The Last Rudra

"You're really quick. However, you can't escape me this time, boy. " Adard voice resounded in the empty corridor. And a golden shimmering shield came alive blocking Ishit's escape route. 

Ishit frantically swept his spirit -sense,  searching for any vulnerable spot in the stone walls. There was none. The walls had anti-telekinesis spells cast upon them, and so did the flagstones paved floor. 

"You have no idea how much trouble you caused for me. '' Adard walked out of the chamber leisurely with his hand behind his back. 

"Had I not returned on time, my years of hard work would have gone into a drain." 

Ishit couldn't believe that the traitor he had met on the beach was a druid, and his real name was Adard. 

The face he had seen on the beach was different, but just one look into the predatory eyes he knew he had walked into a lion's den. 

Ishit calmed down his thudding heart. As he looked into the eagle eyes. 

"You're not a healer. A white-cloaked druid has no such powers. " Ishit asked, condensing his attack. During his stay in Lamia he had devised some attacks, using his insight into nature. Indra Vajra, his first move, was based on the two laws of destruction --decay and lightning. 

"Ha., you're right ..."

But before he could finish his sentence, Ishit attacked. His last confrontation with Adard taught him not to relish a conversation in battle. 

The lightning net filled all the corridor, crackling loudly, catching the fake healer unprepared. 

Ishit didn't stop after one attack. Wind blades shot out from his hands. 

"You learned quickly," said Adard, who seemed unfazed about the crackling lightning and wind blades.  He formed a mudra and with a flash, everything vanished as if the horrifying lightning net was just an illusion. 

"You're not my match, boy. " Adard said, pleased at Ishit's stunned face.

"Though your accomplishments are unparalleled, you're still a wiener.  So give up struggling. Answer my few questions, I might think of letting you go. "

Ishit hadn't expected the man to have such deep insight into nature's laws. He realised he had underestimated his rival. 

"What questions? "Asked Ishit, racking his brain to find a way out. He still had an untested move. A crazy idea that had come to him when he was working with the smith. An idea to combine all the destruction laws into one, just like an alloy. 

Izidor (Adard)  could see the despair on the lad's face. The same expression he had when he thought someone had found out his plans. He had left no stone unturned on the beach, but couldn't smell out the spy. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.

In fear, he hadn't returned to Vasta. But when almost a fortnight had passed and no red-cloaked druid came looking for him. He knew it was just a false alarm. Either the boy's presence on the beach was an accident or he was also cooking something. 

So Izidor decided to come back to Vasta, finding out that Apurva had broken into his chamber, and was looking into the maps Izidor had drawn for the defilers. 

It was a narrow escape.

"Simple, How did you get here?"  Izidor asked. It had really puzzled him. 

The Living Sea hated the spirit wielders to death. They would never allow a ship or any vessel carrying spirit worshipers to pass. In the north, no Vartian would dare to disturb the moving mountain. 

As for Mayavan woods, the Vriksha hadn't forgotten the great fire. 

So, how the boy had made it here. As far as Izidor knew, even sutas wouldn't have known about this secret land of Druids. 

And then Ventus's incapability to track the boy. 

"Rowing a boat or how?" Ishit replied casually, his mind was busy visualising the spirit diagram of his new attack. 

"Boy, do you think I'm an idiot?" Izidor glared at Ishit."Don't you want to live anymore?" 

"Of course I do. however , we have a saying in Varta--

A whore's words have more worth than a traitor. So let's stop kidding each other, and fight."

Ishit replied in a calm tone, and summoned his most powerful attack. An unnamed attack, based on his crazy idea…

Ishit felt the spirit getting shucked out of him. His legs went gelly. The floor underfoot quivered, the air trembled, and blazing lightning left him blind for a few moments. 

Ishit collapsed on the floor horrified at his own attack.

The whole castle burst apart with an ear-splitting boom. Adard's golden shield shattered like a mirror. And as for Adard, 

He was sent flying into the air. Apparently, he hadn't expected the attack to be so powerful. 

Ishit had no strength left in his body. His clothes had burned into the fire. When smoke, dust, and the lingering power of his attack settled down he saw the servants fleeing in all directions, crying,  and screaming. 

The shield which had been blocking his escape route disappeared, but Ishit couldn't muster any strength even to lift his finger. 

Now he understood what Bhadra meant when he  had said  "never use an untested attack." 

The attack had depleted every ounce of spirit. Now what?

He looked in the direction where Adard had been sent flying. 

Adard was floating into the air. His handsome face was charred black. The white cloak had turned into rags. 

His eyes were red with anger. But he didn't seem to be seriously injured. Despair grew into Ishit's heart. 

As he watched the fake healer flying towards him. Did he really have to quit? 

Ishit hand's reached the emblem on his chest. 

It was then he felt someone's hand on his left arm

"Hurry up, you have to get out of here." 

Ishit turned his head. 

It was Ruchito. His eyes were glowing with green light. His face was grim. 

Ruchito picked up Ishit and rushed away. The stones flew towards Adard who seemed as stunned as Ishit at the new discovery. 

"Grip me tightly if you don't want to face the traitor. '' Ruchito said as he leapt into the air.

Ishit was surprised to find that it was not the spirit but the air itself that was carrying them. 

They landed across the lake and the serene water of the lake came alive. It swirled and rose to form a wall. 

"Who are you,?" Ishit asked, appalled at the uncanny powers of the boy whom he had thrown earlier like a scarecrow. 

"Not a good time for an introduction. " Ruchito said as he darted into the layer of maple trees. The trees shook violently as if a fierce storm had come. 

"Use your navel to absorb energy. " Ruchito said loudly. 

"What?" Ishit didn't know what his saviour was talking about. How he was supposed to absorb energy through the navel. 

"So Dhrita didn't teach you anything beyond healing." replied Ruchito. They were out of the shrine now. 

Adard was nowhere in sight. The wind, water, and trees must have been giving him a hard time. 

Ruchito landed on a roof.

He dropped Ishit like a flour sack. 

"Hey, you could have told me. "  Ishit said, rubbing his aching ass. 

"Listen, we're not out of danger. Adard would be coming soon. So tell me why you said earlier that thousands of lives were in danger."

Ruchito asked, anxiously  looking into the direction of the shrine. The city was in chaos. People were running towards the ruined shrine. 

"The Defilers have invaded Glassia,and they are rushing towards Vast,  butchering the villagers on their way,"  Ishit said with a grim face. He had abandoned the hope of saving the villagers now. 

"Who are defilers? I've never heard of them." Ruchito asked with a puzzled expression. 

"Defilers are the bane of humanity. The evilest of Evil. In short, all you have to know, the earth will cry, and the mountains will shudder after watching the scene that will transpire here in Glassia. "

Ishit said , circulating the spirit. 

" How do you know about them ?" Ruchito asked, looking at Ishit suspiciously. 

"My land has experienced tragedy," replied Ishit.

"Which land? Are you not from Glassia?" 

"As you said, not a good time for an introduction? Just tell me, can you inform so-called red-cloaked druids?" Ishit asked,

Ruchito didn't reply immediately. He continued staring towards the shrine. Where maple trees and wind were creating havoc. 

"No"Ruchito said after a long silence, 

"I knew.."

"But  there is a way we can alert them" Ruchito's next sentence cut off Ishit.

"What?" Ishit asked. 

"If we knock down the statue  of Sukrita." 

"You mean the giant statue of a warrior at the city square." Ishit thought the boy had gone mad. 

"Yes, the statue is a part of an array. If it collapses the entire Glassia will know a calamity is upon them." Ruchito explained. 

"Ah! Why didn't anyone tell me? I would have pulled it down long ago. Let's go, we don't have much time. "Ishit got up. 

"It is not so simple. Nothing but a great calamity can break it down. I don't think you fall in this category." 

" What about if we get help from Adard, the fake healer?" said Ishit, looking at the sky touching the statue. The spirit was gushing in his body rapidly refilling his every pore. 

Ruchito gave Ishit a puzzling look.