The last Asura Sovereign

Hearing the plan, Punya thought it was feasible and least suspicious. The fifth elder used to teach children from time to time. Taking them away was the first time but it would also be a good excuse. The fifth elder was an eccentric one so no one in the clan would suspect if he came up with some weird ideas. He also knew about the geography of the surrounding region and he had read all the archives in the clan so he would be ready for everything to come. The clan children would be safer with him than anyone in the clan.

After making plans with the fifth elder, Amrit got out of the Skill pavilion and went to the clan hall. It was still morning and it would take the elders another one or two hours to arrive for the daily meeting. The clan hall was quiet and he again picked up the reports and read everything carefully in case he had misread or left something. Reading two times, he found nothing new. He sighed and sent one of his shadows to the outpost detailing the reports and their conclusions. He wanted Radha to be extra careful in case the major clans play something sneaky.

He had been sighing a lot from yesterday. Things had truly gotten out of his hand. There was still another problem to solve right now. It was to break the news to the elders. He knew he couldn’t tell everything to them but he had to say something. There was no telling what they would do. Will they truly give their all for the clan or will they save themselves? This remains to be seen. Punya sighed once again. As time passed, the door of the clan hall opened and elders entered one by one.

After the clan hall was filled with elders and deacons, the meeting started. Punya sat on the clan leader's seat and listened to the ongoing meeting. It was about the daily issues faced by the clan, from daily management to resources. After almost an hour Punya began to clear his throat and spoke “I got reports about some rumors yesterday”.

The clan hall became silent. He continued “There was a drunk elder from Ming clan, spouting nonsense about some war with us. I sent some people to look into it but didn’t find any incriminating evidence that supports his spouting. If what he said was true, then it would be really bad for the clan. We are just starting to get stronger. We still need more time.” Hearing Punya speak the elders began to clamor once more.

He had said this after thinking for a while. First, he brushed it off as a rumor so the mole would let down his guard and the clans would not attack immediately, secondly, the elders had their people on the clans so they may be able to get news in more depth and even if they didn’t get any information, it will give Punya to utilize some resources more freely.

And if by any luck he catches mole, it was a plus and they can go all out on preparation. The elders began to discuss the rumors. They were divided into two sides. One side was ready for war and was okay to make preparations and another just brushed off this as a rumor or a cheap ploy of an enemy. The two sides were discussing as if they were about to fight at any moment. This was why the fifth elder disdained to attend the clan meeting and called the elders and deacons idiots every time. This discussion went on for a long time. Punya sighed seeing this.

They were at the war and they were still trying to think for themselves. It was the right move not to disclose everything to those people. If they knew war was on their doorstep they would surely flee the city or even worse betray the clan and side with the enemy. But thinking about Amrit who without hesitation said he would die a ghost of the Rijal clan, his heart swelled with pride and a little sense of grief.

If he could have passed down his helm to Amrit, the clan could have prospered even more. Sighing once again he released his pressure. The chattering came to a stop and the clansmen looked at him. Looking at their faces he said “Alright let’s end this farce here for today. I will send people for more information. If you have people on the other side, you can also ask for information. Every little info helps and they would be rewarded heavily by the clan. As for preparation, a little bit of preparation wouldn’t hurt anyone. Even if it is a false alarm, it would be better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. I have something on my mind about preparations. You should also start. This will be useful in the long term. We would be able to find and fix our flaws in our defense before it is too late.”

Hearing this the elders nodded. This decision was acceptable, preparing a little was not bad. Even if not for the sudden future, it will certainly come in handy in the near future. With this, the meeting was adjourned for the day. The elders and deacons left one by one still discussing on the way out. After thinking for a moment, Punya decided to send a message to Radha about returning half of the clan members from the outpost to the clan. These clan members were mostly at the lower end of battle prowess.

Except for the Battle hall members, others would not make a significant impact on the outpost in case of war. If they remained at the outpost, they would at most serve as cannon fodder but inside the clan, they may be of great help. With more manpower, the array can run smoothly and there would be more people available for menial work. Punya sent his shadow once more to the outpost. He had decided to retract the members from the outpost slowly to the clan.

Although he could also send the members on the run in the Bareback mountains, it would spoil the plan of sending children out if the major clans found out about it. This had to be done with calculation rather than emotion. This was the part of being clan leader Punya hated the most. He had to be something other than himself but for the clan, he had to do that. After the clansmen return home, there will be some minor things left to prepare and they will be ready for the war.