause only you stand any chance against him.”
She let out a dull sigh. “Fuck… What is it? 7 levels of difference?”
“9 actually.”
“Right. 9. Going to have to thrash a lot of people to get to that number.”
“You may have to do more than that,” said Ashwin. His eyes shifted to the Gauntlets. “You killed him?”
She shook her head. “Knocked him out.”
He fell silent for a brief moment before turning back to her. “Uruvi. Have you killed anyone till now? A human?”
“No.”
“Guessed so. I could see the hesitation in your moves. We are not walking away from this without blood on our hands.”
She fell silent.
“I can understand your dilemma…” He began, but was quickly interrupted.
“Have you…? Killed anyone?”
“Yes,” he said, without any hesitation. “And it was before any of this even began.”
She quietly nodded and walked towards the door. “I will see you soon. I will need to find Rambha first.”
“I suggest you focus on leveling up.”
She turned back towards him and asked, “you can’t be serious?”
“I will go look for her… And don’t underestimate her. She just might be the smartest among us.”
She turned back to face the street before the bar, before letting out a sigh. ‘He is right. We are losing light fast.’
She stepped into the fading daylight. ‘Where to now?’ She recalled her little deal with the blacksmith. ‘He said the place was a bigshot’s house, right? The place must be swarming with contestants.’
She pulled her map and asked, “Arya. Do you know how to get to Nanda’s… hmm… mansion?”
“Affirmative.” A bold yellow line appeared on the screen.
‘Right. Time to get to work.’ She dashed forward, following the path drawn by Arya. It took her through the empty streets of the city, which were looking more and more ominous with the fading light.
She stopped a few blocks away from the mansion. Her eyes darted around the place but found no soul around. ‘Strange. I am this close to the mansion and still no sight of anyone. Where is everyone?’
She trotted to the side of the road and proceeded forward, staying close to the buildings. As she approached a corner, she slowly peeked around it, only to find a pair of eyes looking back at her.