One day as Vikram sat upon the judgment-seat, a young wealthy merchant, Mal Deo, who had lately arrived at Ujjayani with loaded camels and elephants arrived.He gave into the king's hand a fruit which he had brought in his own, and then spreading a prayer carpet on the floor he sat down. Presently, after a quarter of an hour, he arose and went away. The King did not eat the fruit as he was disturbed to the gift that Mal Deo had given him, calling the master of the household he gave the present to him, ordering him to keep it in a very careful manner. The young merchant, however, continued every day to court the honor of an interview, each time presenting a similar gift.

By chance one morning Raja Vikram went, with his ministers, to see his stables. At this time the young merchant also arrived there, and in the usual manner placed a fruit in the royal hand. As the king was thoughtfully tossing it in the air, it accidentally fell from his fingers to the ground. Then the monkey, who was tethered amongst the horses,snatched it up and tore it to pieces. Suddenly a ruby of such size came forth that the king and his ministers, beholding its brilliancy, gave into an expressions of wonder.

King Vikram thus inquired to the young merchant since he was slightly suspicions of this merchant as to why have he given him(The King) this wealth. Mal Deo replied , "it is written in the scriptures (shastra) 'Of Ceremony' that 'we must not go empty-handed into the presence of the following persons, namely, Rajas and inquired why now only the King is inquiring about the fruit since he had given many.

Having heard this, the king said to the master of his household, "Bring all the fruits which I have entrusted to you." The treasurer, on receiving the royal command, immediately brought them, and having split them, there was found in each one a ruby, one and all equally perfect in size and water. Raja Vikram was very pleased to see the treasures that he have behold. Having sent for a lapidary, he ordered him to examine the rubies, saying, "We cannot take anything with us out of this world. Virtue is a noble quality to possess therefore tell me what is the value of each of these gems. To this the lapidary replied, " Maha-Raja(Great King) if a person possesses virtue then truly he possesses everything for virtue accompany us wherever we go.Hear, O great king! each gem is perfect in colour, quality and beauty. Its value would be ten million millions of suvarnas (gold pieces), even then thou couldst not understand its real worth. In fact, each ruby would buy one of the seven regions into which the earth is divided." The king on hearing this was delighted, although his suspicions were not satisfied; and, having bestowed a robe of honor upon the lapidary, dismissed him. Thereon, taking the young merchant's hand, he led him into the palace, telling that his entire kingdom is not worth one of these rubies.To please tell him how it is that a person who sell and buy things have given him so many pearls.

Mal Deo refused to speak in front of an audience.He wanted to disclose his wishes to the King in private. Having heard this , Raja Vikram took Mal Deo aside, and began to ask him again.
"Raja," said the young merchant, "I am not Mal Deo, but Shanta-Shil, a devotee. I am about to perform spells, incantations and magical rites on the banks of the river Godavari, in a large smashana, a cemetery where bodies are burned. By this means the Eight Powers of Nature will all become mine. This thing I ask of you as alms, that you and the young prince Dharma Dhwaj will pass one night with me, doing my bidding. By you remaining near me my incantations will be successful." The valiant Vikram nearly started from his seat at the word cemetery, but, like a ruler of men, he restrained his face from expressing his feelings, and he presently replied, "Good, we will come, tell us on what day!"
"You are to come to me," said the devotee, "armed, but without followers, on the Monday evening the 14th of the dark half of the month Badra(August)" The Raja said: "Do you go your ways, we will certainly come."

In due time came the evening moon's day, the 14th of the dark half of the month Bhadra(August). As the short twilight fell gloomily on earth, the warrior king accompanied by his son, took the road leading to the cemetery on the river bank.

It was a dark and full of dread night. As the Raja and his son advanced, a faint ray of light, like the line of pure gold streaking the dark surface of the touchstone, caught their eyes, and directed their footsteps towards the cemetery. When Vikram came upon the open space on the riverbank where corpses were burned, he hesitated for a moment to walk past it . But seeing his son undismayed, he advanced boldly, trampling upon remnants of bones.

Presently, at the further extremity of the smashana, or burning ground, appeared a group. In the midst of all, close to the fire which lit up his evil countenance, sat Shanta-Shil, the jogi, with the banner that denoted his calling and his magic staff planted in the ground behind him. He was clad in the ochre-coloured loin-wrap . His face was smeared with ashes from a funeral pyre, and his eyes, fixed as those of a statue, gleamed from this mask with an infernal light of hate. His cheeks were shaven, and he had not forgotten to draw the horizontal sectarian mark. But this was of blood; and Vikram, as he drew near saw that he was playing upon a human skull with two shank bones, making music for the horrid revelry.

Vikram courteously saluted Shanta-Shil. The jogi briefly acknowledged them and ask them to be sited .The father and son took their places, by no means surprised or frightened by the devil dances before and around them. Presently the valiant Raja reminded the devotee that he was come to perform his promise, and lastly asked, "What commands are there for us?"

The jogi replied, "O king, since you have come, just perform one piece of business. About two miles from here, in a southerly direction, there is another place where dead bodies are burned; and in that place is a mimosa tree, on which a body is hanging. Bring it to me immediately."

Raja Vikram took his son's hand, unwilling to leave him in such company; and, catching up a fire-brand, went rapidly away in the proper direction. The darkness of the night was frightful, gloomy and deepened till it was hardly possible for them to walk.It was raining heavily with lightening and the roar of the thunder did not help much . Yet the King keep on moving refusing to give in.At length having passed over, somehow or other, a very difficult road, the Raja arrived at the smashana, or burning place pointed out by the jogi. Suddenly he sighted the tree where from root to top every branch and leaf was in a blaze of crimson flame. And when he, still dauntless, advanced towards it, a clamour continued to be raised, and voices kept crying, "Kill them! kill them! seize them! seize them! take care that they do not get away! let them scorch themselves to cinders! let them suffer the pains of Patala(The warm region below. )

Approaching the tree he felt that the fire did not burn him, and so he sat there for a while to observe the body, which hung, head downwards, from a branch a little above him. Its eyes, which were wide open, were of a greenish-brown, and never twinkled; its hair also was brown and brown was its face-- Its body was thin and ribbed like a skeleton or a bamboo framework, and as it held on to a bough, like a flying fox,by the toe-tips, its drawn muscles stood out as if they were ropes of coin. Blood it appeared to have none, or there would have been a decided determination of that curious juice to the head; and as the Raja handled its skin it felt icy cold and clammy as might a snake. The only sign of life was the whisking of a ragged little tail much resembling a goat's.

Judging from these signs the brave king at once determined the creature to be a Baital--a Vampire. Vikram was pleased.Having taken his sword, the Raja fearlessly climbed the tree, and ordering his son to stand away from below, clutched the Vampire's hair with one hand, and with the other struck such a blow of the sword, that the bough was cut and the thing fell heavily upon the ground. Immediately on falling it gnashed its teeth and began to utter a loud wailing cry like the screams of an infant in pain. Vikram having heard the sound of its lamentations, was pleased, and began to say to himself, "This devil must be alive." Then nimbly sliding down the trunk, he made a captive of the body, and asked " Who are you?"

Scarcely, however, had the words passed the royal lips, when the Vampire slipped through the fingers like a worm, and uttering a loud shout of laughter, rose in the air with its legs uppermost, and as before suspended itself by its

Five mortal times did Raja Vikram repeat this profitless labour. However, on the seventh time of falling, the Baital, instead of eluding its capturer's grasp, allowed itself to be seized, merely remarking that "even the gods cannot resist a thoroughly obstinate man.And seeing that the stranger, for the better protection of his prize, had stripped off his waistcloth and was making it into a bag, the Vampire thought proper to seek the most favorable conditions for himself, and asked his conqueror who he was, and what he was about to do?

"Vile wretch," replied the breathless hero, "know me to be Vikram the Great, Raja of Ujjayani, and I am bringing you to a request of a man who is amusing himself by drumming to devils on a skull."

The Baital then told many have tried capturing him but failed yet he had abide to the King , and in between they have an hours journey to go ..and the Baital too being in an uncomfortable positing in the King s back continued that he will ask the King questions to which the King should answer ,if so the Baital will leave from his present position and return back to his favourite position in the siras tree, but if the king could not answer the Baitals questions,remain silent or confused , then the Baital will allow the King with the Baitals free will be allowed to place him before the yogi.Of course , the Baital warned the King that in someways he will persuade the king to answer his questions by means of cunningness .

Raja Vikram hearing these rough words, so strange to his royal ear, winced. The shower had ceased, and, as they gained ground, the weather greatly improved. The Vampire asked a few indifferent questions about the wind and the rain and the mud. When he received no answer, he began to feel uncomfortable, and he broke out with these words: "O King Vikram, listen to the true story which I am about to tell thee."

And thus started the vettala with his stories.In the end of the story, he asked a puzzle to the king related to the story. As soon as the king finishes his answer, the vettala fled back to the top of the tree. This happened 24 times. But for the 25th time, the question was so tough that the king could not answer. These 25 stories are very famous in Indian literature, known as Vikram-Betaal tales. On the end of the 25th tale, the vampire cautioned the king that the yogi would ask him to prostrate before Dewi Kalima where  he would be sacrificed. In that situation the vampire advised the king to let the yogi show how its done way  at first and finally to get rid of the evil yogi. So did the king. And Lord Indra was so happy that he  granted the king for a boon. The king requested that the stories whichever were told to him, be told time and again in history .Hence the famous Vikram-Betaal stories.