Throughout his thirty years of living, Sugun had never lived through much difficulty. Being born to the Chief of Royal Guard was a prestigious honor like no other, since the crib his fate had been set for greatness within Kyrat's high society.
His father flaunted over him and spoilt him for being the only heir to his bloodline, all he had to do was remember to uphold the honor of his clan. The people around him always stuck to him like glue, at first he thought it was because he was popular, later he realized it was because of his position as son of the Chief of Royal Guards, the position he was destined for.
Sugun often met with trouble, he had once raped a village girl who caught his eye. The charges were wavered and his father compensated the girl's family. He soon understood the power of his place as a higher caste.
Sugun lived his life in decadence knowing he would never be wronged. After coming of age and joining the Royal Guards as was rightfully in his bloodline to do so he immediately took up a high ranking position by his father's side to learn the ropes of commanding the highest authority next to King Min.
The feeling of power was great, he could order men to their deaths or someone to a higher position on a whim. Then one day in a Royal function, his eyes fell onto the daughter of that Stubborn Rhino Arjun in a velvet dress. Her long flowing auburn hair to her smooth well-endowed body and soft eyes made her the woman of his dreams. The Chief of Army's daughter was a beauty rarely seen in the courts or among the other high position families. He just had to have her, and for the first time in his life his father could not grant him his wish.
His world where everything belongs to him crumbled. The girl, Saraswati Roka was already betrothed to Mohan Ghale's son of the same age, a brat that wasn't even in the country as his mother had taken him away decades ago. But that old fool hung to his promise and Saraswati didn't oppose her father's wishes either.
-No I refuse to believe that! One day, I'll have her! If anything gets in my way I'll crush it!-
Sugun swore to himself quietly. Much later, Saraswati joined the military and Sugun's mouth hung. A lady of the house of Roka wanted to take up arms, perform the job of men?
She should have been waiting in the mansion for her husband to return and that was him! Sugun wanted to apply influence to her career to discourage her from continuing, unfortunately she didn't join the Royal Guards but those plebeians in the Royal army instead. Sugun pulled the hairs on his head, why was this woman so troublesome?
He calmed down as he realized that although she could not be a direct subordinate he could influence her people in the Royal Army with promises of a position amongst the Royal Guard. Something that all members in the military all coveted but was only decided from birth and family.
But Saraswati endured and countered his ploys with equal measure, soon she was at a high position next to her father. There wasn't much Sugun could do now, but force the factions against Arjun and apply pressure to his position in the Army as the Chief. That way there would be no one protecting her any longer.
But then, one day he intercepted a transmission from the King to his forces. Ajay Ghale was coming back, if he had returned then the possibility of having Saras would be almost impossible.
So Sugun did what he did best, pull strings. The Royal Guards King Min placed there to intercept him would kill him instead and blame it on the Golden Path, he paid his clan a hefty fee to get the job done. Little did he expect King Min himself would arrive there to personally pick him up. Sugun was almost at his wits end so he made the last final attempt, he leaked Ajay Ghale's location to the Golden Path hoping they would scurry to rescue the son of their founder. It failed again, Sugun screamed at the table smashing the items around it. He thought he had lost, but then there was an SOS sent by King Min's convoy. The Golden Path had ambushed it once more hoping to kill their liege but had failed as well. Then Sugun received the report that Ajay Ghale was officially MIA, joy returned to his heart. Did he get lost in the forest? For a city-dweller on his first trip to the wildlife of Kyrat anything could happen. Chances were, he was dead within five minutes of getting lost nothing made him happier although curiously Saras had never brought up the disappearance of her betroth. Sugun didn't care, if she wasn't interested in their union in the beginning, she was all his and nothing could change that.
That was until he came.
That masked bastard, Badala. Although King Min had never mentioned his appointment, the way he talked with him made it clear he was in the King's favor. It turned out he was the one who took the Stronghold Ratu Gadhi that the Golden Path attempted to use as their staging area to Northern Kyrat but also destroyed their expeditionary forces. If that was all he would have just been considered a passing star in the echelons but then he mounted that insane offensive against the second invasion, heavily supplied by Solomon and some outsider with advance weapons and equipment.
Again, Badala broke the invading forces of the Golden Path. Sugun heard that Saras had been involved in that attack, it worried him that she unnecessarily flung herself into combat when she could have relayed orders from the back. But what was truly worse was that they succeed, King Min awarded Badala a vice-lord position of a barren land but nonetheless a Vice-lord. Second to only King Min and Mistress Yuma. Badala ended the headache that plagued the war council for years in just weeks. The war council was talking only of him and how they hoped to become friends or help them in problems on small intensity conflicts at some regions. The Northern Demon was the name given to him by the people both in the Royal Army and the Golden Path alike. Both for the mask he wore and the terrifying ferocity he displayed at the airport where he went toe to toe with the Golden Path army with a mere hundred soldiers.
What infuriated Sugun the most wasn't the success of Badala but Saras discussing only of Badala in the war council, but worst of all he was helpless to stop it.
There were some in the same faction that shared his animosity for Badala, especially for his unknown origins. The only hint he gave was his American accent, could he have been in one of those US military colleges which explained his apparent competence in strategy?
Presently he heard he was building an Arsenal in the Valley of Death which was his domain. He also sent him a letter threatening him to give half his army's supplies and munitions over to Arjun's Army or he'll take action against him and Sugun believed he would.
One night, the King invited the war council over for a meal in his palace. The subject was of course on Badala. The King expressed his disappointment in the council for leaving it to his subject to do the job they should have done. And then he went on to mentioning how even if the Golden Path were weak as they were, it was impossible to get rid of them once and for all. That sparked a light in Sugun and his faction officers. The Golden Path no longer had the strength to fight and the Royal Guards had sustained no losses or lack of equipment even in light of Solomon's defection. All they had to do in restoring their prestige would be to kill or capture the Golden Path leaders and bring them before King Min. They would complete a task even Badala couldn't by ending this twenty year long civil war. After a brief discussion with his faction members they agreed Sugun should personally lead the assault for publicity sake so they could say he had led the forces in the field to victory.
"Sir, might I suggest we stay clear of the ground. We could risk weapons fire." His pilot advises him for the fifth time.
"From whom, the ground forces have all been dealt with…." Sugun chuckles.
The other two helicopters in their group went about depositing yet more troops in its compartment to reinforce the advance team that-…
"Where's the advance team?" Sugun had heard them say they secured that town and awaited his arrival so where were they?
*Ground teams, spread out! Take him down!* He heard the Royal Guard squad leader announce on his channel.
The Royal Guards which descended from their helicopters were preoccupied with a single individual which was hampering the efforts of the reinforcements of over fifty men on top of the seventy that landed on the first strike.
*Damn the gods! Why can't we kill him?!* The radio traffic was getting more frantic as Sugun could hear the men screaming one after another to an unknown assailant which he could see behind the smoke from the burning houses while up in the helicopter.
*Aaahhhh!* Finally it was the leader of the ground forces that screamed his last and the entire radio chatter went quiet.
"Ground team, report! Lieutenant, answer me!" Sugun growled at their silence.
*….Ahehehe!-…. So naïve, you thought you could actually beat the Golden Path by prancing straight into their home town?* A familiar mocking voice came from the radio belonging to his ground team commander.
"T-That voice-….Badala!" He could remember his voice anywhere, the one that belittled him in front of the war council and was in the midst of stealing his woman. But why was he here?
*Did you really think Pagan gave you that challenge because he wanted you to succeed? You were manipulated by him so easily, it seems you aren't competent enough to handle the Royal Guards.*
"Where are you?! And who are you calling incompetent?!" Sugun roared into the tiny microphone of his radio set.
The smoke cleared out and Sugun could see visibly on the roof of the building a man with an RPG. The man pressed his radio.
*You tested me when I told you to give up those supplies to the Army. Don't worry, everyone will always remember you for what you are…..* Those words on the radio matched the movement of his lips, Sugun realizes who it was.
Sugun stared in disbelief and horror, that person was none other than his rival. "Badala…."
Ajay shot the rocket at the helicopters cabin detonating the cabin fuel together with the rockets own deadly explosives. The helicopter exploded into a fiery wreck landing on the paddy fields, Sugun had perished in battle.
"A fool…" Ajay finished his sentence.
And just like that, that poorly planned assault by Sugun had failed with his death. Ajay jumped down from the roof that gave him the vantage point to shoot down the chopper. In front of him was the girl from before.
"Uh- I….." The girl stuttered as if asking something. "Ahhhhhh!" A scream could be heard from the burning house. Ajay held out the RPG to her.
"Eh?-…. What do you want me to do with this?" He dropped it into her hands as he rushed to the burning house which most likely held Bhadra. "Uh- Hey! Wait!"
The house was blazing from the front with no clear way inside. The reinforcements that Sabal gathered had arrived but were unsure of what to do with the burning house other than to call for some buckets of water.
If memory served him correctly there was a window in the back, he could climb into. Ajay ran to the back, thankfully the window had not caught fire yet. He vaulted over it into the second floor of the house, smoke filled the room with little air to breathe, he had to act fast. Jumping to the lower level he looked around and quickly spotted her lying unconscious on the floor. He picked her up and ran to door, using his back to smash through its loosening hinges.
Ajay tumbled through the opening while losing grip of Bhadra. As he recovered his shoulder was on fire and he quickly extinguished it. Looking up, Amita and Sabal had arrived to the screen as the fighters called them over.
Amita and Sabal immediately check on Bhadra.
-Your welcome!-
"The people need to see her. It'll comfort them." Sabal said oblivious to the traumatic experience the young girl just had, it instantly set off Amita's nerves.
"She's just a child, Sabal, and she's terrified! I'll take her home and then we'll worry about the people. Okay?" Sabal wasn't happy about what Amita said and felt she just said it to oppose his decision and pushed Amita aside. "Get out of the way." Amita didn't have the strength to contend with Sabal and was flung to the side in shock of Sabal's ruthless action. But he couldn't get close to Bhadra either way.
Ajay stood between him and a terrified Bhadra causing him to flinch at his defiance against a leader.
He had complicated thoughts about the person that just saved the life of Tarun Matara, he'd seen him before only just today.
"You're that new recruit, right? Thank you brother, you don't know how much saving her means to us!" He looked onto Ajay with gratitude. Ajay maintained his emotionless face to his obvious ploys to rope Ajay in.
As Sabal was preoccupied with Ajay, Amita went back to Bhadra's side but Bhadra went over to Ajay instead and hugged him. The fighters who were standing there were shocked just as much as Sabal and Amita were. "Thank You!" She said as she pressed her face against Ajay's torso.
Ajay smiled and tussled the hair on her head slightly. Before Amita pulled her back to her side.
"Brother, I would like to ask you, are you the one who did all of this?" The question that loomed over all of the fighters' heads as they entered the town and feared the worst but discovered the bodies of the Royal Guardsmen instead of the civilians. Ajay honestly didn't want to answer that question.
"It's true, he massacred the Royal Guards all on his own! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"He saved the town on his own!"
"It was unbelievable!"
Unfortunately, the civilians who saw him admitted for him.
"I can attest to him, he saved my life!" The girl from before came out of the crowd of civilians that gathered.
"You are….?"
"Kamala Malla, I was one of the guards here in Banapur. If he hadn't come by I would have had my virtue shamed by those Royal Guard bastards!"
Sabal tried to read her further but his gaze became intrusive as she tugged the jacket to cover her exposed skin. Sabal quickly looked away so as not to draw attention to his actions, he turned back to Ajay instead.
"So it was you, I can already tell you'll be a great asset to the Golden Path's cause brother."
-You mean a great asset to you.-
Sabal tried to reach a hand out to place on Ajay's shoulder, Ajay's every vibe was telling him he didn't want this bastard to touch him and he did the most unbelievable thing in response.
He slapped Sabal's hand away, Sabal and everyone around were left in a brief shock by what Ajay did which was unnecessary. But Sabal didn't dwell on it too long.
"I wonder if I've done something to offend you, brother?" He asked nicely and Ajay answered him with silence. Lines started to bulge on his forehead at this foot soldier's arrogant attitude.
"Sir, reports say that Sugun Hamal was personally leading the charge here!" A fighter came up running to where Sabal was.
"And where is he?"
"Dead, Sabal! We searched the wrecks of the helicopter wrecks and found a brooch attached to a singed corpse. It had the Royal Guard Captain insignia, it's him!"
Sabal turned back to Ajay.
"And you did that too?"
Ajay responded for the first time by pointing to Kamala. Everyone's gazes turned towards the young girl. Sabal saw the RPG in her hands and guessed it to be so.
"Kamala is it? You've done us all a great service. All of the Golden Path will know of your deeds!" Sabal proclaimed as he turned his attention to Kamala instead as the star of this raid. Ajay turned around and walked off into the distance. He passed Kamala who made a quick glance towards him for answers as to why he threw this credit at her. He gave her a wink and moved on to look for Hurk.
Sabal was content to know that the fighter knew when to leave just when he had it with him. He showered Kamala with praise and the crowd did the same as him, so easily swayed.
It became known to the Golden Path and Royal Army alike, the failed attempt by Chief Hamal's ambitious assault on the home town of the Golden Path and at the cost of his life.
Those in the Army knew it was a fool's errant. No intel on the immediate locations of the Golden Path leadership, no backup forces to provide an escape. Many thought he was trying to replicate the success of Lord Badala but lacked the necessary intellect to tell him it was one of the worse plans to ever be conceived by a military commander. His clan became the target of mockery and they barely got a body in return to cremate. His faction members were quick to deny their involvement to save themselves from the greatest humiliation yet in Kyrat.
The news quickly travelled around Kyrat that a young girl was responsible for this, Kamala had held out against the attack by the Royal Guards and survived. She used a rocket launcher to take down the helicopter that held Sugun. She quickly became a rising star in the Golden Path and was promoted to a sector leader and was posted to watch over the region around Banapur as her priority. Sabal censored the events that happened regarding the silent soldier named Soren who was the real culprit responsible for killing all of the Royal Guards in the town. In the hopes that he could perhaps use him as a trump card against the Royal army or even Amita's faction. But his first impression with him wasn't the best. The mute warrior didn't seem to hold favor for Sabal and he found it to be a danger to him, if Amita was thinking the same thing she might get her hands on someone who he really didn't want to mess with.
The new sector commander Kamala requested for him to join her almost immediately after he appointed her the position. Sabal supported the idea, perhaps if he was Kamala's subordinate he could manipulate him through her. A foreigner appeared claiming to be the friend of Soren and joined him in their new outfit with their new commander.
All of this intel was made clear to Ajay through Hurk who was a double agent for him with Sabal who Hurk offered to watch over Ajay's activities. For once, the loudmouthed monkey lover was useful for something. Perhaps he was the last person anyone would think of as a spy which made him the best choice for that particular trait.
Ajay patrolled the area around the lake off Banapur where the sacred burial grounds was, he sat on the grass covered slope looking down on the cremation grounds to take a break. There was a cremation going on and two bodies were burnt which the family members of these two dead people mourned for them.
"Paying respect to their families!" Ajay turned to the voice and found Bhadra standing next to him.
Ajay wanted to say something but his alias didn't allow it. Bhadra sat next to him and quietly watched the ritual come to an end.
"I wonder what life is like outside of Banapur, out of Southern Kyrat…."
"Maybe there is something else behind those mountains besides what Amita and the rest tell me about that place, Pagan's torture camps, military strongholds, prisons!" Ajay laughed at Bhadra for her lack of knowledge and she pouted at his mockery of her.
Ajay shook his head to tell her it wasn't so.
"Have you seen what it's like over there?" She asked curiously. Ajay nodded and it caused a brightness to flare in her eyes.
She began talking about all her theories about the North what her caretakers said and what might be. Not being able to talk was rather annoying, he wondered if actual mutes felt this way. But he didn't get held back by it, he took out his smartphone and began typing his thoughts for her to read.
-What have you been doing for the past sixteen years of your life?- Ajay typed for her.
"How did you know I was sixteen?" She smiled.
-Lucky guess.-
"It was a good estimate, as for what I've been doing…. I don't know… Ever since I was young I've always been told what I was told to do." She seemed to reflect on her life experience after Ajay asked her that question. Ajay typed in another.
-When did this Tarun Matara mantle fall upon you?-
Ajay wondered how did a person qualify to be Tarun Matara, how did his mother become one?
"It was given to me from birth, the head priest of the sacred Jalendu Temple had a prediction though some sort of ritual of the new borns of that year. Apparently it was me."
-What do you think about being given this title?-
"I don't know, for quite a while, I'm not sure what I wanted."
-So you don't mind this position?-
"You're pretty talkative for a mute!" She laughs, but ceases quickly after realizing it was very rude of her to laugh at his disability. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-… please don't think bad of me!" She begged.
-I won't.-
Bhadra's expression gladdened with Ajay's understanding. She stood up and held out her hand.
"I'm Bhadra, nice to meet you!" Ajay typed a few words before shaking her hand.
-Soren, resident mute.-
Bhadra chuckled at the fun he poked at his own disability.
"Soren, eh? It's a nice name!"
-Would you like to go to the North some day?-
"I'll eventually go there when Amita and Sabal figure out a way to get to the North again. Sabal wants me to ascend to becoming Tarun Matara, where as Amita says she'd break the Golden Path than to let that happen to me."
-What do you want to do?-
"Eh?... Mmmm…. I'm not sure."
-Perhaps what you lack is exposure. Sabal and Amita keep you here as a means to protect you from external influence but this prevents you from learning new things.-
Ajay gave his honest opinion.
"Perhaps. I wouldn't know. Maybe it would be greener on the other side!"
-That's up to your own interpretation, you're a sixteen year old girl, you can decide things for yourself.- Ajay encouraged her.
"Y-You think so?" She asked eager to know if she was allowed to.
Ajay was starting to feel that she was like some caged bird that had spent its entire life in a small cage, knowing only the things within but not outside. Those cunts, Amita and Sabal deliberately kept her like this to use her as their figure head when they ascended power, they were no different from his father.
-I do, people can tell you what to do but it's up to you to decide whether you want to follow it. You might disappoint people who had expectations of you in certain ways when doing so but at least you're liable to your own actions. You can't say someone else told me so I did it for long.-
"…..Thank you, Soren!" She exclaimed cheerfully and embraced him as thanks.
"Ah!- I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so forward with people-…." She felt embarrassed that she went and hugged a person she was unfamiliar with.
-Is that something you say to yourself or what others tell you not to do?-
Ajay didn't fault her but asked her if she did it because she wanted to or should she not do it because someone said it wasn't right.
"C-Can I hug you?" Ajay thought about why she said that as her answer.
-Not opposed to free hugs.-
"Huh!" She sits on the grass and hugs him happily again.
"Mmmm… I could get use to this-… I mean uh!- Not that I have ulterior motives behind hugging you-.. Ah!" As she stumbles to explain herself Ajay smiles and pulls her towards him and positions her in front of him so that he hugs her from her back.
Bhadra was shocked for a moment on what Ajay was trying to do and when in his embrace felt her cheeks warm up a little. But she did nothing to break out of his embrace and treasured to few moments she could have this feeling of closeness. No one had ever offered her an embrace, not since the passing of her parents. They didn't dare to even approach her due to her special status as an icon of a deity.
After a few minutes, Ajay typed again.
-You have a familiar air about you.-
"What do you mean?"
-It was like looking at myself years ago. If I was there then, I wish I could have lent that boy a hug. Thanks for granting a selfish wish of mine! -
He said years ago but he really meant his former life. At the end of the civil war he was left with nothing, no one. Alone in the Ghale Homestead watching the clouds drift by, until that fateful day Sabal came. Maybe Sabal did him a favor by putting him out of his misery, he was a really pathetic human being back then anyway.
She turned around and embraced him from the front.
"I don't know what life you lived but I'm glad you came through with it. Because I got to meet you, Soren!"
Her words touched his heart in a way he couldn't explain, he had longed to hear those words from someone. That his life wasn't meaningless.
-Seriously, what a pathetic person I am!-
Later Kamala came to find him at the sitting at by the lake, he had been long overdue for returning from his shift and she found him lounging in the grass. She had the mind to teach him a lesson, that was until she saw the Tarun Matara sitting with him and she was lost for words.
Ajay went back with Kamala but only after Bhadra made him promise to come back here to talk again, he turned to Kamala to throw this on her. She naturally couldn't refuse a request from Tarun Matara and agreed to let Ajay come by some time.
On the way back, Kamala questioned what he was doing with the young girl.
-That's up to you to decide.- He wrote in his smartphone.
"Hey! Aren't I your superior? Answer me!"
-My phone batteries low can't continue to write.- He switched off his phone.
"What's that supposed to mean?! Hey! Don't just say silent, speak damnit!- Oh! Right!" Kamala realized he had deliberately cut of communicating with her entirely, it bugged her that he could do this to his direct superior. So she tried to question him instead, but all Ajay did was reply with a blank stare.
"Arrrgghhh! Why did I pick such a troublesome fighter?!" Frustration got to her in the end. Ajay thoroughly enjoyed her agony. He also realized he was colder than usual with the absence of his jacket that was still on her persons. Why didn't she wear her own set of clothing?
-You sure are comfortable in my jacket, when can I have it back?- He indicated by pointing to his jacket and the expression he wore which was a smirk.
"Uh!-…It's not like I enjoy wearing it because it belongs to you!... Just give me a few days, I'll wash it and return it to you alright?" She asked with pleading eyes.
Ajay spent the next few days patrolling the same place, meeting with Bhadra for an afternoon conversation. Eating, sleeping. Practicing shooting skills with Hurk and gathering intel on the Golden Paths movement and current formation.
At present, they were a five thousand men strong unit with many more sub-groups supporting. As it was, Ajay's recent exploits had destroyed over half of their former strength leaving them relatively short manpower to defend their bases and sacred sites, not that the Royal Army was gonna attack those religious icons anyway.
It turned out that there was a vast majority of forces that swore allegiance to Mohan Ghale and were assigned to certain areas and did not recognize Amita or Sabal as the leader of the Golden Path. These 'old guard' stubbornly stayed in their locations with all their forces scattered awaiting to rally behind the legacy of Mohan Ghale, and that was Ajay.
This explained why the Golden Path could make such a gargantuan push to the North in his old timeline. With him at the front, the old Guard eagerly followed Sabal whom Ajay had put favor for.
As for Willis, there were reports of him on a mission in Paul's territories. What he was doing there wasn't made clear to him, either that or Hurk missed out of crucial details. As for Solomon, with the airport no longer theirs he was hard at work having a supply route established between India and Pakistan. He sourced weapons from there now and had them sent by caravan, he didn't have much of a choice now that the only airfield was taken back by the Royal Army. Although he heard a rumor of an airdrop in the area just off Chal Jama Monastery, likely Willis at work there.
Ajay was finding it difficult to know what the spook was up to even when he integrated himself among the Golden Path members. Was that guy operating on his own? He hoped his arsenal was ready for production for whatever the Golden Path would throw at them now. He knew nothing on Willis yet that may not be the same for the CIA agent. He was after all sent to clear out CIA assets in Yuma's rank of officers up in the mountains. Perhaps now, that Ajay's actions had made the CIA reassess their outlook on Kyrat with Willis's testimony.
"Soren?...Soren!" Ajay looked up at his commander.
"Were you listening to everything that I said?" Ajay shrugged his shoulders.
"Argh! We're retaking an outpost and rescuing hostages from said location."
Ajay tapped his watch.
"E.T.A five minutes! Look….. about that prowess you showed back in Banapur, please try to tone down on it. We're a team, let's work to together instead!" She said with a smile. Ajay felt she was a good commander despite her certain quirks, not depending solely on his monstrous ability but with everyone fighting. She should have been the one to leader the Golden Path instead, that way they wouldn't have wasted all the lives like they did.
Ajay smiled in response.
"Good, I'll be counting on you then, Soren! Watch over us." Ajay nodded.
As they arrived at the outside of the outpost behind a wall of trees that masked their approach. Ajay and Kamala stepped out of the vehicle to meet with three others that assembled in the thickets, one of them was Hurk.
"Where are the rest?" One of the fighters asked.
"It's just us." Kamala informed him.
"What?! They want us to take out an outpost and rescue all of the hostages, with just five people?!"
"That's insane! Who does Sabal think we are?" The other fighter complained.
-Was he counting on me to solve his problems, what a fucking asshole!-
"Things ain't looking pretty over there boss!" Hurk informed Kamala.
"What's the status of the outpost?" Kamala asked for an update.
"Twenty in the outpost, five hostages spread throughout the compound. Should be easy right?" At least Hurk was positive about it. Or was he gonna sit out on this one like almost every other time he was with Ajay?
"So what's the plan fearless leader?" The fighter asked sarcastically. Kamala slightly frowned but thought up her plan of attack.
Ajay tapped on his smartphone screen to type a suggestion.
-Break into two groups. Take both ends of the compound and silence the alarm first before engaging the rest, or alternatively stay stealth throughout the journey if you can.-
"Ah-…. That'll work! Alright, we'll go with Soren's plan then."
"What, is he now the leader because he makes the decisions?" The fighter was not agreeable to Ajay's suggestion.
In the end, he expected too much of typical Golden Path fighters to do such a simple job. He typed a message to the fighter and his companion.
-You're welcome to sit and wait.-
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
-Exactly what it means.-
"Why you!-."
"Enough! We're here to do a job, if you don't have anything constructive to contribute then I suggest you shut up!" Kamala warned him.
The fighter cursed under his breath.
-It seems they aren't up for it. I'll go myself, just babysit these losers." Ajay typed and showed it to Kamala before moving off on his own.
"H-Hey! Wait!-.." Kamala called out to him just as Hurk tugged at her jacket.
"Best not go, you'll only get in his way!" Hurk was smart enough to understand that. Kamala reluctantly watched the back of Ajay as he walked into the distance.
Ajay crept up on the outpost and took his camera out too recon the area. The numbers were now down to fifteen, five had boarded the only vehicles in the carpool and left for a patrol. He just needed to dispatch the fifteen before they returned and everything should be good.
As he was about to close in and hand touched his shoulder, on reaction he drew his kukri and placed it on the persons neck.
"Y-Yo! It's me!" Kamala had followed him instead of waiting with the three stooges. He motioned what was she doing here?
"And leave you to do all the work? Not a chance, what kind of commander will I be then?!"
Ajay laughed. "Hey! Why is that funny?!"
Ajay waved that it was ok, he tapped on his phone again.
-If there were more commanders like you on the front, maybe we wouldn't be at odds with the Royal Army now.-
"Ehehehe!" Kamala scratched her head shyly at Ajay's first compliment to her.
-Follow me and stay close. Watch my six.- Kamala nodded in response.
Ajay converged with Kamala on his tail. The first soldier to take a smoke break behind a building became his victim, but instead of killing him he struck him on the neck and placed him up right against the wall unconscious. Kamala was a little perplexed by the way he was handling this, as he did the same to another five and she knew she wasn't seeing things. They came up to a tied up hostage who was calling for help non-stop. Ajay raised his finger to his mouth and pointed to the hostage for Kamala. "You want me to unbind them?" Ajay nodded and disappeared outside to handle the rest. Kamala didn't have time to question him and went about to untie the hostage and escort him through the safe area they travelled through. Kamala returned to the compound looking carefully for the remaining two hostages. She moved stealthily as Ajay had shown her pass the group of guards who were yet to be taken out.
She untied the second one without problems and moved to the final one. The last one was in the building with a soldier walking over her unfortunately.
-Looks lie I'll have to take this one out myself.- She said to herself.
Silently creeping up on the guard who didn't seem to notice her presence with her family heirloom kukri in hand, she tried to stab him in the back while clasping his mouth to silence his yells.
Somehow the guard noticed when the hostage stared at Kamala for a period of time and turned just as she was almost upon him. The guard kicked her in the stomach launching her against the wooden walls. "Shit…." She quickly stood up to confront the guard who moved onto her with a machete in hand, yelling a cry as he swung the big knife at her. The knives clashed and formed sparks from their contact. Kamala was sure the noise she made with her failure would have attracted the rest of the guards' attention, she just hoped that Ajay was alright.
She continued to clash with the guard to quickly take him down but realized quickly that he was more than a match for her, he was a better knife fighter and was a lot stronger. She had really hit the bottom of her luck as the guard pushed her back in her footing and swung the kukri out of her grip from the heavy swing. The kukri impaled the wooden wall on the far end and left her defenseless for the moment. She reached for her sidearm not caring for stealth any longer but the guard was already upon her with his machete ready to impale her with. That was until Ajay tugged the guard backwards and he came crashing down on the table, had he been any second later the machete would have entered Kamala's chest. "Soren!"
Ajay was preoccupied with the last of the outpost guards. The guard swung his machete at him which he picked up the stump of the wooden table to catch the blade and yanked it from the guard's grip. He then tackled him to the ground and wrapped his leg around the guard's neck to choke him unconscious. The guard entered a long struggle to break free and was gasping for air, a few seconds passed and the guard too fell silent on the wooden floorboard.
Ajay got up and untied the last of the hostages, he typed.
-All guards neutralized. Your little stun nearly cost me.-
"Soren, I'm sorry!" She looked down as she had put him at risk because of her actions.
Looking at her depressed he didn't have the heart to condemn her.
-Help me load them on to the truck.-
"Uh- Ok!"
Ajay and Kamala dragged the unconscious guards to a truck that was half stopped on the road. Apparently the patrol returned earlier than expected, but to Ajay it proved little of a threat as he dispatched those inside as well.
"Wow! You really did it!" The fighters from their group came out of hiding.
"Hang on, why are you guys tossing them on the truck, why aren't they dead yet?" The more observant of the fighters pointed out.
"That's alright, we'll just finish them off now." The fighter pulled out his pistol and aimed it at one of the guards closest to him. Ajay grasped his pistol slide and pulled it out of his grip, he then glared at the fighter which caused him to stumble.
"W-What's your problem?"
"That is none of your concern, you didn't participate so why bother! Just go sit in a corner or something!" If there was one thing Kamala despised the most it was cowardice. They didn't want to get in a fight with the guards and they dared to kill one while he was helpless.
The fighter grumbled and walked aside as Kamala, the superior officer commanded.
After loading the guards onto the truck, Ajay placed one in the driver's seat and slapped him till he woke.
"Huh?..." The guard woke to the person that had knocked him out earlier and was startled. Ajay raised his smartphone for him to read.
-This base belongs to the Golden Path now. Your comrades are safely loaded in the back, head back to your HQ. Tell them, Badala sent you.- The guard widened his eyes as he saw the name he had written and looked at Ajay. He was about to say his name out loud when Ajay covered his mouth and typed again.
-Get out of here now!- And jumped off the truck. The guard didn't dally any longer and drove the truck with his comrades in the troop rear compartment off into the distance.
Kamala watched from the second floor where the outpost radio had been. She wondered why Ajay had done such a thing when he clearly had the power to kill them all in a much shorter time. Why did he spare them all and let them return home? She thought that if she had been one of the guards it would have been her lucky day if Ajay was the one taking the outpost. If only all fights could be like that, without bloodshed. That's when it hit her, Ajay was more compassionate than what most would think him for. Perhaps he slaughtered the Royal Guard because they were doing such a wicked thing as to pillage and raze Banapur. The Royal Army guards of the outpost were merely fulfilling their duty as soldiers.
Kamala changed her output on Ajay once more.
Night had fallen onto Kyrat the stars blanketing the sky shone brightly tonight, especially that one star that blinked rapidly as it moved across the sky. In the silence of the night, twenty parachutes opened in the calm wind, covering part of the night sky in a long row of rounded mushrooms.
Ajay's worst fears had come to Kyrat.
The Force Recon Marines had come to answer Willis Huntley's call for assistance.
