Author's Notes:

Had internet blackout since Monday, been spending extra time at the uni to do my work and prep for my exam that starts 20th June. I also had to do several assignments and lab reports crammed into this week to give time for revision lessons at Uni. In other words, prepare for a delay on works. Maybe once a week at most on Sundays. Finish exams on 30th, assuming i don't have to resit. Hope not.

A bit of interesting insight from Anbu Codename-Kuro, personally I have to admit that I haven't actually watched Naruto at all. (Audience: What?! Blasphemy! Burn him!). Looking at extended content, I'm quite aware of the the length. Still, content that I reveal must have an explanation or it would seem as if I pulled out a rabbit from my ass. Trying to keep MC from being too Mary Sue.

End of flapping my mouth. Let's get back to the story. (づ。◕‿‿◕。)

Music for fast pace firefight:

The Lone Wolf (Carpenter Brut - Roller Mobster)


(Bababababababaam)

A firefight erupted in Kyrat General to the surprise of patient and staff alike. Machine gun fire ripped apart the only two guards at the vehicle checkpoint where the anarchy had begun. But these assailants were not without an opposition and severe hindrance to their primary objective.

(BoomBoomBoomBoom)

A reciprocation of buckshot blasted apart concrete and body armor which protected these assassins of a certain ethnic background.

"Wah Diu!"

Two went down to the power of the 12-gauge double o buckshot's kinetic energy killing them despite their enforcement level body armor.

"Man San!"

"Shit Shit Shit!"

The device which was responsible for these deaths had turned towards the last of their group. Their faces behind the balaclava masks were pale as sheets and despair as Jeevan depressed the trigger to the automatic shotgun in his possession.

(BoomBoomBoomBoom)

Another salvo burst of shells sent the last two flying back dead and just in time as he had run out of shells in the drum.

In the distance, Jeevan could hear the distinct shouts in that Chinese-Dialect, only spoken by a very particular minority found in Kyrat yet held more power than any member of Kyrati nobility could ever hope, except one.

Jeevan reached into the duffel bag that Samson had the boys leave in the hospital in case of an emergency especially like the instance that he was facing. A fresh drum for the USAS-12, one of the more exotic firearms that Longinus had brought over part of the Jackal's inventory.

There couldn't be a better situation such as now for the weapon to truly shine. Thankfully, the walls here were genuine concrete that was sufficient in stopping the pellets from the buckshot or he would have had a significant collateral damage on his hands, both objects and human life. In the same instance, the assailants weren't armed beyond pistol cartridges from their antiquated MP5s. Even so, in their hands. It was the most lethal combination to exist, because it was the primary weapons used during their time in the Hong Kong Special Duties Unit of the '80s.

The best that the Canton Families could dispatch to claim the life of the demon asleep for their plans to succeed.

Jeevan was a little annoyed with this attempt that had ruined such a beautiful morning, if only he didn't jinx his own wish that he was wasting the day escorting his sister here.


30 Minutes Ago-

A sunny day with zero clouds, a day to spend relaxing in the shade drinking ice tea or having a drink with the rest at the officer's lounge. And to top it off, it was his off day. What a stroke of luck he could have time to snooze around in the apartment allocated to him.

"Is bringing your sister to see your mentor such a bother to you?" Kanaan gave him a sorrowful look.

"No, of course not. It's just-….. (Sigh)." He didn't want to say it, so he zipped his mouth and carried the basket of effects that Kanaan insisted on bringing.

"Please don't sigh in my presence, you're invoking bad luck upon yourself and I." She reprimanded him like always.

"Nobody believes in that superstitious crap nowadays, sis."

"Just because you don't doesn't mean others share the same opinion."

"…." He knew all too well, Golden Path were the most extreme example.

They were here, and here being Kyrat General Hospital, the only fully operational medical centre with sufficient facilities and medical know how to treat severe cases that clinics could not. The Director of the Hospital was none other than Noore Najjar, former-Mistress of Shanath and Marquess of Kyrat.

In the past, medical treatments of severe nature were administered by a very exclusive league of general practitioners whom had inherited their mantles from the family. That group of doctors could only be counted with one's fingers. And the only the ones who could have access to this attention were those that could afford it, that was only eleven percent of the overall population that had funds to request immediate treatment.

But that had all ended with the conception of Kyrat General after half a year of fiddling about with numbers, requisitioning of manpower and advanced medical equipment abroad as well as a steady stream of medical supplies. Work was not easy for Noore, but with the help of that small group of physicians it was made possible with their blood and sweat. What came out of it was a government-funded program to provide subsidized healthcare and emergency treatments to the public. Nothing in life is free, but they could reduce the strain on the people's finances as well as give them the healthcare they deserved and provide immediate attention to those that needed it most.

Jeevan found himself musing how busy everyone he knew was, everyone doing something to bring Kyrat out of the third-world into a competent powerhouse for their neighbours. Because Kyrat was representing the interests of three other states as well. But most of all, someone had inspired them to strive for something better, said person was now on involuntary medical leave.

They arrived in the carpark grounds with the convenience of a jeep loaned to Jeevan because of his commission, he was by no means going to refuse it from the motorpools if they offered which they did willingly. Perks of being the intern to the Duke, but also an enormous reputation to uphold on his end.

The hospital had minimal security, only a pair of guards at a checkpoint entrance into the hospital if someone was driving in, the walking path was free. Noting who he was from the ID he presented, the guards saluted with feeling which he nodded back curtly as he was not in uniform to be saluted but they did it out of respect for him.

They did not even check his vehicle which he was about to admit had a rather destructive device inside which he carried up with him to the ICU ward where his mentor, Ajay lay asleep.

Not too long after arriving, they were already outside of the ward room. Jeevan opened the door to find Noore inside checking boxes on a clipboard to assess his health status as a part of routine.

She turned around and smile at their company.

"I was expecting you, Jeevan. But I'll have to say your visit is a surprise, my dear Kanaan."

"Just here to pay compliments, Doctor." Kanaan replied without much thought to the question Noore posed.

"How is he, Noore?" Jeevan asked.

"Stable for now, although he's had a few-…. "Attacks" over the course of week. But nothing major so long as we administer the right dosages to keep his activity to a minimal."

"I see….." Noore looked at him and knew that there was more he wished to ask. Particularly pertaining his mentor's identity as the son of the Rebellion.

"Come with me to my office." She said as she motioned to the exit.

"Kanaan, my dear. I'll be borrowing your little brother for a little experiment if that's ok." She said with a smile.

"That's fine, he'll be more than happy to help. Just don't chew him too hard." She returned a rather sleezy comment which Noore giggled away at the joke.

"I'll return you little brother a little bit more of a man if that's what you want." She played along in their joke and shared a laugh, leaving Jeevan slightly embarrassed as he became conscious of a beautiful doctor actually "taking care" of him. They laughed at his embarrassment as well as he scratched his head awkwardly.

Noore left for her office with Jeevan in tow, while Kanaan remained in the ward Ajay slept in. Noore returned to the office of the hospital director which belonged to her, though simply furnished still held a character around the room. Amita had mumbled something about her decorating Baghadur in a similar fashion. It was more teahouse fashion than office, yet there were evidently papers and medical books stacked neatly by the floor desk for her reading.

"Have a seat." She told him as she went to the back to retrieve some tea leaves and boiled water from the kettle. Jeevan spent the time admiring the surrounding deco and looking at some of the reading material on the table. She returned in no time at all with a tea set and handed him a cup.

"Thanks." But Noore didn't choose to speak until she'd savoured every bit of the tea she poured the first round.

"So what else do you not understand about your mentor?" She finally opened to Jeevan for inquiries he wanted.

"All you've told us about…. Ajay. I know there's more to it than that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pressing you for it-…. It's just…."

"If you don't want to know, then don't ask."

"I'm still baffled as to how someone who's lived almost his entire life in the safety of the state can-."

"Can what? Fight like a monster?" Noore said in the most belittling of laughs.

"Lemme tell you something, boy. No matter which state or city you're in, be it the deep South, the Miami beaches, the ghettos in Brooklyn or even the bustling streets of Washington. There's always a level or place of violence hidden from plain sight. Daisy can attest to that, I can also attest to that."

"… I don't know."

"Of course, you don't. You sent a good half of your life in a box!-… I'm sorry. Forget it." She had a sudden outburst which was rare for even her. Noore reached into the desk drawer to pull out a box of cigarettes, drew on and lit it. Jeevan gave her time to settle her nerves.

"….. I've had my fair share of violence myself. My- ah-…. My husband came from a family that were-… against the idea of marrying a person from the middle east. See, my parents hailed from Jordan. But I was born and breed in the states, my husband's elder brother had been in the Gulf War, he'd come back shaken… so." Though she said nothing about it, her had gesturing towards her stomach and her shoulders indicated a dark side to her peaceful life in the states too. Was this why she'd chosen to work abroad in the aid organisation? Jeevan would never know and he would never want to.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not, but neither am I." She threw the bud of her cigarette out the window.

"But do you see the point now?" She asked of him. Jeevan was not so dense as not to have understood that underlining their supposedly peaceful lives, there was always something darker.

"I do. I'm sorry for forcing an answer out of you." Noore waved her hand casually to indicate it was nothing.

"We all have our dark pasts, but its something we keep to ourselves so that none of our friends or even family have to share the burden of our woes."

"Family….." He murmured softly, though Noore caught it.

"Yunno, he envies you." What Noore said to him gave him a genuine surprise.

"Me?" She nodded.

"How you have a sibling like Kanaan to always look out for you, care for you, worry about you everyday."

"…."

"Treasure what you have now, Jeevan. Or you'll lose them forever…. Just like him….. Just like me."

Jeevan couldn't feel ever more silly for his doubts that he'd engaged in a very unfortunate conversation that referenced Noore's own past.

"What are you looking forward to here, Noore?" He suddenly became curious about Noore's reason for staying despite all that happened to her.

"To see it through, I guess." She said as she popped another stick into her mouth.

"Then, I'm probably gonna take Ashley somewhere."

"…"

There was a lot of questions that he would naturally inquire about her relationship with Ashley, the daughter of her families murderer. But he kept it to himself as he'd just learnt from her. Sometimes, addressing the pain wasn't the solution to the problem.

"You could spend an entire lifetime mourning for your loss, and it still won't be enough. But that's alright." The words came out of Jeevan's mouth as naturally as he breathed.

Noore frozen and blinked a few before breaking into a laughter so infectious.

"It seems that you're becoming more like your mentor than you realize. But I won't take the fun out of it for you, so I'll just tell you to thread your own path however you wish, Jeevan. Don't regret any mistake that you make, because at some point of time you'll repeat it but this time you'll have better understood how to work around it. And that's something worth experiencing."

"Thank you, Doctor." He said with a look of thoughtfulness. Noore chuckled away.

"Oh, you trying to get smart with me?" Noore smirked at his sudden change in address.

(Screech) A considerable collective sound of tires burning from a hard stop could be heard from the front of the building when the dropoff point and carpark was facing them.

"The hell is that?"

"Sounds like someone's in a hurry. You think it's an emergency?" Jeevan asked Noore as he walked to the window.

Jeevan took a peek from where he was down below to see five MRAP armoured cars parked on the side with men that did not resemble any uniformed group he was aware of. They walked out of their vehicles briskly and carrying hardcases which aroused the suspicion of the two guards below.

"All of you, stop and show some han-(Bababababababaam)" The sound of a machine pistol ripped through the air. Causing the whole hospital to enter a panick to the all to familiar sound of gunfire.

"Stay down!" He told Noore and ducked on reflex to the firing as did she.

"Nei, zau zo jik! Kei jyu dik gan zyu ngo!" (You, take the left wing! The rest will follow me!)

Jeevan's adept hearing picked out loud commands in Cantonese. And a list of culprits had already formed in his head. He knew they didn't like Ajay one bit, but he didn't really think they'd dare to do it so openly… unless-

"Ajay!" Noore made a sudden revelation upon hearing the same thing as Jeevan near the window. She dashed out towards Ajay's ward leaving Jeevan standing in the office.

Though he had not seen where the firing took place, Jeevan knew that the guards were the first victims of these "assassins". And they had yet to reach their target whom if Jeevan was willing to bet, was none other than his teacher as Noore had already prioritized.

Not on his watch.


To describe how quickly the Royal Fortress fell, it was like a stack of cards in the shape of a castle falling to the winds. Men, once trusted since their days in the academy turned upon them like hungry wolves and that was how half the personnel at the heart of the Kyrat Military Command fell to the swift blade of treachery. The Canton Forces drove into the compounds without a scratch as they'd let their insiders do all the heavy lifting.

While this was happening, a nation-wide military channel blackout had occurred. Denying all major military facilities an update on the situation of the blackout save for a message that the communication system was undergoing maintanence briefly.

And so, under an hour the last bastion to the throne fell to forces that were of the King's bloodline, and supposedly the most loyal of King Min's. While there was always a vibe that the Canton Families would rise over the King, with Badala's appearance it seemed even less likely for that to happen. And Yet here it happened, the few that had survived were rounded up and held at gun point to cooperate in the coup less their families suffer a horrid fate. The more stubborn of the lot were executed and the few too valuable to kill were imprisoned.

This was not a sudden impulse but a plan, sixteen years in the making. From the day, they collectively lost faith in Pagan's ability to carry out their wish.

"Report."

"Communications remain dark throughout the military channel save for our standalone channels for our force. But-."

"But?"

"…. Sabre group has had some delays in securing Lanka." The dispatch said with cold sweat pouring from his forehead.

The individual he reported to in person rubbed his forehead to absolve a headache, caused by the failure to secure one of the most important facilities in reigning Kyrat.

"Get out of my sight."

"My lord, the rest of the-."

"GET LOST!" Guang Min roared at the lieutenant who reported to them. The officer briskly walked out of the threatre of war where the rest of the senior staff and nobles align to the cause had gathered.

"Do any of you have something else to say?" He asked in a threatening tone if they had any more set backs to impede their progress. Unfortunately, it was too serious of an affair to keep in the dark.

"Sagarmatha Air Base is secure, only….. some of Lupus Caelum's employees including the IAF pilots are left unaccounted for in Coriolanus's staff."

"A small matter, but well done." In his mind, a small group of less than ten would not stand as much of a threat. That should be left to the men that accompanied Winnefred Coriolanus in their payoff to turn against their employer to handle. He wasn't cheap but they would get the best professionalism in his work if he wanted to be paid or family heads would roll in Johannesburg.

Four other commanders reported the success in taking control of major facilities that were assigned to them. The supply depots, the airbase and the echeleon estates where nobles loyal to the King were held under house arrest.

"The Marshal and his family have been detained."

"Excellent." Guang Min was truly satisfied, the subordinates of him had sent the bad news upfront first before relaying the good to assure him, he took note of that as he chuckled away at an overall victory.

"And what of the loyal hound?" Heads turned to Solomon as they knew he meant Badala. It was a pressing concern for the military members especially, some directly knew of his abilities and presence could do to shake their entire coup against them while some didn't, Guang Min was one of them.

"What can a vegetable do against us?"

"Then why do you think I'm asking if there wasn't a great concern to address?" Solomon replied with an annoying smirk.

"We've already sent our best man and his team to deal with it." Sun Kwan said to assure the rest of the nervous nobles whom supported this uprising financially.

"Lemme guess, Joseph?" A flicker from Sun Kwan's expression gave away and confirmed Solomon's assumption.

"It's great and all that you've sent a competent man to deal with things that he specialises in…."

Sun Kwan took that as a compliment and smiled.

"But how much will it take I wonder?"

"Speak your point or sit down, brat." Guang Min said coldly.

"He might be out of action, but did you lock up or deal with his retinue?"

"…"

"Like I thought."

"Then what would you do?!" Guang Min was getting flustered as Sun Kwan went over to calm him though they didn't get along that well.

"I'd like to address a few groups that could potentially be a problem now and in the future I'd like for you to eliminate and capture. If in the event that your boys fail, then at least you still have leverage over him to stay his hand….. assuming for all unlikeliness he actually breaks out of his coma." Though he was arrogant, he did have a logical point.

"Go on."

"The capture of Lakshman's Arsenal-."

"We're already-."

"Hang on, lemme finish first. While you may outnumber and outgun the local militia and police force there. You've missed out the most illusive group that could jeopardize our operation in future."

Most of the members were not able to understand who he was referring to, until an aged-retired officer stood up and said. "The Huns."

"Yes, old boy. I give you full marks on that one."

"Their leader and alphas are in Yinke." An officer retorted as it didn't seem like they were threatening enough.

"That might be so, but the one who holds real power in the Hunic settlement isn't Yang Er Hu but their Matriarch."

"And how does this Matriarch threaten us?"

"You should really brush up on your Kyrati history or…. You should go pay General Khati a visit to tell you three reasons not to push them."

"Even if they are that much of a concern, what reason would they have to aid the City? The Kingdom has been their mortal enemy since the conception." One of their bean counters replied.

"And yet, their chief is Badala's subordinate." Sun Kwan shut that stupid noble's trap who was a smart alec.

"Right, burn the Hun's village. Anything else?" Guang Min moved the subject along.

"Find the SOCOM Marines and the Italian Mercenaries, kill all and take none alive." Sun Kwan motioned to a subordinate of his and whispered some commands to proceed with his plan.

"Have a few of your boys go to his City and house and find Bhadra Rishal, the Tarun Matara and an elderly couple by the last name Malla."

"Malla?... As in-." Guang Min seem to remember that surname before.

"I'll leave those to you, now….. what else…." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he thought on the go.

"Yunno…. I think, Amita will be a problem in the future as well. Be dears and torch Baghadur, or maybe have your backstabber Coriolanus bomb them without warning. Make'em think it was a betrayal on the Royal Army's account and have them rise against the other garrison forces to divide their attention from us when they come to an understanding of the situation."

While they hated to admit, it was a pretty good strategy to fool the Tigers into fighting their enemies for them.

"Have someone relay to Coriolanus, destroy Baghadur and level it to the ground. The 2nd Hussars will clean up along the assault on Lanka." Guang Min said personally, highlighting it as the highest priority.

"Right, Iive said all I've needed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few "friends" I have to meet." After saying so he left the scene as quickly as he appeared. The rest of the group returned to talking to their colleagues about the situation. Guang Min motioned to a trusted officer as Sun Kwan went over to him as well.

"My lord."

"What is the status at the palace?" He began to discuss a more sensitive topic while Sun Kwan listened closely.

"His Royal Highness-… is hold up in the Royal Palace. The Royal Armorer and his attendant have barricaded the place preventing our soldiers from moving in to kill them."

"What?!.. You're having problems with just two people?!" He said as quietly yet loudly as he could.

"I think that attendant of his was once Deva Acharya." Sun Kwan entered the conversation. But the mere mention of that individual falling under that category changed everything.

"Why wasn't this sorted sooner?"

"M-My lord please understand, there was a minimal personnel requirement of the palace to allow only five guests and guards at a time. And-… our very best had been overpowered."

Guang Min sighed once more, things weren't going especially well. Their original idea was to have the king killed along with Yuma in cold blood and frame Badala for the murder, since his situation in coma proved beneficial in him not intervening and speaking against the charges they would place against him when Pagan's death became public on their accord. But now, they were no closer to creating that setting thanks to Pagan's demise being prevented, though he could not leave to rally forces loyal either being hold up in the Royal Palace.

"What do you suggest?" Guang Min turned to Sun Kwan who was his second in command for this coup.

"Bombing the Royal Palace would cause problems in keeping to the story we've placed down. And we won't be able to confirm if he is truly dead and not escaped into some secret passage we aren't aware of." Guang Min nodded.

"Agreed, keep pressure on them to prevent movement and have more men sent to the Royal Palace. I expect Pagan's head here by three, is that understood?"

"Ye- Yes, My lord! With haste!" The officer saluted and left sprinting away.

"Solomon…." Guang Min murmured.

"Tell me, you've arranged for his execution after this?" Sun Kwan seemed to be in an agreement for the first time with the senior Guang Min.

"Richard has already expressed to me his disappointment in that little shit. I had a pair of eyes watch him and that group of Americans." Sun Kwan smiled as Guang Min chuckled away.

"Once he's outlived his use, no one will remember him."


The five squads of disavowed SDU officers were tasked with the job of killing the demon, an easy job they said since he was currently comatosed in a hospital with almost no security forces. Yet the man leading the operation could not shake the feeling that something would happen. If not, Sun Kwan would not have made his whole group apprehend a single person. Joseph was not affiliated with Badala because he had never been to the Royal Academy where all the officers and Royal Guard were trained at.

Even so, tales of this exploits spoke of years of experience behind his tactics and fighting style. Badala was adept in psychological warfare and it was his most powerful tool, it didn't just shake conscripts but full-fledged veterans as well. It was nothing like he'd ever heard of before, so the Canton Families had commissioned him to take command in assassinating the highest authority next to Pagan. After the many gangs, terrorists and rebel insurgents they'd dispatched over the years, the lords were confident in their ability to manage.

Another group was on the way to the Royal Palace to do the same while the fat cats lounged in the Royal Fortress taken by force with the help of those emerging "heroes" from the recent Yinkian War.

"Floor one, clear!"

"Haa Yat Cang, Ngo mun zoeng fan wai saam zou! (Next floor, we're going to divide into three groups!) Alpha take East, Bravo takes North wing, Charlie, Wui pui ngo loi gim caa naam fong dik gaai keoi. (.. will accompany me to check the southern block.)"

"""Yes, sir!""" His group of assassins acknowledged and scaled the set of stairs to the next level. They had no choice since none of the nurses knew that Badala was in the hospital, the group that were disclosed were on tight lip and weren't at the lobby or on the first floor.

He took the south with Charlie, they were quiet adept with the hospital layout since it mirrored on all floors. They knocked down the doors to the private wards and scanned the public ones with equal swiftness. The civilians had no choice but to shiver in the corner as they searched for Badala.

"Last ward. Nothing!"

"Fuck!"

"He's just not in this end, that's all. We assist the ot-(Bababababaam)(Boom)(Boom)(Boom)(Boom)." They heard the roar of a fierce firefight taking place along with distant screams from several people.

"Charlie! North side, zao! (Go!)" He recalled his group Charlie to head to the North block. At the end of the corridor, he saw Alpha group run ahead of them that way as well.

"Faai Dim!" (Quickly) He increased speed with Charlie as they ran toward the North wards, but as the reached the corridor with the next bend leading to where Bravo was-.

(Boom)(Boom)(Boom)(Boom) the sound of a repeated shotgun blast echoed through the corridor. Joseph made a quick glance from the bend to see the shredded bodies of Alpha and Bravo laying all over the floor, some had survived groaning in pain but-.

(Boom) (Boom) (Boom)

They had been mercilessly finished off with repeated blasts. He caught a glance at the culprit at the other end of the corridor carrying one of the rare weapons in the world today. A USAS-12 automatic shotgun, he was willing to bet was loaded with a drum and using some sort of incendiary due to the sizzling bodies of his former colleagues.

(Boom) (Boom) A burst blasted the concrete protecting him as he retreated to cover.

"Wah diu!" He cursed as it nearly took off his head.

"…. Instructor, is that you?" Called out a rather familiar voice at the other side where the shooter was. Joseph didn't answer but he knew who it was, with all the veteran SDU members that were formerly instructors at the Royal Academy dead. There were only three possibilities, one was Darshan, too old to sound like that. The other was Kadayat which wasn't possible since he was with the 2nd Hussars now. Only one last possibility, that recent smiling monster of a student of his and coincidentally, the demon's.

"Should've guessed, but I never imagined you being in leagues with the Canton Lords before Yuma!" Jeevan said from the other side as he loaded the next drum.

He knew there would be an assault like this one of these days, that's why he asked Samson to deposit weapons and ammo in the ward's wardrobe safe. And thank god he did, or the situation would have been very different. He gave a call to Samson to tell him of the attack as well while his sister remained in the room with Noore and her nurses to continue stabilizing Ajay's condition and prepare to move him out of the hospital.

"How much are they paying you? Are you even receiving anything for this mission?" Jeevan laugh resounded the hallways.

"This isn't about money, son. This was a plan, sixteen years in the making."

"Really now. Is attempting this failure of a coup de tat really worth burning your escape ship?" Jeevan indulged as he cocked his shotgun.

"There was a time when all of us would follow him no questions asked, even after Ishwari fūren's (Madam) departure…..We-…. You have no idea of how much Pagan has let us down, son. If he can no longer bring us to our dream then he's as good as our stepping stone now."

"… Fair enough. Don't expect any leniency from me then, traitor." Jeevan cut all ties with his former training instructor for two months.

Joseph sighed and motioned to his men Swat-style to take the other corridor while he threw a smoke canister to mask their corridor.

"What a pity, he would have made a great soldier." Joseph shook his head as his colleagues advanced with guns blazing to suppress him.

(Bababababaam) (Babababaam) They fired look suppressive bursts from their old school yet reliable M16s and MP5s, weapons they trained with back in the police department.

(Boom) (Boom) (Boom) Jeevan returned a few from his end as well.

But there was only so much he could do against seven of them who knew the situation in front of them and had the convenience of numbers to outmanuever him. Even if he carried a bigger stick, these stats would allow them to overpower him given time. Time was also what he was trying to bide, time for Samson and the rest to arrive and get him out of this pickle. He checked the room where the nurses, Noore and his sister too, were scurrying through the neighbouring rooms for medical supplies to bring with her on her trip with Ajay out once the coast was clear, but not now.

(Click) "Shit-(BOOM)" One of the former instructors had not expected a claymore of all things to be in the hospital, but it was part of the kit that Alberto assembled for an emergency such as this on Samson's request. It was no surprise since Ajay had accumulated a fair share of enemies at home and abroad that would pay big money for any random person to cap him on the road or helpless in the hospital.

The claymore device took the lives of two more former instructors-turned rebel. Joseph grit his teeth and rushed through the smoke with guns ablazed but not before nodding to his men to take the other way his recently deceased comrades had taken to their deaths. No booby traps would hinder them now.

(Boom) "Argh!"

(Boom) (Boom) "Aaaaaahhh!" Two of the men that accompanied him fell to the ground motionless.

He saw the silhouette hiding behind a wall and suppressed him with full auto fire of his MP5 as he rushed his target.

(Bababababa-click) It went empty as he was merely five metres from and when Jeevan emerged from cover and pointed the shotgun towards him.

Unfortunately for him but fortunate for Joseph, it was not quick enough for Joseph to reach the gun with his hand and prevented it from being pointed at his torso. His free hand went for the combat knife on his carrier which drew as quickly as it slashed at the younger opponent of his. Jeevan smartly abandoned the shotgun and slapped the stab of the knife away as he drew his own kukri.

He was now in a bad spot where the other two to come around the block to where they were, he estimated thirty-seconds. Joseph knew as well, all he had to do was stall or kill.

"Don't make me do this, son."

"You already sunk that ship, instructor." Jeevan swiped at him without mercy as he took a step back.

"You don't understand! Jeevan, you are a talent that has never been seen for a time. You could receive better than you have now, all of us can! When Kyrats enemies are all but vanquished who's gonna protect you and everyone else from him!?" He pointed the dagger towards the ward where Badala lay in judging from the nurses inside.

"It's that kind of thinking that got us in this mess, suspicion, plotting. You say I don't have any idea about the complexities of politics at play, but neither do you! You have no idea of the threat that is about to arrive, do you think my teacher got injured to this extent in the first place by accident?"

For a moment, Joseph hesitated yet Jeevan never took the opportunity to strike. Seeing that, he returned a swing that almost took Jeevan's head off.

"Sloppy! Didn't we tell you boys time and time again, never to let a chance disappear into thin air?" (Clang) (Clang)

'It'll cost you!"

Jeevan parried a few more stabs from Joseph and understood that the pressure upon his shoulders had increased.

He could hear the tapping of feet in the distance, the two remaining squaddies of Joseph were about to arrive. He exhailed to empty his lungs and breathed in whilst adopting the defensive style of Four Seasons Pandemonium. Joseph instantly recognised it having seen the more traditional Kyratis practice it once. Many laughed at it for being a useless art in an age of close quarter combat and automatic weapons. But after years of CQB, Joseph knew they were never more wrong about the Royal Martial Art. If this was still an age of clashing steel and arrows, then it would have reigned supreme.

"You fool of a brat!" He lunged with his knife pointed towards a stationary Jeevan holding the kukri in a weird angle for a defense.

Joseph seemed to misplace his confidence in that undefender front and plunged his combat knife towards his heart. And in a moment so fast that he could barely see it had it not been for the polished steel shining, decapitated his arm from the elbow. Followed with the same blade impaling him in the chest. A fist came flying Joseph's way and impacted his cheek sending him flying a few feet from where he was. This chain of swift attack was the result of Jeevan's access to the Royal Martial Art archive available to none save the oldest of houses defending the throne.

But by now, the other two assassins were already aiming for Jeevan. He had no time to dodge nor reach his fallen gun. Joseph had bought enough time for his last comrade in arms to finish him off and the demon. Jeevan's face fell at the sight as the muzzles were aligned with his head for a precision shot.

(Bang) (Bang) (Bang) Instead Jeevan falling to the shots, it was the last two who fell to the ground after having several shots penetrate their body armor and kill them.

He was surprise at first, until Ricardo and Luca came running upstairs and Samson from the corner where the two assassins were.

Jeevan lowered his guard and picked up the fallen shotgun.

"Nnnnn….." Joseph groaned in pain as the he experienced significant blood loss from the loss of his hand with no immediate medical attention and puncture wound.

Jeevan walked over to his former instructor.

"Start 'fessing while you still have the chance. What I need to know and what unfinished business you have in life." Jeevan told him as he squatted down next to a lying down on his front-Joseph.

"….. We're just one of four groups headed for each individual target. One is in the process of murdering Pagan and Yuma at the Royal Palace (cough) (cough)… After securing the Royal Fortress, next will be fortress Lanka…. Then-…. Lakshman's arsenal… (Cough) Since…. Nobody knew about his situation, they will say Badala murdered the king." His injuries were now getting beyond the point of treating as blood filled the floor around him. But the news was worrying to both Samson and Jeevan to the situation at hand.

"That damn Martial Art-style-(Cough)…. I guess you were right then, eh son? The winner takes it all in the end…. Yet….. what did we get after Pagan became a King? His promise of recognition and a title worthy of our service… A chance to return back to our native Hong-(cough) Kong without the cops going up our asses? Nothing."

"He gave you all posts that made us Kyratis jealous of." Jeevan replied.

"Huh!... Maybe, but that's not what we wanted…" Joseph laughed weakly as his body began to lose strength all together. Even so, he reached out a bloody stump towards Jeevan.

"Do not make-… the same mistake as us… we trusted Pagan just as you trust the demon. But you should only trust-….. trust….." Jeevan pondered over it, it was certain that he owed much to Badala for getting this far. And yet….

"I don't fight alongside Badala because I owe him, but because I chose to."

Joseph's eyes widen for a while before smiling in defeat.

"… I guess….. that might've been the difference. (Sigh) What a disappointment….."

"What did you want from him then?" Jeevan asked off Joseph.

"To reach….. the lands of-… eden….. together-….as-…..brotherssss…." Joseph said his last before his head hit the floor motionless. Jeevan reached out to close his eyes to put his corpse at ease.

The Condotierri were silent throughout the period, Luca even offered to perform last rites thanks to his past application as a Catholic deacon. He made the sign of the cross after murmuring a prayer.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it, saw the trail of bodies. You put a hell of a fight." Ricardo patted his shoulder.

"I'll take this." Ricardo got his hands on the fallen USAS-12 that had been discarded during his close combat encounter. Jeevan just passed him the satchel for magazines relative to the weapon which Ricardo appreciatively accepted.

They made their way to the ward where Ajay and the rest of the non-combatants were.

"All clear, Noore."

"Great, we've packed and are ready to leave this place. I've already dispatched the hospital staff to prepare for an influx of wounded in time to come."

"Where do you plan to take him?" Samson asked.

"The only place that I can think of that's safe from all contact."

The rest had already stood by the hospital stretcher he was moved to and relieved the nurses of the necessary medical supplies for treatment.

"We'll hide out in the Shanath Arena catacombes."


The evacuation from the hospital was a cautious one. They commandeered the MRAP vehicles to ferry them to the arranged place of the escort convoy that would take them through the waters of the river out of the North and towards Shanath.

It was theorically possible due to the connecting channels of water, however the waters were varying and would not allow heavy-armed monitor boats to come along, only the inflatable boats and jet skis. Although Jeevan was quite positive on the drive to Jalendu Temple lake, even if it was the afternoon where visibility was maxed.

He sat in the driver's seat so that he wouldn't have to see his mentor. Even in a sedated state, his face showed evident pain all over, whatever he was fighting, he was fighting hard. There was nothing he could do save get him to a safer location, Noore was doing her best to stabilize his condition that had a random attack. Accompanying them were the Condotierri Luca, Ricardo and Samson. The rest had remained in Lakshman to coordinate a dig in with the local armed police and militia for a possible appropriation of the Arsenal by the Canton forces. While the military lines were down, word was spreading via phone message. Although there was some reliability to reckon from the messages being forward, at least the garrisons had their wits about them and viewed any arriving force with a bit of suspicion than fall helpless like the Royal Fortress did.

They acknowledged that the King was in great danger as well, but they were too far from the Palace. The only other people that could keep Kyrat from caving in were Yuma and Ajay. Unfortunately, the former was in the same situation as Pagan, they could at least change the fate of Ajay.

Upon arriving at the designated point of pick up, the group gathered the necessary supplies by the jetty off the island that once held holy Jalendu Temple. Noore unravelled a map of the river system that streamed down from the Northern high point into Pacchim Valley.

"Simple in theory, we take this rivine down through the choke at King's Bridge, pass Naccarapur and drop off at Shanath Bazaars. That should give us enough cover to evade any patrols that are in bound."

"In theory that is." Samson reminded.

"Jeevan, do you think they'll be any problems up ahead?"

"A few? I can name a dozen." He walked closer and pointed to the map where King's Bridge was and Lanka lay.

"Assuming what Joseph said was true, I'll take the worse scenario into account and say that Lanka has fallen, though with Brigadier Kul there it would seem unlikely. He'd rather see it a smothering ruin than let the canton families get their way. But even before that is the rapids at King's Bridge, not exactly level ground to take a boat through without risk of falling overboard in an inflatable. This'll be a high-speed escape to get to the destination as soon as possible, but we'll definitely be spoted along the way. The rebels will most likely have a private channel to communicate amidst the blackout so they'll be hostiles upon us before we know it both river and air."

Noore was not familiar with military matters, but the more practical Jeevan was about the situation the more difficult it seemed.

"But not to worry, I called some eager lads to help out and told them our troubles." He said in a light and chipper tone, contrasted by the grim prospects.

"I think It'll take more than grit to get pass this gulch. If there are rapids, wouldn't it leave us dangerously exposed when we pull out the zodiacs to get to calmer waters?" Samson was thinking of it in the most practical terms. Swimming towards the top of the rapids then traverse dry land before returning to the waters once more. But Jeevan's expression remained smiling.

"That's if we travel by inflatables." Samson cocked his head as did Noore to what he meant, what other form of transportation was there to go through the rivine? The rivines narrowness and shallowness prevented heavily-armed monitor boats from getting through, while the road led directly to Lanka which was either in the midst of a firefight or occupied by rebels.

"Contacts SouthEast, 500 metres!" Ricardo called out from his observation point at the end of the jetty.

All heads turned towards the arriving forces.

"Five vessels!" He further relayed.

"That's them." Jeevan got off the phone with the Commander of the water-borne force.

All of them, the Condotierri, the hospital staff following Noore and herself were surprised at the sight. Not due to the numbers that had answered Jeevan's call but the nature of their transportation that would get them across to Pacchim Valley's Shanath Arena to hideout.

A powerful fan driven roar echoed from the propulsion of the crafts that blew its way towards them and drifted into a halt before them. What was before them were-.

"Hovercrafts….. of course!" Samson chuckled away at the young man's idea to get them as quickly and as well-armed as possible. Two qualities which the escorting craft seemed to have.

"My mate claims it was a military procurement five months back to support the Royal Police in busting the drug operations that were being held by the rivers. At least that was the official story."

He said this because the hovercrafts were 12 metres long but narrow enough to traverse the waters and roads. But also sporting heavy plate-armoured skirts along its hull and heavy armaments around it. The smallest of mounted weapons was Samar's custom mingun, and automatic grenade launchers while the largest was a modified turret on one of them that came from the Hussars' Ratel vehicles, a 30mm autocannon turret. As impressive as the array of firepower on-board was, all these transport hovercrafts had a rather humble career of ferrying tourists about cities or beach rides. Most came from as far as Great Britain, brought over to Kyrat and overhauled to the current configuration that suited the armed groups' purposes. But also giving them the most powerful water-based vessels in the country.

The hovercrafts came to a stop and shut off their turbines to halt the fanblades, the men dotted about the crafts stood weary but their mounted weapons as the hatch to the control station opened. Out jumped an officer of Captain rank.

Jeevan walked forward and clasped hands with him. "Thanks for coming, Hada." The officer tilted his head to see Ajay laying on a stretcher with the attention of Noore's staff.

"No problem. Madarchod, I wished you were kidding when you said it yourself on the phone. You've making me drive into a shitstorm, I just know it."

"Is that too much for you?" Jeevan said smiling to his alumni colleague from Royal Academy.

"Too much? Hmph!" The captain snorted with pride.

"There is nothing too much, too hard for 8th Company!" His men on-board gave a roar of approval, displaying good camaraderie with their commanding officer.

"Glad to hear." Jeevan said grinning and turned back to the rest.

"Guys, this is a friend of mine from the Royal Academy, we graduated together. In fact, I told him as a joke that on the day the Canton's rebelled, I'd preferred him by my side."

"And I said anytime! Captain Hada of the 3th Battalion 8th Company Rivine Guard, at your disposal." The Commander of the hovercraft force introduced himself.

The group was on a good vibe in getting to the south safely and without sustaining injuries due to the nature of their heavily-armed escorts.

"Even if it kills me, I swear I'll bring you all and his grace safely to your destination. On our honour, as loyal soldiers of Kyrat!"


How many sacred animals are there left? (KIA: Tiger, Rhino, Badger, Bear)(Convert: Dhole,Wolf)(Remaining: Elephant, Leopard, Eagle and Demon Fish) Btw, there's no Eagle amongst Rare animals, I just added it for story sake. (Yunno me, Eagles are crazy!)

Some water-based sports/action for the Black Dragon is in due order, I guess.

Speaking of Military hovercrafts, anyone ever heard of a Zubr? 500 Ton beast with missiles and CIWS guns, carrying troops and tanks onto the beach. Epic!