Blue lightning crackled ominously as a massive bronzed man hit the ground. A beautiful, dark young man stood by the downed man with an outstretched hand, the same blue lightning flickering lazily upon his palms with a continuous intensity that made it look almost like a flame. The crowd gathered on the stands instantly went wild, their cheer resounding all around like the roar of a terrible wave.
The young man smiled and looked towards the sky. The tournament of Agneya kingdom was going strong and he was the centre of attraction, the favorite of the crowd.
Of course he was the favorite! He was Arjun, the best archer of his generation in the entire kingdom - and one of the strongest warriors too! None of his opponents as of yet had been able to stand up to him!
Tuth be told, he could not allow anyone to stand up to him here. He was strong, and he had such a political standing that he was awarded outrageous gifts by almost everyone. Effort and luck - both he had, and he took pains to use every advantage he could get. After all, this tournament was something he had been both dreading and looking forward to. His love was at stake here.
Not many people were privy to the fact that this martial tournament was a very political move. It determined who had the potential become the next official Atimaharathi, a position that denoted the achievement of being the mightiest a mortal warrior could ever hope to be. But since any being with such power could potentially become too difficult to control, Bhishma, the current general of the Kingdom's martial forces, had pledged to marry his daughter to whoever won the tournament. Said daughter was called the most beautiful young lady of the Kingdom, now that Queen Sita had passed away. The tournament therefore was a salivating prospect for anyone - being awarded the title of Atimaharathi and gaining all the political power and privilege that came with it, while being wed to the most beautiful young lady in the kingdom all at the same time! But that in itself was the source of Arjun's dread and drive.
Bhishma's beautiful daughter, Draupadi, was also Arjun’s childhood sweetheart. He had watched helplessly as she had been swept up in the politics of the Kingdom. Arjun therefore had vowed to become the best this kingdom had to offer, so that at the very least he could extricate her from that miserable position of political bondage.
Arjun sighed as he walked back to the participants’ stand. He was a sinner and he knew it. He could never forget the incident with Ekalavya. He knew he should have said something to stop that terrible thing his guru was doing - but he didn't. Sometimes he wondered if all this partiality he was favoured was even worth all the cruelty others had to face? But right now, in this moment, none of it mattered. If he could but save the lady he loved, it would all be worth it. His only fear was the participation of Lav and Kush, the two younger twins of King Ramachandra. They were actually the other favorites of the populace. The only reason they weren't here was because they were more interested in adventure and exploration of the new than any matter concerning political power or matter of state. So very like the childhood facet of the King himself! Only Yudhisthir, the eldest of the King's son, had inherited the sense of duty and grave wisdom of the matured King. All that aside, what mattered to Arjun now was that if Lav and Kush decided to participate, he had no idea if he could get them, even when he teamed up with his cousin Bheem.
Bheem was a mighty warrior in his own right. In a straight out melee fight, none had yet been really able to stand up to Bheem. He was perhaps the strongest man physically in the entire kingdom, being physically stronger than even Lav and Kush, though not enough to make a difference.
Honestly, Lav and Kush made the entire tournament so very frightening that he did not know what to do. Bhishma was known for his terrible vows, and that was the reason Arjun absolutely had to be the winner of this tournament. There was no other way.
Arjun focused on the tournament again.
His cousin, Bheem, was walking into the field. The giant stature of the man rippling with iron tough muscles cut an imposing figure gleaming in the midday sun. The crowd was tense with anticipation, though all they really wanted to see was Bheem dominating his next opponent, as he had done so far in every match he had been in.
The gates at the far end opened up, signifying a new entry. When the opponent walked in, the whole arena froze to silence.
The man was tall - taller than Arjun, though he was a bit shorter than Bheem. The man was powerfully built, but he did not ripple with muscles like Bheem. The curious part was that in front of this opponent, Bheem did not look as hopelessly imposing anymore. But the newcomer's physique was not really the reason why Bheem no longer seemed extraordinary. The aura around this man was absolutely inhuman. Arjun and Bheem were both demigods, but at the same time they were unmistakably human. This man, however, did not seem at all human. Even his appearance was strange! A strange gem embedded upon his chest, golden tattoos that spread out across his bare torso, a strange sense of radiance and heat exuding off him like waves from an ocean - all of it drove him further away into the realms of the alien. More than that, Arjun saw details with his archer's eyes that common people undoubtedly had missed; details which left him worried.
All of it begged just one question - who was this man?
Within a moment, the bell signalling the start of the bout rang out loud.
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The moment the signal was given for the battle to begin, Karma did not waste even the most miniscule of moment to burst into action. He sped off as fast as he could towards his opponent and threw a punch, which the massive man barely blocked. Pure concussive force blasted in all directions as his opponent skidded away.
The entire stadium went silent in an instant. All the roar, the cheer, the jeer, the whispers - all of it died away in that moment. Karma waited for everyone to soak it in. To let his strength be appreciated. He wanted to show everyone his deeds. For that effect, he waited.
His friends were out there watching him too. That thought made him smile.
The murmurs started once again, more frantic and loud this time. That hushed noise was drowned out suddenly by his opponent rushing towards him like a rampaging bull with a great, gravelly roar. Karma's smile tightened. He was a humble man, but at this moment he could not help but want to show off a bit.
He took the punch much more casually than his opponent had taken his. To his surprise, he actually skidded quite far away.
Karma's golden armor was one which constantly decimated any attack dealt upon him on all the planes of existence - which is to say that his armor had the potency to deal with any kind of damage, be it physical, spiritual or even abstract. Any damage below a particular threshold would simply break apart, not being able to get through the decimation effect of the armor. But if an attack was titanic enough to not completely disappear even with that reduction, then it would be able to deal some damage to him in accordance with what power still remained in that attack after its reduction. But what was truly formidable about Karma's armor was that the decimation of damage was impossibly constant. Even with an attack getting through, the armor still subjected the attack that broke through to a reduction at the immediate next moment, and that process continued perpetually. That meant that even if any attack did get through and damage him, any and all damage done to him simply disappeared in a matter of moments, as if that damage had never even existed. Even mortal wounds would simply disappear without doing anything other than stalling him. His guru had said that even one of the strongest Gods would have a grotesquely difficult time destroying that armor.
That armor was the only reason he could actually survive his guru going all out against him enabling him to learn quickly all that the ancient man had to teach.
There were only a few problems with his armor. The first was that it required his awareness to be active. It was only semi-autonomous. If he was aware of himself being in danger of being attacked, the armor would act on its own to keep him safe. The second was that at the highest levels, where he attempted to take on some of the strongest astras head on without a counter attack, it burnt so much of his energy that he simply passed out and was left terribly weak after that. It meant that while the armor was infallible, he wasn't. He still couldn't afford to get too confident simply because he had a phenomenally powerful armor. The final weakness was that while it could render ineffective almost all things that would do him harm, he was still very susceptible to physical restraints.
This formidable armor was all that Karma had tried to show off when he had decided to take that blow head on. But right now, Karma was the one who was pleasantly surprised.
When his opponent had punched him, that was pure brute force. None of the weaknesses of his armor had been exploited. To think his opponent was able to budge him with such an attack was remarkable indeed! Whoever his opponent was, Karma was sure that he was quite strong!
But all around Karma, the responses were quite different. In every mind, there was just one common assessment -
That man is strong! To think he could push the mighty Bheem like that was terrifying in itself! But to take a blow in return just as simply? That was unthinkable!
People were looking at Karma's tattoos that had blazed into life and extended further into more elaborate patterns across his skin, almost as if they were alive, with stupefied amazement. Even the tear-like crimson linings upon his eyes were glowing, having extending further down across his face, neck and chest to his crimson stone heart, which was also glowing. Radiant was the word to best describe this new challenger upon the stadium.
Bheem himself was left speechless. Here was a man who was quite a bit faster than himself. This opponent of his had been fast enough that Bheem could just barely react to his punch. What surprised Bheem was the actual power behind that man's blow. That was not quite far behind his own! That had inflamed Bheem a bit.
He was the one who was supposed to be a physical monster here, damnit!
So Bheem had gone in for the next attack, to which this person didn't even raise a finger in reaction. And yet…..and yet….it seemed to affect this man far lesser than Bheem was affected by this stranger's blow! Without even putting up a guard!
Right from his childhood, Bheem was strong. As he grew he had built a reputation around himself of being the strongest. He knew of none who could match his might. He knew he was a physical powerhouse, and there was none who could deny his might.
Then he met his cousin, Arjun, and he knew that strength came in different manners. While his cousin was not as strong as him, what that young man could do with a bow Bheem knew he could not replicate. And they were both children then. They had come to a sort of mutual understanding and respect. Arjun had known Bheem to be the strongest man physically; Bheem had acknowledged Arjun to be the mightiest bowman. At the very least, they knew they could each reach there where they imagined their place to be. It was almost like an undeniable cosmic truth. Together, they were such beings who could destroy any who stood in their way. Against each other….who knew what would happen?
That notion was shattered again when they met the much discussed royal twins, Lav and Kush. Bheem was confused at that time. Were they not the strongest? Probably not. But he had faith that if they kept striving to be where they wanted to be, they would definitely get there. He honed his physical prowesses, just as he knew his cousin was honing his archery skills. They would definitely get there. They were making leaps and bounds of progress.
But now? Bheem was seething with rage now.
This man…..he was doing nothing more than humiliating him! He was Bheem, the strongest of this generation damnit! How dare this man, who popped out of nowhere, look down upon his gift, his years of toil? He would rip this damned festival light apart! How dare this no-name look down upon his dreams?!
Bheem summoned his famed golden mace, releasing the restraints upon his body. Those were restraints he took upon himself so that he would not overwhelm any who came his way and have some fun even with weaker enemies. His strength was like a storm - it could keep growing if he let it. Bheem always kept that abnormal growth in check. Now, however, he would no longer do so.
Bheem rushed forward towards Karma, whose eyes widened as he felt the change in his opponent. That man was distinctly faster, his aura more imposing this time around. In response, Karma materialized a massive spear. Right in that moment, Bheem was upon him.
Bheem swung his mace towards Karma's head, which Karma dodged by leaning back, letting the mace swing narrowly past his face. Using the momentum of the first swing, Bheem brought back the mace to smash Karma across his midsection. Karma drove the tip of his spear towards the bulky head of the mace in response.
The tip of the spear hit the intended target, and the mace was driven forcefully to the ground. At the same time, the spearhead was knocked sideways - a result of Bheem's millennial strength. The moment the mace struck the ground, it shattered the ground of the stadium right to the edge. Bheem took advantage of that and lashed out with a powerful roundhouse kick, hoping to catch Karma off bbalance. Karma once again forced Bheem's attack off trajectory by smashing the butt end of the spear, with the momentum of the previous displacement, to smash the calf muscles of the offending appendage. In a show of pure strength and skill, Bheem stopped his spin by smashing his active foot to the ground, and in that same moment launching his mace into a one handed thrust to smash his opponent's chest. Karma, with a decidedly problematic footing, chose to simply block it with the shaft of his spear. He was launched some ways off, then skidded to a halt.
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Both Bheem and Karma paused to assess each other. When Karma took the initiative to launch an immediate attack on his opponent, he had thrown the possibility of assessment to the side in favor of displaying his prowess, and in the heat of the battle drawing out his opponent's own abilities. While that might not seem the most calculated battle plan, it was a very viable tactic for Karma owing to his armor which could shave off any threat to him to negligibility. Bheem had reacted out of rage, and he was boiling with rage even now. But he did understand that he at least needed to know what to look out for. This was not an opponent whose attacks he could simply overlook or smash through - at least not without knowing what he needed to smash through.
Bheem looked at his opponent and thought back on the bastard's prowesses. That man was strong enough to pose significant threat to him in close combat. More than that, his opponent was faster than himself if he did not unseal his own restraints. The martial skills of that man was terrifying, honed to a point that suggested he was used to dealing with things faster and stronger than himself, which was a terrifying prospect. But however outlandish it may seem, that was the truth because that is what skills are all about - to overwhelm with technique what could not be overwhelmed by power. And bitter as it was to admit this truth, his opponent was actually more skilled than himself.
But what this man truly seemed to be gifted in was defense. The patterns upon his body that were blazing with a golden light most definitely made up some kind of an armor. There was no way anyone could have taken a hit from him with such nonchalance otherwise. As for how that armor worked, Bheem had no idea. Though he hated to admit it, his own resilience paled in the face of such a defence.
Then there was that tall spear that his opponent was holding. That was quite a huge thing, almost twice as tall as the man himself. The spear was really akin to the 'pikes’ that he heard of from his guru in terms of stature. But stature is where the similarity ended.
The spearhead was proportionately massive as well, constituting nearly a third of the spear's length. The spearhead began with a flat, disc like bulk with six straight spikes, three jutting out on each side of the ‘disc’. From there, the rest of the the spearhead jutted out like one final spike, though this was a ‘spike’ that resembled a conventional kite-shaped spearhead of tremendous height. But none of that was what made that spear so unique. What was so singular about that particular spear was that it was composed entirely of what looked like intense flames solidified into the shape of a spear.
The entire shaft of the spear was glowing crimson like the light of the setting sun. In the butt end, however, the flames intensified into a yellow hue. The spearhead was a totally different story. It blazed yellow right from the circular base with such might that this intensity bled off a few inches into the shaft itself. From there, the heat only increases so that by the tip of the spear it became searing white in intensity. All through the length of the spear, flames flickered and danced as if it could not all be contained within the spear - as if they were straining to burst free. Bheem could feel the oppressive heat trying to suffocate him right from where he was standing. And yet, his opponent showed not even the slightest discomfort holding the source of that heat.
All in all, this was a terrifying opponent, whether he wanted to admit it or not. The only option he had to win was to overwhelm this opponent with as much force as he could possibly muster, disregarding the damage he received himself. He had to break through with all his might. There was no need to respect his opponent; the only need was of acknowledgement, and destruction thereafter. He would do that. He was Bheem!
Karma, on the other hand, was gazing at his opponent with respect and joy. He was indeed glad that this mighty man was his first opponent! With a bare handed strike devoid of any enhancements he could force Karma away. It was a feat none had managed to pull off ever as of yet! Such pure physical might! And then, that man had gone and revealed his enhancements! His opponent was even faster and stronger after that! And there was also the added weight of something divine added to it. An abstract weight.
His opponent was no doubt the offspring of some God like himself. To find a brethren like himself - Karma was glad he had undertaken this journey!
His opponent was fearsome though not simply because of that. That man undoubtedly also possessed indomitable will! Karma had struck the calf of his opponent, and there was a visible burn mark now where he had struck. But that man was so vigilant and full of vigour that he did not appear to even notice the burn, let alone the matter of that wound impeding him.
And that mace - it was without a doubt a Spectral Crystallization, just like his own spear. Though, Karma was unsure if it was completely his opponent's own creation like his spear was, or was it something borrowed, like Karma's bow, the one that he tried his best never to summon forth into the world, was. That golden mace had an abstract weight to itself. If Karma were to describe it, he would call it a hammer of wind. But regardless of who it belonged to, it was quite a formidable thing. The only problem he believed that mace had was that it was not something that could be activated. It was a passive Crystallization.
Regardless, Karma was glad he was able to meet a foe on this level who could force him to show his prowess. He wanted everyone, especially his friends, to see what he could be capable of, after all!
Bheem ended the standoff by rushing towards Karma. He would break through all of his opponent's tricks. He would show everyone that he was the strongest without a doubt!
And then, the arena exploded into flames.
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Arjun's eyes widened as sweltering heat reached his skin from beyond the barrier.
This was bad! If Bheem by any chance lost this round, and the royal teens decided to participate in the tournament, he would deeply be in trouble!
But what could he do? What could be done in this situation? Arjun had no choice but to clench his fists and observe.
His cousin was bursting through the flames to reach his opponent each time. But Arjun saw that he was being slowly eaten away at by the flames. While there was yet to be a conflagration as intense as the first burst, the intense heat didn't let up much.
The opponent was clearly the cause of the intense flames. It was quite obvious, considering the tall lance of flame he held. Those flames - they were quite akin to the lightning Arjun himself commanded as the son of the god of lightning, Indra. Bheem's opponent was undoubtedly a really high class demigod like Arjun himself. If that man was anything like himself, he was undoubtedly holding back yet. Was that man the son of Agni, the god of flames?
Bheem seemed to get more powerful than ever, even as his skin continued to get charred away, consumed by the ferocious flames. His strikes were more powerful, his speed now even greater than that of his opponent. But somehow, the spearman kept up. Bheem's every ferocious attack was met with subtle redirections and clever counter attacks. The skill of that spearman undoubtedly far surpassed the realm of man. What a monster in human skin!
Gradually, Bheem's attacks started getting through to his opponent. Bheem was thoroughly enraged. He howled like a mighty gale and battered at the defenses of his mighty opponent. Divine mana raged out of him in bursts, keeping the flames around him in bay, even if it was only momentarily. His opponent was hard pressed to keep up, but that now grim faced man still faced his cousin like an immovable mountain.
But Arjun knew, he had to end this soon. Had the both of them been equals in close combat as it appeared to be, he would not be worried. The problem was that the defenses of his cousin's opponent was way too strong. That man was absolutely unscathed, while his cousin had raw burnt muscles showing all over his body - the result of those deadly flames. Bheem's lustrous long hair were almost completely gone. Those flames had reduced them to cinders.
Suddenly a vicious thought struck Arjun's mind. Why was it that he had never heard of this man before? What was his name again? Karna? Something like that. But he had never heard of a man with such a strange name. He would have definitely heard of a powerful warrior who was ridiculously named 'Earlobe’ in their language. Arjun had made sure of it after he had met Lav and Kush.
He knew of all the great warriors of the land. Everyone knew the supposed Vanar army with the formidable names, Hanuman and Sugriv. Equally famed were the mythical Garuda brothers, Jatayu and Sampati. Then there was an old man in the mountain who no one had been able to find, an ancient sage of war, Parashu. There were also the great grandmasters of the army - the supposedly immortal Bhishma and Ashwatthama; the sage of warfare and his own guru, Drona; the greatest chariot warrior, Satyaki; the mighty king Ramachandra and his brother, Lakshman. Then there was a man who called himself Suyodhan, a man who was argued to be the strongest youth physically, though that title went to Bheem as well. The tribals of the east had their own great warriors like Nörök and Bhagadattwa. But nowhere had he ever heard of even a whisper of a man named Karna. Why was that? Either there was a problem with the man or he was secretly brought up by someone tremendously powerful. But since no one had come forth to declare him as their greatest student, nor to restrain him for any problem at all, that meant that he was neither a problematic person or a secret successor of some great warrior. He was simply overlooked. That could mean only one thing - something was problematic with his caste, or his tribe. Such a man couldn't have been hidden for so long for no reason at all.
Arjun swallowed nervously. This was a merciless gamble. Perhaps he shouldn't be doing something like this at all.
But then he thought of Draupadi, and all his hesitation was stilled.
Lightning flashed upon the tournament ground and thunder rumbled loudly over the din of battle. In a trice, an arrow landed between Bheem and ‘Karna’. The ground between the two exploded, forcing both to part with surprise. With deliberate ease, Arjun landed upon the site of contact, his bow pointed towards 'Karna’. There was a noise in the gallery, and before anything could be said, two foreigners stood by 'Karna's side. Arjun's heart was racing with nervousness, but he willed it to a serene rhythm.
“Who are you?”
Arjun's question, though calmly asked, boomed over the arena like rumbling thunder. The entire place became silent once more. A bitterness spread upon the face of the fair spearman, who looked at Arjun with what he supposed was resignation and resentment.
“I am a warrior,” the man replied, “Isn't that enough for you?”
Arjun knew at that moment for sure that he had hit the spot. He could see great masters of war stand at the ready at the edge of the grounds, just waiting and watching. He could even spot Lav and Kush enter the arena, though that was the least of his concern right now. What mattered that it had all paid off.
“Are you, really? Are you a Kshatriya?”
His opponent closed his eyes and smiled a sad smile. It was almost as if he knew he had lost whatever he was planning, and he accepted that fate.
“No. I am not. I do not have a caste or a tribe.”
Chaos erupted across the stands again. Cries of outrage and protests sounded out like a cacophony of temple bells. A huge man came down and spoke something to the casteless man, who turned away together with the two foreigners and left the arena in mute silence. Bhishma stood and attempted to calm down the raging crowd. Lav and Kush disappeared into obscurity again. Bheem was fuming with wrath even though he was declared the winner, while the magic of the arena worked to negate the damage done to him and the arena now that the end of the bout had been declared.
But none of that mattered to Arjun right now. He stared out towards the most lavish space in the gallery. There he could see a faint, relieved smile upon the beautiful face of his beloved Draupadi.
In this moment, that was all that mattered to Arjun.
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Karma shuffled out of the arena with a slow gait. He felt so tired. Nothing he did seemed to be ever enough. All his power, all the might he had - none of it ever mattered in the face of this giant structure that bound the world to order. What about those unfortunate like himself? Like that old landlady forced to work all by herself? Like those thousands of poor people whose only fault was to be born in a certain family? Imaginary sins heaped upon the unfortunate - what a twisted world! He knew he had to accept his lot in life, but did actions not matter at all?
His gloom was brought to a closure by a punch upon his shoulder by Leonard. He looked at Leonard and was surprised to see that man grinning bright like the sun.
“Hey, Karma! Cheer up!” Leonard spoke to his friend with a genuine smile, “Those bastards are dead wrong if they believe actions count for nothing! You still have us as your friends, right? It's just that some people love the way the world is working because it benefits them. They'll do everything they can to keep the world working that way. But you yourself said that the first thing to do about anything is to accept what you have, right? And then, act as you think is fit! Don't fret the details, my friend! You know, the way of those old coots is already cracking! That man, Suyodhan, didn't he come to offer you a place by his side? But you still chose to come with us, right? Believe me, one cannot run away from truth, even if it is contrary to the the truth they have known all along, if the new truth is spoken loudly and clearly enough! If you accept what you have, be strong enough to yet find kindness in your heart and then act accordingly, people will one day or the other just start calling you righteous or just! Believe in those voices like yours which have not yet spoken and just shout out loud what you have in your heart!”
Karma looked at Leonard in astonishment. He had known that Leonard was wise, but never did he think he could be so eloquent as well. Karma couldn't help but smile as well. It seemed that no matter whatever was against him, he was still blessed!
“Thank you! I feel so blessed to have friends like you!”
Marian smiled at Karma. What an admirable man! The world did not deserve people like him at all.
“Let's get away from this place and its revolting laws,” she said, though her smile did not disappear entirely.
“Where to?”
“Hmm. What about the far West?”
“Sounds like a good idea!”
“Anywhere is good to me. I shall be seeing the wide world thanks to you! I do not know how shall I ever repay you two!”
“Hahaha! You're so funny!”
“Really, now! You know…….”
The sound of the conversation of these three smiling friends faded off into the din of the city alongside their heavy footfalls, dissolved into the chaotic multitude of overlapping voices and conversations. In a moment the arena roared into life again with cheers, drowning the sound of temple bells and human conversations.