Chapter 19: The Arrival of Ameer Tahir's Soldiers and the Battle
In the previous chapter,
we read that the mysterious old man visits Ali and Junaid and informs them about a secret path to cross the poisonous river.
However, before he could explain the way, there was a sudden knock at the door. Now, let's continue...
Suddenly, a knock echoes at the door. Thud-thud... the sound of footsteps is heard.
Junaid (startled):
"Another knock? Who could it be now?"
Ali:
"We'll find out once we open the door."
Mysterious Old Man:
"Stay alert! It could be an enemy!"
Sheikh Hamza (gripping his sword):
"If it's an enemy, we are ready to fight!"
Ali:
"I'll open the door. You all stay alert. Sheikh Hamza, stay near Junaid. He's still weak from the effects of the poisonous river water."
Sheikh Hamza:
"Don't worry, Ali! If the enemy comes near Junaid, they won't escape me!"
Suddenly, a loud voice comes from outside the door—
Unknown Voice:
"Will you open the door, or should we break it down and come in?"
Junaid (cautiously):
"This voice... it sounds familiar!"
Ali (seriously):
"Yes... these are the special men of Amir Tahir, the ones we trapped in the Junagadh caves. Looks like they managed to escape!"
Mysterious Old Man:
"If they are the ones, then we must be ready for a fight!"
Sheikh Hamza:
"Absolutely! We'll fight with all our strength!"
Ali:
"We are ready for the battle!"
Mysterious Old Man (smiling):
"Anyone can fight with a sword, but the art of fighting without one is something only I know!"
Sheikh Hamza (advancing with his sword):
"Master, you can take my sword."
Mysterious Old Man:
"No! This is necessary for your defense. I have the courage to defeat them without any weapon!"
Crash! The door falls to the ground with a loud bang. A cloud of dust rises.
Four shadows emerge from the dust—each holding a shining sword! Cruelness is visible in their faces.
Ali and Junaid exchange a glance. There's no turning back now! Among them were Ameer Tahir's two special soldiers and two of his spies.
The First Soldier (laughing arrogantly) – "What did you think? You will imprison us in the cave?"
Junaid (smiling) – "How many times will you fight with us? Even after losing every time, your courage doesn't decrease!"
The Second Soldier (angrily) – "This time we are four and you are three!"
Junaid (with confidence) – "We are not three, we are four!"
The First Soldier (laughing) – "You're counting yourself too? You can't even stand and you're talking about fighting us!"
The Mysterious Old Man – "Not just Junaid, we are all ready!"
The First Soldier (sarcastically) – "Old man! This time you won't escape either!"
The Mysterious Old Man (with a slight smile) – "That will be known only after the fight!"
The First Soldier draws his sword and gives orders to his companions—
"Draw your swords! Let's see how they escape!"
Sheikh Hamza also draws his sword.
Ali picks up an iron rod from the corner of the hut. But the Mysterious Old Man had no weapon.
The Second Soldier (laughing) – "You've come without a weapon? What were you thinking?"
Ali (seriously) – "There were no weapons in the cave either, yet you lost to us. This time too, we will risk our lives!"
The First Soldier – "Now, we'll see who defeats whom!"
The Mysterious Old Man – "Stop talking, come and fight!"
The battle begins
The Mysterious Old Man fights with Amir Tahir's two special soldiers and spies, without any weapon.
"Swishhh!"
The soldier's sword gleamed in the air and came straight for the Old Man's neck!
But...
The Old Man bent down like lightning, and the sword passed over his head. The second soldier struck, but before he could, the Old Man punched his wrist hard!
"Thud!"
The sword fell to the ground. "Now it's your turn!" The Old Man smiled and quickly picked up the sword.
The Second Soldier (in surprise) – "Even as an old man, you're quite agile!"
The Second Soldier (angrily) – "Now, watch!"
He attacks the Old Man swiftly, but the Old Man deflects every strike with his new sword.
Meanwhile, a fierce battle was happening between Ali and the third soldier.
Ali kept striking with the iron rod, but the soldier was dodging with his sword.
Ali (to himself) – "I need to take his sword!"
Ali fixed his gaze... "Ali took a deep breath.
He knew that a direct attack wouldn't work. He tried to gauge the soldier's strategy by looking into his eyes.
'If he strikes from the right, I can move to the left... and if he strikes from above, then...'
Ali quickly calculated in his mind and then smiled—he had found his method."
As the soldier raised his sword, Ali lunged and struck down! The soldier leaped to dodge, but then...!
"Thud!"
Ali's rod hit the soldier's skull. Darkness filled the soldier's eyes, and he collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hamza and the fourth soldier were locked in a fierce battle.
Ali took the chance and came from behind, striking the fourth soldier with the rod, knocking him unconscious!
Now, only one person was left—Amir Tahir's most special soldier!
He was fighting the Mysterious Old Man and, finding an opportunity, struck at the Old Man's hand.
"Swishhh!"
The soldier's sword clashed with the Old Man's hand! "Clink!"
The Old Man staggered, and his sword fell far away.
The soldier laughed, "What will you do now, old man?"
But the Old Man still had a smile on his lips... Why?
Ali's breath quickened, and concern filled his eyes.
He was about to step forward when the Old Man gave a slight shake of his head—an indication that he was still ready for battle.
"The Old Man took a deep breath.
In front of him stood Ameer Tahir's soldier, laughing heartily.
Ali and Junaid exchanged glances—was this their final fight? Or did the Old Man have another secret...?"
To find out, read the next chapter...
Chapter 20...
To be Continued...