Ben contrary to his regular reporting, informed first to Mahaansh and Vishok. They took him to the location of their 'false' camp.
Mahaansh: " A yogic meridian wielder who is a smuggler or poacher. That is rare.
Vishok: Indeed. Most people with yogic powers are sought after.
Ben: Well he was powerful. I would say that any organization would seek him out. He should be famous if he is this powerful.
Mahaansh: Indeed I have informed someone in the law enforcement. He will help us."
Suddenly the atmosphere around them changed. It was as though they had trespassed into someone's property. They felt alien standing there. Another peculiar thing happened. The light in the area dimmed. The sun was not obscured in any way, but the light refused to come near the area. All of them sensed something and looked behind them. There stood an old man. While there was no energy fluctuations around him, they could understand this person was responsible for this phenomenon.
Mahaansh understood the person. " Good afternoon senior. I did not expect a martial entity would be dispatched to the forest right now", Mahaansh said executing a martial salute.
"Ha ha, so there was someone who could recognize me still. I can't believe that even after keeping myself away from public something like this would happen."
The old man stopped and then looked at Mahaansh for a bit. " You are from that place. No wonder you recognized me."
He paused and then looked at the other two and said. " Hello there. My name is Whalon Evano. I am an independent martial entity of the Gyagar nation Entity Council. I am actually here for this man. It is a personal business. Hope you don't mind."
Vishok and Ben looked at Mahaansh. Mahaansh just nodded his head. Vishok said " It is not like we can stop you. He is not an innocent person either. But still shouldn't the law upheld."
Whalon said, "This old man can safely give the responsibility o running this nation to the younger generation. Good. I agree with you. The law should be upheld. But in the world of martials survival of the fittest and paying back for bad deeds are the golden rules. As such in a way, I am not disobeying any rules. And as I said, this is personal."
He paused there for the message to sink in. Then he said, " I will not ask you to give him away for free. So what do you want? I believe this young man is the one who caught him. Let me start with you. How can I help you?"
Ben did not know what to say. He just stood blank. This was the first time he was seeing a martial entity up close. And he was blatantly disrespecting the law. He did not know what to make out of it. But Ben decided to be pragmatic. He took a long breath. He knew he could not change anything right now. If he makes any rash moves now, not only will he endanger himself, but also his family. So he decided to go along with what the entity was saying right now.
" I am a shamanic martial artist. I am a beginner as well. So I really don't know what to ask for. I have not decided on any martial arts or resources yet. So need some time " Ben said.
Whalon replied, " You can decide on the martial art later. I can make it so that you will be able to purchase any technique till middle tier without any cost at all. As for resources, I have one for you. The 'Ratherai' pill. I believe your mentors must have taught you about that. You can take it any time you want, even after you have become a martial noble also. What do you say?"
Ben was stunned. 'Ratherai' pill was a rather expensive resource. Although one 'Ratherai' is made into several 'Ratherai' pills, it is extremely convenient to use. This is because the absorption rate of pill for a shaman is much higher than Ratherai itself. So the pill is often preferred over the actual plant itself. He did not know what this man was to the martial entity, to pay such a prize.
Ben was speechless for a few seconds. Then he said " That will be enough. I don't want anything else."
But deep down he was unwilling. This was wrong. He was handing over a criminal to another person. He did not feel really good about it. During this mission, there has been many changes in his mindset. What he thought were his absolute bottom line was, he had to change it or was forced to change it. He was simply powerless against his circumstances. He lost his focus.
During this time, Mahaansh and Vishok were discussing somethings with Whalon. Ben was not interested in that. He was in an unfocussed state.
Mahaansh and Vishok were not very keen on acquiring benefits, but they asked for some albeit really less. After all Ben was the one who fought and they just agreed to stay silent. They also arranged somethings for Ben so that he would not be implicated by the law later.
Soon Whalon took the criminal and went. They did not ask who the criminal was and why a martial entity personally came for him.
Mahaansh went to Ben. He was sitting with his head down, thinking of what happened and also reviewing the fight.
Mahaansh put his hand on Ben's shoulder. Ben looked up. Vishok and Azurbaan were also near. Mahaansh said, " Remember this feeling Ben. It will not be the first time you will experience this. You will feel powerless in front of many situations. In some cases even if you have the power, you will be powerless. This is something everyone goes through. At least he did not try to kill us."
Vishok was a bit skeptical. " Why would a martial entity try to buy us out? He could have wiped us of."
Mahaansh said. " It is not so simple. We are not in a life threatening area. The previous incident has already prompted authorities to investigate and increase the surveillance in this area. Also, he is a martial entity. So all his actions will have consequences and hence he will act prudently. It is not easy to cover up our death. If something happens to Ben who is a martial knight at 17, it will be investigated. All these factors lead him to buy us instead of eliminating us. Also, he may not be a bad man. He just may not want to kill indiscriminately."
Ben was only partially listening. It did not bode well with him to ignore the law so blatantly. Mahaansh and Vishok could understand this. They also ha experienced this. They wanted Ben to think on his own and overcome this. So they left him alone.