Empire Ascension: The Rise of the Fated One-Chapter 163: Ayushmann Badhana - 1

Rewari Kingdom, Pataudi Village, Mercenary Recruitment Camp

A 17-year-old boy with dry throat and scarred feet, dragged himself toward the Pataudi village under the scorching sun. He wore a worn-out white shirt and dhoti. Ahead of him, a long queue of villagers stood waiting with weary faces. The recruitment camp was a large makeshift tent over an open field which bore banners of the Hindshakti company fluttering in the wind.

Ignoring his fatigue, the boy joined the line. Moments later, two boys of similar age, both panting heavily, ran up and stood behind him. They were twins, nearly identical in height and build, with one having curly hair and the other straight.

"Thanks to you, we almost missed it!" the curly-haired twin grumbled, still catching his breath.

"Stop complaining," the straight-haired twin shot back. "We made it just in time, didn’t we?"

The curly-haired twin noticed the boy in front of them staring them and asked with a teasing grin, "What’s the matter? Never seen twins before?"

The 17-year-old boy turned away, uninterested, and focused on the line ahead. The queue was slowly being checked before anyone was allowed to enter the camp area, which was secured with sharp-ended palisade walls and a small ditch serving as a makeshift moat. The entrance was heavily guarded, unlike the rest of the perimeter, which was sparsely watched and shaded by a few tall trees. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

They waited in line for over two hours before a sharp whistle blew, signaling the end of the day’s recruitment. The crowd began to disperse, disappointed.

The curly-haired twin groaned in frustration, "No way! They’re disbanding. Did we miss our chance?"

"Relax," his brother reassured him. "The recruitment lasts all week. We can come back tomorrow."

"All because of you," the curly-haired one muttered under his breath.

The 17-year-old boy listened to their conversation, taking in just enough of it. To know more, he dragged his tired body to the entrance, where he witnessed soldiers in blue uniforms dismissing the remaining crowd.

"All please return," one of the soldiers called out. "We’re done for today. We’ll accept more recruits tomorrow. Thanks for coming."

A few desperate individuals pleaded with the guards to let them in, but they were politely denied, and the wooden door of the entrance was shut in their faces. Through the gaps in the wooden door, the boy could see that recruitment was still going on inside, but it seemed they had reached their daily limit. Slowly, the disappointed crowd began to disperse.

The people around him looked worn out. One man sighed, "We’ve been here since morning and still missed it by just a few more turns."

Another suggested, "Maybe we need to get here before sunrise next time."

The boy clenched his fists, refusing to leave empty-handed. He hadn’t come all this way to be turned away. His eyes scanned the area until they settled on a tall mango tree on the remote corner, its branches extending into the camp’s confines. The tree’s trunk was thick and seemed difficult to climb, but it offered a possible way in.

Ignoring the risks, he approached the tree, knowing that getting caught could mean dismissal, but it was better than returning with nothing.

Back near the rear of the dispersing crowd, the twin brothers noticed the boy heading toward the tree, away from the exit.

"Hey, where’s he going?" the straight-haired twin asked, intrigued.

The curly-haired twin rolled his eyes., "Don’t change the subject. You should take responsibility and stop staring at people who are just letting off steam."

The straight-haired one replied with sarcasm, "Oh, sure. Because everyone who’s releasing tension needs to take off their shirt."

But when the curly-haired twin glanced back at the boy, his eyes widened in disbelief. "No way... is he actually going to climb it?"

Near the barricades, where no one else dared approach due to the ditch, the 17-year-old boy had removed his shirt and wrapped it around the tree trunk, using it as a grip to climb. Slowly but eventually, he began his ascent with careful and deliberate movements.

The twins, now fully invested in the spectacle, moved closer to watch.

"Bet he’ll fall?" the curly-haired twin whispered, unable to look away. "If he does, you cover our return trip."

"No need," the straight-haired one replied, his eyes fixed on the boy. "He’s going to make it."

Both stood in awe as the boy reached the first branch. With cautious precision, he crossed to the other side and finally made the jump into the camp.

The twins exchanged glances, their earlier frustration replaced with newfound hope.

Back inside the camp, the 17-year-old boy managed to roll safely upon landing, avoiding significant injury. As he stood up and dusted off his clothes, he scanned his surroundings.

The camp was filled with makeshift tents that provided some cover, and there were ditches, strange-looking nets, and dummies scattered around. New recruits were running the field with heavy wooden logs on their shoulders. The soldiers, clad in blue uniforms, carried familiar muskets and unusual crossbows. The security was lax near the perimeters but tight near the camping and entrance areas. However, the wide open field posed a significant challenge for anyone trying to avoid detection. Fortunately, his landing area was covered by few desolate and confined zones.

Suddenly, two loud thuds grabbed his attention behind his back, as the twin brothers tumbled from the tree, groaning in pain from their rough landing.

The curly-haired twin cursed, "I told you this was a bad idea!"

The straight-haired twin, brushing off dirt, replied, "We made it, didn’t we?"

Just then, a soldier in a blue uniform emerged from the desolate zone which was a makeshift toilet area. The three intruders froze, their hearts racing as they got spotted.

To their surprise, the soldier scolded them for a different reason. "How long does it take for toilet? Hurry up and register before it closes!"

The trio, relieved, quickly followed the soldier’s directions to the registration line, which was starting to thin out

As they joined the line, the officer in charge scrutinized them closely. "Where did you three come from?" he asked.

The curly-haired twin pointed toward the officer who had directed them. "That officer told us to..."

The straight-haired twin interjected with a grin, "Toilet, toilet! We surely didn’t fall from the sky."

The officer glanced back and saw the previous officer gesturing for them to hurry. He nodded and allowed them to pass.

The trio successfully navigated the last barricade and entered the registration line. Under the shade of a tree, another officer sat at a table, making notes on scrolls.

The 17-year-old boy approached first. The officer looked up and asked, "Name?"

"Ayush...," the boy replied.

"Caste?" the officer inquired.

"Butcher," Ayush answered.

"Why do you want to join?" the officer asked.

"To become a man who can fight for his loved ones," Ayush replied with a cold gaze.

The officer gave him a thoughtful look before signaling him to get his height measured. At 5 feet 5 inches, Ayush was approved for the next phase.

He was then directed to the recruitment tests, which were explained by another officer. The tests included: carrying a wooden log and running three laps, throwing a spear at a dummy set 50 meters away, and crawling through a muddy ditch within a time limit measured by an hourglass filled with sand.

Ayush didn’t wait for the officer to finish explaining. He grabbed the spear, sprinted toward the marked line by footsteps, and threw it with all his might.

The spear flew high and far, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. It sailed past the 50-meter mark required for selection, continued beyond 60 meters, and then exceeded 65 meters, the furthest distance achieved by the previous javelin thrower. Finally, it struck the face of the dummy, which resembled a scarecrow and was placed 80 meters away. It was the last target.

The heat was too much, and this throw took a lot of energy out of Ayush. He felt dizzy, his vision blurry, before falling down and losing his consciousness.

As his senses faded, he was overtaken by the flashback of his life, shuffling memories of the past:

He saw his family, who were zamindars, upholding law and order of border region with pride..... The rumor of Jyotish (fortune teller) predicting his future as increasing the name of the Badhana family prompted his name as Ayushmann Badhana, a tale often repeated by his lovely mother... Then the scene shifted abruptly to his fathers facing royal forces’s accusations of supporting rebels and surrendering over the guards to show loyalty... The chaos intensified as the ruthless mob descended upon their mansion in afternoon.... The face of his mother’s eyes brimming with tears as she sent him away early with promise of her life was unforgetable.

The scene shifts to his next memory of his futile attempt to assassinate a Maulvi, the main mastermind behind the mob, the reason for his suffering. For this, he even disguised himself as a beggar, but all his desperate strikes ended in failure, and he was paraded to the market square for execution.

Amidst the turmoil, the men in blue uniforms arrived with muskets, making sounds of thunder and emitting smoke. The gunfire cut through the crowd, resulting in the massacre of the rebellious mob and the burning of their houses, eventually saving his nearly lost life.

He remembered the scar-faced soldier advising him as he got to know about his details, "’I’m sorry for what happened to your family. In these times of change, if you want to make a stand, join our mercenary army. If a butcher like me can do it, so can you."

Hearing the word "stand" his memory shifted to the scene when his home got blazed. He could only cry helplessly as he watched his loved ones being killed and their possessions looted. The final moments were the shout of his mother calling his name.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes in panic from nightmare. He found himself in the medical tent again but this time saw the twins sitting beside him, enjoying milkshakes in their glasses.

The curly-haired twin sipped his drink with a satisfied grin. "Looks like you made it," he said cheerfully. "That was quite a throw you had there."

The straight-haired twin nodded in agreement, his glass half-empty. "Yeah, thanks to you, our test went easy. I’m Ganesh, and this is Prakhar."

Prakhar’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "And the best news is, we’re in the same unit!"

Ayush lay back in exhaustion and sighed, as now he had to deal with these two dimwits.