The wards emanating from the holy temple, ancient spells protecting civilization against the dark jungle, were now at their weakest during the partial eclipse.
First came the goblins, small and vicious creatures of the jungles. Then the giants, towering man eating juggernauts rarely seen outside their desolate enclaves. Finally the Asuras, bizarre demons of every shape, size and colour, evil personified risen from the legends of primitive and lost civilizations. The great horde slowly seeped out of the dark jungle, ready to do battle with the forces of man, the united armies of Vinraj.
"Bravery! Valor! Glory!" shouted Bey Javindar as he raised his serrated Khanda, ignoring the ominous dark sun overhead.
As one, his ten thousand warriors brandished their weapons and shouted their warcries, brave and defiant even as the horde of monsters crashed into their ranks.
Javindar did not flinch as he lowered his weapon signalling his archers and sorcerers to unleash volley after volley of arrows, fire, and lightning against their opponents. Flights of blessed arrows rained onto the horde, piercing scaled hides while devastating spells exploded around the demons. The monstrous ranks were broken but they still pressed forward despite the losses. A large multi armed woman with an emerald snake tail swatted arrows away from her and those behind her with blinding speed, but the brunt of their attack had already been broken.
Two dark skinned humanoids from the initial assault pressed forward into the Ghatian lines. They were covered in spikes, claws, and conjoined at the hip as they staggered towards Bey Javindar, dodging blows and striking down soldiers with each seemingly random step. Javi eye's narrowed at the dual monster's drunken dance and saw a pattern in its step. The noble Bey took a step back of his own, watching his opponent prance towards him, before lunging forward ducking three of its arms while jumping over the fourth with an acrobatic flourish, all the time pouring his divine might into his blade. One of the Asura's heads was briefly stunned at its agile prey even as the other head crossed its eyes and jutted out its tongue as Javindar stabbed and sawed through its neck with his holy Khanda. Bey Javindar circled to its side as the demon attempted to staunch the bleeding from its recently slain head, even as several of his soldiers impaled the now immobile beast with their spears.
The army of Vinnraj was hard pressed against the fury of the monstrous horde, but the valor and skill of the soldiers held as the line held firm and fought fiercely back.
With the left line secured, Bey Javindar scanned to see how the rest of the battle was going. The fighting was fiercest at the center, but the Scholar Prince Lalit of Nashput could be seen holding the eternal foe at bay. Javindar frowned as he saw foreign mercenaries bolster the Nashputtian lines. The Knight in Violet, the Hellhound, and even the Ivory Lady fought alongside their southern countrymen. Ranks of Asura and their jungle goblin and giant allies crashed against the Prince's forces but were slain almost as quickly as they arrived. Magical earthquakes and walls of ice broke up their formations as Lalit's forces systematically cut the more manageable pockets down. While the people of Ghata frowned upon foreigners, Bey Jaivindar nodded grudgingly at their effectiveness in the art of war.
Though the center and the left held firm, the Bey noted the right fared poorly against the Asuras and their allies. Javindar saw that General Jadeja's forces bore the brunt of the enemies strength as their foe surprisingly attempted an outflanking maneuver. Javindar had never seen such a high level of tactics before from their jungle dwelling enemies but Khan Vaidya's cavalry should have disrupted such an attack. Javindar watched in despair as there was no sign of the Khan as the demons began rolling the right and pressing forward.
Javindar could see that the day was lost and was prepared to signal the retreat, when the enemy was suddenly bathed in a bright light. Though the goblins and giants were unaffected, the demons screeched as their skin began to burn away under the light. The men of Vinnraj cheered as the enemy's ranks broke and the lines held once more.
The Bey knew how precariously the battle was balanced and saw his opportunity. With his personal guard in tow, he broke formation and lead a wedge against the stunned horde. His glowing white Khanda struck down a deformed giant and a particularly fierce three headed demon as his troops trampled the foe underfoot. He almost managed to strike down the multi armed snake demon but only succeeded in disarming one of her weapons, before she slithered out of range.
"The day is yours, but we have the black scroll," hissed the demon as it stared into Javindar's eyes. "Victory shall eventually be ours."
The Bey met her gaze staunchly before the demon broke off and slithered off into the jungle with the rest of the retreating demons. He had often faced down many a demon in his battles, but was taken back by her large almond shaped violet eyes, and the overall unnatural beauty the creature possessed.
Javindar shook off the unnatural seductive feeling he felt as his troops surged ahead of him.
"Bravery! Valor! Glory!" he shouted once again as the forces of Vinraj chased their ancient foe back into the dark jungle.
Despite the ferocity of the engagement, their losses were light. Besides the death of General Jadeja few of the upper castes were injured. Javindar's aides reported several thousand foot soldiers had died, but they were drawn from the lower castes and their passing did not trouble the Bey.
Javindar had retrieved the scimitar he had disarmed from the snakewoman, and after his special vision confirmed it was not evil, he kept it as a keepsake of this great battle. The Bey often collected trophies of his various exploits and considered offering it as a gift to his betrothed.
"A well fought battle," said the young Scholar Prince Lalit as he met the Bey as they both made their way to the holy temple. The Prince was dressed in light ornate golden armor, and had a dent in his horned helm, but despite his beaten appearance and his youthful age, carried himself like a veteran warrior.
Javindar nodded at his compatriot and embraced him like a true battle brother. Despite their disagreements on caste, foreigners, trade, and almost every other internal and external policy, they had fought and bled against a common foe today. Victory had a way of bridging even the most bitter of political enemies.
"True victory belongs to your most holy sister, Mahadevi Sumpada," bowed Bey Javindar. "The Princess' timely magic chased the demons from the battlefield giving us the edge we needed."
Lalit rolled his eyes and laughed. "Please, it's just Sadhivi Sampada. That's Sampada not Sumpada. Let's not get too casual yet, while you've been promised to each other after her term as guardian is over, you two haven't been hitched yet. Also don't call her Mahadevi else it will get in her head. Besides, I wouldn't call her timing 'precise'. Remember Jadeja forces were almost swept from the field. I thought something had gone wrong before she did the holy mojo light thing. "
Javindar frowned. Though his opinion of Lalit had greatly improved, he did not care for his flippant attitude to the most beautiful and holy Sumpada. Even if she was his sister, and even if he did spend most of his early life abroad, it was disrespectful to both him and his future wife. Javindar was about to call out the young prince on his social misstep when the iron gates of the temple opened and her eminence stepped out.
Prince Lalit and Bey Javindar, and all the nearby troops bowed before her radiant beauty. While Javindar had never directly met his future promised wife, he had mostly seen her afar and was left speechless at her beauty up close. Sumpada was slightly shorter than Javindar, had intricate black coifed hair, perfect white teeth, intricate but tasteful piercings and tattoos, and even under her loose silk robes, he could tell she possessed a courtly and motherly physique.
"Umm sis, shouldn't you remain inside the temple's protective walls?" asked Lalit, the first to stand. "I mean I know we drove off the demons, but there could be stragglers who would love to pick you off."
Javindar nodded in rare agreement with the Prince. "Your brother is correct betrothed. This area is not secured."
Before Sumpada could answer, her tall brutish bodyguard stepped between them and threw what appeared to be a still twitching severed tiger head between them. "The temple isn't exactly safe either," snorted the blood splashed woman while patting her foreign looking crossbow. "Your dear sister was not only lucky to invoke the temple's magic, but lucky to be alive."
Javindar was shocked. Not at her act, but at being spoken to so casually be a member of a much lower caste. He was high nobility the first caste, while he guessed she was at best a member of the fourth warrior caste or even worse a foreigner. He was about to draw his Khanda and teach the woman her proper place when Lalit scurried towards the head.
"Rakshasa…" the prince gasped as he carefully prodded the slowly moving head.
Javindar fell into a combat stance at the mention of the fell shapeshifting creatures. His eyesight flashed into his divine vision as he did a visual sweep of the temple and the surrounding area for traces of evil. After a cursory scan, he could only detect a few minor deviations from his soldiers, but could still detect a strong supernatural presence from the severed head.
"How did such a creature penetrate the holy temple? You shall pay if your incompetence endangered my beloved," threatened a visibly angry Bey.
Sumpada was shocked by Javindar's anger and stepped between the two, even as the tall body guard casually wiped the blood off of her mailed shirt. "Listen Javi, Sampada's not harmed okay? I did my job, as for how it got into the temple, well I don't know. The temple's wards should have held even if it was a partial eclipse. I'm not sure how they got in," she said in her guttural lower caste tongue.
Javindar's anger reached a boiling point as his hand hovered near his blade. If that brutish giraffe woman said another word he would cut her down.
"Please," said Sumpada as she respectfully bowed before the Bey. "My guard might be lacking proper social graces, but she saved my life. Save your vengeance against the demons."
The Princess' soothing words calmed Javindar and he reluctantly stepped back and returned the bow.
"This is troubling," commented the Scholar Prince oblivious to the violence that had almost taken place. He then mumbled a few arcane phrases towards the temple's walls. "The wards are as powerful as ever and they still hold. Hmm, let me try seeking answers from a higher plane."
The Scholar Prince then sat down and assumed the lotus position as he began mumbling more mystical words. Javindar had no interest in such rituals but he respected their power and waited patiently. He did not have to wait long as Lalit began to sweat profusely before breaking out of his trance.
"A..black scroll….they have a…black scroll…..,"gasped Lalit.
Sumpada gave a blank response to her brother even as her tall bodyguard raced to the Prince's side and supported him. "A black scroll? Are you certain? " asked the giraffe woman with genuine concern.
"I..I think so..I'm..not sure…" he said shaking his head.
"Did you say a black scroll? "asked Javindar. "One of the multi armed snake demons mentioned that as well.
Prince Lalit and the body guard both stared at the Bey.
"Tell me everything," said Lalit as he was helped up.
The pride of the various states of Vinraj were gathered under Bey Javindar's tent. Besides the Scholar Prince of Nashputt, the Mahadevi of the Western Holy temple, and himself the Bey of Ghata, there was the Maharaja of the Northern Vedic States, the Sultan of the Indra islands, the high Khan of the southern plains, several Rajahs of the free city states, and even the King of the great city of Aneela. The noble felt pride at hosting such a prestigious gathering, even under such dire circumstances.
"So explain to me what a Black scroll is?" asked Rajah Rajeeva.
Lalit sighed and stood up once again. "A black scroll is a powerful artifact, one of several if my research is correct. They grant the reader dark powers from some ancient eldritch source. Powers such as immortality, divinity, and apparently the ability to bypass the Western Holy temples ancient wards. Most have been lost, but apparently some remain."
The elderly and much respected King Bhullar of Aneela nodded. "My gurus and diviners have told me this as well…and my spies have confirmed the enemy have recently come into possession of a powerful artifact. It seems that the esteemed Prince's suspicions are confirmed or at the very least warrants an investigation."
"Before we commit to any action, I would like to know how do you know of all this? Your inquisitive nature is well known throughout Vinnraj, but delving into such dark forbidden subjects is ….well forbidden outside the ranks of the gurus," commented the long faced Sultan Pareeva of Indra.
Lalit bowed to his senior. "A good point, but I swear to you I came upon this information inadvertently. As you know when I was young, my siblings were the target of a death cult. I was hidden in foreign lands for my safety and even my dear sister was once thought lost to us."
Radiant Sumpada nodded at the reference and smiled meekly at her brother. Javindar approved of her modesty.
"It was later revealed to me that the death cult's leader, the feared Rakshasa Mogombo, had come into possession a Black Scroll and needed unsullied royal blood to ascent into divinity."
Gasps and mutterings filled the tent at Lalit's bold statement.
"I assume that since you are still with us, and that there hasn't been word of any activity from the accursed Mogombo in nearly a decade that his plans were stopped," commented the Sultan Pareeva.
Lalit nodded. "Aye. If it weren't for the actions of a brave foreign demon hunter, my sister and I would be dead, and that monster Mogombo would have ascended into a demon lord or the like. It's hard to believe but I was shown the Black Scroll by the demon hunter himself, he kept it as a sort of trophy."
More murmurs filled the room.
"You let a filthy foreigner lay his grubby hands on such a powerful artifact? How could you?" demanded Bey Javindar.
"He was only eight at the time," interrupted the grating voice of the annoying giraffe woman.
Bey Javindar understood that Sumpada was allowed her own guard, especially when out of the temple, but fumed that this woman would dare to speak at this gathering. He would make it his first priority to banish this giraffe woman when he finally married his betrothed.
"Silence!" said the High Khan Vaidya . Javindar considered the swarthy barbaric man barely above Sumpada's bodyguard in caste, but his martial skills and wisdom were legendary amongst the nobility of Vinraj. "We do not need to concern ourselves with petty bickering, we just need to concern ourselves with the facts at hand. Fact. The Asuras and their allies of the great jungle are held at bay by the ancient enchantments of the Western Holy temple. Fact. The enchantments are at their weakest during partial and full solar eclipses. Fact. My astronomers tell me that another eclipse is not due for another eight months. I do not know if these demons possess this so called Black Scroll, but I am prudent enough to investigate and prepare for it. I say we set our scholars and gurus on this subject at once, and gather all the intelligence we can discover about these 'lost' artifacts. I know some of you are tentative about delving into such dark matters, but let me remind you of the foe we face. In all my years battling the demons of the great jungle, I've never seen such a host as the one we encountered today. Fact. We were barely victorious even though it was only a partial eclipse. I dread to imagine the power our enemy would have wielded if the sun was fully blocked out. "
The tent grew silent at the Khan's words. Even Javindar had little to add to the man's dire warning.
"My spies and diviners will double their efforts to reveal the true nature of our enemy," said King Bhullar at last.
"I will raise twice the amount of troops for our next battle," promised the Maharaja Khadri of the northern Vedic states.
"I will double the bounty for demons to thin their ranks," said Rajah Rajeeva. "The Ivory Lady and the Hellhound would jump at that opportunity."
"As my scholars do more research on these scrolls, I will travel to Grom and seek out the Demon hunter that slew Mogombo and both beseech his aide and return the scroll for further research," said Prince Lalit.
Sumpada whispered with her bodyguard. "I will send my guard to assist the Prince, since she has traveled more extensively in the foreign lands than he has," she said tentatively.
Lalit shook his head as he exchanged looks with his sister. "I must decline. Your guard should be at your side. Like you know, doing her job and guarding you at the temple."
"I do not know how, but the temple has been compromised," said Sumpada after further consultation with her guard. "I shall go into hiding until the eclipse is upon us once again. Perhaps into the fortified cities of Nashputt. Then I shall return and invoke the temple's magic to aid us during the coming battle. That is, unless you have a better plan, younger brother."
Lalit began to rise, but Bey Javindar stood up instead. "I agree with the Mahadevi. However, I believe that the Prince is needed here to coordinate with the scholars as his namesake indicates. I shall take his place and journey to the barbaric kingdoms. This demon hunter should be contacted and his scroll be brought back to Vinnraj, by force if need be," he declared while winking at the surprised Sumpada.
Javindar glared at Lalit, expecting the Scholar Prince to protest, but instead the young man simply winked towards his sister. "I whole heartedly agree Bey Javindar. It will do you good to get to know my sister's most trusted servant," he said with a chuckle.
The beautiful Sumpada consulted briefly with her guard before eventually bowing reluctantly to their decision.
As the rest of the tent continued to make promises and plans to battle the demons, Bey Javindar was beside himself with glee. Though Vinraj was seized in a crisis of grave magnitude, he was given an opportunity to impress the noble Sumpada with his daring and heroism. If he could return with a Black Scroll to battle the demons, his heroism would not only be etched in history, but he would win the lovely Sumpada's heart as well. Now if only he could stomach that annoying giraffe woman of hers.