The Twenty First Gem

New Mumbai, 11.00 PM.

It was one of the busiest nights in Mumbai and the sky was surrounded by dark clouds. According to the weather forecast, there were chances of untimely rain in the main city and a few nearby areas.

Not far from the slum area, there was an old closed cotton factory, which looked like ruins. With brief rain, lightning would flash now and then across the sky, occasionally causing the entire deserted area to shine for some time.

Behind the old remains of the factory, was a huge dumping ground owned by the Municipal Corporation. Beyond that, one could see the bustling city's distant resplendent buildings and also hear the horns of vehicles on the main road as well as the sound of local trains passing by.

But in the factory, there was a dead silence. Some armed men were standing near the partially collapsed wall of the factory and talking to each other in low voices. Their faces looked grim. More than half of them seemed intimidated while some looked like they were ready to die or kill anyone.

However, some were looking courageous and determined. Their gang leader was sitting on a broken chair, expressionless. Once in a while, all were looking at the entrance anxiously.

"Now that we have come this far, we cannot go back." One of them broke the silence.

"Yeah. They will be coming at any time. Be prepared." Another one prepared his gun.

"We made a big mistake by stealing these weapons. They sure will kill us today." Said someone slowly, sighing deeply.

"Bullsh*t! We have to fight, no matter what!" One of his fellowmen scolded him sternly. "If you are scared, then stay behind and keep an eye on the box." He pointed towards the huge box behind the collapsed wall.

Everyone looked at the collapsed wall, where a huge metal box was kept securely.

"No need to keep an eye on the weapons. If we are going to fight to the death, let's use those weapons." Their leader finally opened his mouth. His face was looking as if he had arrived at the most difficult decision in his life.

"But... These... " One of his lackeys stuttered. "What are we going to say to the Party coming from overseas?"

Their leader scoffed. "We will sell these weapons tomorrow.. only if we survive tonight. But right now, it is useless to expect to see tomorrow's rising sun unless we use these weapons to protect ourselves."

Everyone stayed silent. What their leader said made sense.

One of them clenched his fists tightly as he glanced at the entrance. "Our hard work of so many months will go in vain! They have finally found us. You are right brother Mombo. Tonight, we will use these weapons against them if we can't sell them." He then glanced at their leader, Brother Mombo.

While the group was talking and waiting for the arrival of the God of Death, they heard an eerie cold chuckling from the entrance,

"You want to use Lord's weapons against him? You sure have some guts... Heh.."

Everyone's gaze turned towards the entrance and when they saw a familiar silhouette of a man, they chilled to the bones.

'They are here!'

The man entered the lobby. The light coming from old electric lamps on the wall fell on his face. He was wearing a thick long black coat and black boots. When he stepped ahead, his boots made an eerie noise,

'Churrrrr... Churrrr...'

His face was good looking yet his eyes were sharp and sparkling with murderous intent. There was a small wart on his right eyebrow.

"How are you doing, Traitors?" He asked, clearly emphasizing the word 'Traitors'.

"Of course, they are waiting for death.."

Another shadow came out of the darkness. His looks were similar to the person who entered the lobby before him, but he had no wart on his face.

'The twins!'

Everyone present there suddenly felt an unknown pressure causing them to suffocate and shiver uncontrollably.

"Lord Agma will give you a pleasant death so you can rest in peace. Because you were once his subordinates." He said nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather.

"You can do nothing to us, Virus and Skeleton... We have the weapons you need to kill us." The group leader stood up and said with a straight face.

The pair looked at each other and started to laugh hysterically as if they have heard something funny.

"Who says we don't have weapons?" Asked Virus, the twin with a wart on his right eyebrow. "You think that the weapons in the box are only property that belongs to the State of Agma? Are you taking our Lord Agma as a joke?"

"You won't be even able to know how and why you died such a poor death." Said Skeleton. His tone turned icy cold and the smile on his lips disappeared instantly.

A baritone and sluggish voice came from outside after that,

"Let them know."

The lobby instantly fell silent and suddenly, the rain started pouring heavily with thunderbolts.

Everyone's heart sank.

'He is here! The God of Death, The King of Underworld, Lord of Agma State- Lord Agma!'

A man with a black ghost mask slowly strode over. The light coming from the lamppost at the entrance made a finestiller halo around him, making his figure even more frightening.

As he entered the lobby, he lifted his left hand and removed the ghastly mask, smiling sinisterly. His handsome face glowed under the warm center light in the lobby.

He was tall and had broad shoulders. His muscular figure was even visible through the long windbreaker he was wearing. His other hand was in his coat's pocket. It was like a Greek God descended from heaven... Unfortunately, he was God of Death...

There was a gentle smile playing on his lips but it didn't reach to his shrewd, phoenix-like eyes, which were akin to the surging storm. His dark and thick eyebrows seemed to be carved perfectly by God himself.

"My Lord!" The twins uttered with respect as they bowed their heads and half kneeled in front of him.

"Let them know Skeleton." The man spoke lazily as he gestured for them to stand up.

After getting his Lord's permission, Skeleton looked at the group and said, "We were already keeping an eye on you guys. And the weapons you have stolen are not real weapons."

The group was astonished. They truly misjudged the power of the Lord. Were they carrying the fake weapons for two months?

The revelation left them stunned for some seconds before The Lord's thunderous cold voice crashed on their ears,

"Terminate and dispose!" He then turned and left the place.

Serving him for years, the group was able to decode the hidden meaning behind every word he uttered.

'Terminate and dispose! He always says these words whenever he wants someone dead! We are doomed!'

Feeling happy, Skeleton and Virus marched forward to kill the extra trash in their State of Agma. Today, they shall remove every useless filthy locust from their organization.

Behind the twins, some men in black robes and white face masks entered the lobby.

It was a specially trained team of Lord Agma. Their one strike was equivalent to a harsh and sharp double-edged sword, enough to send the enemy to his grave.

The group of traitors started to shiver as soon as they saw the Dark Horse Team. They had prepared for the worst situation. Nonetheless, they decided to fight.

Ten minutes later...

Now the rain had been stopped outside. Skeleton came out of the factory along with Virus tailing behind him. Behind them, four members of the Dark Horse Team were carrying the huge shiny metal box.

Lord Agma was sitting in his private jet, looking out of the window.

"My Lord, they were easy to fool." Virus said while chuckling.

Skeleton chimed in, "I have to say this, they didn't disappoint you, my Lord. They fought like brave warriors before meeting to death. It is a loss for us... but.. sigh.. they were traitors."

There was a faint smile on Lord Agma's face. But nobody noticed his clenched fists under his sleeves. He said nothing, only looking thoughtfully at the huge box being carried by his men to the Bizjet.

How dare they steal his precious weapons! They were his life's blood and sweat! His earnings! Whoever touches his weapons, deserves to die!

"One of them opened the box and tried to fire at us, but was shot on the hand and Virus killed him instantly." Said Skeleton. "Others were knocked out..dead."

They never used weapons to kill someone unless it was necessary or in a situation of emergency. Their Lord was king of Martial Arts. It would be a great insult to his image if they rely on weapons for everything.

They waited for their Lord's words but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead, he shut his eyes and fell asleep. He was looking exhausted from the long flight. He wasn't able to get a single good night's sleep for the past couple of months.

Skeleton pursed his lips and retrieved a blanket from one of the cabinets above and put it on his Lord, covering his half body. He turned towards his brother and said in low voice, "You go with Lord. I will come after disposing of the dead bodies."

Virus nodded and gestured to the pilot for takeoff. Skeleton and the Dark Horse Team remained at the factory, watching the private plane taking off to their land- The State of Agma.

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