Chapter 6: The Maharathi's Shadow
The air at the Patala Gate didn't just feel cold; it felt wrong. It was a heavy, suffocating pressure that tasted of old copper and rotted incense. Vikram's Kavacha of Vayu hissed as it struggled to repel the miasma of the weeping willows.
General Rakta-Vija stood nearly eight feet tall. His dragon-scale armor pulsated like a beating heart, and his spear—the Rakta-Shula—dripped with a liquid that sizzled when it touched the ground.
[ SYSTEM WARNING ]
Aura Compression Detected: The General's Paap (250,000) is warping the local space.
Status Effect: [Fear] — Your attributes are temporarily reduced by 15%.
Counter-Pulse: Your Charm (L10-MAX) is mitigating the Fear effect. Total reduction: 0%.
"So," the General spoke, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "The 'beloved' boy of the forge has arrived. Kala-Nemi said you were special, child. He said you could see the unseen."
Kala-Nemi, standing in the General's shadow, pointed a trembling finger. "That's him, General! He broke my Marana-spell with a single word!"
Vikram gripped the hilt of the Whisper of Kalindi. His Reaction (L6) was the only thing keeping him from collapsing. In his vision, the General wasn't a man; he was a mountain of jagged black glass.
The Charm Gambit: Buying Time
Vikram didn't draw his sword. Instead, he took a step forward, his posture open and defenseless.
"General Rakta-Vija," Vikram said, his Charm (L10) vibrating through the clearing. Even the weeping willow Pretas stopped their moaning to listen. "A Maharathi of your stature... why are you hiding in a hole in the earth? Does the light of the Treta-Suns burn your skin that badly?"
The General paused. He had intended to impale the boy instantly, but the sheer Sattva (purity) in Vikram's voice acted like a physical hook. He felt a strange, nagging urge to justify himself.
"The Suns of this age are dying, boy," the General growled, leaning on his spear. "The Silver Age is a lie. We of the Patala seek only to bring the world into its natural state of darkness. Why serve a Dharma that demands you stay a lowly blacksmith?"
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]
Charm Success: The General has entered 'Dialogue Mode.'
System Log: Analyzing target armor... 15%... 40%...
Weakness Found: The dragon-scales are missing a single plate over the Anahata Chakra (Heart), covered by a thin illusion.
The Sabotage: The Anchor Syllable
While the General talked, Vikram's Eye of Truth (L5) was scanning the stone archway behind them. The Patala Gate wasn't a door; it was a Vedic Frequency held together by four Sanskrit "Anchors" carved into the pillars.
Three of the anchors were glowing crimson. But the fourth—the one at the top—was vibrating with a chaotic, unstable rhythm.
[ MANTRA-HACKER (L1) INSIGHT ]
Anchor Syllable: "Draam" (The vibration of Binding).
Corruption Found: The spy's recent defeat has weakened the resonance of the Gate.
Required Action: A high-frequency strike to the top anchor will cause a Karmic Feedback Loop.
"You talk of darkness, General," Vikram said, slowly sliding his foot back into a Flash-Step stance. "But you can't even keep your own door open."
The Breach
Rakta-Vija's eyes flared crimson. "What?"
"Now, Vikram!" a booming voice roared from the treeline.
Vikram didn't look back. He blew the Vanara Whistle. A piercing, celestial note ripped through the grey mist.
FLASH.
Vikram vanished.
With Speed (L7), he didn't run toward the General. He ran up the weeping willow trees. He was a blur of indigo light. Rakta-Vija swung his spear, a wave of black fire cleaving three trees in half, but Vikram was already in the air.
He drew the Whisper of Kalindi. The C-Rank blade glowed with a fierce silver radiance.
"PHAT!" Vikram screamed—the Vedic syllable of shattering.
He struck the top anchor of the Patala Gate with everything he had.
[ CRITICAL HIT ]
Action: Anchor Sabotage.
Karmic Result: The Gate's resonance is inverted.
Feedback: 10,000 Punya worth of unstable energy is releasing.
BOOM.
The archway didn't crumble; it began to suck. A violent vortex of violet energy erupted from the center of the gate. Kala-Nemi was instantly swept off his feet, screaming as he was dragged back into the lightless void of Patala.
General Rakta-Vija roared, planting his spear into the ground to resist the pull. "You little pest! I will tear your soul from your body!"
But the General was busy fighting the vacuum of his own gate. From the forest, Sugriva-Ansh and a dozen Vanara warriors leaped into the clearing, their stone maces glowing with earth-energy.
"The boy has opened the path!" Sugriva-Ansh yelled. "Seal the General!"
The vortex is closing the gate, but Rakta-Vija is too strong to be pulled in easily. He is reaching out to grab Vikram's throat.
The Sacrifice: Let the General grab you, then use your Charm (L10) to "Overload" his dark heart with your purity, forcing a double-knockout into the vortex.The Final Strike: Use the 10,000 Punya feedback energy to instantly buy a [One-Time Divine Smite] from the Shop and hit the General's weak heart-spot.The Tactical Retreat: Let the Vanaras handle the General while you dive into the closing gate to find the "Heart of the Poison" inside Patala.
What is the next move, Iron Sage?