Princess Fighter: Search for the Throne

Chapter 76: Day Two (Part 1)

Abhirath felt his ears turn red. There was something about the words he said that he had a warm liquid spreading inside his chest.

Her rational side knew that she had chosen him because they shared the best understanding as a working couple after Vandit and her. But in terms of ability, he was far superior to Vandit and hence he took his name.

Unfortunately, his heart did not care about his cold reason and continued to pound uncomfortably inside.

"certain. I'll do my best. Now, if we have to report in the morning, we better go and eat now before going to bed. Tonight, you will only eat what I ask. Understood?" he said to Mriga harshly.

As they walked out of the Admin building, Nirbhay whispered to Vandit,

"Looking at this behavior, I assure you she never dated him. Did you see her face when she accepted her invitation to be her partner? He looks constipated. Honestly, what's wrong with him? He should at least smile if nothing else. Instead, he asked her to have dinner with him out as a threat."

Vandit smiled gently and said,

"I think he's trying to hide his shame. Don't be so hard on him. Not everyone can express their emotions in an eloquent way."

Chiranjeev snorted loudly as he passed the two of them.

According to him, Mriga has made the right choice for his partner. Their abilities complement each other perfectly. But his mind was still fixated on Nirbhay's question earlier. He had a feeling that the competition would not be straight forward.

Meanwhile, at the foodhall, Abhirath makes Mriga's life miserable.

"Why can't I eat bread or rice? I don't like to eat unaccompanied dal or vegetables" he whined.

But Abhirath was not willing to give up at all and instead, put a boiled egg on his plate. Until now, she had a bowl of dal, a steamed fish, and now an egg on her plate.

"If you eat rice or bread, it will only make your stomach full. I want you to eat a high-energy meal tonight. For tomorrow, we'll eat nuts and bananas before we go" he ordered and went to find a seat.

Muttering harsh words, Mriga followed him.

.

Suburbs of the capital Chandragarh

"Mama, sorry. I can't come and see you during the day. Mriga was the last contestant and I was caught backstage with her," Yash bent over to touch her mother's feet.

He, along with the other zilla heads, stayed at the inn on the outskirts of the capital. It is now the inn of choice for all visiting officials.

Ujjwala teased him and asked,

"Concidentally, are you here to ask mama to get a good impression of her among the officials?"

Yash grinned at his mother's words and replied with a mischievous shrug, shrugging,

"After today's show, I don't think he needs a recommendation. It is clear that the judges were quite impressed with his performance. They even asked him to keep coming back and talk more about his weapon."

"He sounds very proud. Stupid boy", thought his mother patiently.

He came with a neutral look towards the girl his son liked. But the girl managed to surprise him. A person who is capable of developing a weapon at this age, cannot be taken lightly.

.

Next morning

Mriga and Abhirath had just said goodbye to the rest of the team. Part of Yash's head is fucked. He regretted leaving the night before Mriga chose his partner for today's event. But if he was honest, Abhirath was definitely a better choice between the two.

They boarded one of the carriages that had lined up to deliver the participants to the venue. Although there were six of them inside, there was an uneasy silence.

It might be early in the morning or the cold foggy weather outside or the jitters about the upcoming contest, but no one is really talking to each other.

Besides Mriga and Abhirath, there are two more pairs there. Mriga recognized one of the girls.

Name's Yuwati. She was one of the few contestants who received a standing ovation from the audience yesterday.

His entry into the arena itself was dramatic. He emerged from the middle of the crowd, by jumping off someone's head, swinging at one of the poles and finally landing on the jury's table, only to show a double flip from there to arrive at the arena.

People stood on their feet to see it.

Mriga doesn't know much about her background unless she's in a class with him and his major is science.

But the other girl showed no sign of recognizing him, so Mriga closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall of the carriage.

Half an hour later, Abhirath shook him gently.

"We're here. Let's go" he said in his ear.

As soon as the carriage dropped them off and left, Abhirath turned to look at Mriga, who was,

"You really are something else. Not only did you manage to sleep before the important contest, you even dared to snore. The poor people who travel with us are traumatized."

With a teasing tone, he made a face towards her and replied politely,

"I don't snore normally. But yesterday was a long day and we had to get up early, so don't scold me. By the way, who's stopping them from sleeping or snoring too?"

Before he could answer, Prithvi had already come there with Saraswati.

...----------------...

Suburbs, Chandragarh

This morning was foggy and gray, making the vast area look gloomy and unpleasant. Moreover, Prithvi wore a frozen expression that matched his surroundings.

Calling everyone's attention, Prithvi said,

"This contest is an all-day event. The goal was to test my agility, strength, and problem-solving skills. In a limited time, with limited resources, you must reach for the prize. Those details will be explained by my colleague."

Saraswati stepped forward and began to speak formally,

"The competition will start with a hurdle. After successfully passing through it, the team would then advance to the labyrinth. The rules for the same will be explained to you when you enter. Needless to say, if you clear obstacles faster, you get more time to spend inside the labyrinth looking for rewards. As soon as you find the object, the officer standing there will allow you to come out and report here. It will mark the end of the first stage of the competition for you. At any point in the contest today, you cannot continue if your partner is behind or unable to compete. Understood?"

Someone raised their hand and asked,

"Are we allowed to carry any equipment with us?"

Saraswati shook her head and said,

"You will enter and exit this place empty-handed. As for the important matters required, I'm sure you'll find it inside in due time."

People looked at each other confused. What exactly does he mean by that?

But seeing the stern expression on the faces of the two Guruji, no one asked any further.

The participants and their partners were asked to form a line and follow an officer straight ahead.

"It's going to be a bloodbath there today. After all, these are young girls. I was worried that after today's event, some of them might leave the contest. Why can't we stop the qualifying round at such a hurdle as tradition?" ask Saraswati.

Saraswati shook her head sadly. No discussions with the boss!

All 180 students walk to the starting line. A fierce-looking person wearing an army uniform was standing there.

"Listen, everyone! As I spoke, a numbered badge was being circulated by my comrade. Make sure you and your partner wear the same number badge. In addition, you must ensure that you do not lose your identity at any time during this entire day. This is the only way to get to know you and your partner for the next few hours. Now, there are two parts to the challenge today. The first part is to get through the obstacle challenge. Whether you manage to do so or not will be determined by the army personnel standing at each obstacle point.You and your teammates must complete each stage before moving on to the next stage. The goal is as follows –

1) From this starting line, you must run straight to the point where you see a hill.

2) Each couple must climb that hill and reach the top.

3) There is a tunnel that both partners must explore to go down the hill to reach the bridge.

4) The rope suspension bridge installed over the lake must be crossed.

5) The bridge ends in the middle of the lake. Jump and swim across the remaining section to reach the other side.

6) An enclosure will be visible where you must enter and exit successfully to reach the end of the obstacle.

Further instructions will be given once you get there. You have to remember that if one of the partners cannot do it at any stage, the other person cannot get through it. Any question?" he asked but was greeted with silence.

As everyone took a position horizontally across the starting point, Abhirath leaned over and whispered urgently into Mriga's ears.

"From now on, there is no one else but you and me in this place. I don't want you to be bothered by anyone, or stop helping anyone, or intervene if you see two people fighting. Just you and me and the final destination. Understood?" his voice did not cause any quarrel.

Mriga did not even have time to nod her head as the man's voice boomed loudly, sending everyone scrambling forward.

For the next ten minutes, everyone ran indiscriminately. From a distance, they looked like headless chickens falling in front.

Abhirath had grabbed Mriga's palm somewhere in the first few minutes of the race. Too many people crowded in close quarters and he did not want to waste time looking for it when they reached the bottom of the hill.

Apparently, only a few others had the same idea and about ten sets arrived at the first hurdle almost at the same time.

Once the person standing there makes sure that the person is ready to climb, in pairs of each, they are allowed to begin the climb.

Mriga thought he caught a glimpse of Vindhya among the people around him. But he did not stop to take a closer look, recalling Abhirath's instructions in his head.

"Ohhhh!" One of the many people who were in front of him and Abhirath fell down and passed through his shocked eyes.

He landed on the ground painfully while his partner who was far ahead, looked on in horror. He did not succeed in stopping or slowing his down.

Mriga was a few steps behind Abhirath but he stopped now to look at the rocks and then his hand. A thin layer of blackish slime covered the surface of his palm. He raised his head and looked at Abhirath who was wearing a grim expression.

.

Chandragarh Suburbs

As Mriga saw Abhirath's grim expression, more people had reached the base and were ready to start climbing the hill. Mriga shrugged her shoulders as if to say that the situation was inevitable. But Abhirath raised his palm to stop him.

Then he signaled that they should come back down. Mriga looked at him in astonished silence, but he had already retraced his steps and passed through them.

Due to the cold weather, she insisted in Gurukul that Mriga wear a cotton jacket over her uniform. In fact, he had made her return to the dormitory for it. It was the knee-length jacket that Abhirath now asked him to take off as soon as they touched the ground.

"What are you trying to do?" he gritted his teeth and asked her.

He could see so many people passing through them.

They had lost the first mover advantage!!

Abhirath took the jacket and tore it into three long pieces. He tied one of them to his waist, the other to his waist and used the third to create a circle between the two.

"I lead first, you follow. When my shoes become too slippery, then you advance forward. Make sure to wipe your hands every few minutes. Speed is not good if we slip and have to restart," with that, he shifted the circle towards his back and started walking forward.

Mriga suddenly realized that many people had stopped to look at them shamelessly and were now trying to find a similar tool with whatever resources they had.

Not particularly affected by this were Yuvati and her female partner, who climbed the mountain like agile monkeys. They were approaching the top of a small hill.

Abhirath and Mriga made steady progress in the silent deal. Another reason why Abhirath delayed their start was because he wanted to use a small footrest made by someone else's shoes among the rocks.

In addition, the thinking is that as more people climb before them, the slipperiness on the rocks is expected to decrease as well.

Saraswati, who stands on the porch of a tall tower along with Prithvi, has a glimpse into the process.

"One more suitor? She's a bit grumpy but not a bad choice" Saraswati murmured as she watched Abhirath help Mriga along the way.

"Is the South Sun so confusing to your brain that you start talking to yourself?" Prithvi's lazy voice interrupted his mutter, making him instantly shut his mouth.

By the time Mriga and Abhirath made it to the top of the mountain, they were clearly among the last group of competitors. But they are also few of those who do not hurt themselves in the process.

Standing at the top, Mriga stared glumly at the tunnel that was descending sharply down. It was narrow and it seemed like at one time, only one person could enter it, slowing down the process, making the entrance crowded and impractical.

Not only was it dark, there were screams and screams that sounded continuously, making it feel ominous.

Before Abhirath could say anything, Mriga turned to him and said resolutely,

"I'll be in front this time, but you stay right behind me and I think we should let the round stay as it is now."

He grinned at her pale face but stopped himself from pulling his leg was he afraid.

Mriga sat on all fours and crawled in carefully. He closed his eyes because they were useless here. Using his nose, he let his hands and ears guide him.

After a few seconds, he opened his eyes but it was still pitch-black. He paused for a moment and immediately, Abhirath was almost beside his ear, whispering to ask if he was okay.

Hearing his voice, he snorted yes and continued moving forward. Suddenly, he was pushed back violently.

"Argh.. ahhh.." Mriga grimaced in pain as a huge push came towards him from the front.

Since they were the ones behind Abhirath, he was pushed into his chest, causing pressure. After a few seconds, Mriga tried to push the object in front of him but his hand only met thin air. How is that possible?

His hand was badly crushed in the process, but he drank the pain and continued forward. There were many people behind them who pushed Abhirath and him forward, almost making him fall forward. His knees were skinned together with his hands but he did not dare to stop.

The tunnel widened slightly as it curved forward and made him breathe a little relieved. Not only was the inside damp, the low ceiling also made Mriga feel a bit claustrophobic.

Thank goodness there weren't too many people in front at close range. Something suddenly slid past him, causing him to suddenly scream.

"What's that?" Abhirath asked worriedly.

He felt that Mriga had been seriously injured in the last few minutes, but he had no way of confirming it or helping him at this time. He should be leading. But then, had it not been him between him and the people behind, he would have been pinned to death in the past.

He secretly urged her, helping her stay focused. Due to his frantic scream, he almost banged his head into the top of the tunnel in a hurry to reach him.

Since there was no room for him to move sideways beside her, every time he approached her ears, was to carry her body over her as she crawled.

"It's okay, sorry.it looks like I just touched a slimy plant and accidentally thought of it as a reptile" he replied shyly.