Showdown

The easterly wind was active more than usual, with occasional drizzle for company. Torus had his armor to protect him from the stinging cold as he hurriedly walked towards the lone house at the base of the hill. The drizzle transformed into a steady rain as he approached the base, soaking his cloak to the thread. The armor’s weight and wet cloth did little to slow him down. He had finally caught up with his targets who had been eluding him for weeks and he was not about to let such minor inconvenience like a downpour stop him now.

Neighboring kingdom of Plathea was just a day’s journey across the hill, which received any refugees with open hands. He was sure that his targets were planning to partake in that hospitality. His orders were clear – not to let the targets cross borders, for, once they crossed borders, it will be more troublesome to eliminate the targets and he was certain about his targets knowing the same. He wondered then, about what made them stop here when they clearly had a two-day lead over him?
‘oooh,’ he exclaimed, as the realization dawned on him like fire on a haystack.
For them to stop while he was pursuing them meant only one thing, Raena was about to deliver her baby! This was bad news. He was supposed to eliminate them before the baby was born. Just the birth of the child meant that the prophecy will come to be and he had no intentions of letting that happen. His heart sped at the possibility of the child having been born already. Could it already be too late?
Still, he had a mission to complete and he was going to do it, however dire the circumstances might have become. He was determined to see through it one way or the other. He would sacrifice himself than see the prophecy come true.
As he plowed through the thickening rain he saw the silhouette of a man sitting on a stone platform under the tree, sharpening his blade. It was only when he reached within a distance of 10 feet was he able to recognize him as his former disciple, Aguda.
Aguda was one of his most favorite students of all time and it was a shock seeing him there. After all these years, he had almost convinced himself that Aguda was no more in this world. It came as a pleasant surprise when he saw him there, looking as good as ever. After all, he would have someone to watch his back while he fought with the child’s father. Apparently, the child’s father was rumored to have talents rivaling the king of the realm.
‘Aguda, is that really you! I thought I would never see you again. Bless my rotten soul, I must be the luckiest man, to see you here. Is this your house? Is this where you have been all these years? I know you were a loner even back then, but isn’t this taking it too far!’ he ranted on, obviously happy to find him there.
‘Slow down maestro, your tongue falls faster than the rain. I’m happy to see you too’ said Aguda in his usual lackadaisical tone and went back to sharpening his sword.
Torus immediately recognized the sword as the one that he had presented Aguda as a coming of age present.
‘you haven’t answered me yet Aguda’.
‘No’ came the laconic reply.
‘No, what? “No, I haven’t answered” or “No, this is not my home”?’ questioned an irritated Torus.
‘The latter’ Aguda went again.
‘you know, for someone who says he is happy to see me, you don’t seem very keen on displaying the happiness through words,’ complained Torus.
‘I’m stumped with euphoria, maestro’ said Aguda without lifting his head from what he was doing; slow, steady motion sharpening the blade. The underlying tone of sarcasm did not go missing on Torus.
‘If this is not your place, then what are you doing here?’
‘Sharpening the blade’ came the curt reply.
‘Answer me properly pupil’ shouted Torus, losing all his cool.
Apparently, the weeks of following the target’s trail and the present weather did not help his nerve. Aguda stopped midway through a sharpening stroke and held it for a moment. He took a deep breath and slowly lifted his head like it was a burden, to fix his stare with Torus’s.
‘I don’t want to beat around the bush maestro. I, Aguda, am the father of the prophesied child, whom you are here to kill.’
Torus took a step back as if the news hit him like a physical blow. In his fondness for his student, it did not occur to him in the slightest that he would be the target or he would be the dreaded father of the prophesied child or that he might have to fight him. Aguda slowly stood up, as though not to spook an already terrified bull and heaved the deceptively heavy blade with both his hands and rested it upon his broad shoulder.
‘Maestro, I know you have orders to kill my unborn child, me and my wife. Knowing you, I don’t expect you to give up those orders. At the same time, I also know that I intend to protect my family from anything which threatens them and that would include you,’ said Aguda, every word ringing with purpose.
So, the child is yet to be born. Maybe there’s hope for the kingdom after all, was the first thought that ran through Trous’s mind. But, the hope meant, he had to kill his disciple who happens to be the most feared individual in the kingdom and get to the child’s mom. Even if he somehow managed to do that, he did not know how he’ll get up his courage to kill an unarmed mother and an unborn child. Obviously, he did not think it through before accepting the mission. But, the future of the realm was at stake. Millions of lives depended on him finishing what he had started.
When Torus saw Aguda in front of him, he couldn’t have been more proud as a master. He taught him to fight and now he was supposedly the best at it. That also meant that he would be fighting his own creation. He also knew that it was no time to be distracted by emotions.
‘Why Aguda? Why did you leave in the first place? You had everything, didn’t you?’ he asked in a perplexed tone.
‘For her,’ came the reply as though it was the most obvious thing.
‘You left everything for a woman? You must have been insane.’
‘Not a woman maestro. My woman.’
That’s when Torus realized there was no use in reasoning with him. He was no more his pupil for him to command around. Aguda’s heart was someplace else. Aguda had probably made his decision to protect the child with complete knowledge of the prophecy. So, the only option left was to push through him.
Finally, he took a deep breath and steadied himself. It had to be done. If even few of the rumors were true, he would need all the advantage he could get to even have any remote chances of beating his disciple. He wouldn’t even think twice to use any underhand tricks that he had religiously preached his students not to use.
He undid his cloak and let it fall to the ground. At this point his armor would only impede him from being quick and within seconds his armor joined the cloak on the ground. All the while Aguda looked as calm as ever. Not like the pleasant calmness which defines spring times, but like the calm that looms before a storm.
‘you wouldn’t fight your teacher, would you?’ asked Torus, perfectly aware of the reply he was about to receive.
‘Hey, every man for himself. You taught me that, maestro!’ Aguda teased.
‘Apparently, along the line I forgot to teach you never to fight your master and I intend to do it now,’ saying so, Torus assumed his most unusual offensive stance to try and put Aguda off.
He saw his disciple look back at the hut over his back, his lips curling up into the most mirthless of smiles he has ever seen. There it was, the moment he was preparing for since the start of the mission.

“Showdown”

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