Chapter 145.
PART 1.
Hatori looks at the records of the house he has collected in frustration. He has not managed to find out anything beyond that the house was built 350 years ago, and it has passed from owner-to-owner ever since. There aren’t any people alive from that time, so he cannot consult them either.
‘I just know that Master Munshi would have been able to find out something concrete by now.’ he thinks to himself.
At least his client appears to be patient. Ever since they left that house with the soul on their heels, both the father and the son haven’t bothered Hatori much, even though he promised them that he would have something for them today.
He sadly has to disappoint them. Hatori cannot decide which is the worst. Herik’s complete understanding, or his hope that he would get angry at him for not giving the results fast enough.
PART 2.
Kishore is feeling better, so Avinash has allowed him to walk around. However, he is still not letting him run the farm like he used to. The man is puzzled by this behavior. Usually, whoever comes to learn from him never cares about his farm, often deriding it as useless work, something on which he is wasting his talents. And yet here he has seen the son of the prime minister himself helping him out, while he was unable to work.
‘I should thank the boy.’ he thinks, as Avinash walks in with his lunch. “Thank you,” he said, as he put the plate in front of him. “Not for this lunch alone, but for all you have done for me.” he began to eat.
“You don’t have to thank me. You shared your knowledge with me, that is the least I could do for you,” said Avinash, a bit embarrassed at the praise.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you attached to this farm so much?” asked Avinash, unable to hold himself back from this question. “Not that you have to answer.” He said hurriedly.
“I wouldn’t answer anyone else, but for you, I’ll make an exception.” Smiled Kishore, swallowing the rice. “I used to be an adviser on the court, but I don’t come from a powerful family. No one listened to me, and even the king ignored my warnings when I told him that the families were using him as a puppet.”
“I don’t think Porus will do that, sir.” Said Avinash.
“My apologies. I was referring to the previous king.” clarified Kishore. “When it was clear to me that there was no money, no name, and no respect for me in my capacity as an adviser, I decided to leave. I bought this farm, and aside from providing some commentary for a newspaper on the events going on at any given time, I left the world of politics entirely.”
Kishore drinks the warm water and puts the glass down. He then continues. “Besides, for all the hardship here, I rather work here than slave away for someone else’s profit.”
PART 3.
surveying the house to sense the activity of the soul, Hatori observes an old man going inside. There are no wards or guards to stop anyone from entering, though the inner parts of the house are locked. The man comes out. Hatori noted that his hands are now empty, whereas he was carrying something with him previously.
Now interested in knowing why this man went into the house and came out without any visible sign of getting attacked by the soul, Hatori tried to reach him. he decided that he wouldn’t call him, because that might motivate him to run. So, he walked. But he failed to reach him despite his brisk pace.
disappointed, Hatori decides to go back to the room provided by Herik for a sleep. he will ask the local people about that man tomorrow. He has memorized his face. Though describing him might present a challenge, Hatori is sure that he will manage to find this old man and get some answers out of him, with force if necessary.
PART 4.
“In short,” said General Sundar, “You suspect this Manoj Sharma will attack the city?”
“Indeed. With a chimera.” Said Munshi. “It is a combination of various human and animal souls, which are freshly slaughtered to create this beast.” Explained Munshi.
“Didn’t the Yunans try creating a beast like that in the past?” asked Sundar, “To use as a weapon?”
“Yes. However, the combinations proved to be volatile, and not good for use in a war. However, this necromantic monster is the prototype of that weapon.” Said Munshi. He was about to continue, but they heard explosions outside, and someone rushed into General Sundar’s office.
“Sir!” salutes the woman. “There is a man with a strange creature attacking the city. Our spells are not working on it, and he demands our immediate surrender.”
The general sighed. He didn’t get enough time to plan a response. Munshi and Sundar go out, where they hear Manoj yelling at the top of his lungs, using a spell to amplify his voice. “If you surrender to me, I promise I will spare your lives. I will do right by you, unlike that useless king who does not deserve to run this country!”
While he said this, his beast kept attacking the general public, while the soldiers tried to defend the civilians. This chimera has the body of a dog, the tail of a scorpion, human-like arms and legs, and horns on its face. Truly, it is just as ugly to look as it sounds in its description.
“What do we do now?” asked Sundar, having seen how the best spells of the military mages are harmlessly passing through this beast.
“Let me face this thing.” Said Munshi, already moving to fight the chimera. “You make sure that people don’t get trampled in our fight.”
Sundar nodded. “Listen up!” he said, his powerful voice drowning Manoj’s hypocritical declarations, “All soldiers, clear out the civilians immediately! I repeat, clear the civilians immediately! And prepare to protect the castle!”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Manoj, annoyed at this interruption, tried to scream louder, but the cheers of the soldiers drowned him out once again. The mere presence of General Sundar raised their confidence through the roof.
PART 5.
Hatori once more waits in the night, as the old man goes into the house, and comes out once again. But Hatori picked the right location this time. he was closer; therefore, he was easily able to pounce at the correct moment. The man tried to run, but Hatori didn’t let him go much farther. Soon, he was panting at Hatori’s feet, unable to match the stamina of Hatori.
“Kids these days, have no respect for their elders.” Said the man, once recovered enough.
“Respect is earned by your deeds, not by age. If you answer my questions, then you will have my respect.” Replied Hatori.
“And what makes you think I will answer any question you have—” the man paled, as a lightning bolt crashed several feet before his head, giving him a nasty shock.
“Will you talk now?” asked Hatori, ready with more bolts if the man proves to be uncooperative.
“What do you want to know?” he asked, sitting up gingerly, expecting another violent attack from Hatori, but the boy did nothing.
“I want to know about the history of that house. And why do you go inside every night, and come out without getting attacked.” Said Hatori.
The old man pretended to think, but Hatori realized that he was stalling. So, he gave him a mild shock. “I won’t let you go until you answer me,” said Hatori.
“Fine, fine, I’ll tell you what I know.” Said the man. once he was seated once more on the ground after the latest shock given to him by Hatori, he began to recount his tail.
“When I was around your age, I fell in love with a girl.” He said, but Hatori interrupted him.
“I’m not interested in your past romances.” Said Hatori, with his fingers sparking.
“It is related, dammit!” he cursed. Hatori subsides and listens once more. “Anyway, the girl whom I liked lived in that house. One day, I approached her and spoke with her. She talked normally, and I was delighted to know that she was just as wonderful as I imagined her to be.”
Hatori is getting annoyed. He doesn’t understand where this is going. The man doesn’t seem to be preparing any magical trap, his senses would inform him if he was. Not knowing what is going on in his captor’s head, the man continues. “Later, I learned that the brother of that girl is trying to control her, he even called a necromancer. Back then, I didn’t know what the necromancers do, so I believed her. Furious, I went into that house with my friends and attacked them all. A storm came then, and we all got thrown out of the house. My friends, and that family along with the necromancer, all died. That girl revealed that she is a soul. She explained how she built this house 350 years ago, and when at the end of her life, she refused to sell this house, she was poisoned. Ever since she has killed every owner of this house. She threatened me, explaining to me that I cannot leave this area ever.”
“Hilarious.” Said Hatori with a grin. “You went to trap her in your love, but became her captive instead.”
“This isn’t funny. I know you were hired by that new family who purchased that house recently. She will—” a growling voice interrupts them.
“I will kill these new owners, and you as well if you get in my way, boy!” declared the same face Hatori saw in the house from the shadows, before disappearing. The man started to tremble on the ground, but Hatori shooed him off.
PART 6.
As everyone evacuated the immediate area, Munshi began his battle with the chimera. Luckily, unlike the battle mage, he can fight this monster, using all the large-scale magic he knows. He lit the beast on fire, crushed Manoj’s legs, and cut the chimera into multiple pieces, which dissolved after this bit of damage.
Munshi noted Idly that unlike Hatori, he didn’t flood or lit the city on fire. Granted, a few buildings got destroyed, but that was bound to happen when you face a soul monster. He looks for Manoj, but that necromancer is floating away, unable to move his leg.
“I will come back for my revenge, just you wait!” he seethed, before flying away.
“Everything fine, Munshi?” asked Sundar.
“Yes, though the cause of all this mayhem escaped, and I don’t have the strength to pursue him.” said the necromancer, drained from his battle with the chimera.
“Don’t worry about it. for now, rest, and leave the restoration to others.” said the general, taking Munshi inside of the castle.
PART 7.
Hatori creates a ward to isolate the soul in the day, making sure it cannot come out. he then used Herik’s blood in the evening to trick the soul into coming out, having seen this trick by Munshi once already. Thankfully, he didn’t have to create a full Yantra, just some blood was enough to mimic the magic of Herik.
Herik and his son watch, as the battle rages inside of the burier. Though the soul is unable to harm Hatori, its attacks are vicious and numerous. The slightest mistake by the boy could end up in a grievous injury. But they didn’t know that Hatori trained under Zeko, in the battle, he did not lose a step. Not when he is fully rested, and fighting with a clear mind.
As he used some lightning-charged spells to damage the soul, ripping some chunks out of it, Hatori used the spell to disperse the souls as the final spell of his volley, destroying the soul. But he left himself open for attack, and at the last moment, the brutal blast of magic hits him directly. Once the burier collapses, Henish runs and picks up Hatori.
“Let’s go home,” said Herik, seeing an unconscious Hatori. “We’ll let him rest for the night.”
Henish nodded, making Hatori float behind him as they trudged back home.