Age of Asura [Progression, LitRPG, Apocalypse]

The car slowed to a crawl before coming to a stop near a curb. Uruvi looked out the window and saw the lonely vending machine sitting in the darkness, its bright bulbs blinking in various shades of neon. Her eyes darted around the darkness, looking for any signs of danger, but found none.

“Think we are fine…” she said as she turned towards Rambha, who sat flush against her seat, resting her head against the backrest with her eyes shut.

She let out a heavy sigh as sweat poured down her face.

Uruvi felt uneasy. Light from the vending machine lit the inside of the car, revealing a giant blotch of red painting Rambha’s left abdomen. “Rambha! You are hurt?”

Rambha’s eyes snapped open, dazed. She looked down at the blotch and saw blood oozing down her side. “Oh wow. I didn’t even realize I was hit there.”

“You are saying that so calmly! Quick! We need to get her a medic!” exclaimed Vishwas as he leapt out of his seat.

“Relax, macha. I am the medic.” Rambha clenched her teeth and pressed on the wound to staunch the bleeding. Her face relaxed as she exhaled.

The door beside her clicked open, and Ashwin gently helped her get up. “Come on. Let’s get you out of that cramp.”

“You guys are acting like I am dying. You have survived much worse,” said Rambha as she hobbled towards the vending machine.

“Doesn’t make your wounds any worse,” said Ashwin.

He let her down on the bench that sat beside the machine, before reaching for a small switch on the wall behind her. Cool white light flooded the surroundings, blending with the silky white light of the moon.

“Oh, how my heart aches!” Vishwas cried as he rushed to her aid, holding a can of soda.

“Come on, man. You look equally beat up. How did you guys survive sitting right next to that bastard?” asked Rambha as she cracked open the can. The sound of the fizz felt like honey to their ears.

“His… Its attacks were focused on you. So, we managed to slip by,” said Ashwin.

Her eyes drifted away from the boys and towards Uruvi. “What is up with Uruvi?”

They turned back and saw her facing the city that was drenched in darkness. She stood still as a statue, with her hair and jacket fluttering in the light breeze.

“You okay, Uruvi?” asked Vishwas.

“Is that where Madhu is?” she asked, without looking back. The road before them split into two. One of its branches took a sharp turn and disappeared behind a row of buildings.

“Yes, something wrong?” asked Ashwin.

“Yeah… I got a bad feeling about him…” She opened her third eye, but it picked up nothing. ‘Arya. Are there any signs of humans?’

“Scanning… Affirmative. Presence of a large number of humans detected,” said Arya.

‘A safehouse?’

“Negative. No safehouse nearby.”

‘Looks like he is not alone.’ She felt a hand grab onto her shoulder.

“Care to explain?” asked Ashwin.

“I can’t explain it. Sometimes you just… know.” She turned around and saw the others looking at her with concern. “So what is the plan? We just storm his place?”

“With how little information we have about him, our best bet would be a direct confrontation,” said Ashwin.

“The place seems to be swarming with his men. It is going to be an all-out battle,” she added.

Vishwas nervously scratched his forehead and asked, “You guys sure about this?”

She shot a nervous smile at him and said, “No backing down now.”

“In that case, Rambha. It is best you stay back,” said Ashwin.

“Hold on! Why? I am not that badly injured!” Rambha protested.

“No. But if we need a quick getaway, we can depend on you.”

She fell back onto the bench, with her arms crossed, and let out a puff of breath. “No fair!”

***

The silence of night was replaced by the harmonic chants of a dozen or more humans. As they approached their destination, the street widened into four lanes before leading into a large intersection. The streets were lit by streetlamps, in a kaleidoscope of various colors. However, the place was devoid of any souls or monsters, which made it all the more ominous.

They came to a stop before a magnificent metal gate cutting into a six-foot-tall stone wall. There was no one guarding the open gate, which led into a stone walkway that led into a garden.

“Damn… whoever he is. He is loaded,” said Vishwas.

The three of them exited the vehicle while Rambha stayed behind. “You guys be careful, alright?”

“Of course. Maintain some distance,” said Ashwin, leaning against the window.

“Yeah. I will stay put in the darkness,” said Rambha as she looked around.

Uruvi stared at the end of the walkway where she could see faint shadows moving toward the golden light that illuminated the indoors. The constant chanting of the verses only added to her dread. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Shall we?” she asked, without looking back.

“Lead the way,” said Ashwin.

They stepped through the giant gateway before being squeezed through the narrow cobbled path that seemed to cut through a richly cultivated garden. Uruvi looked around and found a lack of any guards. “Where are all his men?” she whispered.

The chanting grew louder and louder as they approached the end of the path.

“Looks like all his men are busy praying,” said Ashwin.

Bright light filled her eyes, forcing her to squint, as she stepped into a large hall. As her vision cleared up, she found herself behind a large gathering of people, sitting on the marble floor, and deep in penance. On the other end sat an old man, draped in a saffron and yellow cloth. He was old, with thin arms and legs. Black and grey dreadlocks decorated his head, and his dark brown skin hung loose over his bones. They approached the old man, who also appeared to be in a deep penance. They chanted verses she had never heard before, some of which sounded like complete gibberish.

“Is this him?” asked Uruvi.

“Really?” said Vishwas, sounding sorely disappointed.

The man opened his left eye and looked at them. “The one you seek is inside…” he whispered. The others repeated verbatim, which earned them a low grunt from their teacher. He shut his eye and got back to chanting.

They looked to their right and saw a large door that led deeper into the house. The rest of the house was draped in darkness. ‘Arya. Can you sense anyone else?’

“Affirmative. One more individual detected,” said Arya.

‘Why are you calling him an individual?’

“Individual is not a human. Individual is approaching.”

‘If he is not a human… what is…’

The outline of a man appeared in the darkness. His eyes shone in a dull midnight blue, a reflection of the aura that enveloped him. She felt the weight of his presence weigh down on her, a feeling she had felt before.

“He is an Asura…,” said Ashwin.

As he stepped into the dim golden light of the hall, she finally got a good look at him. He was no taller than her and equally skinny. He had a narrow face and sharp nose, which was framed by a thin black beard. His skin was dark as mahogany, and his thick hair was black and shabby. He was dressed like a common man, in a navy-blue shirt and black trousers.

“Not going to lie… Not really intimidating,” Vishwas whispered. Neither responded.

Madhu rubbed the back of his neck as he turned right and walked towards a large table that sat flush against the wall. “They told me about you,” he said. His voice was deep, yet soft. “Three people had entered the old city and ruined their plans. I thought it was just more contestants, itching for a new challenge.” He brushed his hand against the cloth that covered the table before turning around to face them. “But it seemed like I was wrong. You had bigger goals than I imagined.”

“Who are you?” asked Uruvi. “And how did you know about the apocalypse?”

“And why do you care?” he asked.

“That is a silly question,” said Vishwas, crossing his arms.

“Is it, now?” he asked, shooting a sharp grin.

“Is it something you and your brothers planned?” asked Uruvi.

His smile vanished, replaced by a serious frown. “Seems like you know a lot more than you show.”

“I know there are more of them like you. Hiding amongst us. Planning for the day of the ruin… You all planned this, didn’t you?” she asked.

Vishwas looked at her in utter disbelief while Ashwin maintained his composure.

His frown deepened. “You think you know us? Who we are? What we are planning? No. You wouldn’t be asking such questions if you did.”

‘I guess it was foolish of us to expect him to give us straight answers.’ She felt her bile rise. “Fine. Answer me this. Why did you feed your men all that nonsense about salvation?”

He let out a chuckle as he turned around. He ran his hand over the cloth once again, feeling the items that hid underneath it. “I always hated them. Greedy fucks. And complete fools. With what was to come. I thought I would have a little fun. I got to say…” He grabbed onto the cloth and pulled it off the table, revealing an array of blades arranged neatly. “It was fun.”

“Get ready…” Ashwin whispered.

Uruvi tightened the grip on her axe, bile rising in her throat. “It is all fun and games to you, huh? What are your kind planning next?”

He grabbed a pair of machetes before turning around. “And why would I tell that to you?”

She spun her axe around as the others fell back into a battle stance.

“I guess we are beating the answer out of you then,” she said.

A chuckle escaped his lips. “Try your best.”