Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

LX

Himprayag

Turning to look at the shocked participants in front of him, Ahilya said with a shrug, "I'm afraid we should start the process again. Make sure you drop back the numbered leaves into the pot before you move from here. You'll be notified when we're ready to start again."

So, this is the famous princess, Bela thought to herself, her face expressionless.

"You should have handed over the dirty work to us or at least done it secretly" Gayatri admonished Ahilya gently when

Ahilya came out of her room after changing her bloodied clothes.

"I think we don't have to worry about cheating during the competition right now, do we?" with that statement, Ahilya walked out.

The contest has always fascinated Ahilya during her growth period, but this time, she has a special interest and wants to continue to monitor the process.

Sighing softly, Gayatri followed him out.

When the process started again, Bela managed to get into the cage somewhere in the middle of the line. Even though the best horse had left, he was quite happy with his choice.

Horses as a breed are proud and majestic animals. But the problem is compounded by pure race and they tend to be temperamental, especially with strangers.

So, he would rather be with a good and well-mannered horse that would respond to his orders without too much resistance than try to tame an impolite brat before the competition.

He asked the officer in the cage for the name of his horse. Then, he brought the horse to run on the track, learning its uniqueness, letting it get used to its sound and smell.

The contest had been postponed due to an earlier incident and was consequently rescheduled the following morning.

Bela left her horse in the cage after spending several hours with her. It's time for another show.

He picked up his bag he left at the check-in counter and walked towards the amphitheater where the contest was held showing off one's weapons and skills.

He was a good swordsman, but his skills could not match those of professionals who practiced exclusively, every day.

Therefore, he needs to find something that can set him apart and hopefully give him an edge over others.

During his tenure with Suraksha Chakra, he has specialized in two streams. One is herbology and the second is learning to design or modify existing weapons.

Bela has been working on an ancient design originally drawn by a Southern zilla general, Vallabh, also known as a weapons design expert in Chandragarh. The design was never put into practice during this century, but according to Bela, it promises many things.

It was a picture of a stand that could hold five arrows one at a time, without having to recharge.

It really fascinated him and he had spent several years trying to completely forge such an instrument, adding his own modifications to the design.

It uses the same mechanism as that used in catapults. The size of the catapult component must be proportional to the weight of the projectile in question, and this automatic arrow also uses the same science.

It had the space to stack the arrows in a staggered manner and release them quickly one after another in quick succession. Its effectiveness depends on the accuracy and stability of the shooter.

Over the past few weeks, Bela has been training under different weather conditions. He did not know how the environment in Himprayag was on the day of the event but was well aware of Himprayag's cold temperatures. He had tried to account for the wind's movements as well.

To train himself, he had walked to the highest peak on one of the snow peaks on the North Zilla hill and dug snow there for some time before picking up an automatic arrow. He wanted to test his fingers and his efficiency in a difficult situation.

Initially his numb fingers could not even get into the arc circle. But slowly his hands got used to it.

Standing now waiting for his turn, he flexed his fingers and hoped he would be able to make people impressed enough to notice him.

...****************...

Saptindhu

Thirst and pain make Shaurya one step ahead of the others. The goal is not too far now!

...****************...

Two hours earlier

Although he had prepared and practiced it several times before the actual fall, it did not prepare Shaurya for his variables.

The unexpected presence of the big man he dragged in at the last minute with him, almost killed him.

But Shaurya had no choice. If he didn't invite the strongest man, he wouldn't be able to break the circle and escape the edge.

Although it was visible to everyone that she had jumped off the cliff, she actually slid down and pushed the man away from her simultaneously.

There was a shallow groove on the cliff, which was enough to contain the skinny man standing inside. This curve is not visible from the top of the cliff.

As he stood upright inside and tried to balance himself, the man who passed him struck his sword at Shaurya's shoe which broke the momentum of his fall.

He stuck the sword further at Shaurya's feet and clung to it, fiercely.

More than excruciating pain, at this point, the greater danger was that Shaurya was thrown into the valley faster than the man!

...****************...

Saptindhu

Trying to ignore her pain, Shaurya quickly untied the cloth on her waist and used it to throw**** onto one of the stones next to her, which protruded out of a steep ravine. It was the only option he could think of, at this moment.

Meanwhile, the man began to climb from Shaurya's feet to his feet now, using a sword to pull it.

His intentions were clear in his eyes. But he was shocked when Shaurya shifted from standing in that corner to stretching his body and hanging near a rock. Now the two bodies are hanging in the air, merfolk.

Shaurya ignores the other person's panic reaction and focuses his energy on pulling himself safely to the stone.

It is a more stable position than standing in a narrow gap with someone pulling you down and there is nothing stopping the imbalance from occurring because he is now dependent on his own strength.

The man became agitated and stuck to Shaurya's lower body more ferociously. Now, Shaurya could feel the sword piercing almost into the soles of his feet, but he knew that the cotton cloth would not be able to withstand the weight of the two of them for long. Time is of the highest essence.

Wrapping one of his hands around the stone safely, he saw the man holding his thigh with both hands, now. Shaurya's forearm muscles stiffened as he tightened his grip around the jagged stone.

He used his free hand to pull out a small knife from the rope tied to his other arm. Hiding it in his palm, he waited for a precious few seconds as the man crawled up to his waist. Shaurya used this time to catch his breath and calm himself down.

As soon as the man wrapped his hands around his stomach, Shaurya leaned slightly forward and gouged out the man's eyes, one after another. He did not hesitate nor did he hold back the strength.

The man screamed in pain and tried to stop Shaurya with one hand. Quickly, Shaurya slashed the veins on his wrist that were still wrapped around his waist, making him limp.

A stream of blood gushed out from the wound. The man was still shrieking as he felt a cold copper metal slide into his mouth. He started thrashing but could not avoid it. With a knife embedded deep into his mouth, he finally released Shaurya's waist and his body fell free.

All of this happened in less than a minute, but it lasted a long time and was painful for both of them.

Taking a deep breath, Shaurya observed the damage to his legs and decided that until he did not find a solid ground, it was better to let the sword remain embedded in it. The wound on his waist was not too deep but it was very painful for him.

He had slipped far enough from the top of the cliff that he could not hear any sound. But it also meant he managed to evade capture.

Now, all he needed to do was somehow get to his intended destination.

As a result, he was not agile enough to jump from one crack to another. Thankfully, due to his unexpected fall with the man, he descended further along the cliff. There's a tree right under it that will help him down.

...****************...

Three hours later

"Yes God! Wait a minute," Shaurya heard the voice of the prostitute who was supposed to be waiting for him at the bottom of the cliff.

Is he hallucinating? There's still a long way down.

After arriving in Sapsindhu, Shaurya postpones meeting with handler Ratansingh for one reason or another because he wants to find the right place for their meeting.

When he first heard about the Vultures Valley, he was fascinated and wanted to explore the option to use it.

Using Prithvi's alternate network in the area, he finds out about the depths and other details of the valley, but his source also informs him of the loner tribes living there.

Shaurya questions his source about the movements of those people. It was impossible for them to survive with just what was available in that valley.

They had to come to the main civilization to obtain some resources. The man had no idea how they were traveling, but he and many others had seen the tribe's people around the market at different times.

They are peaceful people and keep their own. Often, they trade their good skills for the basic needs of the market. Their specialty is making beautiful yet sturdy bags and bags.

There were rumors that the material they used was actually the dead skin of everything in the valley, including humans, animals, and birds.

In order for his plan to succeed, Shaurya needs to meet and convince the people of this tribe to tell him the entry and exit points of the bottom of that cliff.

Otherwise, he would have to resort to other tactics. Days passed, he almost gave up on this plan when the source came and introduced him to the two tribal women who came to the market that day.

Shaurya sat across from them after offering a bag full of rice, wheat, and jaggery. They had received the same thing with a smile but now a big problem was now facing them. These women do not know any spoken language!!!

...****************...

Saptindhu

The tribal women may have other means of communication that are beyond Shaurya's understanding and there is no time to find out or learn about it at this point.

Finally, it was the shrewd prostitute who came up with the idea of drawing questions instead of asking them.

He drew a valley and the two women headed there with bags in their hands. He offered the sheet to them to complete it, hoping they would understand.

And the women did not disappoint!

Taking out a piece of charcoal, one of the women responded by smiling at him and drawing the entrance to the valley.

Afterwards, Shaurya asks the prostitute to pretend to be gravely ill and to refrain from her duties that day. He helps set his secret path with the women on the same night to the valley to wait for him.

Everything goes perfectly and Shaurya begins to believe that the toughest part has come to an end. After all, how bad was a suicide attempt in the middle of the night?

It looks so easy on paper. But now that she was about to faint, Shaurya swayed dangerously. He still has a way down. Will the mission fail because of him?

Suddenly, he felt a pair of warm hands coming to support him. He narrowed his eyes to see who it was but it was still dark and the fog before his eyes continued to grow. No longer able to hold on, he fainted.

...****************...

Three days later

Shaurya's fever finally subsided and it was almost a miracle that he was still alive. When the tribal woman drew a map for her, she was unable to convey that their abode was not at the bottom of the valley, but rather the small caves scattered throughout the hill.

As one descends a steep cliff, the slope of the wall begins to tilt instead of staying straight. And there's a lot of shallow pockets under that hill. It was like a building with many floors in it.

There were rope tied up that were hung so that people could go back and forth. Also, the way out to civilization was through one of these caves and not at the bottom of the valley as he had thought before.

A group of men go looking for her when she is not down at a predetermined time.

The prostitute had gotten used to the environment and people in the past few days and had been enjoying their unbridled hospitality. It was he who gathered the men to go and look for Shaurya on the hill that night.

Shaurya grimaced as he tried to lower his injured leg. He is still alive but unfortunately, far from ready for any action. With deep regret, he sent the message with his eagle.

Chandragarh Prithvi frowned and pinched the trunk of his nose. He knows the challenges that a mission can bring and not everything can be accounted for. But when the enemy and his plans go unnoticed, each moment becomes critical.

"Why are you breathing so hard? It seems like the worry of the whole country is on your shoulders," his partner's arm wrapped around Prithvi's neck.

After passionate lovemaking, Prithvi steps out of the house for a bit. When he went back inside, he had a sullen face.

"Haven't your words become too spicy lately? Was the tour exhausting?" Prithvi replied in a disrespectful tone.

"Touch! Don't misunderstand me. I just expressed my concern. Since I came back, I have rarely seen you. You look pale and your weight also drops a lot. It makes me want to gather you in my arms and comfort you, "he replied shyly.

Prithvi turned to look at her and said, "Alright, let's see how well you can cheer me up."

...****************...

Himprayag

"You were really impressive there, yesterday. Too bad the judges weren't so impressed with... uh, what was the name of your bow?" One of the participants had walked to Bela before the equestrian competition.

Bela looked at the man briefly. His words and attitude did not match each other. He looked so young, even his mustache had yet to begin to form properly on his upper lip. For someone of this age, her condescending attitude did not match him.

But the next second, she said to herself, I'm not her mother. How do I care?'

With a polite smile, he only said one word, "Arrow".

"Right, right. Umm, do you mind if I take a quick look at it?" he asked after a while.

Bela's eyebrows shot up and she gave her best 'don't mess with mama' gaze. As usual, it was met with success and she left by saying goodbye.

Letting himself grin, he suddenly found himself homesick. Mriga's laughing face swam in front of her eyes and became moist.

"Hello, are you Belavati, a participant from Chandragarh?" an officer in the uniform of Himprayag came to stand in front of him.

With a nod, he handed the parchment to Bela, bowed and left.

"Please join me for lunch early after your show, today. Greetings, Gayatri," the seal of an army general is under his name and Bela recognizes him as the one who spoke at the inauguration of the match.

He noticed that the officer did not bother waiting for his answer. It is understood that Bela will attend lunch.

With a strange smile on his lips, he went to the cage to meet his horse.

The horse seemed to recognize him, especially after he had spent those few hours of the morning walking once more!!