Chapter 13
Everyone heads to their rooms.
Nikhil enters his room. Aditya follows close behind.
Aditya asks curiously,
"So… what's the plan?"
Nikhil walks toward the window. Outside, clouds drift across the sunset sky, the last light fading into orange and red. He keeps his eyes on the horizon.
"We attack at night," he says calmly. "A surprise attack."
Aditya studies him, even more curious now.
"Why at night?"
Nikhil doesn't turn.
"Darkness creates panic. Panic creates mistakes. We destroy the camps quietly. It's better for assassinations… and small raids."
Aditya nods slowly. Then he hesitates.
"And what if something goes wrong? Commander Pemmasani Ramalinga Nayudu won't be there."
Nikhil turns to face him.
"We're capable now," he says firmly. "We can't rely on the Commander forever. This system is pushing us to grow. In the future, we'll have missions we'll have to handle alone… or in pairs."
Aditya holds his gaze for a moment, then nods.
"Fine. I'll get ready."
He leaves the room.
---
Scene Shift – Damni, Janvi, and Pallavi's Room
Pallavi speaks in her usual calm tone, though it carries a hint of sweetness.
"Do you think this will be successful?"
Damni shrugs slightly.
"I don't know… but it feels exciting. We're finally going outside the castle."
Janvi smiles faintly.
"Yeah. We never experienced anything like this in the real world."
---
Scene Shift – Janit and Hemant's Room
Janit and Hemant are fighting each other with pillows, laughing.
Harsh enters the room and freezes, surprised by the chaos. Then he smiles.
---
One Hour Later
Night has fallen.
Nikhil, Aditya, Janvi, Damni, Pallavi, Hemant, Janit, and Harsh ride on horseback toward the Bahmani camps.
The air feels tense.
Darkness surrounds them. Dust rises beneath the horses' hooves.
Janvi glances at Pallavi, nervous.
"Do you think… we can really take them down?"
Pallavi exhales sharply.
"I don't know, idiot. Why do I always end up in situations like this?"
Hemant speaks carefully.
"We should split into two teams. One goes left. The other takes the opposite side."
Janit forces a smile.
"Yeah… sounds like a great idea."
It's obvious he doesn't like it.
Harsh's voice turns serious.
"Don't talk like that. We need to return to Vijayanagara before sunset tomorrow. Splitting up is the fastest way."
Aditya looks at everyone.
"Fine," he says. "We split."
Nikhil gives a silent nod.
---
Teams Split
Team One: Nikhil, Aditya, Janit, Hemant
Team Two: Janvi, Pallavi, Damni, Harsh
They ride in opposite directions.
---
After a Few Hours – Team One
Nikhil spots the first Bahmani camp through the darkness.
He signals with his hand.
They attack without hesitation.
Steel clashes against steel.
Swords strike shields.
Shouts echo through the camp.
Janit moves quickly, cutting down soldiers.
Hemant holds the front line with steady defense.
Aditya strikes with precision.
Nikhil finishes enemies cleanly and efficiently.
Within minutes—
The camp falls.
Silence settles.
Then—
---SYSTEM ALERT
"Emergency Detected – Team Two."
Nikhil's expression hardens instantly.
"Move. Now."
They mount their horses and ride at full speed.
---
Second Camp – Chaos
When they arrive, the scene is worse than expected.
Harsh and Pallavi are injured, surrounded by Bahmani soldiers.
Janit charges first, cutting through enemies without hesitation.
Harsh and Pallavi retreat backward.
Nikhil scans the battlefield urgently.
"Where are Janvi and Damni?!"
Aditya notices it too.
Pallavi, breathing heavily, replies,
"They… they went to another camp."
Nikhil's eyes narrow.
"Why would you let them go alone?!"
He doesn't wait for an answer.
He and Aditya rush toward the other camp.
---
Other Side of the Camp
Janvi and Damni are fighting desperately.
They're surrounded.
Exhausted.
But still standing.
Nikhil and Aditya attack from behind.
Blades flash in the dark.
Enemies fall one after another.
Within moments, the area is cleared.
Nikhil looks at them sharply.
"Why are you two here instead of with Harsh and Pallavi?"
Damni, breathing hard, replies,
"We thought… if we split further, we could capture faster."
Before anyone can respond—
More Bahmani soldiers rush in.
Aditya steps forward calmly.
He throws multiple explosive bombs.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The battlefield trembles.
Then—
Silence.
---
Victory
Vijayanagara flags are planted across the captured camps.
Pallavi wipes sweat from her forehead, tired but proud.
"Umm… we captured the camps."
Janvi smiles brightly.
"These camps were close to the Vijayanagara Empire. They were a threat… but now they're ours."
Everyone exhales in relief.
For a moment—
It feels over.
---
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
"Warning: Unknown Damage Detected."
"Threat Level: E."
"Entity Identified: Rabbit-type Creature."
All of them freeze.
A chill runs down their spines.
---
Scene Shift
Near a quiet lake, a giant rabbit-like creature stands in the shadows.
Its full body remains hidden in darkness.
Blood drips slowly from its mouth.
Its red eyes glow faintly.
It lowers its head and drinks water.
Then suddenly—
It stops.
Its nose twitches.
It smells something.
Slowly, the creature turns.
Then—
It runs toward the forest.
---
Chapter End