Veer ~ Rise Of The Sisodia's [#YourStoryIndia]

Chapter 1

Rao, the tall warrior, bellowed as he lunged forward, sword in hand. But his cry faded as his wiry opponent sidestepped him, leaving Rao clawing at thin air with his blade. He turned to face the young man who had just made him appear dumb with an angry glare.

The soldier's face was flushed from exhaustion and rage, and his body was caked with muck from the arena. His barrel chest heaved up and down as he attempted to inhale some air.

His opponent, on the other hand, hardly seemed to be duelling. He was tall and slender. His wavy hair, which hung to his shoulders when left open, was carefully pulled back in a bun. He, like his opponent, wore a langot, a loincloth that exposed much of his well-toned body.

His shoulders were unusually broad for his slender physique, and his torso was dramatically slimmed down to a hand-span waist and washboard abs. His chest and arms were rippling with taut muscles. His legs were long and slender. He moved like a ferocious Tiger, leisurely and graceful, but with an undercurrent of power that suggested he could erupt into rapid, explosive action in the blink of an eye.

Despite his tender age of twenty-one, the young man's torso bore multiple scars. His palms were calloused, and his left hand's middle finger was crooked from an old break. There was an indentation on his right side, just below the ribcage. It was an old wound that had healed but had left a scar.

The young man mockingly smiled. Only a thin film of sweat on his brow indicated that he was exerting energy in any way. Despite his apparent ease, he was continuously on his feet, keeping an eye on his opponent and taking care to stay out of lunging distance.

'Move, Rao, you moron! 'I bet my horse on you!' exclaimed one man.

'You idiot, you shouldn't have bet a horse on a donkey!' exclaimed another.

'I hope a million dog fleas permanently infest your armpits!' hissed the first man back.

'Put those fleas in Rao's langot.' That might help him move faster!' came the cheery response.

The audience erupted in delight.

Rao's cheeks became flushed as he heard the taunts. 'You've been dancing around all morning,' he hissed at his opponent. 'Stand firm and fight like a man.'

'Catch me if you can, old man,' his young tormentor smirked.

The infuriated warrior lowered his head and charged like a raging bull. The young guy let him come, then sidestepped at the last second, fell to the ground, and thrust out his right foot, tripping the warrior and sending him sprawling to the ground with a crash that echoed throughout the raucous stadium. His opponent rushed on him, spun him around, and pinned his back and shoulders to the floor while he lay there dazed.

The majority of the audience cheered, but there were also some loud groans. 'Go to hell, Rao, you idiot,' shouted a corpulent guy as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a garment thrown across his shoulders. As a thin man tapped him on the shoulder, he swung around, annoyed.

'I'll take my money now,' replied the slim man, gleefully grinning from ear to ear.

'Take it. I hope some thief steals it from you! I hope you have a pounding headache from the terrible wine! I hope you get rotten food that wrecks your stomach!' shouted the fat man. He hurled a coin bag at the man. 'Take this, too,' he muttered, taking the sweat-soaked garment from his shoulders and flinging it in disdain, revealing a pair of sagging, pendulous masculine breasts.

'Don't worry, I'll put the money to good use,' the joyful response said.

'When I've spent it all, I'll return for another wager.' You should also keep the cloth. You're going to give our women a complex.'