A Visiting Monk

Michael and Vishnu were trying to come up with ways to heal Daas in secret. A very challenging task considering how attached Daas was to his family and even the neighborhood.

" I have an Idea." Vishnu spoke up. " So in India, there are plenty of Swamis that go around and visit houses. These are essentially the mentors of the Hindu religion. They are treated with respect and are usually welcomed; unfortunately, there are a lot of imposters because it is hard to verify their authenticity. Therefore, you can pose as one; people would not be alarmed if you heal Daas. There are literally millions of stories in India from small villages about Swami's performing miracles. You won't attract any attention and people will just think your story is just another rumor." Vishnu explained.

Michael thought about it and couldn't find any problems. " How will I pose as a Swami?"

" Oh that is easy. We can buy the robes and I will teach you some mantras. You should be able to learn everything in a couple of days." Vishnu explained. He was raised in a Hindu family so he was familiar with the customs and met plenty of Swamis, fake and real.

" Alright, If that is what it takes." Michael replied. Michael knew that he had to make some sacrifices when recruiting soldiers. After all, he wasn't just recruiting ordinary soldiers. Michael was going after the best in the entire Indian Military. So he knew that he would have to use peculiar recruiting tactics.

Michael and Vishnu left and booked a hotel room for a week. Michael gave Vishnu some cash so that he can go and buy everything that was needed for the Swami disguise. Meanwhile Michael started looking up the religious texts and prayers he would have to know. In reality, he wouldn't need to know them because he will just go to heal Daas but it was wise to be prepared.

While he was studying the prayers, Michael realized that he should not heal Daas in one go. First of all, it would take seem a lot more suspicious and it would also take too much energy. Michael remembered the system description said that Lethal injuries would consume enough stamina for a day. Of course, he would be able to use healing more often with higher stats. But for now Michael did not want to push himself to the limit; especially when he was in a foreign country and surrounded by strangers.

Therefore, Michael practiced healing again; this time he was practicing starting and stopping the skill before the wound was fully healed. After several hours, Michael finally got the hang of it and put the chicken out of misery. Michael was ready to start healing Daas but Vishnu wanted him to learn some more.

Finally, after spending two days learning about Hinduism; Michael headed to Daas's house. Vishnu followed him as an assistant. Vishnu approached the house and knocked on the door.

The elderly mother answered the door and Vishnu managed to convince her that Michael was a real Swami. He entered the house and started performing some Poojas (Prayer Rituals). After the Pooja, Michael went to the room with Daas.

Daas was lying on the bed, there were tubes coming out of his body and hooked to medical machines.

" Who are you?" Daas asked. He was alarmed to see another stranger in his house. His mother was very religious and would ask wandering Swami's for blessings. Daas tried his best to get his mother to stop blindly believing everyone dressed as a Swamis but she never gave up her faith. Now it looked like another conman was trying to swindle his mother for money.

Michael smiled and tried to put on his best Swami face. " I am just a simple man observing the wonders of the universe."

" Bullshit! Don't mess with me." Daas barked back. The dialogue sounded like it was from some buddhist texts.

" Daas, Be respectful to the swami." Daas's mother reprimanded him.

" Mother, I told you to stop believing in these phonies. You need to stop paying them for prayers. They are just taking advantage of your ignorance." Daas could not finish what he was saying because he starting coughing violently.

The mother rushed to Daas and tried to help him out, while admonishing him for getting riled up.

MIchael did not bother replying to the accusations, he simply extended his hand over Daas and healed about a quarter of his injuries. The white light that shined on Daas left everyone speechless. The mother started crying while thanking god. Daas's face finally had some color and he could speak again.

" What did you do to me?" Daas asked while looking at Michael with suspicion.

" Only what I could." Michael replied while maintaining the charade. He was really struggling on the acting; perhaps he should buy an acting skill. Michael did not wait around for Daas's response. He knew that Daas was much harder to fool than his mother, so he immediately started leaving.

" Please wait Swami-Ji. I don't have anything to give you. Please accept my necklace." The mother requested while taking off the gold necklace that was on her neck.

Michael was taken back by the Mother's actions. He read that in Hindu marriages, the Groom will tie a gold necklace on neck of the bride. The necklace was a symbol of the marriage and it was not supposed to be sold or given away. The fact that the mother was willing to give away the symbol of her marriage showed how grateful she really was.

" Please, I cannot accept such material objects. The necklace means more to you. It is meant to be worn by you." Michael rejected it. He wished he had a mother like this, someone that would go this far for her son. He had never even seen such profound emotions from a parent before; he had to leave quickly or he would not be able to keep the act up.

" Will you come again Swami-Ji?" The mother asked. She looked at Michael with eyes full of hope and expectations. Even if he wanted to, There was no way Michael could say no. He promised to return and was finally let go.

" That was smooth Swami-Ji. Your acting was superb." Vishnu giggled and teased Michael.

" Shut up Vishnu, I have to keep up this act for three more days. It's harder than it looks." Michael complained. He consoled himself by thinking that his current actions were an investment for the future; a glorious and prosperous future.