The Journey Beyond Bhuloka

by Krutant Iyer

  “Ooh – What do we have here?” Shumbha rested his eyes on Murari. “You brought a child along.”

  “Who are you calling a child, you Oaf! Where are my friends?”

  A flicker of irritation crossed Shumbha’s face upon hearing Murari’s slight.

  “Watch your words!” he bellowed.

  Shumbha signalled the elite guards to surround the group. Following their commander’s directive, the guards lost no time in cutting off all avenue of escape.

  “Look at you – you are nothing but a mouse in a trap.” Shumbha guffawed. “After we kill you, I will make sure our beasts tear the skin from your bodies and chew the flesh off your bones.”

  “There’s no other way. We need to fight,” Drona said to Kali, without breaking eye contact with Shumbha.

  Kali did not respond. Neither did Bhrihu, who usually never let go of such occasions, where he had been proven right. But he was no coward. The blood of Rakshaks coursed through his veins too.

  Drona reached into the folds of his Angavastram and brought out Murari’s sword. He handed the sword back to Murari.

  “There’s no going back now. We have to try and create an opening for Murari.” He said to the rest of the group.

  “Use the tiniest opportunity you get to enter the fortress. Then you are on your own. May Lokapa provide you with strength and help you succeed.” Drona said, turning back to Murari.

  Murari took his sword and looked at Drona’s resolute face. At that moment, even the wrinkles on the face of the old Rakshasa beamed like fire and added vigour to his ferocious expression.

  Vajra seemed a little reluctant at the proposed idea but knew there was no other way. Looking at the elite guards surrounding them, he understood it would take their collective strength to fend off attacks from all corners.

  But then, looking at the archers on top the fortress, he wondered if they even stood a chance. For his Jvala to be of any use, the Nisacharas had to be within its range, and the Archers were well outside the range of his Siddhi. He couldn’t use his Siddhi recklessly for the fearing of harming the Rakshasas. But the Rakshasas seemed unhesitant in their bearing. He had still not seen their fighting prowess. Did they have something up their sleeves that he wasn’t aware of?

  Even though he did not protest the idea of letting Murari go into the fortress alone, Vajra didn’t want him to walk into a trap. So, thumping his Lathi on the ground, he scanned the area behind the fortress with his Touch of Indriya. He sensed stamping of over a hundred hooves from behind the fortress. Drawing a sharp breath at the realisation of what was to come, Vajra turned towards Murari.

  “Murari – listen carefully. Once you are inside the fortress you will be on your own.” Vajra said, with a hint of concern in his voice. “As soon as you enter the gate, head towards your right. Stay on this path no matter what. The layout of the castle is like a maze. Navigating to the dungeon is going to prove quite challenging. But if you stay the course and manage to avoid the Nisacharas, you should be able to get there.”

  Murari unsheathed his sword as he nodded. He was ready. Come what may, he was determined to save his friends.

  The Rakshasas and Vajra stood in a circle around Murari, facing the Nisacharas on all sides. Their weapons were drawn and ready. But Vajra was more worried about the archers on top of the fortress. If Shumbha signals them to shower their arrows on the group below, it would be impossible to block out all the arrows.

  But Shumbha did no such thing. The Nisachara commander was amused by the grit shown by Rakshasas, whom he had always considered as weaklings, and yet here they were, ready to face his battle-hardened, blood-thirsty Nisacharas, showing no fear in their stance. He signalled the archers to lower their arrows.

  This will be fun. Show me what you have got.

  Shumbha was itching for a battle, even if it was with a small group of eccentrics.

  “If we have to make a way for Murari to enter the fortress, we will need to commence the attack now. Only Shumbha stands in the way of the gate. The archers have already unstrung their bows and stepped back. Before the Nisacharas around us launch their assault, we need to take this chance and create an opening.” Vajra said.

  No words were spoken, but everyone seemed to agree with Vajra’s suggestion.

  Drona removed the cap off his stick to reveal the sharp apex of his spear.

  “Are you sure about doing this?” Vajra asked Murari.

  Murari nodded, fixating his eyes towards the gate of the fortress beyond the mounted Nisachara commander. His heart thumped faster with every passing moment.

  “NOW!” shouted Drona, as he lifted his spear in one swift motion, pulling his arms behind his back, he took only a brief moment to calculate his angle and flung the spear at Shumbha with such a strength that the Nisachara commander sat stupefied on his horse, unable to believe the old Rakshasa could move with such determined ferocity. He came into his senses just in time to swerve out of the path of the spinning spear that whizzed past his right ear and lodged firmly into the earth.

  Shumbha’s horse panicked from his sudden motion and began flailing its hooves wildly.

  The Nisachara commander petted the horse and pulled at his reigns to calm the beast. He looked up and noticed the Rakshasas had used this moment of distraction to cover up the short distance between them and were now almost upon him. He threw his spear down and unsheathed his long sword. Clicking his heels against the horse’s flanks, he prodded it into action.

  Karapa and Gotha were ahead of the other Rakshasas.

  Shumbha swung his sword at Karapa from atop the horse, having the advantage of height. But Karapa easily deflected the attack with his Parashu, while Gotha came over from the other side to try and knock down the Nisachara commander from his horse.

  As Karapa and Gotha engaged Shumbha, Vajra, who was covering the group from rear looked about and wondered why the Elite soldiers were not moving a muscle when their commander-in-chief was under attack. Did they have so much faith in their commander’s prowess or was Shumbha intentionally prodding them to make the first move? Did he have something up his sleeves?

  By then the other Rakshasas had joined the fight as well and were attacking Shumbha from all sides. Surprisingly, Shumbha was able to parry all their attacks even with the disadvantage of not having a solid footing. The long-range of his sword kept his attackers from reaching close to him.

  Murari could not find a way to get past the scuffle, as the Nisachara commander and his horse were still blocking the path leading to the fortress gate.

  While the Rakshasas attacked Shumbha, Vajra noticed something strange about the way he was blocking the attacks. While he was expertly blocking most of the strikes from the Rakshasas, some of the hits were landing on his body, but failing to make any impact.

  How is this possible? Unless…

  Vajra’s body stiffened as he realised why the commander was able to take on all their attacks. But he still decided to test his theory.

  “Murari, get ready,” Vajra said. “I am going to create an opening for you. You won’t have much time, but you should be able to manage.”

  Vajra advanced slowly towards the group.

  “Jvala!”

  He called out a ball of fire on his palms, and taking careful aim he threw the fireball with great intensity at Shumbha’s bare body. With his hands already full, Shumbha failed to see the approaching ball of fire before it was too late. The fireball hit him in the abdomen, but instead of catching fire, his skin gleamed before the fire snuffed out.

  Vajra’s suspicion had been confirmed. Shumbha was a Siddha.

  How’s that possible? He was nothing but a mere soldier in Nishada’s army. How did he become so powerful in such a short time? Vajra wondered.

  Shumbha swung his sword with such ferocity and fleetness that one would have believed he was born with the weapon in hand. One by one, he was overpowering the Rakshasas, pushing them back and going from defensive to offensive. He hadn’t even cast a secon
d glance towards Vajra after he had thrown the fireball at him. The Nisachara commander was a monster.

  This time Vajra raised his lathi over his head, and using both his hands, whirled it with such force that the lathi became almost invisible.

  Murari noticed that Vajra had drawn in the natural energy around him, as his Angavastram fluttered from the gathered energy in a Loka where even cold winds refused to blow. A spark of fire appeared within the spinning lathi, which soon spread to cover it entirely. With a mighty heave, Vajra first leaned back a little and then launched the collected gust of fire at Shumbha.

  This time Shumbha immediately looked up at the oncoming, fiery gust of fire and jumped from his horse, rolling once on the ground, before springing to his feet nimbly.

  Without wasting another moment, Vajra thumped his lathi on the ground, and fire erupted below Shumbha’s feet. But, once again, the fire didn’t burn the skin on his feet. Instead, it blazed around it.

  “Petty tricks!” Shumbha sneered at Vajra. “Is that all you can do? I must say, I am pretty disappointed. I was expecting more from you.”

  Vajra was shocked to see Shumbha endure his fire with ease.

  “Your Isitv is weak,” Shumbha mocked Vajra.

  Saying so Shumbha lurched forward with the fierceness of a Tiger. The Rakshasas didn’t even have enough time to react, as the Nisachara commander slashed his sword diagonally upward, but Vajra held up his lathi, breaking the impact of his slash. Wasting no time, the Rakshasas surrounded Shumbha, who was now on foot as he parried with Vajra.

  Murari took this chance and made a run towards the fortress gate.

  Shumbha realized what they were trying to do and turned around to stop Murari, but Drona, Karapa, and Gotha blocked his way.

  Even as Shumbha bellowed irascibly, Murari crossed the inner gate of the fortress.

  ✽✽✽

  Panchadasha

  An Unexpected Ally

  Murari did not stop to look behind. He knew the Rakshasas and Vajra were strong enough to hold their own against the Nisacharas.

  He intended to free his friends as soon as possible and come back to join the battle.

  The area beyond the gate was shrouded in the cover of darkness. But he did notice the giant, wooden door hidden behind the darkness on the other end of the wall. The door was designed to be lowered from inside the castle, possibly to bring in larger merchandise and cavalry.

  As he turned to the right, he came upon a wide stairway. The stairs spiralled, leading up, instead of down, which is where he wanted to head.

  Murari decided to use his Eye of Indriya sparingly, as it robbed his vision of the clear picture of the environs, though it gave him a clear advantage over his opponents. But he needed to see and take in his surroundings so that he could find his way back after breaking out his friends. Murari continued running up the spiral steps of the castle, ensuring to stick close to the far end of the wall, which would give him a better view of any approaching Nisacharas.

  The spiralled stairs ended a level above the ground. Unlike the stairway, the room on this level was brimming with bright light. Murari shielded his eyes as he stepped into the bright room. The ground felt soft under his feet as if he had stepped on the grassy land.

  The bright light refused to die down. Though the brightness could be compared to the sun’s rays, the pallor of the light made it more akin to moonlight, only stronger. Murari could see absolutely nothing, blinded by the light. It was as if the pupils in his eyes refused to adjust to the sudden exposure of bright light, after having adjusted to the darkness of Narakaloka. As he took several steps forward, something sharp brushed against his arms. He felt a tinge of pain as blood came out from the cut in his arms. He immediately covered it with his other hand.

  What’s happening? This way I won’t be able to defend myself at all. Why is this room so bright?

  Murari turned around, deciding to get out of the room and try some other way in. But he had already walked quite a distance and was now surrounded by the blinding light, having no inkling of the direction he had walked in from.

  Seeing no other choice, Murari decided to move ahead. Once again felt something sharp brush against his arms, on both sides this time, and the cuts drew blood.

  Infuriated, he removed his sword from his sheath and swung it blindly in rage. The sword clanged loudly as it hit another metal. Someone else was there. He cursed silently under his breath. Could the other person see him? He was at a serious disadvantage here.

  He held his sword up to protect his body, anticipating another attack.

  “Coward! Stop hiding and show yourself.” Murari shouted.

  He expected no response but was hoping to catch the movement of feet, or fluttering of dhoti or Angavastram, something, anything, that would help him know the position of this mysterious enemy.

  Nothing.

  Murari contemplated whether he should call out Nandaka. He did not wish to reveal his sword’s true form without having gauged the enemy’s strength. Seeing no other choice, Murari activated his Eye of Indriya. But the result was the same, worse even. His ocular power was useless against the bright light in the room. He immediately revoked its effect. Left with the only viable choice now, Murari called out the name of his sword.

  “NANDAKA!” He shouted.

  After a brief moment, the black smoke covered the sword lazily.

  “Boy, I am not deaf. You don’t need to shout out my name every time you call me out.” Nandaka said.

  “Tell me quickly. Can you see?” Murari asked, his voice betraying the sense of urgency.

  “What sort of question –”

  “Nandaka – Not now!” Murari yelled, angered at Nandaka’s needless retort.

  Nandaka did not say anything for a while.

  “Well?” Murari probed.

  “Is this some kind of joke?” Nandaka asked, amused.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What exactly do you want me to do – peel fruits for you?” Nandaka asked, confused.

  “Just tell me what you see,” Murari said, irritated with the sword’s imperious comments.

  “There’s nothing here but plants,” Nandaka said. “The fruits look weird though, they are glowing brightly.”

  Dipakaphala? No, it can’t be. Kirmira would not have left this garden unguarded.

  But something else was bothering him.

  “If no one else is here, how did I receive these cuts?” Murari asked Nandaka.

  “It’s probably due to the sharp edges of the leaves that protect the fruit. They look quite sharp and steely.” Nandaka said.

  That put Murari’s mind at rest, even if only by a little bit.

  For a moment Murari contemplated taking one of the Dipakaphalas to light up the way ahead but decided against the idea since it would draw unwarranted attention towards him.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Murari said. “Nandaka, show me the way out.”

  Even though Nandaka guided Murari with its black smoke, he took each step very carefully, as he was still blinded by the light.

  “Here’s the door,” Nandaka said, leading Murari to a huge door at the far end of the room.

  “Where’s the knob?” Murari asked.

  “I don’t see any.”

  Murari activated his Eye of Indriya. Though he couldn’t see the door clearly, he could see something moving in the area behind the door. The movement was too erratic and rapid for him to comprehend who or what it could be.

  “Maybe we should go back and try another way in,” Murari said.

  Just then, he heard scurry of footsteps upon the stairway leading to the entrance of the room.

  “Did that guy seriously enter the Dipaka grove?” The voice could be heard even at the other end of the room.

  “We shouldn’t go in there; the King will kill us if we set a foot inside his precious grove.” Another voice was heard saying.

  “It’s not like we can see anything in there anyways. Also, if the boy h
as indeed entered the grove, he is as good as dead.”

  “Yes. Let’s just wait for him here. The door to Prastara on the other end of the room doesn’t open from inside, so he will have to come back here if he ever wishes to get out.”

  “I say, even if he managed to somehow enter Prastara, it saves us the task of getting rid of that rat.”

  Murari silently heard this new information from the Nisacharas.

  “Seems like we don’t have a choice now,” Nandaka said.

  “Is there a possibility of opening this door from in here?” Murari asked.

  “There is. But I am not sure you can pull it off yet.”

  “Tell me. We don’t have any other way out.” Murari said, feeling challenged.

  “There is a way to slash open this door, but you need to be a master swordsman to be able to rip apart a door of this size. You have only just started learning the techniques. It may be too early for you.” Nandaka said.

  “Stop wasting time and tell me, Nandaka,” Murari said, a little louder this time.

  “Very well. I will teach you the technique. But its success completely depends on your dexterity.”

  Once Nandaka had instructed him, Murari nodded insentiently.

  “Now put me back into the scabbard to begin.” Nandaka finally said.

  Murari did as directed.

  He spread his legs, crouching low as he did so. He held the sword in the scabbard in his left hand, with his right hand firmly gripping the sword’s handle. Closing his eyes, Murari focused on gathering the natural energy around him. His breathing slowed a little, as his mind faded out the noise from the Nisacharas on the stairway. His back was straight and rigid, but his right arm and shoulder were relaxed. He channelized all the natural energy into the sword. He felt a warm aura envelope his body and the sword. Then in a flash, Murari drew his sword out of the scabbard and slashed it diagonally upwards in the air, aiming at the gate, before putting the sword back in the scabbard. Murari opened his eyes to see if he had succeeded but saw nothing different.