I'm just gonna swallow my pride and say this. But I made a mistake. When I first played Far Cry 4 I thought Varshakot and the City of Pain were one in the same. The City of Pain mission always was at night and I was always on the move and watching out for guards to really notice the place. So in my previous chapter I made the mistake of saying that the Fortress and the City were the same thing. That was my mistake as an author and writer and I apologize. I also apologize for taking so long in updating.
Chapter 11
Taken Down a Peg
"Whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap"- Galations 6:7
Kyrat was no stranger to war. War was practically life in this valley of a country. This was not the first civil war brewed, nor would it be the last. But it had been some time since such destruction was laid to the mystical and beautiful land of this valley.
Fires raged all over the southern land. Smoke rose from the burning forests and villages and covered most of the sky. Gunfire echoed all over the south. The screams of dying men and women were just as frequent.
The Golden Path had returned. And in force. The Royal Army had thought they finally won the war. They became too lax by the time they realized the war wasn't over. The Golden Path had ambushed key locations and took back many of the southern territories that were once theirs.
Including the Fortress Varshakot.
Varshakot
The southernmost fortress of the Royal Army had fallen. Their defenses were whittled down piece by piece. It happened so fast that the men just couldn't react fast enough. And by the time they managed to get their bearings their walls had crumbled and their gates were blown open.
The survivors were rounded up and made to kneel by the Golden Path forces. A total of ten survivors and Paul Harmon himself.
"Get your fucking hands off me you taxi driver!" Paul yelled as he struggled against his bound wrists.
The rebel pushed the governor forward and then forced him to kneel just like his men.
"Shut it!" A rebel shouted and hit Paul with the butt of his gun.
Paul glared at the rebel from the corner of his eye and then scanned his fallen fortress. What a sorry state it was now. When he arrived to give an inspection it stood proudly and intimidating. Now? Most of the walls were crumbled, the defenses shattered, and almost all the men lay dead all over the area.
Paul heard someone walking toward him and looked up to see a surprise. Then he laughed.
"Well don't you look pretty!" Paul bellowed. His men laughed alongside him. "I gotta say that's an improvement for you, Sabal."
Indeed, the man known as "The Elephant" stood in front of these captured men. His scarred and bandaged face glaring at them. Sabal kicked Paul in the gut to silence them.
"Shut up!" He roared. Paul did what Sabal demanded, but his mocking smirk didn't go away. Which just pissed the rebel leader off more.
Sabal began to pace around. He scanned the area taking it all in. Pride spread across his face.
"Varshakot." Sabal breathed almost tranquilly. "I believe in your language it would mean "Rain Coat." Fitting. Since it was meant to withstand heavy ordinances and give back just as much. Taking rain and giving it."
Sabal hummed a little. As if something piqued his interest. "Did you know this was a fortress that was once in the possession of the Golden Path? Yes, it was built during the beginning years of the civil war I presume."
"Wonderful history lesson, buddy." Paul interrupted. "Truly educational. You should consider a role on PBS. Now are you going to just kill us or bore us to death with your pointless tales?"
The men laughed at their boss' heckles. Which earned them a hit in the head and stomach. Sabal was not amused. Suddenly, he heard faint footsteps from behind him and spun around just in time as a kukri swiped down an inch from his face.
It was a Royal Army soldier that somehow escaped notice. The Golden Path raised their weapons to shoot the soldier, but Sabal waved at them.
"No. He's mine." Sabal said. The rebels brought their guns down, but kept them on the detained prisoners and Paul.
Sabal and the Soldier circled each other. The soldier thought Sabal would pull out his kukri, but to his astonishment, Sabal just raised his bare hands.
Insulted, the soldier decided to end the religious rebel's life and become famous for taking down one of the two heads of the two-headed elephant.
The soldier lunged forward and Sabal jumped to the side. The soldier swiped up and down, left and right, and Sabal just continued to dodge fluently like water. There were many close calls that put everyone on edge, as Sabal was unarmed.
Finally the soldier got in a deep cut on Sabal's shoulder. It was a wound that should have caused reeling pain, but to the soldier's surprise and everyone else's, Sabal didn't even react. Grunting frustratingly, the soldier pressed forward. After dodging a few more hits, Sabal got cut again, twice. One on the cheek and the other on the waist. Neither one he showed any reaction.
The soldier began to have a bad feeling creep up his spine at the unresponsive look Sabal gave him. But he buried that feeling deep inside and gave out a loud battle cry as he charged toward Sabal.
Sabal, unperturbed, stood still and didn't show any sign of moving. The soldier thrusted his blade and Sabal raised his right hand. The blade pierced through Sabal's palm.
Everyone was shocked to see this and couldn't believe their eyes. Especially when Sabal showed no reaction of pain, despite having his hand stabbed.
The soldier was so stupefied by the unresponsive Golden Path leader that he failed to notice the fist flying toward his face. With a sickening crack the man was sent back and landed on his back on the ground.
The soldier groaned in pain. His jaw had shattered from that single blow. Whereas Sabal didn't even flinch at the intruding object in his hand and casually strolled over to the downed soldier.
Paul was yelling at the soldier to get back up and fight, but his yelling fell on deaf ears and earned a punch to the head.
Sabal was in front of the soldier and when he stood above the pained man, he finally looked at the weapon in his hand as if he just noticed it. Without flinching, Sabal gripped the handle of the kukri and yanked it out. Blood dripped from his wounded palm, but Sabal didn't care in the least.
The soldier finally calmed down enough to look at his opponent and at that moment, he felt true fear. He stared at Sabal's face and saw a tranquil fury that shook him to his very core. Wordlessly, Sabal raised the kukri and struck like a rabid leopard. He swung and swiped the blade back and forth. The soldier's screams of pain and fear of dying only fueling his vigor. Only when the soldier was a bleeding mess of wounds did Sabal spare the man. Only then to stomp his boot on the soldier's face. Crushing it like a melon.
The brutality scared everyone, including Paul, into silence. Whatever, jokes they wanted to fling at Sabal and the Golden Path, were silenced. Whatever resistance they wanted to put up, was crushed like the soldier's head.
Sabal stroked his black locks back, smearing blood over his face and making him look even more insane. Then he looked straight at Paul. If his unfeeling skin didn't creep them out, then it was that empty and cold gaze Sabal laid on them.
An image of a furious Pagan entered Paul's mind.
"Now then." Sabal spoke up like he didn't just massacre someone. "Who's next?"
King's Bridge
Hurk landed the stolen helicopter in the confines of the King's Bridge. After saying goodbye and going their separate ways, Ajay went to look for Pagan and his cabinet who were holding a meeting somewhere in the facility. Hurk went to talk to some soldiers about getting the copter a paintjob that wouldn't get them shot at by friendly fire. And also a tune-up, since it got shot quite a bit.
Ajay was guided to the biggest building in the area. He was told to head up the stairs and sure enough he found Pagan leaning over a table with maps all over it. As soon as he entered, Ajay noticed that the room was mostly empty with only a couple members of Pagan's cabinet around. And the only governor was Yuma, who smiled at him shortly before returning back to her studying.
Pagan lifted up his head and smiled happily when he saw Ajay.
"Ajay! So glad to see you're alright!"
"What's going on, Pagan? It's like hell out there."
"When is not hell?" Pagan scoffed. He then said one name with all the malice he possessed. "Noore. The little traitoress has been the one feeding intel to the Golden Path."
"What exactly happened that turned the south into a warzone?"
Ajay wanted details on everything that transpired while he was gone. He wasn't even gone for a whole day and already half the land was burning down and soaking in its own blood. He needed to know everything that happened up to this point.
"It all started with a transmition from Varshakot. Paul was performing an inspection of the fortress when they were suddenly hit by a surprise attack. The signal was lost in minutes before we could get any useful intel. The army sent out reinforcements, but then we kept getting other transmitions from other outposts and key locations saying they were under attack as well. The south was completely engulfed in war."
"As you know, Noore is responsible for most of the prostitution rings here in Kyrat. So everyone in that department takes orders from her. You also know how debauched most of Paul's men are. Well Noore had all her girls seduce the top men of Paul's and then slit their throats when they were . . . distracted."
"So most of the south's fighting force fell before they even had a chance to attack." Ajay deduced.
"Exactly. Noore then added her forces to the Golden Path's and you can pretty much guess how that ended."
"Overwhelming force against an unguarded opposition. A perfectly executed blitzkrieg." Ajay's answer got an affirmed nod from the king.
"Emphasis on the execute." Pagan joked.
"Why would Noore do this?" Ajay asked.
"I don't know." Pagan shrugged. "She shouldn't be able to go against me like this. I have her family hostage. Or at least, she thinks I have them hostage. She wouldn't dare to defy me and risk losing them."
Pagan scratched his head as he tried to make sense of how everything went wrong. Ajay as well took a moment to think. Cupping his chin and closing his eyes, Ajay thought real hard before he came up with the only idea that fit.
"What if she knows that her family is no longer alive?"
"Impossible."
"But what if she does. Think about it. As you said she would never risk her family, but what if there was nothing for her to risk. If she found out you and Paul killed her family a long time ago there would be nothing to hold her back on getting her revenge."
Pagan's eyes widened in realization that his step-son may be right. While it was one of the most closely guarded secrets in Kyrat, if Noore had somehow caught wind of the truth . . . Pagan gulped. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
"I guess there's no better explanation. But right now that's moot. We can discuss more of that topic in detail after we've settled the fighting here in Kyrat."
"Agreed." Ajay nodded. He then leaned on the table to look down on the maps that had red lines, circles, and crosses on them "So what's the plan exactly? How do we settle this?"
Everyone gathered around the table.
"We need to suppress the fighting in the south." Yuma spoke up. "Unfortunately, the war's back on, but at least we can stop all the fighting before it spreads all over."
"What about the north? From what I could tell from the air it seemed relatively okay." Ajay asked.
"Yuma, bless her heart, locked everything down in the north and then some here in the south. And thanks to you wiping out most of the Golden Path influence the damage in the north was reduced to a minimum. And I use the word loosely." He motioned to the men in the room. "The Golden Path hit my cabinet hard. This is all that remains."
"We've at the very least reduced the fighting to the southern lands."
"What can we do to prevent the fighting from going further?"
Yuma pointed to three locations. "Here, here, and here." She pointed to Varshakot, Naccarapur (the vicinity of Shannath Arena), and the Rochan Brick Factory. "Our intel says the Golden Path is heaviest in these locations. If we want to stop the Golden Path in their tracks, this is the way to do it."
"Yuma's sent her hunters to deal with the Golden Path forces in Naccarapur. And I've sent Boris to deal with the Brick Factory." Pagan said.
"So then all that's left is to deal with Varshakot." Ajay said getting the jist.
"The Fortress is just a pile of ash now. The Golden Path have some huge weapon moving around the valley decimating our forces. We aren't sure what it is, but it softened the fortress up enough for the Golden Path to occupy the area." Yuma warned.
"And anything that can weaken a fortress is not good for us." Pagan mused. "Granted, Varshakot isn't the strongest fortress, but it's still quite impressive."
Ajay nodded in understanding. "I'll be careful."
"Good man! Stop by at the armory here and load up. You're going to need all the ammunition you can carry."
Ajay nodded his head and went to prepare for an intense fight. After leaving the room, Ajay headed for the armory. He was greeted by a kindly looking man with black hair, a goatee, and brown eyes.
"Greetings!" The armorer greeted boisterously. "You must be Ajay. I am Aarush. King Min has ordered me to supply you with anything you need. So please, please, tell Aarush what it is you require."
"Nice to meet you Aarush."
Ajay looked around and saw a wide array of guns, ammunitions, explosives, and body armor. Ajay looked at his arsenal and decided to swap out his Impaler and other weapons, but kept his bow.
"You've got some good stuff here Aarush." Ajay complimented as he picked up a shotgun.
"Thank you. Thank you! It's all in thanks to that African friend of yours, Longinus! He's supplied me with a great number of weapons and devices." The Royal Armorer's eyes shifted to the bow on Ajay's back. "An archer I see."
Ajay nodded his head. "Yeah. It's a versatile weapon."
A grin slowly formed on Aarush's face. "I only ever supply bows to the Hunters, but for you something special, wait here." Aarush quickly went to the back and shortly after brought back yellow-tipped arrows. "These are explosive arrows, Ajay. They are of my own design. I took apart a few grenades and created these beauties."
Ajay took the arrows and examined them.
"Careful of the tips. Last thing you want is to blow yourself up."
Ajay hummed as he examined his new ammo. While he couldn't collect them after firing them, they could do serious damage to vehicles and groups of people. Something that'll come in real handy in his current mission.
"I'll take all you got."
"Yes, yes! Good, good! Aarush is pleased! Since you are King Min's VIP and because I have a good feeling about you, I will give you the schematics to make these while you're on the move." Aarush said happily.
Ajay was quite surprised. "These are that easy to make?"
"Oh yes! All you need is a grenade and an arrow and you're in business."
"Thanks Aarush." Ajay said appreciatively.
"Of course, of course! Now what else do you need?"
Over the skies of Kyrat
Ajay checked and fastened all his equipment to make sure it was secure. Strapped to his hip was his Sixer pistol, his bow and quiver on his back, and finally a GL-94 and a PKM machinegun. He was all set and the helicopter he was in took off. Around him other helicopters took and prepared to kick the Golden Path in the ass again.
"Alright, Ajay" his pilot said, "we'll be heading toward Varshakot first. That place is crawling with Golden Path. Our job is to wipe them all out and secure the area."
"Sounds good." Ajay said over the shared radio.
"That's a lot of guns your carrying there kid." One of the soldiers sitting near Ajay said.
Currently there were six other soldiers in the cockpit with Ajay. All armed and armored for a fight. But none of them were nearly as outfitted as Ajay.
"What's the matter boy? Afraid of dying so badly that you need all these big guns just to keep yourself alive?" The soldier joked. His buddies chuckled alongside him.
Ajay replied in an unamused tone. "No, I need them to keep you guys alive."
The others laughed at their friend as he basically got his dis turned around on him. The soldier didn't say anything and just glared.
"Alright, enough chatting we're coming up on the target!" The pilot said.
Ajay and another soldier got up and went for the machineguns on the side. Ajay looked outside the helicopter and saw all the destruction. Varshakot was completely demolished. Its walls fallen and its building crumbled. Fire, craters, and ash were all that was left from the attack.
"Look alive men! Enemies all around!"
Golden path began to shoot at the helicopters flying by.
"Let's light'em up!
Ajay pulled the trigger and fired on the rebels. Many of the rebels began to scatter and escape the hail of bullets, but many also didn't move in time. High-velocity rounds pierced and shredded their bodies into pieces. The ones that were unfortunate enough not to die instantly wailed in pain and horror.
Some Golden Path tried putting their suffering brothers and sisters out of their misery, but while they weren't looking Ajay fired on them. It was beyond easy shooting them from on high, Ajay realized. Like shooting fish in a barrel easy.
By the time the helicopter made a full circle of the ruined fortress, they had taken out more than half the rebels. The ones in cover still tried firing on the copter, aiming mostly for the shooters, but none of them were barely making any dent in the Blackhawks.
In the end it was a losing battle for the Golden Path and all that was left were corpses.
"Area clear. Good job men." The pilot said. "Moving to the next target."
But before they could leave a rocket shot at them, just barely missing them.
"Holy shit!"
Out in the paddy fields, namely on the high ridges, were Golden Path armed with rocket launchers.
"Taking evasive maneuvers!"
Many rockets began firing on the single chopper. One Blackhawk ended up getting shot down. It spun out of control before crashing into the ground in a fiery heap.
"Jesus!" Ajay yelled. It was difficult to aim and shoot while the pilot was trying not to get shot at by heavy ordinance, but it was better than not trying and hoping they wouldn't be shot down.
Ajay cocked the gun and open fired on anything that wanted him dead. Thankfully, most of the rocketeers were out in the open and taking time to aim. So they were a bit easier to shoot, despite the helicopter moving around so much. Some of the rebels were even standing near ammo crates and as soon as Ajay blasted those they exploded in a chaos of bullets and rockets. Some of the rockets in the crates actually blasted off and hit Golden Path rebels.
Soon all the rebels were dead and the helicopter had taken no damage from the rockets.
"Nice shooting, Ghale!" One of the soldiers said.
"Thanks!"
"Moving to the next location." The pilot said.
Both Ajay and the soldier remained in their positions. Now that they were in the middle of the war zone they couldn't afford to relax.
"You're a pretty good shot, Ghale." A soldier complimented.
"Thanks."
"But what do you need all these weapons for?" The soldiers just looked at all the bags Ajay carried and the weapons strapped to him. "Actually, most of that equipment looks pretty heavy. Isn't it?"
Ajay smiled. "It is, but I can handle it. When I lived in the States I had many odd jobs growing up. I used to work for this package company part-time and I always helped carrying heavy boxes. Over time I just grew used to carrying heavy items."
The soldiers laughed at thinking something so simple would help them in battle.
"We're coming up on our next target. Get ready!" The pilot announced.
"Roger!"
Suddenly their radios went off and a feminine voice spoke out of it.
"Hello, Ajay."
"Amita?!" Ajay yelled in surprise.
"In the flesh. I must say you did a number on us at Varshakot, but we're ready for you now. What is that saying you Americans have? 'An eye for an eye?'"
Suddenly a rocket hit the broadside of the helicopter.
"Shit! We're hit! We're hit! We're going down!"
The helicopter spun out of control. The explosion had killed one of the soldiers and knocked another one out of his seat and plummet to his death. Fire spread to some of the men, burning them and making them scream in pain. Ajay held onto his gun for dear life and felt the impact of the helicopter crashing. Thankfully it didn't explode.
Ajay groaned as he rubbed his head in pain. He looked around to see all of the soldiers dead. He unstrapped himself from his safeties and then pulled out his PKM. He jumped from the helicopter and found he was in the jungle.
In the distance he heard the roar of engines. Several Golden Path vehicles came out of the foliage carrying many rebels in them. They opened fire on Ajay as soon as they saw him.
Ajay quickly ducked behind a tree and waited for an opportunity. When he heard the rebels get close enough he pulled out a grenade, pulled its pin out, and had it cook in his hand before throwing it.
"Grena-"
The grenade exploded in mid-air. A few were launched back from the explosion and many were killed by the shrapnel. Ajay quickly ran out of cover and threw another grenade at their vehicles. He opened fired with his PKM and gunned the rebels down.
The grenade Ajay threw had destroyed a couple of the vehicles, but left one slightly intact. The explosion of the vehicles took out even more rebels and set fire to the grass and shrubbery. Many of the rebels tried to escape the growing flames, but those that tried got gunned down by Ajay. So in the end, the rebels either died by bullets or fire.
Ajay quickly took advantage of the confusion and chaos and made way to the last remaining vehicle. He reached to and hopped into the jeep and took off before his newly acquired ride could catch fire.
"Holy shit that was a close call." Ajay muttered. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He heard his radio crackle to life with someone asking for aid on the other side. Ajay grabbed it and answered. "This is Ajay Ghale. I can help you just tell me where you are."
"We're at the Rochan Brick CO. Storage Outpost! Please, get here as fast as you can."
Ajay nodded and stepped on the gas pedal. He was pretty far from that location. As long as he wasn't hindered too much, he'd make it. Some Golden Path tried to get in his way, but he just sped up and either drove past them or over them. The ones that chased him in vehicles were halted when Ajay pulled out his handgun and fired from behind. He got lucky and just took out the drivers.
Finally he made it to the outpost . . . and it was a mess!
Golden Path Rebels and Royal Army Soldiers were killing each other left and right. Bodies of both factions were lying on the ground in puddles of their own or their enemy's blood.
Ajay floored it and managed to take out two rebels by running them over while several managed to jump out of the way in time. As Ajay sped into the facility, a heavy rebel was in his way, but Ajay didn't slow down. The heavy was distracted with killing Royal Army.
By the time the heavy realized a car was coming right at him it was too late. Ajay lurched forward (always wear seatbelts!) as he hit the heavy. A huge bump and crash and Ajay pinned the heavy between the car and a building. Whether he died from being hit or crushed? Ajay had no idea.
Ajay reloaded and readied his PKM. He got out of the vehicle and opened fire on the remaining rebels. Ajay was a pretty easy target, since he was carrying a heavy machine gun, but he had more fire power and his aim was clearly better. His bullet proof vest became useless after the fifth shot, but by then Ajay had cleared out most of the rebels. As he was finishing his fifth rebel he heard a familiar "Bang" sound. Like the boom of a—
"Canon."
"Poydemte, ublyudki!" (Come on, you bastards!)
Boris, with his huge armored body and loud Russian voice, was firing his equally huge and loud pistol. The bang from the gun caused some of their allies to go temporarily deaf and left fist sized holes in their enemies. Ajay actually saw one guy get a part of his face, literally blown off. Spats of blood and meat got on his friends. Which traumatized them allowing Ajay to easily finish them off.
Soon all the rebels were dead.
Boris laughed heartily. "Ajay, so glad you could join us!"
"Got your distress call. Wanted to help."
"Of course, but you know this fight ain't over yet, da?"
"I know. It's going to be a long day, but it's just like any other."
"How so?"
"I'm still killing Golden Path."
Boris laughed again.
"We got reinforcements coming!" A soldier warned.
"Ajay I got a plan, but I need time to prepare it. Can you hold them off."
Ajay cocked his gun. "You got it."
Boris quickly ran into the garage to prepare whatever he had planned.
"They're coming! Ghale head to the roof, you'll have a better position from there."
Ajay took the soldiers advice and climbed up the ladder. Sure enough, the Golden Path were coming by vehicle or foot. Thankfully, someone was kind enough to leave a sniper rifle on top of the roof for Ajay to use.
He got down on his belly and adjusted the scope and barrel. He peered through the scope and saw his first target. Then his target was no more.
He saw a jeep come down the road. He fired a round and took out both the driver and the passenger. All that was left was the gunner in the back, but they weren't in a good position to shoot, so they left their position. Ajay put a round in his chest.
Three rebels came from down the hill. And rushed into the outpost. They instantly got into a firefight with the Royal soldiers. Ajay lined up his shot and sent a round right into the closest rebel's head. The next target was moving too quickly and Ajay missed his shot, but it made the rebel stumble. That stumble cost him his life as the rebel was quickly gunned down. The last rebel was spraying and praying, with no luck whatsoever. So the soldiers just lobbed a grenade to finish him.
Ajay saw more rebels come by car on the other side of the road. Three vehicles came. Ajay lined up his shot, but wasn't aiming for bodies this time. Ajay pulled the trigger and blew out one of the front tires on the nearest jeep.
It swerved and tumbled and skidded across the ground. One of the jeeps accidently hit the jeep causing it to tumble more. They stopped in front of the entrance and opened fire. The gunner in the fallen jeep had fallen out and died from a broken neck. The driver was pinned under the car and couldn't move. The passenger was the only one to come out alive.
Ajay fired two more sniper rounds before having to reload. More and more rebels were showing up and it looked like the soldiers were about to be overwhelmed. Ajay took out three more rebels, but soon he was forced out of his position when the Golden Path fired on him.
Ajay quickly rolled out of the way. Thinking fast Ajay pulled the same trick he did a while ago and tossed a grenade, but this time it was right near all the cars. The Golden Path should not have grouped their vehicles next to each other. The explosion rocked the earth and killed every rebel that got caught in the blast. Well, except one, but Ajay put a bullet in him with Sixer.
The soldiers cheered in victory and then Boris called him into the garage.
Ajay walked in and saw Boris' truck.
"Excellent work out there Ajay." Boris complimented. "I just finished the repairs. She's ready to go."
"Go where?" Ajay asked.
"To the Rochan Brick Factory. Noore gave those rebel shits the place to mount a better defense. It's basically a resupply depot and infirmary for them. We're gonna hit them where it hurts!"
Ajay nodded and Boris got into the driver's seat. "Get on the back." Ajay did what he was told and saw the back was filled with ammo crates and weapons. Ajay smirked and got into position.
"You ready? Let's go!"
The truck took off. Ajay readied all his guns, making sure their clips were full and well maintained. Ajay mounted his machinegun just in time to see Golden Path on the road.
"There they are Ajay! Give'em hell!"
Ajay fired and blasted any rebels that were in his sights. In turn they shot back, of course. Ajay killed three on his right, then two on his left. Ahead of them were two Golden Path vehicles that were in their way. Rebels took cover behind them. Boris sped up and plowed right through them. Toppling the cars and killing the Golden Path behind them.
Ajay reloaded and waited for the next assault.
"This is madness, eh Ajay?"
"You can certainly say that again." Ajay said seriously.
"Almost reminds me of my time in Russia. Went into this city that just went on a chaotic riot. People were killing people left and right, you could barely tell who was friend and who was foe."
"Sounds horrible."
"Aye, it was." Boris said grimly.
They were soon ambushed by Golden Path that were hiding up on some kills. They launched grenades and shot at them.
"Don't worry Ajay, this truck's sturdy. She'll hold, now why don't you respond in kind?" Boris chuckled.
Ajay took out his grenade launcher, the GL-94. He adjusted the site and lined it up. A fired just perfectly and blew up the Golden Path atop the hill. Some survived and just kept shooting, but enough grenades soon wiped them out. Ajay faced the next hill and aimed for some red barrels on the side. They exploded in a fiery blaze, which caught the Golden Path.
Some were killed by the explosion and others were lit on fire. The ones to survive only lived a few second when Ajay reloaded his weapon and finished them off.
"We got company! Behind us!" Boris yelled.
Ajay turned to see several vehicles behind them. Ajay quickly pulled a grenade pin and let it roll to the ground. The first vehicle drove right over it when it exploded. The vehicles behind it still came however, with gunman shooting 50 cals. Ajay unloaded his grenade launcher, taking out two, before switching to the PKM. Ajay shot the drivers halting them.
Boris then drove into a massive scene between the Royal Army and the Golden Path.
"Let's give our brothers a hand, yes?" Boris said. He pulled out his Cannon and began firing away, while running over anyone too stupid to not move quick enough.
Ajay aimed his machinegun and fired at anything and everything in sight. Many rebels fell dead. This allowed the Royal Army soldiers to advance.
They were nearly there.
"Here we are Ajay, Rochan Brick Factory." Boris announced.
Ajay looked to see brick building with a large smokestack right on top of it spewing out black smoke into the tranquil air. All around were bricks that were set up to be walls, but looked like they were unfinished and just abandoned. From what Ajay heard, Pagan used this place to refine his drugs, namely heroin. This place was under Noore's jurisdiction, but since Noore turned traitor she handed it to the Golden Path as a base of operations.
"Looks like they've been busy." Ajay said, taking note of the rebels stacking the leftover bricks to create barricades and walls.
"Yes, indeed." Bois smirked. He stepped on the gas pedal and plowed right through a barricade that the Golden Path were working on. Destroying all their hard work. "Oops! Did I do that?" Boris laughed. Ajay smirked at the Russian's antics.
The Golden Path were now on high alert after that. So Ajay wasted no time in firing his weapon. Many of the Golden Path ducked behind the bricks for cover and opened fire on Ajay and the truck, but Ajay was as defended as they were.
Boris plowed through people and brick and just drove around the compound. The Russian would put on his ballistic mask, roll down the window and fire his Canon from the driver seat, laughing like a maniac as he did.
Ajay though wasn't laughing or enjoying himself. He merely focused on the task at hand and fired at anything that moved or shot at him. Mostly the latter. Despite the rebels taking up defense behind the brick, they had to stick their heads out sometime to shoot and the bricks only lasted so long against constant fire. Ajay shot them all down. Rebels took defensive positions on the roof, but they had little to no cover up there and so Ajay easily shot them down.
Some rebels came out of the building itself, but that was the worst place to be. They caught Ajay by surprise at first, but after the second and third wave it was quite easy to finish them with a well-placed mine.
Everything was going smoothly. Until they heard a foreboding trumpeting sound.
Ajay tried shooting at the elephant, but it was too late, it smashed right into the side of the truck, toppling them over. Ajay hit the ground and lost his machinegun under the truck.
After collecting his bearings, Ajay got up and quickly ran for cover as the rider of the elephant shot at him. After safely getting behind cover, Ajay pulled out his grenade launcher, but the barrel was unfortunately crushed when he landed.
"Fuck!" Ajay cursed. He checked the rest of his arsenal and only his Sixer and Bow were fine. "Not great options." Ajay sighed.
"What's the matter, Ajay? Why are you hiding like a coward? Come out and face me like a man!"
Ajay recognized that voice, but he could barely believe who it belonged to.
He peered slightly out from his hiding spot, but quickly ducked back in when assault rifle round shot just where his head was.
"Sabal." Ajay groaned angrily.
In the brief glimpse he got of the rebel leader, he saw the man was heavily scarred and bandaged, riding atop the elephant. He held a modified black AK-47, complete with a red-dot sight, an extended magazine with yellow images of the Golden Path, and a suppressor barrel.
"If you won't come to me, then I'll come to you!"
Ajay heard the thundering steps of the elephant and he quickly ran just before his cover was crushed by the large land mammal.
Ajay unsheathed his bow and pulled out one of his explosive arrows. He pulled the string back, but Sabal fired his assault rifle before he could get a good aim. The explosive arrow missed the elephant exponentially and exploded far away.
Still running from the pachyderm and gun fire, Ajay was waiting for a good moment to strike. He pulled back an arrow again and launched it faster, but panic took over him and he still missed. The arrow took out a piece of the building, but it was much closer than last time.
"Karma is on my side, Ajay!" Sabal smiled. "I have endured and suffered in the name of Kyra and my country and the universe is rewarding me for it. Give up now and accept your fate. A fate where you are dead under the foot on my land's most majestic animal."
"I know he's full of himself, but when did he become so annoyingly magnanimous?" Ajay asked himself.
Ajay jumped out of the way before an elephant's foot crushed him. Sabal kept firing rounds at him, but since Ajay was much closer, it was difficult for him to get a good shot. Taking a chance Ajay ran behind a wall of bricks, but it wouldn't last long as cover, so he had to work fast.
Pulling the string back with the arrow, without even thinking or aiming and just going on pure instinct, Ajay let loose the arrow. The arrow flew and found its mark in the eye of the elephant. Half the elephant's face was blown off from the explosion and Sabal fell right off.
Sabal didn't groan despite falling from such a height. He got back up no problem and readied his weapon. But the clicking of a cocked hammer from a gun drew his attention. Right in front of him was Ajay with his Sixer pistol aimed right at him.
Silence was shared between the two as they stared each other down.
Ajay was the first to break the quiet. "This time I'll put a bullet in you myself."
Sabal smirked cockily. "Do it."
Ajay raised an eyebrow.
"Go on. Pull the trigger. I'll still live."
Ajay stared incredulously at Sabal.
"I'm less than ten feet in front of you. I can kill you right here right now without any worry." Ajay said seriously.
"Then do it."
Dumbfounded. Ajay couldn't understand where all this confidence was coming from. Sure Sabal was an arrogant prick, but this was just a whole new level. The Golden Path were back with a vengeance, but that shouldn't give the rebel leader enough confidence to risk his life like this. He wasn't even putting up his hands in surrender! Like a gun being pointed at him was nothing to be afraid of.
For a long moment nothing happened between the two. Ajay just stared and Sabal was looking down the barrel of Sixer with a shit-eating grin.
Then . . . Sabal moved. Ajay's eyes widened. He fired his gun. It all happened so fast, but Ajay could see it happening in slow motion.
Ajay fired his Sixer pistol, but during Sabal's quick dash he moved a bit off the bullet's path and was shot in the shoulder. Eyes widening in surprise, Ajay fired a second bullet. This one hit Sabal in the chest, just below his lung, but the rebel was still coming. Ajay intended to fire again, but Sabal managed to reach him and knock Sixer out of his hand.
Sabal then used his good arm and wrapped his finger around Ajay's neck. Ajay was lifted up into the air like he weighed absolutely nothing.
"What the fuck?" Ajay wheezed.
Sabal smiled up at him. Blood was dripping from his body, but he paid no mind to it. It looked like he was ignoring the pain or just not noticing it all together. How could someone just ignore gunshot wounds?!
"Surprised Ghale? I suppose I have you to thank for that. After you blew me up, my people tracked down a legendary dhami. He healed me and bestowed upon me a blessing from Kyra! Now I feel nothing. No pain, no ease, no coldness, no warmth, no suffering. I'm free Ajay and in that freedom it has given me power!"
Sabal threw Ajay quite a distance and right into a pile of bricks. Ajay coughed and attempted to get up, but he found Sabal right in front of him and smacked him across the face.
As soon as he hit the ground, Ajay tasted blood in his mouth.
Sabal had indeed become scary strong. Ajay heard the rebel leader approach again, but this time he was ready. Ajay gripped a brick, just as Sabal hoisted him up. He slammed the brick right into Sabal's head. The brick shattered, but Sabal was not phased. The only indication Sabal was injured was the blood dripping from his mouth, nose, and the fresh wound on his head, but even that didn't do anything.
Sabal grabbed Ajay by the throat again and lifted him up into the air. Ajay kicked and scratched, but Sabal just laughed at him. It was like a tiger holding a mouse in its paw and was playing with its food before enjoying its meal.
"I told you Ghale. Kyra has blessed me with great strength." He socked Ajay in the gut. "Karma is on my side and you?" Sabal pulled out a kukri. "I shall redeem Mohan's name by spilling your blood and gifting it to Kyra and Banashur!"
Sabal pulled back intending to give Ajay a huge slash, but Sabal was wrong.
*SCREEE!*
Karma was not on his side this day, for a black eagle swooped down and took the blade from Sabal's hands.
"What the?!" Sabal shouted in outrage. "WHO DARES?!"
Out of the bushes came soaring arrows. Sabal got three imbedded in his body the rest he managed to avoid by pure luck.
"Hunters!" Sabal growled. He saw many hooded figures moving all around him.
"Hey!" Sabal turned around to see a very angry Boris. "You trashed my truck. That alone warrants your death, but beating up Ajay?" He aimed Canon at Sabal. "Now you die slowly fucker."
*BAM!*
Sabal barely got out of the way of that shot, but he saw the impact that the Russian's gun made on a brick wall. He could see right through the hole it left.
Not liking his odds, between, the Hunters, and the Heavy Soldier, and a recovering Ajay, Sabal decided to make a reluctant tactical retreat. He ran, avoiding arrows and gun fire, and dive-bombing eagles.
He made it to a vehicle, but before he drove off he shouted, "This isn't over, Ajay! The Golden Path aren't finished! We'll liberate our country from Pagan, you, and all of those who do not follow in the path of Mohan!"
The vehicle sped out of the area, kicking up dust as Hunters and Boris shot their ammunition at him.
Ajay was still on all fours on the ground. He was coughing. He could feel the bruises left on him by Sabal and his unnatural strength. One of the hunters approached.
"Are you okay?"
It took Ajay a second to realize it was Nisha.
Finally catching his breath, he managed to tell her he was alright. "Go to Boris, he needs more aid then I do." Ajay said.
They looked over and saw the Russian leaning against his tipped car. He was clutching his chest and rubbing his leg in pain. Nisha ordered her people to look at him too.
"Thanks for the save." Ajay said.
"Hey, you saved my life numerous times. So what's say we call it even now?" Nisha smirked.
Ajay laughed which caused him to wince in pain. "No way."
They both laughed. Then they heard helicopters flying in the distance. Several of them flew out of the horizon of the trees. Three began to circle while one descended to the ground. This one, however, looked familiar.
"Hey, Ajay!"
"Hurk?"
When the helicopter landed out came Hurk, wearing a pilot's helmet and headset. The guy was smiling like a kid with a new toy and then motioned to the helicopter.
"What do you think? Pretty nice right?" Ajay looked at the helicopter and saw the Golden path symbol washed off and replaced by the Royal Army symbol. From the sound of it, it had a tune-up too.
"They let you keep it?" Ajay said almost unbelievably. Hurk could just barely fly the thing!
"Yep, you're looking at the proud owner of this beautiful bird. So, you ready to go?"
"Go? Go where?"
"Didn't you get messaged from that weird pink suit guy?"
Ajay pulled out his radio and saw that someone was indeed trying to contact him.
"Shit!" Ajay cursed. "I was so busy fighting I didn't notice." Ajay quickly hit the respond button. "Hello?"
"Ajay, finally!" Pagan exclaimed. "I've been trying to contact you for almost an hour now."
"Sorry, Pagan. I got sidetracked."
"I'll scold at you later. Have the helicopters arrived? I sent your American friend with the entourage too."
"Yeah they showed up. Hurk's in front of me. What's going on?"
"Well, you know how Varshakot lays in ruin?"
"Yeaah?"
"Well the weapon that ruined it is plowing through my forces and is heading straight for the King's Bridge."
. . .
A barricade had been set up on the main road. They were there to halt any more Golden path advancement. So far they had been quite successful with minimal casualties.
But that changed when they heard the loud roar of an engine. The soldiers prepared their weapons, including their .50 Cal. Guns mounted on their trucks. They had also prepared landmines and grenade launchers. It was no wonder nothing had gotten passed them.
They assumed the roaring was from a large group of Golden Path coming in on many vehicles. So it came much of a shock to them when they saw it was just one huge vehicle.
It was a custom truck, something close to a semi. It was huge and heavily armored. The front of the truck had a shield with large rusted spikes jutting out of the grill. On the top of the truck was some kind of barricade shield with a fifty caliber machine gun behind it. Eight wheels pushed it through the dirt road kicking up huge clouds of dust. On the back of the truck was a gas tank that also looked like it was heavily modified.
Despite being caught off guard by the unorthodox vehicle the Royal soldiers fired on it. The fifty cals went off and the grenades were launched, but they were stunned to see the truck not slowing down the least. The bullets seemed to bounce off it and the grenades didn't have much effect. When it ran over the mines, it didn't slow; in fact, it accelerated, taking out every mine in its path.
The soldiers didn't even have time to curse as the main gun fired on them. The trucks were torn apart along with its occupants. The truck rammed right through the barricade, taking out the trucks and blockades with ease. The soldiers that didn't get shot jumped out of the way of the rampaging machine, but their survival didn't last.
Inside the cylindrical gas tank were Golden path rebels armed to the teeth. Long slits were cut open on the sides. And large machine guns stuck out of them. They shot any soldiers within their sights. The ones that didn't get shot were then torched by flamethrowers. And finally if they survived that, on the back were rocketeers firing RPGs. Finishing off all the vehicles and soldiers within the vicinity.
It was quick, it was devastating, and it was beautiful. The perfect killing machine. All over this vehicle drove. Taking out Royal Army forces with quick and overwhelming ease. Soldiers were shot, burned, blown up or just plain run over. Some corpses were hanging off the bloody spikes on the bumper.
In the sky, Ajay and his entourage of Blackhawk helicopters saw the destruction the weaponized truck left behind. Ajay couldn't help, but be in awe and everyone was in the same position.
"That thing would be so cool if it wasn't trying to kill us!" Hurk said over the radio.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"THAT is what knocked down Varshakot like a house of cards, Ajay." Pagan replied.
"It's like a tank, but more versatile." Ajay noticed from his safe distance. "It's obviously custom. The Golden Path must have payed top dollar for all that thick reinforced armor on it otherwise a simple mine would have finished it. Thick damage-proof tires, bullet proof glass with added bars, high caliber weapons for extra punch."
"It is indeed impressive." Pagan said offhandedly. Almost like he actually did admire it. "The Golden Path must have been working on that for months. Wish we thought about something like that thing."
"Are we sure aerial force is even going to have an effect on that thing?" Ajay asked unsurely.
"No, but ground forces aren't doing anything either so we may as well try." Pagan said.
"Well in that case," Ajay cocked his machine gun, "let's give this thing hell people!"
The helicopters went in and opened fire on the truck. The sound of bullets clanging against metal reverberated through the land almost as much as the sounds of gunfire. Of course the truck shot back with almost equal force. The gunner on the top of the truck was well protected and managed to take down one copter.
Even though the truck was being hammered on all fronts it didn't stop in killing every Royal Army soldier in its path. Another helicopter went down from a rocket.
"This is ridiculous!" Ajay roared. Hurk maneuvered the helicopter to avoid gun shots and an incoming RPG. "This thing is barely feeling our onslaught. What the hell kind of armor did the Golden Path buy?!"
"Whatever it was it was well worth it!" A soldier said through the radio.
"I hope it at least made their wallets bleed!" Another soldier added spitefully.
"Like it's making us bleed!?"
Ajay saw the top of the gas tank of the truck shutter open. He couldn't quite see what was inside, but he quickly realized what it was when two objects shot up into the sky.
"MORTARS!"
"Taking evasive actions!"
The helicopters swerved and motioned to avoid the oncoming attack. Ajay heard the whistling sound of the mortars quickly followed by the fiery explosion. One helicopter was completely bombarded and destroyed before long hitting the ground. The last helicopter managed to avoid a lot of raining fire, but it too fell after being hit in the pilot seat.
All that was left was Ajay and Hurk's helicopter.
"Hang on man, I'm gonna try something!" Hurk said pushing several buttons and flipping many switches.
"Hurk?"
The helicopter began to spin wildly, dropping then rising randomly. It was like the worst carnival ride in the world. Ajay hung onto dear life as the helicopter went crazy.
"Hurk, what the hell are you doing?!" Ajay roared.
"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean not sure?! Didn't you read the manual?"
"I was going to do that, but then they told me you needed help and just . . ."
Ajay would have yelled at Hurk more, but they were still being attacked by mortar fire. Through the chaos, Ajay could see the rest of the copters get blown to smithereens. After several long moments, they cleared the range of the mortars and the tank-truck as well. They were slightly damaged, but their helicopter would survive.
Ajay wobbled a bit as he tried gaining his balance back. After swallowing the bile rising up in his throat, he glared at Hurk.
"Hurk the next time I get on this helicopter you better have read that entire manual left to right or I'm going to fucking kill you!"
Hurk laughed nervously.
Ajay picked up his radio and contacted Pagan.
"Pagan, it's Ajay. We failed. We couldn't stop that thing. It's still coming. I . . . I don't know what to do."
"It's alright Ajay." Pagan said reassuringly. "You tried your best, but I think we may have something that could help."
"What?"
"The Golden Path have hijacked one of our trucks. A chemical truck full of highly toxic and explosive chemicals. They're going to use it to blow the gates off the King's Bridge."
"And then have that monstrosity come through and plow everything in its path. Fuck."
"Precisely. But they're going to regret their little over-reaching."
"Huh?" Ajay didn't understand.
Ajay could practically feel the evil smile on Pagan on the other side of the radio. "That chemical truck they stole will have enough oomph in it to destroy the King's Bridge's heavily fortified gate with ease. What do you think said truck could do to say . . ."
"That armored vehicle."
"Correct-o-mundo!"
"Send me the coordinates Pagan and I'll deal with the rest."
"I knew you would Ajay. Sending you the coordinates now. Do take pictures!"
"You get that Hurk?"
"Got'em! Heading there now."
It took a while to get there, but they saw the truck escorted by a couple Golden Path jeeps.
"So how are we going to capture that truck again?" Hurk questioned.
"You're not. I am." Ajay answered. He was fastening something to his outfit.
"Yeah, but how?"
"Just stick close and leave the rest to me."
Without warning, Ajay jumped out of the helicopter. Keeping his body straight as an arrow, Ajay then swung out his arms and legs revealing him wearing a wingsuit, courtesy of Aarush. Ajay made a note to thank the armorer for procuring these.
Ajay dived right for the back vehicle. He steadied himself and waited for the right moment to grab the unsuspecting car. With unimaginable skill he didn't even know he possessed, Ajay grabbed onto the driver's side door and opened it. The driver was so shocked to see him his face remained that way even when Ajay shoved his kukri into his throat. Ajay then kicked the driver into the passenger, knocking both man and corpse out of the car. Ajay saw a pistol on the dashboard, grabbed it, and shot the two rebels in the back of the car. Ajay had killed four men in a moving vehicle in less than five seconds. All without slowing down.
"Dude!" Hurk called in excitement. "How did you—that was—I have no words." Hurk was literally speechless. Ajay just smirked.
He stepped on the gas and accelerated forward. Ajay passed the truck and went right toward the second escort vehicle. Ajay got right up to the rebels which finally made them take notice of him. Ajay shot the driver which caused the car to slow down and be pummeled and toppled by the truck behind it.
The remaining rebels in the truck opened fire on Ajay. Ajay pressed the brakes a little to slow down and get behind the truck. He stayed right behind them to prevent them from shooting him. There was a ladder on the side of the truck and he went for it.
Ajay jumped and grabbed it. He pulled himself up and carefully walked across the tank. When he made it to the end he dropped down into the driver's seat, stabbing the man in head. He then sliced off the passenger's hand when he aimed a gun on Ajay. Ajay then kicked both out of the truck.
"Hurk, I've got the truck."
"Nice man!"
"Can you lead me to that monster truck?"
"Sure thing man." Hurk's helicopter flew over and began leading Ajay to the way. "Follow me."
On the way there, Ajay's radio buzzed, but instead of Pagan or some other Royal Army ally, it was Amita.
"Ajay!" Amita seethed. "You just can't help, but be a nuisance."
"I could say the same about you." Ajay retorted.
"Fine, take the chemical truck. I just thought it would be easier to breach the Bridge with it, then just using brute force with our ultimate weapon. It doesn't matter. You won't be able to defeat the Ḍrāgana."
"Drag-what?"
"Ḍrāgana, it's the word dragon in our tongue. Fitting don't you think? An unstoppable beast capable of great destruction and total annihilation. It's a simple and crude creation, but the Golden Path has been working tirelessly to make sure it outmatches anything the Royal Army has."
"I'm sure it cost you an arm and a leg."
"And look how many arms and legs we got back."
"Shame it ends here. I'm going to slay that dragon."
"With what? You have a magical sword stowed somewhere in that knapsack of yours?" She asked sarcastically.
"No, but I do have a truck full of explosive chemicals going about fifty miles an hour toward that monstrosity of yours."
Amita finally realized what Ajay was doing. "Shit!"
"Oh yeah. Get ready, Amita. Your day's about to take a turn for the worse." Ajay cut the connection and kept driving on.
Amita must have sent Golden Path to stop him because he came across many rebels on the way. Some set up road blocks which he just ignored and crashed right into. In fact, that's just what he did. Ajay ignored every distraction that got in his way and just kept going.
"We're almost there Ajay! I can see the Dragon-thing up ahead." Hurk announced.
"Up ahead?"
"Yep."
"Shit!" Ajay made a sharp turn, veering off the path to his target.
"Ajay, where're ya going?"
"I can't just head straight toward it Hurk! Its fire power will destroy me before I can even get within twenty yards of it."
"Then . . . what do we do?"
"I . . . I'm not sure. You have a bird's eye view, can't you give me something?"
"Uuhhhh . . . . ."
Hurk looked around his area trying to see if there was a way to take the vehicle by surprise. He hurried too as the Ḍrāgana was getting closer to the King's Bridge. Then he saw it, his imagination working overtime as he thought of a plan so crazy it just might work.
"Ajay, you still got that wingsuit right?"
"Yeah?"
"How would you feel about going for another flight?"
Hurk told Ajay his plan and the Kyrati-American wanted to instantly shoot it down, but realized it might be the best option of getting close to take out Ḍrāgana, however dangerously stupid it was.
"Alright Hurk, let's do this."
Ajay floored the gas pedal and he accelerated up a mountain side. Ten minutes passed as he reached a certain point. The King's Bridge was only a few miles away. He was overlooking the main road that usually took people to the north.
As if on cue he saw the Ḍrāgana approaching, mowing down everything in its wake. Soldiers were cut down by bullets, burned to cinders by fire, or just completely destroyed by ordinance.
Ajay revved the engine of the truck, waiting for the right time. The hum reverberated through his body, his focus was sharp, and sweat fell down his face in anticipation and nervousness. Then finally when he estimated the position for the Ḍrāgana, the truck accelerated forward and drove right off the cliff.
Ajay quickly opened the car door. He stood outside the wind gushing through his hair at over twenty miles an hour and increasing by the second thanks to the laws of gravity. He jumped and soared and just seemed to wade through the air gracefully.
He got a good front seat. The truck kept falling and the Ḍrāgana, which was on alert, unwittingly kept moving forward. The crew inside the truck never knew what hit them.
Ajay saw the two trucks explode in a beautiful and horrific explosion. Orange fire and black smoke burst into the air and then changed into a variety of colors, namely green and purple, from the chemicals that were inside the falling truck. Then even more explosion rocked the area and increased the already huge explosions size. Probably from all the ammo and explosives stored in the Ḍrāgana.
Ajay smiled and when he looked up he saw Hurk's copter. He went straight for it and grabbed a hold of the cockpit door. He pulled himself inside and breathed a sigh of relief and excitement. The excitement won out and overpowered his mind. He screamed and laughed in victory. Ajay went over to Hurk and slapped the man's shoulder and back. Hurk laughed with him and even got a fist bump out of the usually stoic Ajay.
As soon as Ajay reported the destruction of the Ḍrāgana he could've sworn he heard sounds of cheering on the other end. Pagan himself let out a boisterous laughed and congratulated Ajay.
Ajay could practically feel the prideful smile on Pagan's face from where he was.
Baghadur
Noore stood on the precipice of her fortress looking down at all of her subordinates. No. Not her subordinates. Her most elite men. Her . . . Faithful.
She watched as they executed people. Royal Soldiers, Paul's men, civilians, basically anyone that got in her way. She saw men and women being gutted with blades. Some fed to starved or drugged animals. Some were just locked in cages and were being shipped to the Arena. But most people were tied to stakes and then burned alive.
Noore looked out into the distance. Smoke was rising into the sky from fires that she and her men started. Burn. Let it all burn.
Let them feel pain.
"Like I've felt pain. I want this whole country to feel my suffering."
"Noore!"
Noore turned her head to see Amita walk up to her.
"Withdraw your men. The Ḍrāgana has been destroyed." Amita said frustratingly.
"Very well."
Noore didn't much care. She had no idea what this "Ḍrāgana" was, only that it was the Golden Path's only trump card to take the north.
"Ajay destroyed it in the most unlikely way. He dropped a fucking truck on it."
Noore looked at Amita. She couldn't see the rebel leader's remaining eye only the black eyepatch. Despite losing a good chunk of her depth perception, the girl known as "The Tiger" did not lose the ability to aim and shoot a gun. If anything she had gotten better.
Amita had mostly stayed west of the battle. Using her Tiger Squad and her amazing sniper skills to pick off stragglers. Noore would have definitely had more prisoners if it weren't for Amita thinning out the herd.
"It doesn't matter." Noore said in genuine uncaring. "This war hasn't ended yet. Sooner or later, we'll all get what we deserve."
Amita turned her head to have her good eye look right at Noore. She raised an eyebrow. That was a very vague thing to say.
Ever since Amita and Sabal revealed the truth about her family, Noore had become . . . somewhat unhinged. To the point where it seemed like she was as mad as Pagan or even . . .
"Sabal failed to kill Ajay." She gave a combination of a scoff and chuckle. "He kept spouting how he would kill Ghale because Kyra and karma were on his side. Nonsense. He's grown cocky since given his so called "blessing.'"
Noore didn't say anything to that. She didn't worship Kyra and what use was karma to someone like her? She looked across the land and saw all the pain and suffering she was deliberately causing. She had no karma. She never did. The losing of her life, her family, and her morality was proof of that. What did she ever do to deserve all of this? Had she committed some great sin in a past life? It was the only explanation to her after she lost everything for no reason.
"It doesn't matter." She repeated. "Whatever force protects Ghale, divine or karmic, it will not save him from my wrath. It will not save Pagan Min from my wrath." She girt her teeth and growled like a tiger. "They and their allies will all die for the crimes committed against me." She sighed dreamily. "I can already hear the laughter of my children behind the screams of my burning enemies."
Amita took that moment to walk away. Noore had made her skin crawl with those comments. Truth was a dangerous thing. By revealing the truth to Noore, they had broken her mind even further then Pagan ever did. Though he did help significantly. Now the woman who was once known as "the Slave" was now being called . . .
"The Priestess of Pain"