Author's notes:

The poll so far in the DaisyXJason or LizaXJason is in ratio Daisy: Liza of 3:1 when the first to reach five is the decided choice. My choice is also in it, i vote Liza cause someone had to vote for the underdog.

(Update) - 12 Oct

Newly made poll can be found in my profile page. I'll check the highest by Chapter 38.

Also, you wanted a standoff between Jason and Ajay for a while now. I'm giving you a standoff right here.

The battle had already been going on for about ten minutes, at any rate the reinforcements from the nearby muster camp would arrive in full force from the SOS the stronghold dwellers sent. By that time, four hundred fighters had lost their lives and the remainder returned to the protection of the stronghold walls. Ajay had a surprise ready as the prepared to leave the stronghold compound.

The battalion had yet to sustain serious casualties, those that were hit were immediately medivac out of the area towards the King's Bridge barracks. The stronghold garrison were fully aware of this and it took a toll on their morale. Their only hope was to hold until reinforcements came to aid them in the defense against the Royal Army. What confused them was that the Royal army did not show any sign of besieging the walls and only skirmishing from afar with their heavy support of high-velocity infantry guns and mortars. There was also another element that agitated the garrison defenders, and that was the sniper that was slowly picking off their numbers. They still couldn't locate him, and when they did they had no choice but to contend with the Royal army.

Vengeance against the man who killed their commander without even facing him head on could not be done.

Ajay had placed the last of his C4 charges in a major piece of hardware that was necessary for the garrisons continued survival. The ammo cache, triage supply, armory, and motor pool had a charge hidden carefully near other explosive compounds to enhance the effect. He had done it right on time as the smoke of the mortar rounds started to dissipate.

Ajay ran through the area towards the intact well that was likely repaired. As he did, the Golden Path fighters started to recognize who he was from appearance.

"Enemy in the courtyard!"

"Shit! It's Badala!"

"Stop! Maim him if possible, we're mount him on the wall!"

All faces on the wall turned to the courtyard where he was. Ajay had been found out, he didn't waste a single second in running and gunning down a few in his way as he made his way to the well.

Gun fire laced the streets, in an attempt to hit him with potshots. He was almost to the well but unfortunately the suppression fire volume was too thick and he was stuck in between cover of some metal crates.

"Don't let him escape!"

"Third squad, follow me! We'll capture him!"

To them it was a golden opportunity that the perpetrator had presented himself to them. Capturing him would likely end the Golden Path's more prominent nightmare where thousands had failed before and one that did, had completely fucked it up.

"Badala to Commander, bomb the stronghold. I'm done inside!"

*Affirmative. Commencing barrage!*

He had only three seconds from when the howling bombs could be heard to when they would drop to dash towards the well and escape the artillery strike. Ajay positioned himself and waited.

The howling of the mortar rounds against the wind could be heard.

"Incoming!"

"Relax, it's just smoke again!"

"How would you know?! Get down!"

Ajay took this opportunity to make a mad dash for the remaining few metres there were to the well and dived into the well as the bombs dropped onto the compound killing those who thought it was smokescreen and only those under buildings and those taking cover survived.

(Splash) Ajay entered the water of the tunnel.

He got up again and pulled out the detonator.

"Good riddance." (Click)

(BOOBOBOBOBOBOOM)

From the outside, the stronghold of Varshakot was erupting into flames. All the defenders vaporized in an instant. Injured and unscathed initially all suffered the same fiery death and pressure from the explosive force that toppled Varshakot to the ground into nothingness.

The Battalion cheered for a small victory over a larger opponent, the Commander wore a worried expression as he had been aware of Ajay's incursion into the stronghold during the demolishing.

*Badala to Commander, pick off the remaining survivors.*

But his worries were for naught as the ever calm voice of the Vice-Lord replied to him.

"Yes, milord! What're you standing around for?! Button up! We've got to clear the remnants before their reinforcements come!" He ordered his forces through the radio and the Company that was with him.

Ajay immerged from the jetty onto the shore where the smoking wreck of what was once the mighty Varshakot was now leveled to the ground in rumble. Through the smoke where what was once the compound stood some Golden Path warriors that were unscathed but we too shell shocked to do anything, they stood stationary or walked about like zombies. The thought that they were the invulnerable pride of the Golden Path had been shattered. Day in and day out, younger Golden Path members that survived talked about their encounter and luck in encountering Badala. The old guard would rant about how weak they were to battle and that they were inexperienced.

If only they knew, the nightmare. Those that were left in Varshakot all thought that.

Ajay walked through the smoking rubble and gun down some that were in his sight, the Royal Army caught up and did the same. They never questioned Ajay's morality, they just did as ordered. For Ajay, he had made himself extremely clear in his broadcast. Not a single one would be left standing that wore the Golden Sash of the Golden Path movement.

The command vehicle drove up to meet with Ajay, the hatch popped open and out came the Battalion Commander and Anish who was one of his lieutenants. The walked up through the rubble to where Ajay was, standing in front of the last survivor of Varshakot's garrison force.

The man wore a madden smile as he curled up like a fetus, a look that said he would never recover from this event ever again for the rest of his mortal life.

Anish took out his sidearm to grant him euthanasia, but Ajay placed his hand upon his handgun as he walked out.

"He's already dead."

The man was giggling away with tears pouring out from his eye while still in his fetal position, Anish began to understand what he meant and holstered his pistol and walked off with him and his Commander.

"We're leaving, the force that's coming will be twice the size of the garrison today."

The Battalion Commander went off to his Command Vehicle to dispatch orders for their departure. Ajay followed Anish to his armed jeep, ready to leave the site.

"Where to?" Anish inquired as he was not informed on anything else besides the assault for security reasons.

"To meet a very important spook, Maya should have him in custody by now."

They had accomplished more than enough for today. By the time the reinforcements arrive which was any second now, they'd be left with Varshakot stronghold reduced to ground level. At this moment, the assault upon the Golden Path recruitment camp to their west was underway. The Royal Army in collaboration with the Tigers fought with the Camp's garrison as well as the nearby Banapur reserve that would come to support them.

Ajay had not been around to see it when the Old Guard forces of near Tirtha came to Varshakot. Only to find the entire fortress destroyed and all its garrison killed, except for one man. But even then it was hopeless to retrieve information on his account of what happened during the siege. The old guard fighter had lost his mind, his mentality reverted back to that of a child's. Sending a chilling message to the mix Golden Path fighters young and old, that no one was safe from Badala. They didn't have indication from the alert sent by the garrison that Badala was present but it was all too clear he had been there.

Ajay had broken the Golden Path Old Guards' pride.

The marines walked alongside the Condotierri whom watched over Fredrick's group while they devoted their entire attention to Willis. They were escorted by Maya who took the lead to a checkpoint where they would be picked up by Ajay and the 1st Hussar Battalion that participated in a hit-and-run op. Unbeknownst to them was the magnitude of Ajay's strike against the Golden Path veterans, he and the battalion decimated an entire regiment of old guard with little casualties of their own. Because the old guard had thoroughly underestimated him and the equipment they brought, they also ignored their younger generations' warnings. Maintaining an arrogant and conceit behavior as they expected was deserved to them.

"I hope you're proud of what you're all doing here." Willis said straight to David's face whom was facing the front and didn't bother to turn his head to answer.

"There is no pride nor shame in what I do."

"Really, kidnapping an intelligence agent and defecting to an enemy? What the fuck do you call that? I call it treason!"

"So ironic coming from you, a rogue agent that disobeyed simple orders to fulfil some unfinished grudge at the expense of our nation's integrity!"

"I did it for our country!"

"No…. You did it for yourself!"

"Fucking traitor! You're just like that sissy Lynch, pulling out on the first sign of trouble! If we keep pulling back from everything how the hell are we supposed to protect our own soil?!"

"This isn't the 80s, agent Huntley! We're done fighting the reds, this isn't about keeping communism at bay anymore like Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan. This is the twenty-first century! The only threats are terrorism and domestic violence." Willis snorted as he was being dragged in cuffs by the marines.

"Really? Is that what JSOC lets you think is happening? Why the hell do you think they sent me to Russia in the first place?! Me! A failed case officer the board ditched in the south pacific for nearly two decades! Somethings happening between us and the Russians again, I just wanted to make sure we had all the options to fall back upon should NATO or Pakistan be unable to hold them and the Chinese off!" Willis justified his entire reason for coming to Kyrat in one long sentence. David was not convinced, he still felt Willis did it as a way of getting back at Lynch and perhaps restoring the CIAs faith in his abilities. If the Russians were really going to war with them, they should have been making more allies instead of destabilizing them just to plunder their resources.

"You know very well that if you had just kept straight for Russia none of this would have happened! Like it or not, Kyrat was a closed case since your organization marooned you on Rook Island to begin with. Seems that twenty years wasn't enough time for you to figure that out!"

"Oh- on the contrary, David. It's made my resolve to finish what I started and where I got fucked over by that pussy Lynch, stronger!"

"Then let me summarize your resolve then shall we? Day 7 of your arrival you supplied military grade equipment from US armories to a terrorist organization in order to usurp the monarchy. This led to the deaths of over twenty-five hundred people because of your actions that forced the local authorities' hands. The more you give to them, the more lives get wasted for nothing!" It was making it clear to Willis his actions were causing the Golden Path to believe they had the strength to go on the offensive but they were just throwing their lives away against the Royal Army and against Badala.

David thought long and hard about the choice he was currently making, to put his trust in a total stranger. Yet his friend, Perkins came back from behind enemy lines unscathed. Badala had let him go without pressing any demands, he merely sent a message that he wished to cooperate in getting them to leave Kyrat just as much as they wanted. He was actually making serious compromise for them to capture Willis when he could simply end his life now with a call to Miss Maya. What the marines needed most was the documents to use as leverage against Lynch to fall in Badala's possession so that he could blackmail Lynch or send a copy of it back to the NSA to have them deal with Lynch.

"You made us kill innocent men and women to let a psychopath lead more to their demise!" It was the one thing David could never forgive Willis for.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh. I never ordered you to do it, I simply suggested… you killed them…. For your country."

For the first time in a long time, David flipped and reached out to punch Willis as hard as he could with bloodshot eyes. But Perkins held him back with some help from Stew, Maya came over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't indulge him, you won't have to see his face for the remainder of your stay in Kyrat. Mistress Yuma has reserved a cell just for him in Durgesh Prison. He'll fess when he feels like confessing, which I'll guarantee you won't be long."

"Hoho! Dave, let's trust the little lady just this once. If he's going to Durgesh Prison you won't have to worry for another second, that place is a 100% torture reliable….. at least from the stories I heard from Samson and the rest. Hell! I was nearly sent there if they hadn't intervened!" Perkins patted his shoulder a few times to lighten his mood.

"You are so fucked, old man!" Perkins went over to smirk at Willis who concealed his anger briefly.

David sighed to relief himself of unnecessary worry. What was he worried about? Willis was in their hands, soon to be tortured for information. It was only a matter of when would he give in and reveal the location, that was the Interrogators of Durgesh Prisons' job to handle.

David couldn't see a possibility of this turning south in any way conceivable. Everyone whom were his supposed allies were either busy protecting certain installations or dealing with the Royal Army raids upon crucial infrastructure for solidifying the Golden Path's presence in Pacchim Valley. BAdala had dispatched the former paratroopers turned mercenary and an Elite Royal Guard Captain to manage him.

"Keep your eyes peele-." Just as he was about to tell his marines to be on their guard, a knife hooked around his neck and pressed against his throat.

"Dave!" Perkins called out to which all eyes and rifles were pointed to them.

Both David and Jason.

"Drop it!" Jason called out to the marines who pointed their guns at his head, their visible laser pointers circled Jason's forehead to make it clear they meant to kill him. Jason wasn't about to test the marines' marksmanship anytime soon so he pressed the machete further against David's neck till blood trickled down.

"Jas' hell of a time to appear! Weren't you headed for Varshakot?"

"There was nothing left of that stronghold by the time I got there, then I heard you got captured cause you left the radio frequency on."

"Oh!"

Willis realized he did indeed leave it on by accident, but a fortunate one at that.

"Miss Maya take care of my men, you have Agent Huntley now- Urgh!" David knew this kid was trying to use him to trade for Willis but if that happened they'd be back at square one. If it was just his life it shouldn't be a problem, Badala would continue to accommodate his marines.

"Shut up!"

"Sarge, what do we do?" Stew was extremely nervous. Especially with the Condotierri having no attachment to David personally, they could make the call instead of them by shooting them both. But Maya raised her hand to stay their action and they watched over Fredrick and his group.

"I'm Captain Kadayat of Duchess Lau's Royal Guard Hunters, to whom am I speaking to?" Maya tried to be diplomatic about their standoff. Jason responded in kind.

"Jason Brody, no affiliation. You have my friend with you, I want him back."

"Do you even know what this bastard's done? Fucking tourist!" Perkins jabbed at him.

"I don't care, this whole civil war isn't my problem! I'm just here for my friends!"

"What the-…." Perkins and the marines looked to one another wondering if he was serious.

"Jason, don't believe anything they say! They're traitors- Arghh!" Perkins punched him extremely hard till his sunglasses popped off his face and blood ran from it.

"Alright Brody, I'm only gonna say this once. You are in violation of the Joint signatory framework. This man in our custody is a rogue agent of the CIA, your assistance to him earns you an instant treason against the United States. That's article three section three of the United States Constitution! Am I making myself clearer than crystal? So stand down." David explained.

Jason was starting to have doubts about what was really going on.

"You're putting your knife against a Marine, sonny. So I'd advise you to put it down and come quietly."

Jason looked confused now more than ever, he thought he'd seen that uniform somewhere before. It was the woodland green of the Marine Corps, what the hell was going on?

Willis said they renegade, they said he did too. But they were with that chick from the Royal Army, his friends were trapped within the grasp of their sovereign. It was clear who would help him get them out for him. He held the knife close against David once more to show his resolve.

Perkins sighed and took aim at David instead, David looked at him and smiled. He knew what he was about to do, and gave him his blessing. "Do it!"

Jason realized what his hostage was asking and knew he had no alternate solution but to break out of this dead lock. He kicked David into Perkins and Stew's arms as he fired upon the Marines holding Willis down. Two were hit and fell to the ground moaning.

Seeing the brat had broken their captors' line of sight to them, Fredrick and his group tackled the Condotierri and the whole place broke into a brawl. Willis took this opportunity to snatch the keys to his cuffs in possession of one of the marines escorting him and begun working on unlocking his restraints.

David wanted to deal with Willis while he was at it but he had other things to deal with such as Brody who swung his machete at him after he unloaded some shots from his handgun to pin down Perkins and Stew behind a tree.

David kicked up his rifle to block just as the blade reached his face, but the force of the hit pushed him to the ground on his buttocks. Much to his surprise as he was assuming someone of his physical statue not to possess that kind of strength yet he did.

"Watch Willis!" David called to the two pinned behind the tree initially while he dealt with Brody.

Perkins approached Willis and kicked him in the gut and took back the keys. Stew joined the Captain in fighting Brody. Drawing his Ka-Bar knife from his boot because he risked hitting David if he used his rifle.

"I see, you were working with Willis all along." David made the assumption Jason didn't really have any friends here, it was merely a feint. He was on Willis's payroll or at least owed the spook some serious favors.

David and Stew made coordinated attacks with their knives at Brody. Jason brought up his machete to deflect Stew's knife then David swung his knowing Jason couldn't deflect his, or so he thought as Jason used his handgun slide to deter the knife swing. He kicked Stew away and swung under the arm at David who backed away just barely and the knife sliced the fabric to his vest clean off showing how sharp the machete really was.

David's assessment of Brody changed significantly. He found it strange that this kid dressed like he was on vacation was boldly threatening over ten of them to hand Willis over. It wasn't a fool's errand, not with the kind of strength, the ferocity he had.

Jason kicked his knife away, turning him defenseless and was about to meet his maker as Jason thrusted the knife towards his heart. David wore Kevlar but unfortunately, that composite couldn't stop a knife stab despite it absorbing a bullet shot.

"Captain!" Maya fired her rifle in Brody's direction forcing him backwards away from David. David was experiencing many close calls with this Brody fellow, the Royal Guard Captain saved his skin after that close one. Brody shot the back at her and managed to knock the rifle out of her hand but the gun went dry after that. At this time Stew and Perkins converged upon Brody with their knives and engaged in place of David, Maya took out her kukri and joined them in a three on one. Even then, they didn't have the confidence in taking him down.

There was something different about this person from the rest they'd encountered so far, yet somehow all too familiar in his method and efficiency.

"Both of you take the side." Perkins made a quick glance to both Stew and Maya, they quickly nodded and moved in on the offensive.

Perkins went first attacking from the front as the rest attacked from either side. Jason parried his knife and rolled out of the way from the haymaker swings from Stew and brought up his machete in time just as Maya swung hers horizontal. Sparks cascaded off from the contact between the blades as Stew and Perkins recovered to attack him again. But no matter what they did, they couldn't push him back, only suppress him down and out of the fight taking place between the Condotierri and Fredrick's group whom made it clear they weren't intending to sit trial any longer. Perhaps they thought they could hook up with Willis and settle a deal with him. But at the moment they were preoccupied with the Condotierri whom beat them down with batons from their security days at the arsenal because Maya hadn't given them the kill order.

Jason realized that he had gotten himself into a deadlock with the three that were attacking him simultaneously and couldn't break out even if Willis had successfully escaped.

-It comes at times like this you should always rely on someone else.-

-Shut up.-

-At this rate, you'll end up on the floor just like that time with that warrior.- The other self of his laughed maniacally.

Jason really didn't want to feel it again, that sensation of killing, because he knew that if he started it, he would never break out of it ever again. He might be at risk of losing his life if he didn't accept him into his conscience yet would he be the same again after he did it to save himself and by extension his friends.

His arm was getting sore from parrying the swings and stabs of three professional soldiers this was the most stressful situation he'd been in since Buck, Vaas, Hoyt…. That Badala. The last was the worst time of all, it was the only time he'd lost to someone. Yet he didn't lose his life, and ran when chaos broke loose with his tail between his legs. There was that sense of shame that stalked him the entire way back on those fighters' backs, shame to his pride…

….. as a warrior.

Seeing this guard dropping due to some internal conflicting thoughts, Maya seized the opportunity to disable him with cuts to his leg.

...

...

-Let me in…-

…

…

(Clang) Maya swung her blade thinking it was too late for him to block, she was sadly mistaken as her kukri was parried right in front of her just as his back was to her as well. Maya felt the blade push strongly against her to a point it lifted her off her feet and sent her flying against a tree.

"Ahh!"

"Miss Maya!" Stew called out.

(Clang) Stew swung his knife again at the same time as Perkins, he managed to parry Perkins but had no other instrument to block Stew's knife as it went straight for his chest.

An iron grip clasped onto the steel tang of the knife instead, Stew nearly lost grip of his blade as he found a hand wrapped around the blade. Bleeding but still holding firm like a metal vice. Stew barely had time to think about it as Brody launched a kick to his knee and dislocated it. (Crack)

"Yeearrgghh!" Stew fell to the ground wailing in pain.

"Stew! Damnit!" Perkins was left alone against Brody with both of his companions disabled in a mere five seconds. That monster attacked Perkins with his machete, with Perkins deflecting those heavy blows as best as he could, but the strikes were uprooting him from the ground and his arm was numb from the pain. David watched in horror as Perkins engaged with that monstrous kid, he wanted to help him as much as possible but he was the only one watching Willis. All of their hard effort till today amounted to capturing him alive. His rifle was nowhere to be found and he was left with his knife in the boot like all the others.

He pressed Willis to the ground easily, the man was a non-combatant, he doubt he could even lift a stick against someone. And yet, Willis was responsible for more deaths than his entire units tally all together. That man was Himmler incarnate, he sure looked the part and acted as such.

Perkins was already on the ground parrying his blows aside till that Brody fellow kicked his knife aside and impaled his hand to the ground.

"Arrghhh!"

"Perkins! Fuck!" He gave up on Willis and dashed forward to save his friend, he had deeply regretted leaving him behind before and made it his mission not to repeat that mistake.

But his usefulness was just as much as one of them fighting against him. As a throwing knife stuck itself into his right arm and his grip on his bayonet dropped to the ground. But even then, David refused to give up as he dropkicked Brody, unfortunately the latter grabbed his leg and flung him effortlessly into his partner Perkins. "Offfh!"

"Haa!" Maya appeared behind Brody with the kukri in hand slashing down at him once more. But instead of parrying he grabbed her arm in midair and wrapped the other hand around her neck. He lifted her up throttling her.

"Urrgghhh…" The force of Brody's grip was chocking her till she could even mutter a word. She tried desperately to break his grip over her neck but with one hand it was almost as impossible as with the other that was held up by Brody.

In her struggle, Maya noticed a very queer expression that Brody wore unlike before.

Brody was smiling.

More like grinning to be exact, it was like this was all a game to him and he'd been toying with them for the last fifteen minutes. The marines weren't able to recover in time, Stew was the worst of them having his leg dislocated at the knee and Perkins impaled to the ground from his shoulder blade.

She was reaching the end of her tolerance without air and felt like blacking out.

-So that's it… he's exactly like Ajay….-

The thought of Ajay swam in her head for the last time, she felt regret for the way she spoke to him all this while. She was too quick to judge people, a bad habit she retrieved from Yuma's scrutinizing gaze and the general distrustful people she dealt with in the past such as the people who imprisoned her brother.

-Ajay…I'm sorry…-

A shadow appeared between Brody and Maya forcing him to release his grip on reflex to the bad things that were coming.

"You're finally here!" Brody said in an antagonizing yet playful manner, still wearing that sadistic smile of his.

Ajay responded with fury in his eyes as he swung his kukri at him.

Jason darted aside with ease to the strike that struck the tree behind him and forced splinters to fly everywhere from it. Ajay picked up Maya's fallen kukri to add to his own and went on the offensive against that foreign brat for the second time.

He was at the pick-up point with the escort party with Willis being late by five minutes, then he heard the gun fire in the distance and ran ahead of the battalion and Hurk and Alberto. What did he see? That American brat that interfered with his intervention at Baghadur, choking Maya to death.

He was also there when Kamala died, if he hadn't been there he wouldn't have had his back exposed to Sabal and his lowlife tactics.

-Taking another person I hold dear? You're seeking.….. DEATH!-

Ajay attacked him with his blade but every time he parried it aside and countered immediately. Ajay fell into shock from the difference in the movement this brat had with his last encounter where he was good but not this good.

But the thing that ticked him off the most was that irritating smile he wore on his face, he was just now strangling Maya with the same expression of satisfaction. Satisfaction…. Was the expression of Sabal's face when he executed him in the past, the look Paul had when he was at his death door the arena.

"Ah…"

Ajay could feel a warm familiar sensation welling inside of his body.

-NoNoNo! Stop! Not again!-

The infectious feeling was overpowering his sense of reason again, taking over his body and distributing euphoria throughout his blood. Ajay fought back to gain control of his consciousness, the feeling of losing control scared him the most. There were still people, still friends in the area he could unwittingly kill in a blood rage.

"Don't get distracted. It'll cost ya, esé!" For some reason he spoke in an unfamiliar Hispanic accent.

Ajay used the two kukri blades to hook the machete from chopping him in half, the force of the blow actually brought him to his knees. "Kuh!"

"Was it because I almost killed your woman, could it be? Could it be?" He said in a teasing manner.

It was at this moment something snapped in Ajay's control, the sensation rushed through and flooded his consciousness.

"…..dead…" He murmured.

"Mmm? You'll have to speak up if you want someone to hear ya?"

"I said…."

Ajay pushed his blades forward and actually flung him against the stump much to the current Brody's surprise, who thought that was all Ajay could do against him. It apparently not the case, Brody got up quickly to meet whatever threat was coming for him, now that his opponent was something he couldn't afford to not be serious about.

"YoU'rE DeAD!" The demon growled with hatred leaping towards him with his left arm raised back to spring forward in a horizontal slash.

Brody jumped out of the way on time as the blade grazed the hair off his head, but it was a small price to pay for carelessness compared to the tree that took the full force of his strike and actually collapsed to the side where it had been sliced in half.

The commotion made by Brody and the demon on the attack could not be ignored by those currently in a brawl or lying on the ground. The demon continued to chase Brody, giving him no time to recover. Brody raised his machete to block the blow he was about to receive, upon contact the sparks weren't the only one that flew. The force was enough to send him off his feet once more.

Brody had no choice but to recover and keep taking hits, it wouldn't be long before he'd take injuries and would fall into this demon's grasp as its current attitude guaranteed his slow death would be painful.

Brody picked up an assault carbine that David lost and fired at the demon.

He barely got off a salvo as the demon was already upon him closing the gap between them in a blink of an eye, the bullets impacted its torso with no change in its momentum. He was starting to have conflicting thoughts that he might have bit into more than he could chew. "Tsk! You're more difficult than I anticipated, Jas' woulda had a hard time with you. So I've got no choice but to represent!"

"You'Re DEad!" The demon roared in an unstable manner, grazing Brody's face with the kukri and causing blood to trickle.

Willis who saw this, Jason being pushed around by Badala felt himself in true danger from the situation and snuck pass David's watch while he and the rest were watching the one-sided spar.

He got up and dashed as fast as he two legs could carry him while Jason had them distracted. But he didn't account for the demon's vigilant gaze.

While holding Brody back with his kukri he raised his arm towards Willis who ran with his back to him.

(BAAM) The grapple gun on his gauntlet fired off and flew in the air like an arrow.

(SCHUCK) "AAaarrrhhhh! Fuck!" The hook pierced through Willis's thigh, causing him to collapse and grasp his thigh in pain. The demon depressed the trigger and reeled him towards it, much to his terror.

"Catch n' release! Motherfucker!" Brody swung to cut the monofilament wire but a kick to his gut sent him on his belly. The demon appeared before Willis who was too stun to move. The demon pressed his foot onto Willis's leg and a flash of steel parted it from the knee onwards.

Willis screamed in agony as the demon drew blood from him. His blood splattered across the demon's face, then a change happened as the demon reached out to wipe its face and gazed deeply at the blood upon it. It brought its hand towards its face to taste the blood and gorged itself into the sweet taste of his blood.

All those who saw had a chill running through their spines. It was animalistic.

It was just like that time in Shanath Arena.

This thought went through all of the Condotierri as they had been present to see him beat the arena on his own and come out of a mortal wound like nothing they had ever seen.

(BAAM) (BAAM)

The shots impacted the demon's protective vest and it sustained no injury.

"Oi! Who told you ta do your own thing, vampire boy!" Brody swung his machete onto the demon with his back turned, hoping to get rid of it while he still had the opportunity.

(CHINK) The sound wasn't that of the knife plunging into its flesh, neither was it that of it clashing with a blade….. But teeth clamped upon Brody's machete.

The demon caught his blade with its teeth.

Stabbing into his arm while the opportunity presented itself. "Arrghhhh! Oh fuck! Even after all that…..(Sigh)" Brody seemed resigned to his fate that was passed onto him and laughed sadly as the demon raised his arm to chop his head off.

(BABABABABAAM) The sound of automatic fire ripped through the air and out from the forest came the Golden Path warriors.

"There he is, protect Brody!" One called out to the rest as they converged. The marines picked up their rifles and joined the Condotierri in fighting back.

Brody had only a brief look at the demon's yellow irises and could tell he was playing with too strong a fire and dashed off into the forest. Three came to face the demon who held Brody by the neck as he stabbed him in the arm.

"You're dead, Badal- Arrghhh!" He had no chance to respond as the demon switched its target from Brody to the erratic Golden Path and severed the threes' lower bodies from their torsos.

Ok!-….. Ok!-… Fuck this I'm outta here!... Arghh! Fucking asshole!" Jason reverted back to his normal self, when he came to he ran to Willis and picked him up while the demon was distracted with the Golden Path that came to rescue him apparently.

"Come on!" "Urrghh!" He picked up the now one-legged Agent Huntley and ran towards Banapur under the cover of the Golden Path forces that appeared here for some reason.

"Shit! He's getting away!" Perkins said to David and Maya.

"We've got bigger problems!" David told him back as they fired upon the Golden Path warriors for their survival.

From afar, David spotted Grilles and his subordinates running to follow up with Brody and Willis.

"Fredrick!" He called out and the former turned around once and looked at him for a moment before running to catch up with the rest.

"Damn it!" Not only did he lose Willis but he lost control of his own men, Fredrick and those in his squad would most definitely join Willis as the only alternative to their predicament.

The push from the Golden Path was starting to get heavier as they managed to liberate Brody, the only person worthy of respect in the Golden Path since his assistance in the failed Baghadur assault reached every warriors' ears. By far he was the only person to contend with the Northern Demon.

That very person that had now turned its attention towards them and begun to feast upon them for their blood. A shadow leaped over the marines and Maya into the frontlines and started a massacre upon the Golden Path.

"It-.. It's Badala!"

"Arghh!"

"AAHHH!"

The demon brushed through the ranks like they were reeds with Kukri in hand. The grapple line and hook it used as a chain weapon as it twirled around in the air and shredded whoever was within the range of its spinning blade.

Blood splatted both the tree trunks in the forest as well as the demon who bathed in it, empowering it to kill further, faster and more.

"It's exactly like in Shanath!" Samson said as he was walking towards the marines and Maya. They had the luxury to regroup because what remained of the Golden Path force was fiercely trying to stay alive from the demon's rampage.

"What do you mean…..?"

"Miss Maya, you have to communicate with him or he won't come back!"

"I- I don't understand!"

"Neither do we but his rampage had something to do with you."

-With me? How in-….-

Saras did not hide what she saw that day in Shanath Arena from Maya, even though Ajay had told her not to disclose it. She spoke of something monstrous inside of him that he would lose control of in the event of extreme stress and pain. It was all summed up in a single word….

"Berserk….." She murmured.

She sprinted in the direction that the demon went. Perkins stood before her.

"Where are you going?"

"Get out of the way!"

"You crazy?! Did you see what he did?! Both of 'em are crazy!- Owww!" She kicked him in the leg as she ran pass him up the forest where the demon chased after Brody.

"I won't let you be consumed!"

"Come on! Come on! We have to leave, there's no telling how long our brothers can hold him off!" The Golden Path warrior informed Jason as he carried Willis with the help from Grilles whom seem to have joined them unexpectedly and helped them escape too.

"(Huff)… (Huff)…. I owe ya one Jas!" Willis said with great difficulty.

"Save it for later!"

"Ha! Diligent as ever, hey kid!... (Huff)… Fuck! He turned me into a handicap!" He looked at his stump of a leg that was left and still bleeding slightly even after the medical first aid being applied.

"Sir, on our six!" Grilles told them as he spotted a quick moving shadow zipped pass the tree line with inhuman speed.

"Shit! He's back!"

"Brothers! Hold him long enough for Jason Brody to escape! For the future of Kyrat! For Country!" The Golden Path commander howled to rally the escorts of Jason.

"Jason Brody, return to Banapur. Our brothers need you for the trials ahead, I leave them in your care!" He wished him well before turning with his men to face the demon.

Jason held a look of reluctance but he had no choice, he had to survive. Willis had to survive if he stood a chance at finding his friends and family.

"I'm sorry….."

Jason ran with Willis on his back to escape the forest with Fredrick's company in tow.

They weren't there to see it, the end result of the Golden Path forces that were under the command of the Field Commander whom survived the Baghadur assault, thanks to Jason. In their gratitude, they sacrificed their lives, hoping that this karma would be sufficient in preserving the Golden Paths future. They fought to the bitten and hopeless end only to die at the hands of the Northern demon that fell into a bloody rampage by the very man they saved.

From that day onwards, that particular forest held a prominent name in the Kyrati history and geographic documentations, because of the amount blood that stained the Birchwood trees.

That forested area became known as….

the Crimson Woods.