Author's Notes:
Exams are closer than i thought they would be, still 16th but imminent. time to study like mad at the last possible moment, hurray for uni life!
The moment Sabal stepped forward, it was taken as the start of the duel. Jeevan began his move by attempting to circle Sabal, the latter snorted and leaped over him and landed behind Jeevan in a single lunge. Jeevan was clear on one thing, and that was if he ever got hit even once by Sabal he'd sustain severe injury that could cost him his life.
Jeevan almost ducked instinctively as a knife passed over his head, and returned two slashes across Sabal's sturdy body. All that he achieved were grazes across Sabal's skin which healed instantly, but it was the place which he struck. The heels of Sabal, which caused him to drop unbalanced at the lost of his limb muscles. He followed with a heavy kick to Sabal's jaw, but it felt like kicking a brick wall and was pushed back.
"…"
Sabal's expression as full of complacency, this kid couldn't kill him, let alone harm him greviously enough. Maya grasped the grenade launcher in her possession tightly as she watched on. Although, Jeevan's face was void of emotion and full of focus.
Jeevan drew his pistol and peppered Sabal.
"Humph! So it was all talk about fighting in hand to hand and killing me as such."
"Does it matter how I kill you? You'll die however I chose to." He retorted calmly and he dodged Sabal's unskilled swings. He was fully aware of Sabal's herculean strength so to fight him on Sabal's terms was ubsurd to begin with.
He never parried his strikes, only dodging them. The only time that could be considered a parry was Jeevan actively striking Sabal's swing in a certain way to redirect his blow. From a viewer's perspective, Jeevan was being one-sidedly pushed around without anyway of fighting back and forced to evade to survive. After a few minutes of constant swinging, Sabal was getting frustrated and Jeevan wasn't running on renewable energy, but he had put this into account for his wager.
"You're getting annoying, just die already!" Sabal swung and Jeevan barrel rolled towards a sloppy ground with a 50-degree downslope incline.
Sabal, not used to fighting close combat before his change was oblivious to what Jeevan was doing, only assuming he was trying to make things difficult for him to kill him.
But Sabal soon recognised a change in their strikes as he delivered the first one. Jeevan successfully blocked a full-on attack from Sabal's blade, he might have struggled but he blocked it nonetheless. He was shocked to see this as was Maya. Previously in his fights to quell the unsatisfied Golden Path Commanders they delivered punches and kicks that hurt themselves, when he delivered a blow with his own limbs it resulted in a man's fractured limb.
"It was as I suspected, you don't have any combat experience. All this time, I watched you attack the Captain and was wondering why you hesitated in so many opportunities." The reason Sabal's strike could be blocked was because he had no good footing to support the full swing of his blade arm with the twist of his waist to add the usual unstoppable power. While his swing was strong without it, it wasn't unblockable like before.
The key difference in Jeevan to Ajay was his father's tutelage of the Royal Martial art. When his father taught Sugun in the past, he watched from the window and learnt the strokes faster than his dim-witted and abusive half-brother. At first, he thought it was redundant as did Sugun. And age where the gun ruled, was hardly the place to study martial arts unless you planned to make an earning through entertainment. Let alone a dying art whose successors could only be counted with the fingers on one's hands. But then he watched some of the playbacks from a GoPro that Hurk and Luca had recorded of Badala's fights. While his combat style was a mix of gun and knife, and was never a pause in his actions it showed the importance of having close combat at all times. Not every instant was a gun fight, especially in enclosed areas. Badala utilized a combination of terror tactics, melee was one of these. Because what people feared more than a gun pointed their way with probability of hit was a blade in the hands of a killer coming for them. They'd have to eventually be upon them to use it and when they were there was almost no opportunity to use the guns at point blank. Badala was feared by the Golden Path because he went where few would go which was in the midst of fire to chop down his enemies. It gave an aura of invincibility when so many fired at him yet none took him down. He only started to review those strokes when Ajay offered his help to cultivate him.
On the first days of Winter after he took him on a regime of rigourous climbing and running exercises to practice escaping from a tight spot before anything else. He was taught boxing, the theory was what Ajay wanted to pass on to him. So that he would have some precognitive advantage to the opponent's predictable moves in close combat and also streamline his actions. With Jeevan's tenacity, despite the bruises and black eyes from when he thought he would hit and received a counter punch from Ajay in the match he persevered. Ajay was adept in Western boxing and his movements were instinctive with lightning quick reactions, it made him wonder what he did before this. He studied the moves diligently, some how he knew that one day these traits would be his saving grace. Today might have been that day.
"You dirty lit-." Jeevan didn't give him the time to swear as he sweot his foot to knock Sabal off his footing. Despite his bodily toughness, he still weighted the same as a human being. Sabal fell like a falling tree with his face to the ground. (Puck)
But he levitated off the ground at the last second, much to his astounishment, but later wailed in pain.
Sabal had been impaled by a rifle bayonet still attached to the gun, Jeevan raised the pike towards Sabal so that his own speed would pierce himself. Sabal cried out in agonizing pain, trying to ply himself free but his weight was off the ground.
Jeevan stood up and approached him was a gleam in his eyes. He swung his blade with full force down at Sabal's exposed neck, as the latter was facing the floor but was unable to lift out of the bayonet that impaled him to the ground from his stomach.
The sound of metal striking flesh, like a butcher busy at his chopping board. Jeevan might not be strong enough to make deep impressions on Sabal's inhuman physique before, but if he repeatedly struck the same place no matter how tough it was, it would still come ondone.
Jeevan slashed downwards at Sabal like he was beheading a convict in a repeated fashion. His fifth slash could see the skin come apart without it quickly regenerating back. Jeevan increased his vigour to widen the gashing wound. He did it while wearing his ever-innocent look.
A deep fear welded up inside of Sabal as he watched this boy slowly tear him to bits. His entire opinion of the boy that was Badala's student had changed. He was just as frightening, but where Badala constantly spared him to humiliate him to the brink of death, this boy held no opinion of him. It was just as he said, a stepping stone for his future. Another demon.
Sabal shook about in fear, trying to break free from the bayonet despite the pain it was causing him from widening his wound.
"You little bastard!- AARRHH!" (Slice)
"Sorry? Couldn't hear you over this hatcheting." Jeevan responded as he increased his head chopping, the muscles on Sabal's back of his neck could be seen. While the skin was unreasonably tough, the same could not be said for the flesh. And so when a crescent appeared where his mouth was, Sabal panicked as he knew all it took was a thrust of a blade to end his life, not even recovery could save him from that.
As Jeevan clasped the knife in both hands and raised it above his head and thrusted down, The bayonet that impaled Sabal broke from his shaking and the rifle collapsed with him. Jeevan had missed his target.
He knew he missed his chance, so he jumped back and rejoined Maya who gave him a look of praise through her smile. "You did good, but now its up to all of us to kill this monster." She said as they turned to the reviving Sabal who wrenched the broken blade from his stomach and cried out in pain as the recovery stinged him.
He turned to Jeevan was a new profound hatred that overwashed his sole hate for Badala, he was no longer on his top list.
"What you did to me….. (Huff)…. I'll do to you A THOUSANDFOLD!" He roared angrily at him.
Jeevan clicked his tongue, in this situation his opponent should have gone down even if he were 'immortal'. Now they faced a dilemma of not having sufficient firepower or reinforcements to weaken him again to subdue him.
Sabal turned to Maya.
"You just wait there. I'll be with y-(Bamm)" An invisible force struck Sabal off his feet and burnt his entire front torso from the impact. Sabal got up like a walking dead, the point of impact revealed a small gap in his body.
(Bamm) (Bamm) (Bamm) Three more of that weird sounding shots resounded with the immediate detonation of a powerful force that ripped apart Sabal's flesh and skin from the shot. The origin of the shot came from none other than Perkins. Who had long acquired the sabot gun from Dane, which had retreated to the safety of his group.
"You CUR!-(Bamm)."
Sabal was pushed back in the fashion of the 'liquid-metal killer robot' as his healing tried its hardest to keep up with the significant damage. Each shot widened a hole in Sabal's chest cavity, and it was obvious the rail gun had more power than even an anti-material .50 cal rifle loaded in armored piercing incendiary. It was at this point that Jeevan saw and opportunity to finally put him out of his misery. He clasped his two knives and ran up to a disorientated Sabal who just had his front blown by a godly weapon. Seeing him more in, Perkins conserved the last few shots. Seeing him come towards him, Sabal painfully swung his blade but was too slow as Jeevan dodged twirling the knives in his hands. Using his hips to twist, he thrusted the knives into the soft flesh of Sabal who cried out once more as the elements that struck him were now permanently in him and creating a wider gap which he should have died from in an instant if he were normal.
Jeevan wrapped his hands around the handles and pushed and twisted which added to the cries of agony from Sabal. But frowned when he noticed the wound was already healing itself around his pair of blades.
A grin appeared at the corner of his mouth as he dug the wound wider and reached into his pocket. What came out was a hand grenade which he immediately pinned the pin and slammed his fist holding it into the wound of Sabal.
"AAAHHHHH! You-….. YOU!- nnnnrrghh!" Sabal cried out from a foreign object entering him instead of the other way around.
Jeevan just thought of that when he did so and chuckled internally. Sabal kicked him away as he was causing him such dread. By the time he did, Sabal was already up with the wound almost healed completely, but with an unfamiliar object in his body. Jeevan got up and hit the deck like the rest as the explosion would be imminent.
(BOOM) The explosion rattled the narrow canyon and a huge smoke cloud plummed from the dirt being kicked up. The cloud engulfed the firefight going down between the CNS operatives and the Marines. Seeing this, Dominic took full advantage of the smokescreen and ordered a retreat of his doven remaining men. They came with twenty, full-on professional soldiers, equipped with the latest tech that hadn't even hit public and yet they couldn't even break pass three jarheads. Dominic recalled their faces, he would remember them all and when the time was right. Erase them and that stain in their portfolio.
"Ceasefire." David knew they had the intentions of leaving so their was no point in wasting rounds.
The immediate area was painted in red mist. Jeevan got up to look at the aftermath. (Plop)
A severed head fell right in front of him, Sabal's head which captured the moment of agony, disbelief and hatred in one expression.
The rest recovered from the concussion of the grenade in an enclosed area, and gathered at the head.
"Wow….. you did this?" Stew asked the boy.
"Of course, he fucking did!" Perkins came over and slapped Jeevan on the back. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you.. my Boomstick!" Perkins happily raised his newly acquired 'sabot gun' in the air like Ash of evil dead.
As he did, he met the deadpan eyes of Maya gazing back at him in silence. Perkin looked awkward at first but still no response came back, he began to sweat as her gaze intensified.
Perkins heart broke as he held out the rifle to Maya. A smile planted on her face.
"Why thank you, Sergeant." As she took the weapon off Perkin's hands. But her intentions were to inspect it, it was nothing like anything she'd ever seen, perhaps anyone else would see in at least a decade.
The rest gathered and went over to assist the injuries of the Condotierri who were still groaning after their encounter with the late-Sabal.
As for the 'Sabot gun', it was hefty even for someone like her. About the size of a long rifle, the entire length of the barrel extension was comprised of vents for the rails and superconductors which she guested were made out of a metallic hydrogen material giving it unpresidented power output.
The word sabot came from the ammunition, a kinetic energy penetrator made out of dense material such as tungsten-carbide. There were no propellent in the bullet cases because it was propelled by the electromagnetic current. She witnessed it smash the cliff into smithereens when they deployed it as a counter sniping weapon on Hurk. He was incredibly lucky to escape it too.
The sound of propellers could be heard from the distance.
"Coming from the east…. There!" Jeevan pointed to the shadow approaching them from the distance. The silhouette came closer until Jeevan could make out the figure to be-.
"Teacher?!"
It was who he said it was, Ajay. And sitting behind was with shaky legs and sickness from flying unusually high was Amita.
(Rustle) Hurk came busting through the forest greens with his rifle raised in an aggressive stance. But was greeted with zero hostility much to his dismay as he was expecting a firefight with the Mercenaries, Jason and the returned Sabal on the advantage.
"D- Did you deal with them already?" He was still having doubts about them facing off with one of the most dangerous people he knew and the new arrivals that gave him a bad vibe.
Jeevan raised her head of the now dead Sabal by the hairs, Hurk stared shock. But he didn't have the time to mouth his disbelief as the chopping sound of the buzzer deafened everything.
The watched at Ajay landed the buzzer and came out. He walked towards them with his armor so tattered and battered it was almost as if he fought for days, the fabrics were dyed in red and recked of strong bloodshed that almost blotted out their smell. They could only imagine what kind of battle was raging on at Lanka, and how many bodies he waddled through to get here. Which raised the question, why was he here of all times.
"Status." Was his first response.
"Nnn…. Seven injured including myself. The rest fine." Samson said with great difficulty as he was propped up by Ricardo.
"You ok?" Maya quietly when she neared him and found the reck of death about him that was keeping most of the men and women away from him, curiously Amita didn't seem that affected.
"I'm fine, what about yourself?"
"Sabal was giving us a hard time." She knew by saying that he would have plenty of questions. The response Ajay gave was within her predictions as she saw his eyes widen.
Ajay turned his gaze towards Jeevan who held the head of the person of his initial worries. He breathed a sigh of relief that nothing serious happened. Maya gave a short summary to him of what happened. His eyebrows raised at the description of events. What concerned her the most was Sabal who was definitely reported dead when Ajay killed him at the Bridge. Yet here he was with an unnatural power and insane recovery.
"Ajay, this-." She whispered but Ajay cut her off.
"I'll explain later and get the rest of the story and accounting from you. Right now, Golden Path is in the retreat but it doesn't end there."
"What?! Golden Path retreating?" Ricardo voiced his shock, how did a force of over thrity thousand just up and leave, without even the thought of maintaining the siege on the fortress?
"The Devas I broke, so naturally the rest of the pyramid comes crashing down." They were due and explanation but there was little time.
"We've little time to waste, I'll explain later. In the meantime, Ricardo, take Samson and the rest back to Lanka for immediate treatment, your old friend isn't awake anymore."
"Huh?- Oh." Ricardo found Samson had fainted from the increased pain and bloodloss. A set of keys to the Buzzer came his way which he caught.
"Can you fly stick?"
"I can. Thank you." Ricardo nodded and immediately helped Samson onto a stretcher he attached to the back of the mini-helicopter. Emilio and Luca joined in as their injuries were not light, the buzzer would have to make several trips, but it wasn't far from Lankas medical centre. Stella, Alberto and Hurk remained.
Ajay turned to the Marines and Captain Goh.
"You marines up for part two?" He asked with a fearless grin.
"Of course, count us in!" David responded with satisfaction, they had a good figh with the operatives and were on high morale.
"I just got off the phone with Sandesh, the splinter force has been routed. Apparently, the failure of the main force has reached them as well." Maya said as she put down the direct line with the brigade.
"Which is why we can't stop until Golden Path has been pushed out of Tirtha and Vyatha. Yuma's three reserve regiments have already mobilized to take Shanath. QRF 5th and 6th Battalion are on the move to kill the stragglers at Delta."
"So what will we be doing, looks like everything's pretty much been covered." Perkins asked.
"True, but now comes the part which brings us closer to finding Willis." David immediately understood what was their mission now. He had been in briefings with the General and the intelligence officials that were sourcing Willis's location to cut off the Golden Paths most critical supplier of arms. It was Agent Huntley's authority as a CIA case officer that allowed these requisitions to be placed. Why that damn agent wouldn't turn and leave despite their worsening odds was beyond them. Willis wasn't Lynch, and that was what made him an exceptional operative.
"We're going to Sleeping Saints. The objective is Solomon Khoo." Ajay answered their suspicions.
The marines looked glad that Ajay was doing his best despite the time to abide by their agreement. At a time like this when the Golden Path had too much at hand to worry about reinforcing the Sleeping Saints weapons cache
"You sure? Looks to me like you're in rough shape to continue." Hurk was concerned, he could see that the Battle at Lanka was not as 'easy' as what they were doing over here.
"I've been through worse, this is hardly even near that." Ajay responded cooly, to brush off Hurk's concern that wasn't necessary.
"Let's head for the road, there's bound to be a vehicle we can take to Sleeping saints' statues. Sound like a plan?" Stella suggested their mode of transport now that the buzzer was no longer an option, not that it could fit ten people either way.
"We'll do it your way then." Ajay faced Amita, the only one whom might not necessarily have anything to do here.
"What will you do then?"
"My people need me, and Delta barrack might need help evacuating the wounded. I'll do my best to stabilize the situation there." She proposed to cover for Maya whom executively commanded the Brigade that defended Baghadur. Her people would be more than glad to assist them, they had defended them as the first line of defense against an unfathomable force that had the potential to storm the stronghold with little effort as most of the Tigers were in Lanka.
"Alright, I'll entrust you then. Tell Captain Sandesh I sent you to take charge. If he asks for clarification then tell him we first met when he extracted me from the Himalayas."
Amita nodded and headed in the direction of the barracks which wasn't far from their current location. "Stay safe." Ajay nodded in response.
Ajay looked back at Jeevan as they made their way to the main road to find a vehicle. "Teacher?" He noticed his teacher wanted to say something. The rest had already went ahead.
Ajay could see Sabal's head still in his hand, Jeevan unconsciously dropped the head embarrassed that he scratched his head.
"Head back with Ricardo and the rest, I promised your sister you wouldn't put yourself in harms way. You've done more than enough. Your father can raise his head up high."
"Mm. Yes, teacher." Jeevan walked towards the rest of the Condotierri to await pickup.
"Jeevan." Ajay called out to which he immediately responded. "Yes?"
"You've also done me proud." He simply replied.
"Uh-…" Jeevan couldn't believe what he just heard. Ajay had commended him for the first time.
"Thank you, teacher!" He said excited as he ran along to catch up with the rest, staying was already quite embarrassing for him.
Ajay was left alone, except with the head of Sabal lying just next to him. He stared at the head for some time, the expression of refusal to accept his fate could still be seen. In his last moments that was the face he chose to wear till the end. Ajay was beginning to find Sabal beyond saving, he was incorrigible and it was a grace he was dead for the last time. Curiously this time, it was someone else who had saved him the trouble of getting rid of this weasel.
A smile appeared on the corner of Ajay's mouth. "So you couldn't believe it too, eh?" He said to the head.
Despite not being there to see his demise, Ajay knew in his heart that Sabal was definitely brought back the same way his father was. That same power bestowed inhuman strength upon the Devas as well. At present, all Ajay had was himself, his wit and demonic abilities to counter them. But what did Jeevan have? His cunning and his indomitable will, faith in his own abilities that Ajay helped hone and courage to climb difficult obstacles in life. It was like David triumphing over Goliath except in the biblical sense, the future Hebrew King had God's blessing. Ajay was beginning to feel that his quest for individuals that would protect Kyrat weren't as hard as he imagined. But there was only so much three such people could do against countless odds and a hidden power that could warp the very fabric of reality. He could only hope that more would pop out near him.
Ajay left the place to catch up with the party as they made their trip towards storming Sleeping Saints. He had it all figured out, they take a supply truck and sneak in. The Golden Path supply groups would be too bothered with sending out their munition supplies than check for security. It was a very predictable pattern relative to their organisation.
The head was left to its lonesome. But what Ajay and the rest didn't notice was that despite the blood that no longer flowed through it, the light within its eyes hadn't extinguished. It blazed with increased hatred than it did when attached to a body. But now its hatred wasn't exclusive to Badala, but the young aspirant named Jeevan Hamal, the demon's apprentice. The boy responsible for his utter humiliation despite his overwhelming advantage and immortal body.
Jeevan Hamal. The site which Sabal once stood before the grenade detonated within him and splattered all over was dyed in red and wet paste. That wet mess slowly and unnaturally moved towards the head like metal grains attracted by a powerful magnet. It was almost impossible to notice from the speed but it was happening.
How was this possible? Where Bhishma was severed, he never reformed. Because Bhishma, at the last moments before his death by severing had been in utter fear of the monster that tortured him for six minutes. But Sabal was different, his destiny was linked with Jeevan. While he was no match for the demon himself the same could not be said for Jeevan who he had been careless with. Jeevan was now the name of his eternal nemesis, that so long as he stood, the man that was once Sabal would never rest in peace. Even if he were to crawl out of the grave, incomplete he would do so. For there was nothing he wanted more than to destroy him for ruining what Sabal held dear.
His pride. His will, his fury burned ever so brightly.
The lumps of flesh and blood flowed to reform into a grotesque pile of flesh. Slowly but surely, the Golden Paths answer to the Demon of Lanka and his retinue that the witch had crafted would return.
Stronger than ever.
The weapons caches at the base of the Sleeping Saints site when moving with speeds that they had not moved since they established themselves as the central distributer of arms and munitions to the Golden Path bases at Banapur, Tirtha, Vyatha and the training camp.
When the news that the Golden Path main force had lost reached them through the secure channels, they were churning together all the ammo and weapons to load onto the five-ton trucks parked outside. They knew that whatever was to happen, their retreating brothers and sisters needed all the back up they could get. Their munitions could not afford to be cut off.
"The Royal Guard are chasing them back!" The comms dispatch informed the stationed quartermasters and Solomon of the latest development. The Golden Path porters were already frantic at the news. What should have been the day of liberation ended up as the most spectacular defeat, one that elipsed all others.
In their minds, Badala's words from that time rung clearly in their psyche that they shuddered.
"Mohan Ghale's return changes nothing…" A quartermaster murmured but was heard by his colleagues.
Some of them were originally from the Uttar region and though they joined to fight the Royal Army were sent to the auxiliary units to support the combat groups. They regretted their impulse to take up arms against the Royal Army and most of all, against the demon. The one who gave them provisions and clothing to live out the winter but yet lke witless fools, they joined the Golden Path because they thought it would prove they were something more. Now they couldn't return to their family homes, for in the eyes of the Royal Army and to an extent their own families they were nothing more than traitors.
Seated comfortably on a rested chair at the top of the chiselled-out shelter that stood behind the two sleeping saints. Solomon sighed as he took a swig of his favorite chardonnay, an influence Pagan imparted upon him with his first breakthrough in success. An old bottle that the old man treasured yet opened it to celebrate.
"Tsk!" He shook those unpleasant memories away, that was a Pagan long dead to him. He laughed at the irony on the day he heard that Yuma was to be the Queen consort. She had been the one who said Pagan was no longer who he was and yet she stayed and did this, she was an even bigger hypocrite. Why he did this wasn't merely because of Pagan, but rather his teachings.
The strong devour the weak. It was the unwritten rule of earth, the weak were always wrong in the face of the strong. And Solomon understood this, Pagan had after all usurped his father, Gang Min of his criminal empire, disposed of all his successors and mistresses and cemented himself as the 'Dai lo' of the Min Family.
Even if he wasn't the same person anymore, his will was still around to be carried out. And Solomon would do as such. Even if it meant destroying the hollow shell of the man and his own family members.
"(Sigh)." Solomon got up from the chair with not the glass but the bottle of red wine and drank it as he rested his hand upon one of the columns as he looked down below at the scurrying porters and quartermasters. It was clear that things weren't turning out the way he expected them to, not since Pagan brought that boy they still had no lock on who he was. Not even Willis's CIA computer analysts could give him a name. Badala popped out from thin air. From the way he fought, he could tell he was generally resourceful with what he had. Even when the odds didn't favour him at all, he possessed a battle instinct that almost exceeded that of any other abnormal he'd come across before such as Jason Brody. As much as he initially hated Jason for ruining his business with Hoyt he did open his eyes to the truth, Pagan's truth.
Solomon held out the bottle over the ledge and dropped it down below, it cracked just next to a porter who cursed and sweared that he was nearly killed by him. Not that Solomon gave a damn anyway.
He noticed a truck that was going into the site which was not some thing that was usually done around here as they were made to wait outside for the porters to carry the supplies to be loaded. That was so there was no congestion in the narrow pass up to the site. A few quartermasters came up to tell them to get back out of area and wait.
(Bang) (Babababaam) Auto fire tore them down where they stood.
The shots got everyones' attention as they turned towards the parked truck which had its passengers alighting. But they weren't friendly, the shots confirmed it.
It was then that out of the passenger seat of the truck came out the devil which was the talk of the site.
"B-Badala! It's the demon!" Someone shouted, hoping that the alarms would be pressed and anyone that was armed would apprehend him. But the thoughts that was on everyones mind was to get out.
Badala advanced with men and women in the Royal Guard uniforms and US spec ops camo.
Solomon watched these events unfold with utter shock. Amongst the strike team that raided them were even familiar faces that Solomon recognised better than most. Half belonged to the Force Recon Marines and their officer whom Willis stranded. The other half were more like old acquiantances. They were part of his mercenary force ages ago.
While they spread out to kill off all those that came to them armed and the rest fled with haste, Badala walked up the steps towards him calmly and without concern.
He looked up and that was when their eyes met. In that instance, he knew that Badala had come all this way for him.
Solomon ran towards the temporary office he set up in the temple site and reached out for the remote. He pressed it and sent a signal to the many animal cages he'd prepared for any unwelcomed intrusion. Mostly comprising of big cats but also of a few very expensive to procure Bears that had been drugged for aggressive behaviour. The animals had free reign of the site but began hunting the Golden Path that were in larger quantities through the maze of ammo crates and weapons.
Badala noticed his actions and unslung his bow and strung an arrow, he downed the animals that got in his way or were on the verge of mauling his own men. The arrows flew with such force that it pierced through the animals cleanly but delivered a massive force onto their wound that killed them. Solomon could tell that the bow had an unbelievably high torque, one that made even a bullet proof vest redundant.
Solomon picked up his radio and dialled in the secure channel.
"Willis! I'm being attacked by Badala! Have Lynch send help!"
*…Yah- I'm gonna stop you right there, see I am not in the position to make demands from Mohan or Lynch at this time. Not that those two would provide me with anything despite personal protection.*
"Then come and help me!" He responded angrily that Willis wasted time telling him this.
*That's a no go from me, you're asking a one-legged man with insufficient combat prowess to deter Bad's of all people to travel half the region to save your unprepped ass.* Willis denied him of help in an instant.
"Willis, you!-." Solomon wanted to burst into flames from the intolerance he had for Willis. After all that assistance and help he provided.
"Do you not know the word honor among thieves, you shameless bastard?!"
*Humph! And don't you know the wise words of uncle sam, chose your friends wisely?* Willis snorted and retorted to him. Solomon was astounded by the shamelessness of the fat bastard. No wonder he always worked alone, no wonder Lynch was lucky enough to dump him in that cesspit Rook Island and still return. Whoever worked with this son of a bitch was doomed to be fucked over somehow.
*I did enjoy the times with you. Try saving yourself the pain and blow yourself up with the demon. I'll be seeing you in hell soon, ciao. (static)* Willis changed the channel and ended his last conversation with Solomon.
The radio fell from his hand and onto the ground with a clatter as Solomon stared blankly at the back of the statues from the seat of his office.
The sound of roars and growls died down as the animals were subdued by Badala and his men.
Solomon's eye wandered to the last remote that lay on his desk, one last contingency he prepared in case the Golden path were the ones who decided to fuck him over which he didn't think would happen but was harmless to prepare for.
He snatched up the remote and stormed out to face the demon himself.
-You want me to die, right? Well, the more you do, the more I will survive this and strangle the life out of you myself!-
Ajay let fly the last arrow to down the last bear that blocked his path. The bear plopped to the ground with bubbles forming from its mouth. He bent down to check the beasts jaw and gums.
"Narcotics…." They had been drugged for more aggressive behaviour.
"Boss!" Stella called out. To which he turned to her, but she pointed in the direction where the marines were pointing their guns at a newly emerged Solomon and demanding his compliance with fervor. That was until they saw his hands were up but with a remote in his hands.
"Step back, weapons down!" David called out so they understood. Solomon walked pass them calmly towards Ajay.
"Parley." He said cooly.
Ajay smiled slightly and holstered his compound bow but drew his suppressed custom 1911 'Sandman'. He pointed in the direction of Solomon who was having complex emotions about Badala's true intentions of coming.
"You know very well what's in my hand. Beneath these crates, scattered about are ten kilo charges all primed to blow."
"Great, you'll save us the trouble of sabotaging this operation. Do you have any last words?" He said with the red dot lined up to his head.
Solomon was astounded by what this fellow just said, as if the threat was empty to him.
"Did you not hear me correctly?! I said that I've rigged this place to blow us all to kingdom come. I die, then you die as well!" He shouted loudly so that he wouldn't miss his words the second time.
"And don't think I don't appreciate your effort. But sadly, you are in no position to negotiate. The only privilege that you have is that we take you back to the palace so that Pagan can spank you." Ajay said in amusingly. Solomon looked at him with grit teeth.
"Consider those my terms. If not, then die alone."
The explosives were not a threat that could phase Ajay, not even when he had men standing on top of them.
"Yo- ….You bastard! Who do you think you are?!"
"I am nobody."
"Truly are intolerable, does code of honor ever apply to you?! Does it ever apply to anyone these days?!" He ranted on as he waved the remote. Even Hurk who had him zeroed was worried he might accidentaly discharge the crackers.
"This coming from the person that betrayed friendship and family." Ajay laughed at his hypocrisy.
"Betray? I've betrayed no one! If my actions were betrayal then what about Pagan, huh? When he first came to Kyrat and took back the Palace for the Royalists did he not execute the last Devi bloodline? When he took power from Gang Min and butchered his relatives was that not betrayal? When he took in that whore from Ghale was that not a betrayal too? All I've ever done was upholded Pagan's ideals. The laws of the jungle, the strong trample the weak! What's wrong with that?!"
Ajay's eyes twitched unvoluntarily at the mention of his mother, the one he unwittingly called a whore. But the rest of what Solomon shouted he heard clearly.
"Ideals…." Ajay murmured to himself but Solomon heard it and thought to himself in relief that he had gotten to Ajay somehow.
"Ideals?... Laws of the jungle? Hahahaha!" When Ajay laughed a sour feeling entered Solomon as if he failed but he didn't even know why.
"If human beings were animals as you say they are, then even I'll believe that too. We live, we eat, we kill, we fornicate. The parts don't change at all." Hearing he agreed to his ideal Solomon got excited.
"Then-." But he was interrupted again.
"But have you ever seen an animal that turns on its own young or the other way around?"
"Uh-." Instantly, Solomon became wordless at the reply Ajay gave him. And what he meant was that despite everything there was only one single flaw to his ideal, something that not even Pagan subverted himself, because he too was human and a living breathing thing.
(Bang) Ajay fired a shot at Solomon during his hesitation and the remote fell from his hand. Stew jumped out and caught it. And Solomon plopped to the ground.
"Nnnnn…arrghhh!" Solomon groaned from the shot that impacted his leg. Ajay walked up to him.
"But who am I to talk about human philosophy with you. I'm just a demon." Ajay said with a satisfactory smile. While he'd been spared by Ajay, Solomon did not feel assured at all. In fact, he dreaded him even more. For someone to openly renounce his humanity meant that he would do things that exceeded the humane.
"Take him away." Ajay said to the marines. David nodded and grappled his shoulder and took him to the truck they came in.
Stew came over and handed him the remote. "Thank you!" He said smiling and looked towards the massive stacks of ammo and weapons lying around.
"You sure we can't capture this cache?" Maya asked next to him.
"We won't have time to process it or confiscate it, the Royal Guard won't even reach as far as Vyatha with the amount that survived the battle at Lanka." The were still fourteen thousand warriors still alive and kicking, sufficient enough that they could defend all the major camps and settlements.
"….."
Ajay smiled again, the day had gone better than they had hoped. He held out the remote to Maya.
"Do the honors?"
Maya chuckled and gleamed a beautiful smile. At times, he could be thoughtful too. Ajay walked towards the truck that was at safe distance from the caches.
"Wouldn't I destroy those statues as well?" She just realised the historical value of the statues that were carved at least a thousand years ago to commemorate Goddess Kyra's restoration of Kyrat after the devestation wrought by the demon god. Even if she wasn't religious…..
"That's the idea, Maya." He said to her before leaving it entirely in her hands.
She looked up to the pair of Deva statues, one belonged to Banashur and the other to his bride Kyra. The Kyratis had always celebrated her specifically through declaring a young girl as the Tarun Matara, though Maya wasn't clear of what their duty encompassed. It was clear from Ajay and Yuma's accounts that it was frownable by modern standards. To think that if Ajay had never brought back, lovable Bhadra. She would have to suffer this fate. Thinking this way, there was no hesitation to destroy that deeply rooted tradition. She could see why Ajay gave her the power to destroy it, it was for her to comprehend it herself.
(Beep) The remote made an audible beeping sound as she depressed the trigger. But….
Nothing happened.
"Ajay!"
"Yeah?"
"It was a dud." She said chipperly.
Ajay laughed insatiably, that infectious laughter passed onto the rest as he told them the story. Perkins began making fun of Solomon for his lousy workmanship in laying simple demolition wiring, even if the latters only response was the pain in his leg from the shot and from his heart that he was about to receive just desserts from Pagan personally. He contemplated suicide but death was suddenly such a scary prospect when the demon was with him.
Maya chuckled as she shook her head. No positive detonation? No worries!
She dug into the stash and retrieved an RPG and went a safe distance from the cache near the truck. She made sure that the back-blast area was clear before firing.
(Poof) The rocket flew to the centre mass of explosive material stacked up.
(BOBOBOBOBOOM) (BOOM) (BOBOOM)
The surroundings of the cache erupted into flames as the hidden explosives blasted the surrounds of the statue and its foundation.
The truck started and drove off once Maya had boarded.
The statue of Banashur crumbled to the ground first from the enormous pressure wave of the munitions and because of the general age of the stone. The Goddess statue stood firmly, not to be outdone by the flames, but too began to degrade as the pressure waves of the detonative explosives that had been planted by Solomon to close the cache site off from the outside also detonated. Stone and rubble was thrown around as deadly shrapnel to whatever remained. The goddesses outstretched hand began to crack and break off. Falling to the only accessible point of the site of worship. Luckily, Ajay and gang had already passed it and were zipping off to the North with their newly acquired prisoner.
In the North, they were expecting to celebrate their resounding success against the Golden paths most epic movement yet in twenty years.
For the Golden Path itself, it was a day of tragedy and calamity. The road to the North had been denied to them and the South had not been liberated as promised. But worse of all a sizable majority had been killed in the siege of Lanka which they could not maintain. Badala had proven to High Command and the Golden Path Leadership of Lankas dominance over Kyrat, whether it held lesser numbers in garrison or if it was temporarily incomplete.
Ajay's declarations had been fulfilled on two accounts. Mohan's appearance did indeed change nothing. And with the destruction of the Sleeping Saints, the second message had been clear to them when they were to learn of its utter destruction.
No god could provide them with salvation. Because so long as the demon was around, their prayers would never reach.
Author's Thoughts:
(BOOMBOOMBOBOOM)
The hospital explodes as Joker Maya leaves the building dressed in a nurse's outfit and a poorly drawn but scary clown makeup.
Joker Maya reaches her transportation only to find that the explosions ended too soon and the hospital had yet to be leveled.
(Joker Maya) - That's it?-
She shrugs her shoulders while waving out her hands. taking out the remote, she presses the button repeatedly.
(Joker Maya) "Nothing?"
She presses it one last time with a decently retracted thumb to apply force.
(click) (BOBOBOBOBOOM)
The explosion surprises her as she fumbles with the remote and heads off after another day of domestic terrorism.
The authorities fear the worst as 'fryface' Sabal Dent was in the hospital.
But wouldn't be assured for Sabal Dent would return in a more twisted fashion than before.
