Emerging from the shrine, Pagan noticed a change in the young man's expression. He smiled at the determination in his eyes.
"Ohh- good! You feel better now? Get it out of your system?...Hmph! Maybe now we can finally shoot some goddamn guns!"
Ajay sat back in the helicopter with Pagan as Kamran closed the door to the passenger compartment before taking off.
Pagan was a little bored so he turned on the radio which played a classic done by The Clash. Ajay found the tune catchy and sung along with the beat.
"Oh!- Should I stay or Should I go!..." He hummed while tapping his feet.
"We are not having a karaoke machine in here anytime." Pagan let out a straight comment.
Ajay laughed heartily. Pagan really did have a killer comedy wit, he figured it had to do with the change in perspective in Pagan as a person.
"So what's the plan, Ajay my boy?" Pagan inquired.
"Plan? I thought we were going to shoot some 'goddamn guns'!" He repeated Pagan's last sentence.
"Of course we could do that but I'm just curious! After putting your mother's ashes to rest there really isn't anything keeping you here!" He said over the noisy chopping of the propellers.
-At least that use to be the case, but I want to teach Sabal and Amita a lesson.-
"Of course there is, I have just one family member left! You!" Ajay replied.
Pagan was caught in a stupor again by his bold declaration. Every time he spoke he said something that caused years of built up emotion to pour out.
"You 'know if I was a woman I'd fall right in love with you! You, handsome devil you!" Pagan joked over the intercom. The chopper went into a sudden dive as the pilot had suddenly lost control but recovered it quickly.
"Apologises my king, I-….uhhhhh! Nevermind!" The pilot managed to say as he had caught word of what Pagan had said.
Pagan and Ajay laughed out loud at the blunder the pilot had to go through.
"Ahhh! Ajay my boy! I can't tell you how much you and I are gonna get along!"
"That's all fine and dandy as long as you don't swing that way presently!"
"Oh!- Deary, no! I'm not! Just to clarify so we're all good!" He declared his sexuality in an instant.
"Just pulling your leg, King!"
"Ah! Pagan, if you please." Pagan corrected him.
"Right, Pagan. You've really helped me in laying my mom to rest!"
"Ahh!- Don't mention it! I'd do anything for her for that matter! Besides, you, me, we're practically family!"
Ajay nodded in response and looked out the window. "This place has a really unique untamed beauty to it."
"It does, doesn't it! Careful though, what looks also kills out here." Pagan warned him about the wildlife here. He abviously knew what Pagan was referring to, he had experienced it first hand.
Lions and tigers and bears! There were also those weird freaks of nature Mr. Chiffon had him hunt for their exotic fur and pelts. And worst of all...Honey badgers.
"Goddamn honey badgers!" He accidentally spoke out loud.
"Ah! Yes, feisty little devils aren't they!"
"More like little torperdoes!"
"Ah! Now that's a detailed description of someone who's encounter their attacks."
-Shit! I'm giving away myself.-
"I once encountered them in a safari reserve on a field trip, wasn't a pleasant experience." He quickly cooked up a cover story.
"Hmmm...didn't know the little buggers proliferated the globe."
Pagan and Ajay turned their attention to the windows looking outside. And a silence took over between them.
"All this is yours Ajay! I'm giving you Kyrat!" Pagan said without turning his head.
It was just as he said it before in the other timeline. But he had been under a different circumstance, he had liberated Kyrat from Pagan then.
"And what about you?"
"Oh! Don't worry, I'll stick around. Hmm... from that confidence in accepting the role it seems you're mentally prepared to do something down here." Pagan made an analysis.
"I won't lie when I say I do have aspirations for Kyrat. One of them consists of annihilating the Golden Path." Ajay said without emotion.
"I wonder what they ever did to you!" Pagan chuckled.
"Nothing that has yet to exist, but if left alone they'll bring this country to ruin!"
"My my! Seems you were serious about it after all. Alright then, if it's destroying the Fucking Golden Path you can count me in!"
"Thanks, Pagan."
"Anytime my boy!"
The chopper neared its destination, and landed in an outpost. There a vehicle convoy was awaiting their arrival.
"We're heading over to Yuma's, lovely adoptive sister of mine though a little bitchy at times, must be the weather up there. Anyway we're taking the rest of the way by jeep as her place is a little difficult for the heli to get to."
Ajay knew where it was, Durgesh Prison. Or as he liked to call it little Siberia. The place had every essence of a gulag, from the freezing temperatures to the even more freezing temperature. Yuma had once thrown him in a cell back there but he escaped through sheer will, climbing down the steep cliffs to the blizzard of a weather down below.
The commander of the convoy reported to Pagan.
"Sir all hands stand ready for your departure, although... reports suggest increased terrorist activity in the road ahead."
"Isn't that why you're here? Unless there's another definition for royal 'Guard'." Pagan rolled his eyes as he sat on the passenger seat of the middle enclosed hummer.
"Apologizes my king! We're be on our way immediately!" The commander saluted before heading off to order the convoy to prepare to move off.
"Come on Ajay, let's get going!"
Ajay sat across Pagan in the rear facing seat.
Pagan opened the mini bar and pulled out a bottle of wine for himself.
"A glass for you?"
"Nah! I'm good."
"Suit yourself." Pagan poured a generous portion for himself, he swigged the glass to stir the contents.
"Now, I'm sure you've already guessed by now, Ajay but I am your textbook tyrant despot."
"I know. But that won't change my opinion of you, Pagan."
"Which is?" He asked curiously.
The thoughts of the encounters he had with Pagan in his past life whiffed the pass him, the last time he saw him he had stuck his kukri inches into his gut. The man grabbed his arm and said over his blood flowing from his mouth. "You're the son I never had. In the end even after all you're done I really couldn't bring myself to hurt you."
"You're my benefactor."
"Hmph!" Pagan took a huge gulp from the glass smirking.
Ajay looked out the window, they had yet to reach even the base of the mountain where the prison stood. He could remember from the last time he made his trip to the prison. All of his past life experience seemed like a dream to him. He was having trouble accepting it but was still grateful he was alive for the very least.
As he was adjusting his body to turn back from the window a metal chime sounded he felt something deep in his pants pocket fell out. He reached out to pick it from under the seat to examine it.
Shock filled his senses as he made out the detail just from feeling alone. Staring down at the object in his hand his fears were confirmed. Held between his fingers was the object he had last seen before his apparent demise.
The Wheel of Time. Kalachakra.
It appeared in the form of a carriage-like wheel with mystical runes and symbols carved upon it, the material seemed to be wood. But what surprised him the most was that he only acquired it a month before he 'died'. This medallion was there when he was at death's door as well. Did it actually have a part to play in his return back in time?
He bonded a string through the wheel and tied it to his neck. Whatever it was he was infinitely thankful to it, it became a really good luck charm to him.
-Does this mean I can control time at will?-
He figured it was a more of a one-time thing, not that he was complaining. What would he do if he could turn back time once more? Perhaps kill Sabal again just to savor the feeling. Dark thoughts swirled within.
"What's that you have there?" Pagan asked.
"Just something I picked up from a roadside store."
"And yet you're wearing it like-…." (BOOM) An explosion blossomed behind him taking him, Pagan and the convoy were taken by surprise. The lead vehicle was hit in a rocket attack.
"Ambush!" One of the Royal Guards shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Oh- Goddamn Monkeys throwing shit everywhere!-.. Ajay boy! Stay here!" Pagan said as he alighted the vehicle to send insults flying towards the Golden Path warriors through all the gun fire. The royal guards who were firing back were freaking out when Pagan stepped out into the open.
Ajay left the vehicle dashing towards Pagan. He noticed a glitter in the tree line, he instantly knew what it was and doubled his speed to Pagan.
Jumping into the air, he took Pagan off his feet just as a high-caliber round impacted the floor and dragged him to take cover behind the vehicle.
"Your highness!" The Royal guards behind cover were all wearing worried expressions.
"I thought I asked you to stay inside?!" He said angrily as Ajay pushed him to the arms of some royal guards.
"Stay here and don't move! I'll handle this!" Ajay's last three words had a powerful effect on Pagan such that he felt obliged to follow as Ajay ran out into the firefight again but with careful footwork. "Uh- Ajay!-."
Ajay picked up a fallen rifle and kukri from a dead Golden Path fighter. He ran through the tree line to find the sniper who almost took the life of Pagan.
-A real pity you had to encounter me!- As he ran up through the bushes the sniper noticed the disturbance he was making as he trudged through the dense forest towards him. He figured out quickly that Ajay was approaching him for anything but good intentions and took aim and fired.
But Ajay who had prior experience at the standards of marksmen in Kyrat from both Royal army and Golden Path acted on instinct. He dodged at the last possible second, making zig-zag turns through the trees every few seconds to break acquisition upon him. The sniper no longer took aimed shots as Ajay closed in the distance and stumbled to draw his sidearm PDW. Ajay took the precious few seconds the sniper had given him to make a final jump towards the sniper with his knife ready.
The sniper brought the sidearm to block his blow which he followed with pointing his assault rifle at the doomed sniper.
The sniper fell into despair as Ajay pulled the trigger unleashing a burst of rounds into the unarmored target. Ajay turned to the fighting and figured the sniper had chosen an ideal location to pick off opponents, it would be a shame not to put it to good use.
Pagan was getting impatient back in the convoy, Ajay had disappeared into the tree line and he was stuck here now that more Golden Path monkeys had gone for the direct approach now instead of the cloak and dagger approach.
"For King Min!" The Commander rallied the convoy guards against the charging fighters. The air was filled with roars from both ends. The Golden Path had the advantage of terrain and numbers while the Royal Guards were few but highly skilled.
"Your highness! Please escape with your life! We'll hold them off for as long as possible!" A sub-commander informed Pagan of the dire straits they were in.
"I am not leaving Ishwari's boy with these uncivilized monkeys!" Pagan shouted at them angrily, his rage was now unquenchable and he pulled out a handgun from one of the Royal Guard's holster to blow his steam at the Golden Path fighters.
Seeing their king fight alongside them renewed their hearts with vigor and they fought harder.
A few metres on the road ahead were the Golden Path fighters fighting inch by inch even though they had the greater number, the Royal Guards put up one hell of a field of fire. It was the difference they had to the guerilla fighter. They had been trained by the ex-Hong Kong SDU who in turn were trained by the British SAS. One on one, a Golden Path fighter was no match for even the weakest amongst their ranks.
Even so with their prowess all they could do was hold back the Golden Path forces for so long, their position was disadvantageous with the cliff to their back and the enemy to their front, a lot of them.
"Push on my brothers! We nearly have that tyrant! A little more!" A shout of encouragement came from the rear of the Golden Path. It was none other than Sabal.
He had felt on the edge lately with his failed operation to retrieve Ajay Ghale, his faction forces were nearly run dry due to the amount of resources it took to get him. But it was worth it, Ajay represented the living legacy of Mohan, enough to rally nearly all of Kyrat to their cause this included those stubborn old guard that refused to move from their given posts Mohan had assigned to them decades ago. But the operation failed, he hadn't expected Pagan to be there yet and Yuma's forces were waiting on standby. He had lost his only chance to recover Ajay Ghale and now faced the dire straits of having to contend with Amita over his position as one of the heads of the Golden Path. Amita was more determined than ever to usurp him as the only Commander of the group. As if in a twist of fate, the gods granted him a means of redemption. The spy from America leaked the planned route that Pagan was taking by chance. It was his lucky day, he had to win this or else there would be more hardships along the way for him in the party.
-Just a little bit more—(Bang) (Bang) (Bang) Three shots rang out clearly echoing into the background, at the same time three heads of the closest comrades to him had their brains bludgeoned by shots from a high-powered round.
"What in the-!"
"Sniper!" Some of the men ducked frantically for cover.
"Where is it coming from?!"
"West up the mountain!"
"That's Aadi's position!- You don't think!-." The last man's words spooked the rest of the fighters, a senior marksman had been killed and the assailant was using his position against them.
"Don't panic! You! Take five men and kill that bastard!" Sabal calmly gave orders. The man nodded and went up the cliff into the tree line to look for the new sniper.
Meanwhile behind the cover of the bulletproof Hummer, Pagan observed the happenings in the Golden Path's line.
"Something's happening!" One Guard stated the obvious.
"Ajay Ghale is drawing their attention, we'll use this opportunity to force them back." The Commander asserted control.
"Are you alright with this my king?" The Commander asked Pagan first.
Pagan reloaded the handgun he took and cocked the weapon.
"Let's teach these mountain apes not to mess with Pagan Min!" Pagan took the lead with handgun fire and the rest of the guards fired their weapons filling the air thick automatic. Several unfortunate partisans were caught in the heavy fire and were cut down where they stood, further rattling the forces morale. But with Sabal here, they weren't going anywhere, that is… so long as he was there.
As Ajay had anticipated a scouting party was sent to apprehend him he turned his attention from picking off exposed targets in the line to the five-man team.
"There!" The moment the lead fighter pointed out the rest fired their assault rifles and machine guns at him. Ajay calmly left the position on top of the sandbagged slope and threw a grenade he picked from the dead sniper at the fighters. He held the grenade a few seconds to cook in his hand first before throwing so that when he threw it-
"Grena-(BOOM)" It gave the desired effect. The explosive device exploded midair creating and airburst effect and inflicting more casualties than normal. With the trees splintering and causing a shrapnel effect of bark and wood. One was knocked out cold by the concussive force and two others were caught in the blast and killed instantly. One was screaming at the top of his lungs in agony from the hands he lost, the only one who survived unscathed was the leader who jumped into cover on reflex and left the rest of his companions to the blast.
Ajay jumped out of cover with the kukri raised in his hand. Running towards the leader's location, the lead fighter noticed his attempt and raised his rifle firing from the hip. Ajay ducked behind cover just as the gun was aligning to him, the tree in front of him provided the cover he needed against the assault rifle bullets. (Click)
The lead fighter forgot to watch his bullet count and ran dry. Ajay came out of cover expecting to go hand to hand with him but was surprised to see the man run instead. In the past when he fought the Guards, even the Army would have done otherwise. It only made Ajay feel more loath for the Golden Path. In the end, that was all they could live up to.
He fired the PDW that was in the dead sniper's possession at the lead fighter scoring a hit and turned his attention to the two unconscious man and woman. Ajay checked inventory, the sniper had a lot of weapons at his disposal. From rifles to anti-personnel mines. An evil plan came up in his head which he grinned satisfyingly.
Down below the fighting had entered another stalemate. Sabal was starting to become anxious, the five had yet to report to him concerning the situation on the sniper but he had no time to worry about that. At any minute, Yuma's QRF would arrive by helicopter to crush them he had this opportunity to kill Pagan and end this once and for all.
"For the Golden Path! Take the tyrant's head!" He rallied the fighters once more. Obeying their leader's decision, the fighters advanced once more closing in the distance between them and Pagan with his Royal Guard escorts. So far, the Royal Guards had yet to sustain a significant loss but if they were to enter close combat range they could over power them with numerical superiority alone, then the day would be there's. Pagan's head could be displayed to all of Kyrat and they would be finally at an end to the two decade long civil war.
(Bang) …..(Bang)… (Bang)….. (Bang)
The haunting sound returned to the ears of the Golden Path fighters. Four shots followed with four casualties sustained. All hitting their mark and killed all the more aggressive fighters in their ranks. Even with Sabal's commands, the fighters could not help but unconsciously duck for cover again. The Royal Guards who saw their stumble took the opportunity to lay a heavy barrage once more on the Golden Path Fighters since the heat was significantly taken off them from previously.
"Damn the gods! Why haven't they taken down that sniper?! Never mind! - I'll kill him myself!" Sabal left a lieutenant to manage the assault while he and two others went up the cliff to investigate and kill the sniper who was hampering his vision of a Pagan-free Kyrat.
Not long later he reached the summit where he had placed Aadi to provide the overwatch. He now understood the reason why the five-man group failed to report back. Bodies lay everywhere, including Aadi the sniper's as well.
"Sabal! Over here!" One of his men called out.
He arrived to see what it was that caught his subordinate's attention. Two survivors of the previous party were found tied and gagged to a tree together. As they approached, the two tied up fighters shook their heads vigorously as the two other fighters pushed them to the side to get to the ropes behind.
"No- Wait!-(BOOM)" But his warning was too late as one of the fighters had tampered with the bound up fighter and had released pressure from the mine under her and detonating it. A flash vaporized the two tied fighters and the two fighters alongside Sabal. Sabal was pushed back by the concussive force of the explosion and slammed against a tree and lost consciousness.
If Ajay had known Sabal had come up personally to find the sniper he would have carried him back to torture him slowly but he wasn't, he didn't even know Sabal had planned the attack to begin with. He had left the cruel trap to the next search party while he focused on returning to Pagan and the convoy escorts.
The lines in the Golden Path had crumbled significantly after Sabal left, the lieutenant was just not the same as Sabal, who possessed a unique charisma amongst the fighters young and old.
Pagan laughed madly while him and the Royal Guardsmen took the fight to them. It was pleasing to see the numerically superior Golden Path falter and begin to flee, there was no emotion like it.
It pleased him even more to see Ajay emerge from the tree line unharmed. But the latter had focused all his attention into firing at those Golden Path warriors who still stayed to fight. The simple action of him fighting hard on his own roused the hearts of the Royal Guard members and they followed suit in taking the fight back to them.
The lieutenant had long fled and went in the direction where Sabal was last seen to try and bring him away safely. This caused any hope of the attempt on Pagan's life to completely diminish and the Golden Path made a sloppy retreat. He found him rested against a tree with half his face scorched, carrying him along with his companions back to Banapur to see if they could heal him. Sabal had awoken from his unconsciousness to the agonizing pain the dominated his entire left face and upper torso, he cried out in pain as his men hurryingly carried his injured body to safety.
When the last of the fighters disappeared out of sight, the convoy Guards cheered loudly chanting Pagan and Ajay's name. Ajay walked towards Pagan with blood all over him just like when he first encountered Pagan in the previous life.
"I didn't know you could fight? Not that well at least! But still, it was a pleasant surprise! Well done, Ajay!"
"The states isn't as safe as everyone thinks, well….. at least in the crowd I mixed with in the past!" Ajay shyly confessed.
"This calls for champagne! Drinks on me boys and girls!" Pagan declared to the guards who fought hard for their king, another round of cheers filled the air.
Ajay smiled wryly, strangely enough the feeling was unlike any he had faced in the pass. When he completed a mission in the past for Sabal or Amita all he got was a "Good job, brother!" And they turned their attention to more important Golden Path matters. Fights like these were an everyday occurrence to him, he had even jumped in to rescue certain patrols who came under fire. But they never thanked him for what he did nor cheered his name, they walked on as if he was just a supporting element. Ajay could not help but feel his past life was so pathetic.
Pagan placed his hand on his shoulder. "Why the long face? You single-handedly changed the odds in our favor. Smile Ajay! After this We'll be heading back to my place where we'll get you fitted into some new clothes, what do you say?!" Pagan smiled like he had never smiled before or at least not since-…
The sound of chopping propellers resounded along the road in front of them to announce to the whole forest, the cavalry was here! Yuma's QRF had responded to their distress signal albeit too late, the troops inside the compartment stared in awe at the bodies that littered the road and dirt.
The two helicopters landed and the sliding doors flung open from the first one, Yuma ran out of the chopper to where Pagan and Ajay was.
"Tailoh, ni mou si ah!" She asked him in her usual Cantonese dialect.
"I'm fine, see? Not a scratch! All thanks to Ajay here! Ajay, Yuma and Yuma, Ajay! Yuma's my adoptive sister and my right-hand, always there when I get into a pickle." Pagan chuckled slightly.
Yuma didn't even spare a glance at Ajay before she scolded her older brother for taking the 'scenic route' without heavier escort.
If she was forced to respond to Ajay he knew she would be glaring at him instead. He had the unpleasantness of facing her in the past as she threatened to desecrate his mother's ashes. He knew the reason as well. Yuma hated his mother for breaking her illusion of a strong elder brother she saw in Pagan, she also hated him for doing the same to Pagan then. Where Pagan would always avoid killing him, Yuma was the complete opposite and he had to tango with her kill squads more occasions than he could count. It's not like he wanted to aggravate her in the first place, but he made it his personal mission not to piss her off in this timeline. Perhaps he could rekindle her-… whatever feelings she had for Pagan, it was better to make a friend out of her than an enemy.
-I'm being too optimistic here! But if she stands in my way It'll be really annoying! -
"…..Ok! Ok! I'll follow you back! Come along, Ajay!" Pagan said before heading straight to the heli Yuma provided. It became apparently clear that they could have flown the entire way but Pagan decided to take the scenic route for god knows! Was he trying to impress Ajay? Or was there some kind of strategy involved in his maneuver, his movement he had broadcast to the entire Golden Path?
Pagan tripped on a dead body comically on the way while Yuma reached out to support him.
-Nah! He's just showing off!-
Ajay was the last to board the chopper, he insisted the wounded Guards board first. Pagan did nothing to stop him or advise against it.
The wounded Guard who was sharing the helicopter with them thank him incessantly, although was slightly afraid King Min ordering his execution later. But Pagan was in too good a mood to be bothered, Ajay's performance in the firefight was outstanding. He graded it 9/10, one point for not listening to him, the leader. Yuma expressed her dissatisfaction with a snort, Ajay really couldn't be bothered with her behavior towards him so long as she didn't plot to have him killed like last time. Ajay honestly believed Yuma was the only one who put him on edge, unlike the other vice lords she actively hunted him.
-How do I convince her not to kill me?-
Ajay spent much time in the chopper lost in thought. Before he knew it he was already in her prison compound hovering above the helipad.
"Take some time with your sister, I'll find you later!" Ajay told Pagan with assertiveness as he helped carry the stretcher holding the wounded soldier off the chopper.
"Sure! Don't keep us wait!" He said in a chirper tone as he walked with Yuma to her command centre.
"Sir! Please leave me, do not keep his highness waiting!" The wounded guard pleaded with him, less he invoke the wrath of King Min. The other soldiers did the same.
"If he lifts a hand against you he'll have it from me!" Ajay affirmed them as he smiled from his blood stained face. It gave an aura of dread rivaling Pagan. The guards somehow felt assured Ajay would stand up for them and pleaded no more.
They passed through the barracks common area while heading to the medical centre. A guard ran ahead to inform the soldiers on standby to clear the narrow passage for the stretchers bearing the wounded soldiers through, he also slipped in the news that Ajay Ghale was amongst the people coming over. So naturally all the faces turned their attention to the corridor. There they caught sight of Ajay helping a wounded soldier towards the medical centre. As they passed through without obstruction, the soldiers followed them to the infirmary where the Doctor had received word of injured soldiers in need of immediate medical attention were arriving imminently.
"Place him here!" The Doctor ordered Ajay to rest his stretcher onto the operating table where she could begin immediate surgery. "Thank you, sir! Thank you!" The wounded soldier said before the curtains closed. He had never been thanked so much before in his entire life, he did nothing but participate in assisting the wounded just like everybody else. Just what kind of existence was 'Ajay Ghale' to the Royal Army?
A nurse passed by to check on the rest of the Guards that returned to see if they had suffered any unseen injures during their fight. The nurse came to Ajay last.
"Is everything alright for you? Are you experiencing any breathing difficulties or dizziness?"
"No. I'm fine, this isn't my blood. Thanks for asking!" Ajay said politely.
"Hey! What are you lot doing here?! We're in the middle of a surgery, get out!" The same nurse noticed a couple of heads poking out of the swinging door to the small medical room.
"Where is Ajay Ghale? I can't see him!"
"Argh! Don't push!"
"Is it him?"
The soldiers stared at Ajay, he was the only one that stood out for not wearing their military fatigues but his leather jacket and jeans. He saw the soldiers looking at him and scratched his head sheepishly not use to people staring so intensely at him.
Just then the group of soldiers who were looking from out the gap in the door all fell down on top of each other as a hooded soldier jumped over them. He identified the soldier as the hunter class, one of the most difficult adversaries he had ever faced. Alone they were bad news even for him, together they were unstoppable. Whole Golden Path operations had fallen because these troops narrowed down on their location. Ajay nearly died several times in the past because of them, these were the very troops Yuma employed against him. He could never fight them on equal ground and resorted to luring them into traps of his own. Numerous occasions they nearly got him it was never without severe injuries, he had to spend days in the homestead to lick his wounds.
"Nurse! Is my brother here? Is he ok?!" The hooded soldier grasped tightly onto the nurse's gown preventing her from doing her duties. The nurse was having a hard time today because of what was happening and was nearly about to scream for them to leave the premise. But Ajay placed a hand on her shoulder to tell her he'd handle it.
"Your brother is having an operation right now, It'll be best if you could leave for the time being or quieten down a bit, the doc needs to concentrate." He spoke calmly. But the hunter wasn't satisfied and crossed his arms, his face was obscured but his build was slim and petite like all the other hunters he encountered.
"And you are?" He asked more in the sense of what did this concern him regarding his business.
"Ajay Ghale. Your brother was with me in a convoy ambush, he got hit in the leg but he'll be fine, the wound didn't look serious and he could still joke along the way." Ajay said smiling.
"Ajay Ghale?" The hunter questioned himself.
"I knew it! It's Ajay Ghale the son of Mohan!" One of the soldiers who the hunter kicked out of his way declared in the back.
Ajay couldn't see the expression he had but judging from the body language he wasn't ecstatic like the rest.
"What's the son of the famous rebel doing here?" He stated coldly. The blood froze in the surrounding soldiers' bodies. The escorts knew what Ajay meant to King Min and the hunter was earning the right to sit in the cell instead of guarding it.
Ajay was calm as water however, he had undergone discrimination before. In the states as well as Kyrat for being an outsider. So this wasn't new to him.
"I'm here to lend a hand to Pagan." He said casually.
"Don't speak of our king so familiarly!" The hunter roared angrily.
-But that fellow is technically my step-dad.- Ajay frowned.
Ajay had experienced the zealous loyalty they had to their sovereign many times, it separated them from the normal royal army soldiers and most civilians. He found it annoying at times, Pagan wasn't the type to personally reward his subjects for their undying loyalty, not shooting you was his sign of good faith. He made a mental note to have Pagan cut down on the killing spree and try to be a little more tolerant of failure from his men.
"Whatever, once you're done patching yourself up get lost!" He said as he turned around to walk off.
"Hey!-" Ajay reached out to grasp the hunter's shoulder to confront him, was at the limit of his tolerance towards him. His estimation wasn't spot on and instead yanked back the hood from behind.
The hood came undone and revealed the face of whoever was underneath it. Sapphire eyes dazzled on a pretty face appeared shocked by the loss of the hood. With short brown hair whose fringe was long and swept to one side, stylish even for a soldier. But it wasn't the important part of his discovery; the hunter was a woman! But her build was almost undistinguishable from the other hunters he faced, unless-…
Then a revelation hit him hard.
-Holy shit! Have I been killing chicks all this while!?-
