Whoosh!
Doctor Joshi raised his arms, and a vortex of fire shot out of him turning the upcoming silent zombies into a charred mess. The heat was so intense that the floor began to glow, and the ground turned red.
It wasn’t the first time that the doctor had done this. He had first shown this same power when they had first started. But now it was more intense. As if something had amplified it. Ari after constructing his improvised taped gauntlet had expected to jump into the zombies and started punching and brawling only for the doctor to pull him back and preempt his action by raising his hand and turning everything in his way into charcoal.
Thankfully, this power had had a positive outcome though not related. Nameer had raised his hand after the fire storm and gathered all the moisture out of the air and poured it into three bottles.
The team had baulked initially. Nobody liked drinking water harvested out of the dead, even though Nameer insisted that it was completely distilled. That’s when Singh had caught his disapproving looks and in one case torn a young lieutenant a new one. That had driven the others into submission. And now they were all hydrated.
Ari turned his head and saw a steel flask held out to him. He gave a thankful nod to Nameer and caught everyone’s eye before taking two large gulps. He stopped and looked at the bottle. It was cold and tasted better than the last one.
He raised his eyes and looked at Nameer.
Nameer smiled “I asked Captain Abesh to suck the heat out of the water.” He lowered his voice “And sir, I didn’t distil the magnesium and minerals in the water.”
Ari took another sip and contemplated. He knew where the minerals were coming from but that wasn’t what was bothering him. His people were changing so quickly and so was he. Nameer powers aside, Abesh was beginning to show his strength. He could suck the heat out of the air to create a cold region. The result was that his embers transformed into thumb sized balls of fire which he could fling at the enemy.
Singh who had started hacking and slashing had started dancing with his blades. Although knowing his background that wasn’t any surprise. Singh had always been good with melee weapons. But the fact that every time his blade got damaged, he just plugged it into a body, and it came out good as brand new. The source of the metal was obviously the blood in the enemy’s bodies.
But the biggest change was not in any of his active team members. It was in the two junior lieutenants. One had sped so fast ahead during the initial brawl, that he had been enveloped in the enemy. They had not seen him after that. The lucky bastard. If he would have gotten his hands on the boy, he would have skinned him alive.
The other one, well he had been bitten and scratched in this brawl. Now he had black lines travelling through his veins. Nameer had been trying to purify his blood, but the results weren’t looking good.
“Abesh, make a cold spot.” Ari ordered his marksman.
Abesh moved away from the heat to the back of the passageway and began to wave his hand around. Ari glanced at the doctor. The man was walking into the crackling fire and glowing stone floor with a peaceful smile.
“Commander, I don’t like what’s happening to him.” Singh stopped next to Ari and said.
“I don’t like what’s happening to any of us.”
“Yes sir, but he is the one who knows what’s really going on here.”
Ari snorted “I don’t think any of us know what’s going around here and that is the problem.”
“Listen, Ari, if I don’t get out of here could you…”
Ari shot Singh a hostile look “Don’t you dare start. I don’t want my second in command doubting himself. And I don’t want to hear any of your morbid thoughts.”
Singh gave Ari a blank look “I was just going to say, could you hide my whisky. My wife is going to kill me if she gets to know that I have been drinking whisky with my diabetes.”
Both the men looked at each other for a moment and then began to chuckle.
Ari controlled himself and muttered “You are such a…”
“Yes. Now take some advice from someone who is better in hand-to-hand combat. Stop landing haymakers on the enthralled. Sure, watching them go down with their heads caved is satisfying but it is not the metal on your arms that’s your strength. It’s the thing in your head that makes you the best of us. Aim for their hearts and guts. People bleed more from those spots.”
Ari nodded and then heard a yelp.
Ari turned. The lieutenant who had been slumped on the spot was up and looming over the downed Nameer. Nameer scrambled backwards holding the two bottles in his hands like a shield. The lieutenant enthralled began to pounce.
The next moment an arrow appeared in the enthralled’s head.
Singh whirled and looked at the slit in the wall.
Ari ran to the downed Nameer and visually checked him for wounds.
“I am fine sir. I am fine. I backed away before he could bite me.” Nameer sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Ari.
Ari looked at the slitted window on the wall and saw a man in combat fatigues waving to him. The man dramatically pulled out a bow from a quiver on his side and aimed it at Ari. Ari moved Nameer and himself to the side. A few seconds later an arrow hit the wall and clattered to the floor.
Singh moved to it before Ari could and picked it up. There was a shiny stone embedded in its shaft. Ari took it from Singh and looked back at the man. The man held out his hand with something glittering in it and placed it in his ear.
Ari followed the motion, and the stone flew next to his ear like a magnet. With a jolt Ari realised what it was. It was an earpiece. Not one that went into your ear but one that attached next to your ear. They called them bone conductivity earphones. Only, this was stone and cold on his skin. Then as nothing happened, he wondered if he could take it off now that it was attached to him.
Ari shrugged. It was another thing, in a list of things. Sensing no danger, he tapped the stone, and a voice spoke to him.
“Hello. Can you hear me?”
“Hello? Who is this?”
“Oh thank the heavens. I am Major Eddy Mbungwa. BRICS Sentry Force. May I know who I am speaking to?”
Ari looked at the outline of the man and responded “There is no such thing.as BRICS Sentry Force.”
The man chuckled “Of course there isn’t. None of the BRICS countries will create a combined force and hide it from the Americans.”
Ari chewed his lip “You just killed one of my men.”
“No, I saved one of your men and you know it.”
Ari did but he needed to make his first words confrontational to see whether the man was a friend or foe. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. Thankfully the man gave him the time he needed.
Mbungwa just looked at Ari from a roof next to the temple and then finally began “Listen. Man. I just saw the fire and explosions and thought I could help a fellow human.”
“Okay, Major Mbungwa. What are you doing here?”
“The same thing you are, I suppose.”
Ari sighed “You are trying to become a super soldier.”
“Yes. And so were the Russians I came in with.”
“And where are these Russians now?”
Mbungwa was silent for a moment and then responded “You are fighting them.”
Ari looked at the burning corpses and then back at the man. He looked deflated.
“That's a lot of men.” Ari observed.
“And women. The kind that won’t be missed.” Mbungwa sighed “They were the dissidents from the war.”
Ari clenched his jaw and then relaxed. Not his country. Not his problem.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Mbungwa. I am Commander Ari. I mean Colonels Arivarasan. NSG Commandos.” Ari introduced himself.
The man looked up at Ari “NSG? You are Indians?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t look like you are from site one or two.”
Ari raised his eyebrows “We are not.”
The man nodded “Operational secrecy. Understood commander. May I join you to discuss things further?”
“Join us? How many people do you have?”
“I am the last one left from my group, commander. The last member of my team was eaten by dogs. The same ones that ate your man a few hours ago.”
Ari stopped “The lieutenant?”
“Looked like one. Young, with a moustache?”
Ari cursed “Gods dang this place.”
“Oh crap!” Mbungwa rushed out of Ari sight and hid behind a wall.
“Mbungwa? Is everything okay?”
“Sorry to rush you commander but the dogs. They are heading into the temple. Do you want me to take a sniper position?”
“No, we will handle the dogs. You should concentrate on reaching us.”
“Commander. These are not your regular mongrels. These are big things with…”
Awooo…
Awooo…
Awooo…
“Oh, my word.” Mbungwa muttered
“What is it?”
Mbungwa scampered “There is a three sharded stalker with them. They are the ones who did this to the Russians. Commander, watch out for the gas they are going to unleash on you. If you don’t have shards you will turn into the enthralled. If you have more, you turn into something worse.”
“What could be worse than a zombie?”
“Something called a Vetaal.”
“A vetaal?”
“Yes, you will face them soon enough. I think the Nishachars are tired of throwing minions at you commander.”
Ari stopped “Mbungwa. Thank you. And stay away. Let us handle them. We will tell you when it is safe to come in.”
“Good luck commander. I hope you live long enough for me to meet you face to face.”
“Thank you and stay safe.”
Ari touched the earpiece and it fell into his hand. He put it in one of his pockets. He looked at his men and then at the doctor who was looking at him with glowing eyes.
“Doctor. Can you burn the gas?”
Doctor Joshi just grinned.
Ari began briefing them all and laid out his plan. He looked up to see if everyone had understood his plan.
“Vetaal? Like in Vikram and Vetaal?” Abesh asked in response.
“No, that was Bikram and Betaal. Wasn’t it? Singh asked
Ari grumbles “Phonetics. They both are the same thing.”
“Okay commander. But does anybody know how we got stuck in nostalgic DD shows?” Abesh asked with a smile.
Singh snorted and then shot a sharp glare at Abesh “Boy, if you haven’t noticed we are fighting creatures that do not look like bad special effects from a nineteen eighties tv show. And we are dropping like flies against them.”
Abesh glared back at Singh “Yes, but panicking will get us nowhere. What do they look like, commander?”
Ari shot a look at Abesh “I don’t know. And I don’t think this is the time to get into it with your superiors, captain.”
“They look like humans but with sharp teeth and protruding canines. They move like reptiles. They will cling to the walls and will jump off them to attack from unusual angles. Visually they are darker. Almost green skinned and have distinct protruding ribs.” Doctor Joshi answered the question with his eyes closed.
Singh looked at the man “Uhm… How do you know that doctor?”
“I can see them, Singh. I can see everything in this temple. It’s a gift I got for pleasing the Yaksha.” Doctor Joshi opened his eyes and smiled at Singh.
“Okay. Either I am going crazy, or you are.”
Doctor Joshi smiled benevolently at Singh. Ari had never seen anyone, but a parent give that look to a child and it unnerved him. It was like an unknown power humouring them.
Ari shook his head. None of them had the time for this.
“Nameer, stay back and support. Abesh, cover Nameer, and snipe the enemy. Singh, you are with me.” Ari ordered and his men scattered.
Ari turned to look at the doctor and they both looked at each other for a moment. Then without looking away Ari addressed his old friend “Singh, can you give us some room to talk?”
Singh looked at his commander with lifted eyebrows and then began walking away “Okay commander, but don’t take long.”
Ari nodded at Singh and opened his mouth to talk but was cut off by Doctor Joshi’s words.
“You need to trust me, Ari.”
“Trust you, doctor?”
“Yes.”
“I do trust you, doctor. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be creating my plans around the description of the enemy you just gave us.”
Joshi shook his head “Then you need to trust me more.”
Ari pursed his lips and in a low gravelly voice asked “Trust you more?”
“Yes. I am trying to help.”
“I don’t think I can do that doctor.”
“Why? Because I sound different now? We all have been changing. You have metal wrapping on my hands. Singh just a few hours ago chopped off a woman’s head with a hunting knife. I saw Abesh burn a man’s skull from the inside not half an hour ago. And you saw how Nameer collected water from the air.”
Ari nodded “Yes, but they all look startled when the enemy turns into sand. Every time. You don’t.”
Joshi sighed “That’s because I know why that is. These enthralled, that we are fighting are no longer people. By the gods, they aren’t even undead. They are puppets animated by foreign potentiality.”
Ari frowned “I don’t know what that means but here is a better question, how do you know all that doctor?”
Joshi smiled “Lord Agni told me about them.”
Ari stiffened and tried not to look at the statue in the hall behind them.
Joshi nodded “I see. You won’t trust me. Not until I have proven myself to you. I will do that Ari and then we will have a long conversation.”
Ari heard Singh clear his throat loudly “It’s time commander.”
Ari looked at the doctor for a long moment and then nodded “Okay doctor, please take a spot behind us. Do you fire ball things and try not to fry us while you are doing that.”
Singh stiffened at his orders. His old friend did not like to have an unknown quandary behind him but a look from Ari made him relaxed.
The doctor smiled and then moved towards Abesh.
Ari turned to the archway leading to the next area of the temple and waited. He did not have to wait long. Thin tendrils of greenish smoke started seeping in. It was heavy and clung to the floor. It slowly moved inwards and when it reached the glowing floor it sparked into fire.
Fire that shot back with a whomp and then…
Boom!
Ari and Singh recoiled with the sound. Their eardrums vibrated so hard that for a moment they felt as if they had gone deaf. Slowly their hearing returned and when it did, they heard something unusual.
Hooting laughter and a chuckle made them look backwards.
Joshi was standing serenely while Abesh was laughing and jumping up and down. The only person who did not look at ease behind them was Nameer. The man was giving the two fire magic users a weary look.
“Did you know that was going to happen doctor?” Singh asked the smiling man.
“Yes.” The doctor responded in his haunting echoing voice.
“How about telling us these things before they happen next time?”
“Okay Singh. Well then you should know that the enemy has lost two of its three Vetaals. The ascended Nishachar has lost an arm. But that won’t stop him. He can attach it back if he tries but…” Joshi rolled his eyes and looked at Ari “No, this one is dumber than he looks. He is not doing that. He is unleashing the dogs. And now they are heading straight for us.”
Singh looked at the doctor “Are you…”
Whatever Singh was going to say next was cut off when Joshi yelled “Here they come. Prepare yourselves!”
Singh looked at the doctor with his bushy eyebrows raised and then turned back “I swear, when I go back home, I will light up fire, only to piss on it.”
Ari smiled and then the smile fell off his face.
A hound, four feet tall and three wide ran into the passageway after bouncing off a wall. It snarled and growled.
“Abesh…” Ari began and stopped when a ball of fire flew past him.
It hammered into the hound’s head and blew the right side of face off in a bloody gore. The hound stood there for a moment and then collapsed sideways onto the floor.
Ari turned back and looked at the boy wonder with an annoyed look.
Abesh smiled at his handy work exhaled “Commander, I had the perfect shot. Unfortunately, I can’t do that again for three minutes.”
Doctor Joshi announced “I will take the next one. Ari, Singh, the last one is yours.”
Ari turned back to the door and saw the next hound walk in hesitantly. It took a step and then began yowling as its feet landed on the heated stone. As soon as it opened its mouth Joshi pointed at it. The heat from all sides rushed into the dog's mouth. Then fire spewed out from its nostrils.
Ari looked back and saw Joshi with one hand raised and a snarl on his face “Burn you, filth. Burn you, unclean creature. You are done defiling my yaksha’s temple.”
Ari looked back at the mutt to see its matted fur catch fire. It fell to the floor with its paws scratching the floor. Moments later the only thing left of it was acrid smoke and sand.
Singh sighed “First the kid and now the old man? They are sure showing us up, commander. I think it’s time we let loose too.”
Ari watched the last hound run in and stop at the edge of the cooling floor.
“I don’t know Singh. I can’t shoot fireballs.” Ari muttered.
Singh nodded “Yeah, but I have knives.”
Ari watched the dog bunch up on its hind legs “And I have metal gloves.”
The hound pounced. Singh shuffled to the right. Ari swayed left. Singh brought his knives up and Ari planted his feet. Ari swung for the fences. An uppercut caught the hound’s jaw raising its head. Singh shot into the opening. Slashing in an ex. Blood spurted out of the hound's throat.
Ari wasn’t done. He landed another punch. A looping hook from his left hand. The hounds open up mouth shut on itself with a loud clack. From the corner of his vision, Ari saw a tongue flying away. He ignored it and made way. Singh appeared again. This time he dug his knives into the open wound and twisted his knives. The hound tried to lower its head.
Ari snarled and landed a straight right to stagger the mutt. It staggered and then fell sideways. Ari followed the thing by landing punches with his protruding spikes. One, two, three, five, eight.
Singh pulled him away and shoved him “Commander!”
Ari glared at the dog with gritted teeth and then shot a look at Singh.
“It’s dead commander.”
Ari turned his snarl into a deep breath and nodded.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Ari turned to the door and saw a strange sight. A blue skinned man was clapping a hand on one tied to his belt.
“Ascendeds. Five of them. I suppose I can be a little wasteful then.”
Nishachar (Night Stalker)
Shards - 4
Affiliation - The Rakshasa Empire
The Nishachar unhooked the arm from his belt and threw it on the floor. After a moment, it sizzled and began to blacken. He took in an appreciative breath.
“Mmm… I love charred meat. Oh, I am sorry. Was that one of yours?”
Ari looked at the hand. The fatigues on it. Ari saw red and moved to confront the man only to stop with a steely grip on his shoulder. He looked back and saw the doctor move in front of him.
Doctor Joshi pointed at the ceiling where a human with green skin shriveled all across its body was slowly moving towards them like a lizard. It looked at them with blackened eyes and hissed.
“Fresh. Fresh. Fresh.” The thing whined.
Vetaal
Shards - 2
Affiliation - The Rakshasa Empire
“Yes pet. Fresh souls for you to feed. Fresh bodies for me to eat.” The Nishachar answered the Vetaal.
Doctor Joshi glared at the Nishachar. He walked into the scorching floor and announced “The nishachar is mine. You take care of the abomination.”
The blue man looked at the doctor and spat “Priest!”
“Yes, defiler. You dared to intrude on the territory of a yaksha. I am your punishment.”
“You will die, priest. Your people will be turned into our cattle. Just like your predecessors were.” The Nishachar said and moved.
He blurred across the distance. A second later his hand erupted out the doctor’s back. The doctor grunted and grabbed the man’s arm. Fire erupted out of the doctor’s wound and his open mouth. The nishachar screamed. The doctor aimed his head. Bathing the nishachar face in fire.
“No. What… are you?” The Nishachars asked as his hair caught fire and skin began flaking off. Even so, the nishachars started regenerating his injuries.
Joshi glared down at the blue skinned creature. He spoke with blood splattered lips and a throat full of fire. His crackling voice reverberated all across the temple shaking the walls.
“May your soul be purified in the fires of creation. May your sins be burned from existence. May your next life be of penance.”
Ari watched in stupefied awe as the fire and the heat ahead of him disappeared in an instant. It appeared in a glowing white ball in the doctor’s left hand. The doctor shoved the ball in the blue man’s chest. Much like the nishachar had done earlier.
But where the doctor had grunted and stayed standing. The nishachar screamed and turned to ash.
The doctor swayed on his feet and Singh moved to catch him. The vetaal waiting for its opportunity jumped, aiming at Singh’s back.
Ari snarled. He ran across the distance and caught the thing by its face. He pivoted on his hip and slammed the abomination into the wall. Before it could react, he landed a three-punch combo to its head.
He heard bones crush under his blows and snarled. “You dare mess with my people?”
Ari lips frothed over with spit.
“You dare attack them from behind?”
Ari’s one punch turned into another until they turned into a rapid series of punches.
The vetaal tried to fight back by slashing his claws at Ari. Ari took the blow on his raised hands and then parried them aside.
“Oh no you don’t you fudding freak.”
Ari turned his knuckles over. One, two, three. Ari hammered his blows into the vetaal’s body. Every blow dug his spikes into the twisted creature's body. Every move slashed its flesh open. Ari did not stop. His hands turned into pistons hammering and ripping the creatures apart.
“Umm… Commander. It’s dead.” Ari looked at Nameer covering behind Abesh.
Ari looked at the creature's mashed torso and head.
He took a step back and shrugged “It was still standing.”
“That’s because you didn’t let it fall, sir.”
Abesh nodded in appreciation “You moved faster than the blue guy did.”
“And smoother too.” Nameer added reluctantly.
Ari glanced at the two boys “It’s called boxing. You both need to try it sometimes.”
The vetaal in front of Ari turned into ash in a flash and fell to the floor leaving behind three glowing shards. Ari moved towards them.
“Stop.” Ari whirled to see a Doctor Joshi walking towards them with Singh supporting him.
“Doctor? You are not dead?”
The doctor smiled that strange smile “I am blessed by Agni. In his temple I am as tough as a warder.” He shook his head “Never mind that. We should have the yaksha’s fire purify these shards. They come from a corrupted world. They might turn you into one of those things if you consume them.”
Joshi pointed at the pile of ash that had been the vetaal moments ago.
Abesh ran to support the doctor from the other side “Doctor, are you okay?”
“Yes, child.” Joshi replied in a pained voice.
Abesh shook his head “Doctor, you have a hole in your chest.”
Ari looked down at the doctor’s torso and stopped. There was a hole in Joshi’s chest. As he watched fire spewed out of it, mixed with blood and then became a bit smaller.
The doctor held out his hand to reveal three glowing shards.
Ari looked at the doctor, his healing chest, and then his palm “Don’t we consume these things as soon as we touch them?”
The doctor chuckled “Not all of us, commander. Some of us are different, and with a different purpose given to us by the yaksha.”
Ari frowned “Why are you giving these to me?”
“These are okay to consume. They were purified by my blood.”
Ari took a step back “Doctor, we’ll talk about these shards when you heal. Right now, we need to assess the situation around us.”
Joshi’s smile turned frosty “I told you that I will prove myself to you. I took on a nishachar with four shards and saved your lives. What else do you want?”
“A little more clarity doctor.”
Joshi sighed “Fine. Don’t take too long to make up your mind, commander. There are other things happening out there. And if you won’t arm yourself and your men, you will be ground into ash and sand.”