The Wrath 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 48

Khandavprastha, Dwapar Yuga

Jayant Roy POV (Cont.)

"Mayasura?" The woman looked at me with curious eyes, "What do you want from him?"

"You will soon find out. Now do you know where he lives?" I looked at her.

"Yes, he lives in the innermost sanctum of the forest, along with Maharaja Takshaka. But I don't have permission to go there, not even my sisters can go there."

"Okay, then tell me the way. I will go alone."

She looked at my face for a few moments. I could easily understand the tug of war inside her mind. But then, a determined look came on her face.

"Follow me.", she started walking, "I know the shortest and the safest way."

I was silently following her. My eyes were now adjusted in the darkness. We were now walking on a manmade trail. This trail was created by may be the Nagas. We walked for a few miles silently, and then I suddenly felt something. This was an old feeling, the feeling of walking into an ambush!

"Stop!" I walked before the woman, sword ready in my hand. Then my ears picked up the all familiar sound of arrows flowing towards us.

"Get down!" I grabbed her shoulder and both of us lied down on the ground, and in the next second, a volley of arrows flown over our head.

"The army of King Takshaka! They spotted us!" She said in a fearful voice, "They will kill us!"

I looked at her, "Don't worry. They can only lay a finger on you if I am dead, and to kill me, Narayana himself had to cheat in warfare." I touched my locket, and my mace came to my hand, and the sword entered inside.

I stood up straight then saw dark figures slowly coming out from the forest. My grip tightened on my mace. The figures had weapons in their hands, crude swords and spears, glowing in the darkness. With an inhuman roar, they charged at me.

"Come on!"

The next few moments passed like lightning. I and my mace only stopped when the last enemy fell down on the ground. Then suddenly I felt a foreign sensation in my right thigh.

It was a bleeding injury!

I remembered the darkness, just after the end of my previous life, then Mahadev, then what I asked from him.

"Ok then, I wants my full body diamond hard from sunrise to sunset, and after that, only my thighs would be normal, just like Duryodhana."

I started laughing, just like a madman. While laughing, I looked at my paranormal companion, only to find her shaking like a leaf. It seemed like she was afraid of me!

"Your eyes...your eyes!" She was stammering now. I went to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"I want you to calm down! Take a deep breath...do as I say!"

She slowly took one breath, then a few more. Her shivering decreased. She was now getting close to becoming normal.

"Your eyes...what exactly are you? They changed...I saw them changing with my own eyes while you were fighting. What are you?"

Now what can I possibly say to her?

"It's complicated. You don't have to worry about that. Now you tell me the direction and leave. Things in here are going to get ugly, it seems."

Before she could say something, I heard rustling sounds from the bushes. I turned around and saw large snakes were crawling towards us. They are huge king cobras, unlike the previous human enemies whom I slaughtered before. But I was sure that they were shape shifting snakes, just like Aryaka Nag. Then suddenly I felt another sensation in my right thigh. The bleeding wound was now healing itself. I looked at the sky, and through the deep cover of trees, I managed to find the thin light of the rising sun.

The snakes were now in front of us. I was feeling tired too, I was hungry, and angry. I had suffered some blood loss to, not from the wound but feeding my blood to the Pishachini, and now I had enough!

"Takshaka!" I roared, "I know you can see me or at least hear me. So, hear me loud and clear. I had no enmity to you or any one of your kind. Hand over Mayasura to me and I will leave you alone. But if you send more of your soldiers to attack, then I will be forced to defend myself, and it only ends with the massacre of your men. You don't want that, and I also don't want that."

The snakes were stopped and they were now looking at each other. That gesture shaped my belief that they are shape shifting snakes, so I decided to play a gamble.

"You there!" I finger pointed to the cobra in the middle, "Go to your king with my message."

The snake's body started vibrating, and in a moment, there was a young man standing in front of me.

"I do not take orders from a human. I am Ashwasena, son of Maharaja Takshaka."

I looked at him...his face was still boyish, though he was trying to portray a serious expression. I remembered his futile attempt of taking revenge of the burning of the forest, when he sat on an arrow fired by Karna.

"Who are you, human? How dare you entered into our territory and challenge our king?" His hand was on his sword, tied on his waist.

Before I could say anything, another cobra shifted into human form. He was a middle aged man, with salt and pepper hair and beard. That man looked at my face thoroughly, and then he looked at his leader.

"Rajkumar Ashwasena, this human who is standing in front of us is none other than Rajkumar Duryodhana, eldest son of Maharaja Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur."

Ashwasena looked at me; the hostility in his facial expression was slowly replaced by both shock and awe.

"Are you the one who charged alone at the gate of Chakra Vyuha? They said that you are indestructible.....no weapon can pierce you?"

I just nodded...really; I was not totally indestructible, as I had been accurately reminded sometimes ago. The other cobras were now shifted back in their human form, and now stood in front of us.

"But Rajkumar, Mayasura is a dear friend of my father, and he is under my father's protection. I can't hand him over to you if you have harmful intention in your mind."

I remembered my earlier threat, and realized the error in my choice of words. I mentally admonished myself for that blunder.

"Rajkumar Ashwasena, I do not have any harmful intention towards Mayasura. I know he belongs to a great and noble race of Asuras. He is the greatest architect and sculpture among Asuras. I believe him as the equivalent of Sri Viswakarma. He is also one of the greatest devotees of Mahadev, and he got the knowledge of the Surya Siddhanta from the Surya Narayana himself. I just want to meet him and ask some questions, and then I will be away."

I saw the young prince who was now deeply in thought. He was probably considering his options, either refusing me which resulted in a bloody massacre, or let me meet the Asura. I decided to relieve him some of the trouble.

"If you are hesitating to let me enter in your inner sanctum, then I can wait for him here. But I will not go away until I find my answers."

Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound, and when I looked at the direction, I saw a figure was coming out of the forest. The figure was tall...no...Gigantic would be the correct adjective. His skin was shining in what little amount of sunlight entering in the forest. His face had a calm expression, totally opposite of the bloodthirsty expression that I saw in the face of other Asuras. His eyes were deep, just like a well learned, well versed man. He looked at all of us. Ashwasena and his comrades gave him a deep bow, while I crossed my hands to him.

His face was slowly formed into a small smile.

"Rajkumar Duryodhana....why are you here in this forest? Why are you seeking me?"

"I have some question for you." I said in a low but determined voice, "about an invention of yours."

The Asura, who was at least twelve feet taller than me, now standing in front of me, and his deep eyes on mine. I refused to bulge in front of the Titan; my eyes were on his too.

The stare down continued for maybe...a minute? Then with my great astonishment, we both backed off together at the same time.

"Why are you asking about my invention? Tell me the reason?"

"Your invention was used on an attack on me and my wife...my pregnant wife, due to which she had a miscarriage and will be unable to have her own children."

I heard a gasp from behind my back, probably from Ashwasena or one of his men. The deep eyes of Mayasura were again scanning me. Now I was getting a little impatient. He probably sensed that too.

"I have created a lot of things....from palaces to machines. Tell me what do you want to know?"

"I want to know everything about the Saubha Vimana."

Mayasura's eyes moved from me and went towards the sky. It seemed like he was looking at his old, glorious days.

"Long long ago, the then king of Salwa kingdom decided to do hard penance of Mahadev. The Adi Yogi was pleased and granted him a boon. He asked for this Vimana. I was ordered by the Tripurari...." His voice faltered a bit, but he quickly composed himself, "and I built it. This Vimana can travel in land, sea and sky. It is equipped with various types of weapons. It resembles like a city on the sky. It has ability of disappear and reappear. This Vimana can move on its own, without the need of external propulsion. It can also navigate in night. It had defensive mechanisms to protect it against enemy attack."

I was listening with utmost curiosity.

"The Vimana can be operated in any kind of weather, even in thunderstorms. It can move with a very high speed. With this creation of mine, the king of Salwa kingdom will be invincible."

"Invincible...is a strong word, O son of Kashyapa. Nothing is invincible...no one is invincible. Everything that can be created, can also be destroyed...this is the rule of the universe. Every single thing in this universe, no matter how much powerful it seems, have a weakness. Tell me the weakness of the Saubha Vimana."

Mayasura turned at me, "You are very confident about what are you saying. You are speaking as if you know about my creation more than me. What makes you so sure that I have left any weakness, any vulnerability in one of my finest creation?"

I looked directly into his deep eyes, "Because it is the truth."

He walked at me, and stood in front of me. He downed his face beside my ear and slowly started whispering. After a moment, he stood straight again.

"Your task is nearly impossible for a human being. Now I believe that this conversation is over, human. You must leave now."

The gigantic Asura turned around and walked inside the forest, leaving us behind. I looked at Ashwasena, who nodded at me, and went behind Mayasura, along with his companion. My companion, the Pishachini was still standing there.

"Let's get back." I told her. We walked silently towards the outer part of the forest. After half an hour of walking, we reached the outer part of the forest.

"Thank you for all your help. Consider your debt is fully paid to me."

She looked at me, "If you need any assistance from me again, you know where to find me." She took hold of the angvastra, with which I covered her naked torso, but I stopped her.

"Keep it. It is yours now."

She smiled at me, her sharp teeth shined. Then she slowly floated away in the forest. I stood there until she was completely disappeared, then I took out my motorcycle, and rode away.

"The foundation of my revenge had been laid. Now it's time to walk the steps." I muttered, while accelerating the motorcycle.

"Vengeance shall be mine!!!"

So, his is chapter 48. Please read, vote and comment.