Ch.64: Countermeasures

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KAVACH Hidden base, New Delhi, Bharat, August 17, 1943

In the hidden headquarters of KAVACH, deep beneath the bustling streets of New Delhi, Aryan and Karna sat in a dimly lit room, the weight of Naga's intel pressing heavily on their minds. The walls were lined with maps and strategic plans, the air thick with the scent of incense and the hum of advanced technology.

Aryan broke the silence, his voice steady but filled with concern. "Naga's report confirms our fears. Fury has allied with the vampires, and their target is the Darkhold. We cannot let that artifact fall into their hands."

Under Aryan's orders, KAVACH agents were keeping an eye on Nick Fury and other persons of interest across the globe, whom he determined to be threats to his plans and Bharat. Naturally, Fury was at the top of the list due to what Aryan knew of him from his previous life. And he was proven right. Naga, who had been monitoring Fury, reported the plans of the American government to form a spy organization, which Aryan knew would later be known as SHIELD, with Fury as a top candidate for leadership. Naga further reported Fury's meetings with influential people and supernatural forces like the vampires. The latest reports of the alliance between the vampires and Fury, and their intentions for the Darkhold, were deeply concerning.

The Darkhold was a powerful and ancient book of dark magic, created by the Elder God Chthon, who inscribed all his dark magical knowledge on indestructible parchment. These scrolls were later bound together to form the Darkhold. The book contains knowledge on dark magic and allows the user to manipulate reality itself, summon and control dark entities, and command supernatural forces. For this reason, the book was highly coveted by those seeking power, despite its corrupting effect on users. Aryan knew that the book was once used to create the very first vampire, Varnae, who later found his successor in Vlad the Impaler, now known as Dracula. Dracula's desire for power and overcoming the weaknesses of vampires must be the reason for his coveting the book of the damned.

Aryan explained the history of the book and his speculations about the vampires to Karna, who listened intently, his expression serious. "The Darkhold's power is immense and corruptive. If it goes into the wrong hands, they could unleash untold horrors. We need to find out where they're keeping it and get to it before Fury and the vampires do," Karna said as he finished listening to him.

Aryan leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he considered their options. "Hmm, let me try something first," he said as he activated a skill he recently created called [Search & Detect], which allows him to search for anything he had a clear description of in a particular dimension while also detecting any threats within the dimension or from outside of it. Normally, he kept the passive part of the skill running and gave the authority of the skill to Athena, who monitored the threats continuously without his special attention while using the active part sparingly at his will.

Aryan closed his eyes and focused on the Darkhold, visualizing its description in his mind. He extended his senses, feeling the energy of the dimension around him. He could sense the presence of various artifacts and magical items, but when he tried to pinpoint the Darkhold, he encountered a barrier. It was as if the book was shrouded in a powerful concealment spell. He pushed harder, trying to break through the barrier, but it held firm. After several minutes of intense concentration, he opened his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"I can't locate it with my powers," Aryan said, his voice tinged with frustration. "Something is blocking me. It must be kept in a container or a place protected by a powerful sorcerer. From our intelligence sources, we know that Hydra doesn't know about the supernatural any more than Fury and the American government. So, one possible explanation is that the Darkhold is kept in a container made by an ancient sorcerer or a powerful witch. However, the container must have been later abandoned and found by Hydra agents who were already searching for ancient artifacts."

He sighed, thinking about the implications, and told Karna, "Haah…We need to locate it manually and fast."

Karna nodded. "Yes, infact it is good in a way that you with your powers can't locate it, it gives us achance to discern the capabilities of our agents. We should mobilize our best agents for this. Also, Naga's abilities will be crucial in gathering more intel."

Aryan smiled and nodded, "Yes, we should do that."

Karna then began to think about countermeasures and plans, considering the information Aryan had previously told him about Fury and what he knew from the intelligence network. "Aryan, I think Fury's pragmatism makes him unpredictable. We need to stay one step ahead. We should exploit the fragility of his alliance with the vampires. Their mutual need is their only bond, and we can use that to our advantage," he said after some thought.

Aryan nodded, a plan beginning to form in his mind. "We'll need to prepare countermeasures against both Fury and the vampires. We are already gathering more intel on Hydra's operations. Our sources indicate that the artifacts in their possession are heavily guarded, but our trained agents will find a way to infiltrate their defenses."

Karna smiled, a rare expression of warmth in the midst of their grim discussion. "We've faced worse odds before, Aryan. We can handle this. We'll protect Bharat and ensure the Darkhold doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

Aryan returned the smile. "You're right, Karna. We've come too far to let anything stand in our way. Let's get to work."

As they began to outline their strategy, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a hopeful glow over the room.

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