The cavern's tremors didn't feel natural. They came in pulses, rhythmic, mechanical, calculated.
Dhruv spun toward the sound as the stone beneath his feet vibrated with rising intensity. Dust rained down from the ceiling. Meena clutched his arm.
"That's not another spirit, is it?" she asked.
He shook his head slowly. "No... this feels different."
Threat Detected: Unclassified Techno-Relic Hybrid Entity Approaching.
Designation: Sentry-Class Automaton. Era: Unknown.
A crack split open on the far side of the chamber wall. Red light poured out like blood. From it emerged a figure, seven feet tall, humanoid, with bronze limbs layered in ancient script. Its face was featureless save for a single burning eye.
It screeched, not a spirit's cry, but a mechanical howl warped by corrupted energy.
Relic Activity Has Attracted Forbidden Surveillance Unit.
Saptarishi System Conflict: This entity operates outside divine karmic architecture.
Dhruv raised the Axe of Jamadagni, the blade crackling to life. "You're not a ghost. What are you?"
The entity stepped forward.
"Designate: Intruder. Karma-Class Protocol engaged. Eliminating variable."
Meena backed away. "Dhruv, it's made of... script. Those aren't just marks—they're orders. Prayers made machine."
The automaton lunged.
Dhruv barely dodged, the axe grazing the thing's arm. Sparks flew. The weapon burned bright gold on contact, but the automaton didn't flinch.
It moved like a dancer. Each step fluid, each strike precise. It wasn't just attacking, it was measuring him.
Warning: The Enemy is analyzing your fighting pattern. Counter required.
He needed space. He slammed the axe into the ground. Flames burst in a crescent wave, forcing the entity back.
Karmic Cleave Charged. Suggest aiming for script-bearing nodes: Jaw, Spine, Core.
"Got it," Dhruv muttered.
He pivoted and leapt forward. The axe glowed hot with conviction. With one swing, he struck the automaton's jaw.
The blade passed through the bronze with a flash of blinding light.
The thing reeled.
Meena pointed. "Spine, now!"
He obeyed. The axe met the spine with a deep boom. Symbols flared and shattered. The automaton let out a fractured tone, part alarm, part agony.
Structural Integrity: 67%
Enemy Adapting: Preparing Anti-Karma Pulse.
The automaton dropped to one knee and slammed its hand into the earth. A wave of dark static shot out. Dhruv screamed. The axe dimmed. The light in his hand flickered.
Spiritual Circuit Disrupted.
Meena rushed forward, grabbed a handful of ash from the trial chamber, and flung it into the machine's face. It hesitated, confused.
"Ashes of judgment," she whispered. "Let truth blind you."
The system pulsed.
Companion Skill Triggered: Intuitive Rite.
Enemy Staggered. Vulnerability Window: 5 seconds.
Dhruv didn't waste it.
He spun, summoned the deepest core of the axe's essence, and roared as he brought it down.
The final strike split the core.
The automaton collapsed in a burst of golden fragments.
Silence followed.
Only their ragged breaths and the sound of settling dust remained.
Karmic Integrity Restored.
New Record Added: First Conflict with Techno-Relic Entity.
Meena sat down, panting. "That... was not in your system manual."
"Tell me about it," Dhruv muttered, still gripping the axe. "The system didn't even know what that was."
Note: External forces interfering with relic awakenings. Investigation recommended.
Memory Fragment Unlocked: Vision of the Fire Tower (Northwest Coordinates).
He looked up. A glowing sigil now floated above the altar, forming the shape of a burning tower.
New Destination: Tower of Agni, Ruins of Jodhpur.
Relic Potential: Rishi Bharadwaja.
Dhruv exhaled. "Looks like we're headed northwest."
Meena raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're ready for another one of those?"
He smirked. "Nope. But ready or not, the story's moving. And I'm not getting left behind."
She stood. "Then let's move before another robot god shows up."
They began walking up the long stairway, emerging from the trial chamber into the cool night air.
The temple behind them had gone still. But the world ahead was only growing louder.
Somewhere beyond the hills, the Tower of Agni had awakened.
And something or something was watching.