The Gall of Gammon

Disclaimer: This story is my humble attempt to write a fanfiction of the epic Mahabharata. My intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiment.

Aum Namah Shivay!!

Major Jayant Roy, SM is a fictitious character. Any similarity with any living person is merely a coincidence.

Chapter 39

Jungle outside of Kampilya City, Panchal, Dwapar Yuga

Karna POV

"The Chakra Vyuha!"

The thoughts of all of us came from Arjun's lips. They were all shockingly looking at the Vyuha, except me. I was looking at my Mitra, who was still watching the enemy like an eagle stalking his prey.

"Can he see the future?" I thought in my mind.

When we first started training together, he asked me about my knowledge of Chakra Vyuha. I didn't know how to penetrate it. Sage Parashurama hadn't taught me that. After knowing it, he requested Ashwatthama to teach me how to penetrate the Chakra. Later, Drona putra told me that he was not eager to learn the art of Chakra Vyuha, because some shashtras mentioned that this Vyuha could only be formed while fighting with non-human enemies, like Rakshasha or Asura. It was Duryodhana who literally persuaded him to learn it.

I remembered his words which he had said to me just before leaving Hastinapur for this war.

"Remember, Karna, a warrior mustn't have ego within him. Ego comes from lack of self-confidence. A warrior must have self-confidence, but a thin line separates ego and self confidence. One should always remember that his ego always suppress his ability. You must always remember it."

I heaved a sigh. Was my mind full of ego? Was I a person who always behaved egoistically?

My mind was divided into two parts now.

"Angraaj Karna, is your mind full of jealousy towards Arjun?"

"No, I am not jealous of him. But I am proud of my ability. But the only way the world would recognise it if I can defeat Arjun."

"Are you so sure about it?"

"Yes, I am sure. The society of Kshatriya always mocked me as a sutputra. They refused to acknowledge my ability. Now it's time to show them what this sutputra can achieve with a bow."

"But you are a Kshatriya too, Radheya Karna."

"I am a sutputra. I am son of Adhirath and Radha, this is my only identity."

Duryodhana's voice broke my trance and pulled me back into reality.

"Nakul, climb on a tree and check the number of circles in the Vyuha, quick. We don't have much time."

Nakul quickly dismounted his horse and climbed on a huge tree. In a few moments, he reached to the top of the tree. From there, he signalled us by showing five fingers. That means, there were five circles in the Vyuha. Nakul quickly climbed down from the tree.

"Bhrata Duryodhana, there were only foot soldiers, horses and chariots, no elephants in the Vyuha." He said.

"Hmm...Drupad underestimated our numbers. Ok, Karna, Arjun, both of you come here."

We both quickly came in front of him.

"Arjun, Acharya taught you how to penetrate the Chakra Vyuha. Karna, Ashwatthama taught you too. Now hear my plan, and then give your opinion."

I looked at Arjun, he looked at me. This was the first time that both of us agreed in something.

"Ok, we will simultaneously attack from both sides. From east, Karna in front, Dussasan and my fifty brothers will follow him. From west, Arjun in front, Bheem, Yudhisthir, Nakul, Sahdeva and forty seven brothers of mine will attack. The total number becomes one hundred and four. Vikarna, Yuyutsu, come here. Both of you have a very important task to do."

Rajkumar Yuyutsu and Vikarna came in front of us.

"What is your order, Jyesth?" Vikarna asked.

"Both of you are good archers. I want you both outside the chakra in east and west. Your task is to create and maintain a constant gap in the last two circles. Those gaps would be our exit. Do you understand?"

They both nodded. I revised his plan in my mind. It seemed perfect. I looked at Arjun, who looked at me.

"What do you think, Rajkumar Arjun?" I asked him in a soft voice.

"This plan seems correct, Angraaj. Drupad will be in the innermost circle. We have to quickly penetrate the Vyuha to reach Drupad."

"Ok then, get ready all of you." Duryodhana was fumbling with a trident locket in his neck.

"But Bhrata Duryodhana, what would be your position?" Arjun asked him.

Duryodhana laughed.

"Drupad has lost his element of surprise. Now I will give him a shocking welcome. I will charge at the front, at the gate of the Vyuha."

What??!!

I looked at him with a shocked expression. Arjun was also shocked too. Duryodhana was going to charge alone at the gate of the Chakra Vyuha, which was nothing less than suicide.

"But Bhrata Duryodhana....this is madness. You are going to charge directly towards the chakra. There is a risk of life."

Duryodhana smirked.

"Don't worry Arjun. To kill me, Bhagwan Narayana himself has to cheat in war. Don't waste more time, everyone get ready. Quick."

Both I and Arjun looked at each other's face. Duryodhana dismounted from his horse, and then started walking towards the enemy.

"Did he really lose his mind, Angraaj?" I heard Arjun's whisper beside me.

"I don't know, Rajkumar. Sometime, I could not understand him." I replied to him, and then checked my bow and arrows.

"Let's go Rajkumar. Time is running by."

Hey Surya Narayana, please give your blessings to my friend. He would need it the most now.

Suddenly, we heard a loud and unknown sound. I turned my head and saw Duryodhana was sitting on something.

I hadn't seen something like this ever in my life. That thing was fully built with metal, most probably iron. It had two wheels, but it was not a chariot. The sound was coming from this metallic thing.

"What is it, Bhrata Duryodhana?" I heard Yudhisthir's shocked voice.

"This is the blessings of Mahadev, o son of dharma."

A roaring sound came from the metallic ride, then with a speed greater than the fastest of horses, he charged towards the enemy, on his metallic ride. His mace was tied in his back.

"Quick, Angraaj, let's go now." Arjun shouted.

Third Person's POV

In the innermost layer of the Chakra Vyuha, King Drupad of Panchal was sitting on his large, white chariot. His two sons, Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas were standing guard of both sides of the chariot. Rajkumar Satyajit was guarding the fourth circle of the Vyuha. Shikhandini was standing at a small distance from the chariot. In front of her, the soldiers of Panchal were tying up one hundred and seven men.

"Pitashri, we have captured the Kuru Rajkumars. Now, Bhishma will surely come to rescue them. Or else, we will start killing them one by one."

Drupad smiled, no, laughed a winner's laughter.

"WE will rule the whole Aryavart now, putri. Once, the news of the death of Bhishma in the hand of Panchal reached them, each and every king would bow his head in front of Drupad. Panchal will become the strongest kingdom. Then I will perform a Rajasuya Yagnya, and declare myself the emperor of Aryavart."

Suddenly, two loud thunders like cracking sounds echoed in the atmosphere.

Drupad was shocked. Beside him, Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas were shocked too. Shikhandini also heard the sounds. Those were the sounds of bowstrings, but only the greatest of bowmen could produce sounds like that.

"What was that? Is Drona himself coming to fight now?" Drupad shouted.

Suddenly, a loud roar of 'Har Har Mahadev' came from the front.

"What is happening now? Who is attacking us?" He stood up on his chariot; his bow was ready in his hands. Suddenly, he saw a soldier was running towards him.

"Maharaja, the enemy is attacking the Chakra Vyuha from three sides. In the front, only one person charged at us and from east and west, two groups of warriors are attacking. Both the leaders were very powerful archers. They are destroying our Vyuha like haystacks."

"What? How is it possible?" Drupad was shocked. He could hear the loud sound of fighting.

"Maharaja, the one in the front, he is not like normal human. He was riding on a mysterious metallic ride, and no weapons seem to have any effect on his body."

Suddenly, Drupad saw another soldier running towards him.

"Maharaja, the third circle is also breached. This warrior was fighting like a dark Rakshasha. The soldiers were afraid to even go near him. His mace was bathing with our soldier's blood. There was another mace wielder in the west. He was huge like a giant, and his mace was killing our soldiers like they were ants. The two archers in two sides were showering hundreds and hundreds of arrows on our soldiers."

"Tell the soldiers to fight with all their might. This is my order." Drupad was shaken, but he was not a coward. He gripped his bow tightly, and prepared to face the enemy. He could see the banner on Satyajit's chariot was moving. That meant, his son, the commander of Panchal army was going to duel with someone.

Satyajit was looking in front of him with a shocked expression. The enemy outsmarted them. They made a blunder by not including the elephant cavalry, but now this blunder proved fatal. The one who charged at the gate was fighting like a Rakshasha. Satyajit himself saw the weapons hurled to his body by his soldiers were bouncing back and breaking into pieces. His ride was also unfamiliar, and peculiar. He was holding his mace with one hand and landing blow after blow with it on the enemy. The third circle was breached from three sides, now it was on him to protect his father.

He felt a pang of fear in his chest when he looked at the warrior in front of him. The man was clad in black armour. His body was well built. He was younger than Satyajit. But his eyes were slit like, just like a snake.

Those slits were red.

"On your guard!!", Satyajit shouted at him. The man turned his face towards him. The young man's snake like eyes looked directly into his eyes. Satyajit jumped from his chariot, mace in hand, ready to face his enemy. The man dismounted his ride, which magically vanished, just a golden light attached into the rider's neck.

Satyajit charged at him with a roar, while his opponent looked at him with a calm composed face. While charging, Satyajit was sure that his opponent's lips were parted a bit and he saw two large canines there. He startled for a moment, the grip on his mace loosed a bit. But still, Satyajit managed to land a blow on his opponent's head.

Clank!

Satyajit stood there like a fool. The blow he landed on his opponent's head could crush a herd of elephants. But that young man stood in front of him, unscratched. Satyajit found his mace lying on the ground, due to the huge impact.

"What are you?" the question came from his lips before he could control them.

"I am the messenger of death. But my family calls me Duryodhana!"

Satyajit tried to jump and pick up his mace, but he found his neck held by the iron hard grip of Duryodhana.

"You are not going anywhere. The only place you are going is to the Yamlok."

Duryodhana threw him with one hand. Satyajit landed on his chariot. Blood was flowing from his head like a stream. Before losing his senses, Satyajit heard the shrill voice of a woman.

"Coward! Fight with me if you have drunk your mother's milk!"

Shikhandini was charging towards Duryodhana, with a naked sword in her hand.

"No!!" Satyajit tried to shout, but before that, he lost his consciousness.

Shikhandini jumped in front of the enemy warrior, who just threw Satyajit with one hand. But when she looked at him, her inner soul became colder with fear.

Those slit like red eyes had hunger in them. Shikhandini knew that it was not lust. It was hunger that could consume each and everything in a moment.

She charged at him with his sword, but he was more flexible. He bent his body like a bow, and her sword went over his body. She was shocked again. She hadn't seen someone who can bend his body like this way in her whole life. She again charged, and tried to land a blow of her sword. But her opponent grabbed the blade by his left hand.

The red eyes looked at her from top to bottom. She felt repulsed, but there was something in those vile, inhuman, hungry eyes that connected her eyes like a magnet. She saw him licking his lips, and those two sharp white canines.

"Now you are dead!" Came a snake like hissing sound behind those teeth.

A swift kick at her abdomen knocked her on the ground. She fell on the ground, but before she could move, she saw the large black mace was coming towards her, like Yamraaj himself.

The mace contacted with her body. She felt, and heard the sound of breaking bones. The mace came again and again. She was lying on a pool of her own blood. The pain was unbearable, but she was only thinking about her revenge from Bhishma. She could see him looking at her; his mace was dripping with her blood. Her eyes were getting closed. The last thing she saw the mace, coming directly towards her head.

"Mahadev!" She breathed, and lost her sense.

So, this is chapter 39.

Please read, vote and comment. Your comments are the only thing that gives me the will to write more.