Chapter 5: WARRIOR
As soon as the soldiers spotted Gurumapa, They immediately assumed a battle position. The soldiers looked towards the Warrior awaiting his orders.
The warrior put his hand up ordering them to stop. He then looked at the situation before speaking,
"You guys, Go and capture that deer."
"Yes Lord!"
The soldiers shouted before starting to chase the Golden deer. Meanwhile, The warrior slowly walked towards the hunters, who were lying on the ground completely injured and worn out.
Just as he was about to speak, Gurumapa, who still had Tejas and Vidur in its arm began laughing maniacally.
"Ahahahaha!! You foolish human. You sent those soldiers away and stayed alone to die. Who do you think you are to challenge me?"
The warrior didn't reply which Gurumapa took as a sign of surrender.
"Kekekekeke, Why so silent human? Don't worry I am only into children. I won't eat you. Instead I will rip apart each and every one of your limbs one by on-"
Before Gurumapa could even finish his sentence, It felt a little light on its right side.
Gurumapa tried to look at what was happening from the corner of its right eye, only to see complete darkness.
Gurumapa felt half of the world had been engulfed by darkness.
At the same time, Tejas and Vidur fell to the ground on their butts,
"Ho~ Who am I to challenge you?"
The warrior had a small smile on his face as if he was watching a wild beast threaten him.
The smile seemed to suggest that the warrior was amused maybe even happy But the terrifying aura around the warrior was suggesting something entirely different.
The hunters looked at the warrior who had a khukuri in hand.
They couldn't process what just happened but one thing they knew for sure was that the warrior had just blinded Gurumapa on its right eye and cut its right arm off.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Gurumapa screamed out pain. Its sheer scream almost deafened the ears of Tejas and Vidur, who were still in shock from their interaction with Gurumapa.
Gurumapa screamed in pain and agony as if it had lost its sanity. Seeing this, Ram was especially shaken since all of his attacks didn't seem to have fazed Gurumapa.
Gurumapa jumped as far as it could and in a single leap, Made a huge distance between the Warrior and it.
But that wasn't the end of it, Gurumapa who had been acting so haughtily before began running as fast as it could. It didn't care about anything in the world except running.
Maybe if the seeker boy was here to witness this, He would've felt that justice was served for his dead friends but Sadly he wasn't here to witness this.
The warrior looked at Gurumapa's running figure before he sighed internally. He didn't plan to chase after it.
He knew that Gurumapa had learned what would've happened if it faced him. The warrior put his Khukuri into the sheath and went to help the hunters and the boys.
The two hunters with the least amount of injuries began helping others. Five hunters excluding Ram and Raj were seriously hurt and Five others had died in the battle.
The two hunters began to collect the bodies of their former brothers with sorrowful expressions as a gloomy atmosphere was around.
After they were done,
The warrior helped to heal the bleedings of the hunters. He looked at the hunters and could only say a few words to express his condolences,
"You guys did your best..."
The hunters couldn't respond properly as they felt that a lump was in their throat preventing them from speaking.
After the silence continued, The warrior internally sighed before walking towards Tejas and Vidur.
He started healing the wounds from the claws marks on the boys using his knowledge in Ayurveda. While he was bandaging them, He saw that the faces of the two young boys were painted with despair.
The warrior continued with the bandaging while speaking.
"I have seen many kids of your age. But You both are special wanna know why?"
The pair of boys seemed unfazed by the words of the warrior. Seeing that, The warrior smiled to himself while he continued with the bandaging.
He knew that these kids who were too young to even be called adults had just had their fighting spirit broken. He could empathize with the feeling of absolute despair you face when you are beaten by someone that completely outclasses you.
Of course, He knew that brooding with such thoughts was nothing but a poison to one's path as a warrior.
"I have seen many kids of your age. But, both of you are special because of your courage. To a warrior, Strength can be attained. Experience can be earned, but Courage? Hehe, It's rare to have the courage you two have."
Maybe Tejas and Vidur had heard his words because both of them showed a small reaction to the warrior's words. Noticing the change,
The warrior smiled before saying
"Of course, Courage isn't the only thing about you guys. The love that you have for others is also special. Your skills are quite commendable. It's almost impossible to think that you two would try to fight that monster."
"Kids of your age would've fled. Even adults would've booked it after seeing such a Rakshasa. At the moment when probably most children would have abandoned their loved ones, You two decided to fight something that you knew would get you killed to save your fathers."
Tejas and Vidur seemed to have been somewhat influenced as they looked towards the warrior with a gaze that asked 'Really?'. Seeing this gaze, The warrior smirked before proudly saying.
"You guys don't realize How relieved I am to see that youngsters of these days still have the spirit of a warrior. You two knowingly stepped into a situation where you were bound to lose, And your fathers pushed themselves just to protect you.
Like Fathers Like sons right? You kids stepped in to help while those two did everything to protect you. Both of your fathers got injuries enough to make them bleed like crazy. Now Now, Don't you brats dare go and make their efforts be wasted. They did everything to save you, So Don't think about this loss But instead think of how you will become stronger.
The world is wide and vast. There are people out there who far surpass me in terms of strength. Don't despair over the fact that you lost to some Rakshasa."
The warrior finally finished bandaging Tejas and Vidur. He stood up before lightly patting the backs of the two boys so he wouldn't hurt their already injured bodies.
"Engrave these words into you, Learning is all about winning and losing. Doesn't matter how many times you win or lose. All that matters is how much you learned. Use every defeat to grow stronger. Don't be arrogant just because you win either. You shouldn't limit yourself because of a single defeat when you have just started."
Tejas and Vidur closed their eyes and calmly began to think to themselves. They opened their eyes and felt refreshed for some reason. Despite their exhausted bodies, The duo felt like a huge load had been lifted off from their minds.
That's when their eyes fell on the broken weapons and The complexion of Tejas and Vidur immediately changed.
There was no longer a hint of despair in their eyes But instead pure sadness.
Seeing this, The warrior became confused and asked.
"Why are you boys so sad now??"
The boys picked up their broken Khukuris before answering.
"We broke the gift from our Fathers', these Khukuris were our treasures."
The warrior blinked a few times before He understood.
He again expressed his sorry by saying,
"I know you both didn't want to break your weapons but it was fated to happen. Sometimes, The strongest weapon break during fights so it's natural. On top of that, your enemy this time was too strong for you guys. It's natural that you broke your weapons in a fight with Gurumapa."
The warrior said those words before patting the backs of the boys again.
"I know you guys are sad about your weapons but you have to let go of those weapons. They have already served their purpose. Now let's let them rest."
Tejas and Vidur reluctantly looked at their Broken Khukuris before burying them and bidding their farewells.
Seeing that the faces He had worked so hard to cheer up had again become gloomy, The warrior took a deep breath before speaking.
"I know I can't replace the gift from your fathers but because of your bravery, I shall gift you two My khukuris as your replacement weapons."
The warrior took unsheathed his two Khukuris from his waist as he spoke.
"These khukuris have many special memories in my heart. I got these from my Guru (master). Now, I am giving them to you."
Tejas and Vidur looked at the Khukuri's in the hands of the warrior and were mesmerized by the beautiful designs of the Khukuris and their sheaths.
The warrior seemed happy that the two boys loved the design so he proudly said,
"They also have names. Since these are now yours, both of you have to take care of them from now on."
The warrior pointed at the first Khukuri which had a black sheath and said,
"This one is called Haku." (T/N: 'Haku' is a Newari word meaning Black)
He handed 'Haku' to Tejas before speaking,
"The next one is called Loojha or you can also call it Loo." (T/N: 'Loojha' is also a Newari word meaning Golden Sun)
The warrior handed 'Loo' to Vidur which He took respectfully.
Tejas and Vidur looked at their new weapons and promised that They would take utmost care of them.
After that, The warrior found the situation a bit awkward so He asked the names of the boys,
"I am Tejas."
"I am Vidur."
The boys bowed towards The warrior who also gave his name,
"Hehe. Tejas and Vidur. Nice names. They suit you. (T/N: notes about this at the end)
As for me? I am Abhimanyu Sen, one of the three strongest warriors of the Kingdom of Gorakh."
Tejas and Vidur were surprised to hear his status as one of the three strongest warriors but Felt it to be natural after remembering the strength that Abhimanyu had shown.
Abhimanyu smiled at the changing expressions of the two boys before adding,
"When you two become great warriors and make your names across many kingdoms, Only then Are you two allowed to show me those Khukuris as a mark of your achievements."
Tejas and Vidur swore to do so.
Abhimanyu saw the determination burning in their eyes and laughed out,
"Haha, Looks like I will be able to hear about your adventures in the future."
But, He also immediately put them to sleep by softly tapping their temples (side of the head) making them unconscious.
Then, he picked up both of them and put them on his shoulder. He carried the boys the hunters and handed them over.
Raj and Ram along with the other hunters bowed to Abhimanyu.
This was the least they could do for Abhimanyu's saving grace.
"Thank you so much for saving our boys and other hunters too. If you hadn't come there at the right time, We don't know what would have happened to them."
Abimanyu laughed it off when He saw a signal from one of his soldiers in the distance. He looked towards Ram and Raj before saying,
"Seems like I have to go now but worry not. As I shall see you guys later after I catch the giant Golden deer."
The hunters wished him Good luck while knowing Full-well that Abhimanyu would succeed.
After Abhimanyu went to finish his mission, The hunters returned to the village while carrying the wounded hunters and the dead bodies of their fallen brothers.
Ganga and Rita with her daughter Anju began crying after seeing Raj and Ram with critical injuries. But, They were also delighted to see Tejas and Vidur.
They hugged the two boys tightly as they cried tears of joy for their return. They were happy because they returned back home safely.
After everyone calmed down, Only the sounds of Vaidyas(Doctors) chanting mantras could be heard in the village.
Ganga, who was also a Vaidya used Ayurveda to heal her husband's and boys. But when she saw that Ram had lost his one eye, Tears stained her cheeks as she silently cried.
After most of the hunters were patched up enough to not be in immediate danger, The entire village gathered to mourn for the 5 dead hunters.
They cremated the bodies of the dead as the village cried due to the loss of their sons, husbands, fathers, friends, and so on...
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Translator's notes:
Ok, So Tejas is a name that has many meanings but one of its meanings is 'Strength' And Vidur means 'Intelligence, and wise '.
The names of the two boys suit them because Tejas is a more hot-headed type And Vidur is a more calculative thinker.
Both of them have names that suit their characters and they inherit these characters from their Fathers.
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