Author's Notes:
Special thanks to Darsassan for extensive hindu translation. If you think you're better than him then you must be a hindu language professor in India. He is more reliable than my uni bud, sorry Prav.
The first sensation that Ajay felt upon waking up was the cold dampness of the catacombs, his eyes adjusted to the light of the surrounding relatively easily thanks to heightened senses. The noise of a firefight could be heard some distance away, and he seemed to be the only person in the storage area of wherever this was.
"Had a good sleep?" Ajay turned to the inquirer and found him sitting against the wall not far from him.
"Hurk…." As he thought out his name, a sharp pain invaded his head and a rush of fragments pertaining to what happened before he entered that dream-like state had occurred.
"Glad to see you're awake and all, bro. Lots happening since you passed out, better get to it." He pointed to his equipment placed neatly on the chair. Ajay approached immediately to dress-up but as he was inspecting the gear a very special weapon seemed to be missing from his inventory, Ajay wondered if he'd left it in that cave.
"(Sigh)." -I'll have Samar build me a replacement, I'm gonna miss it.- Ajay made do with the high-powered bow and trusty Kukri he slotted into his holsters.
"I'd best be off now, my people need meeee-." Hurk thrusted his hand out like a superhero saying that cheesy line to the exit.
"Hurk-."
"They're gonna need you." But Hurk ignored him and stood up walking to the door, he stopped with the door held half open.
"I don't blame you, and neither should you. You're the best tatbro that I've got, Bads." He laughed awkwardly to himself before departing.
"Hurk, wait a second. Give me a brief on what ha-." But the door was closed and Hurk no longer responded.
"Goddamnit." Ajay brisk walked to the door and opened it.
"Ahh!" But instead of Hurk it was a certain someone he didn't expect in a place like this who was startled by the door suddenly opening on her as he was about to attend to a comatosed Ajay.
"Kanaan…"
"Y-Your Grace." She bowed politely out of etiquette. Ajay looked behind her to look for that mischievious monkey of a man but he was nowhere to be seen.
-Slippery bastard.- Did he hate getting technical this much? Sometimes it worried him about the future Hurk would chose. A future in fighting wars was no future at all. Perhaps when the war ended, he would have more time to help him out in his life choices. It wouldn't just be him but Kyrat that would help him on his journey.
"You see where Hurk went?" But all he got was a puzzled look from her.
-Oh yeah. I don't think Kanaan's ever been acquainted with Hurk before.-
"Nevermind. I hear a firefight nearby, tell me a short summary of what's happened while I was out."
"Yes, your grace!"
"And Uh-… Kanaan."
"Yes?"
"Sorry, but first-… how long have I been out?"
If he had been any later, Noore wouldn't have been able to recover from that brand and it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
That was only one of the problems he solved out of the more complexed matters as Noore indulged onto him. He had been out for weeks.
In summary, while he was out, the Cantons found out about his state through siphoning censored material and initiated their rebellion. The Royal fortress was theirs and the Royal Palace had been blockaded. Lakshman was under occupation but the inhabitants were stubbornly resisting, if he didn't act on this fast many of his people would be killed. Sagarmatha Airbase and Lanka were under assault with no apparent indication of being overrun…. yet. He was sensing a very disturbing feeling over in Lanka for some reason. Something that emanated a very familiar aura yet harmful to life as he knew it. Whatever was there, he needed to confront it now.
"So what's the plan?" Ricardo asked as he came over with the boys. Although it felt like there was some friction between him and Samson now, clearly an evident took place that they wouldn't say.
But that was all of it, and that was where the problems began for him right after waking up from that coma. It just went to show how fragile Kyrats state of affairs were without his presence here as the demon. Too many depended on him, if he were to really vanish would they be able to stand on their own?
Ajay casted aside these thoughts for a plan to liberate Kyrat from the Rebellion as quickly as possible, for all he knew the Golden Path would be here soon
-So that was the feeling.- He turned to the general direction of Lanka. Golden Path was already here, an advance party at least. He could feel majority of that Karmic thread still far away yet near but not as close as this one. The demon half of him was true to his word, it gave him the power he should have had. At its expense.
"We'll do this in sequence. Priority one, ensure Baghadur and Meh Teh Airports security. Luca."
"Yes?"
"Follow Ricardo to the airport and send a mosscode transmission with these encryption codes." Ajay wrote on a piece of paper the digits to the code.
"It'll bring Kamran to your location where we can stage a ferrying point to the Airbase."
"We're on it." Ricardo left after exchanging a complex glance with Samson who kept mum but wore an emotionless face. Ajay was no fool to see some friction in their friendship had occurred, was this because of him?
"Noore, Kanaan. Take your staff and head over to this safehouse here." Ajay pointed on the Southern Kyrat map where the mountains lay.
"Is there a cave there?" Noore asked unsure.
"Isn't that-…." But Kanaan seemed to have an idea what was there.
"It's the Ghale Homestead." Noore was a little skeptical of the state since it was likely left in ruin for twenty-five years.
"Don't worry, I had some folks renovate the estate while I was on my tour constructing Lanka. That place is a model house now and a piece of history." Ajay joked.
"…. Alright." But Noore was more unsure of Ajay's condition since he just woke up and wanted to get back in as soon as possible, as a doctor she couldn't recommend that but still, this was his choice. The staff seem to be both excited and baffled as to why Badala was in possession and even placed such care as he suggested into the home of the arch-traitor.
"There's a housekeeper by the name of Japa who maintains the place. Tell him "Badala asks why didn't you water the white mushrooms?" And he'll know I sent you, be honest about your situation though." Noore nodded and held his hand one last time.
"Good luck, when this ends I have a lot to share with you." Ajay faced Samson whom he intentionally left out for last. From Noore's account, Jeevan would likely be headed for Baghadur or Lanka, he guessed the former was the more likely option for him. Amita could get an extra hand in reinforcing the Western sector around their region, he could use his authority to requisition troops from Delta Barracks.
"Samson." Samson looked up to him.
"Thanks for all you've done this far. I don't want to keep asking from you but could I leave their protection in your hands?"
"Sure. Do what needs to be done." Ajay nodded and turned about towards Lanka but just as he was about to leave, a thought occurred to him regarding his brief thoughts on Hurk.
"Do you think Hurk would accept it if I gave him a place here to call home?" The meaning behind this message was because he had said rather unsavoury things to Hurk during the rescue. In his frustration, he showed that he lacked faith in Hurk's abilities and it compromised his friendship with the naughty ape who didn't stay long to let him think about it and apologize. Noore cocked her head slightly as she thought about the meaning behind what he said before replying.
"Why don't you ask him after this? You'll never know what the other person might be thinking besides your own opinion." Noore said with a smile.
"Thanks, Noore." Ajay left with a guilty-free mind to accomplish the tasks ahead of him.
Thankfully Ajay had left before the next words that came out of Noore's mouth were just a mere murmur but too inaudible for him to hear.
Noore turned to Kanaan and asked. "Who's Hurk?"
(Clash)
Blades clashed with such violence that the windows surrounding them shattered with such force from the vacuum produced in their confrontation. It was so pronounced that the fighting all over Lanka ceased to be, Golden Path, Royal Army, Rebels and Rakshasa alike.
When Bhaskar bore witness to the sword in his hand, his first and only response was the action taken to relieve that sword from his hands. He couldn't stand a second more of it in his possession, it insulted the memories of their Kingdom, it insulted the memory of his King.
His blows were the heaviest that he could deliver in this body, he had released the limiters on the body that prevented its decay from the power injected into it. And yet still, Vasu was able to shrug of blows that would've flattened a mortal into pulp. He was channeling powers bestowed upon him through a curse. A Curse of binding Karma with the demon of Lanka, his Covenant with Ajay.
How or why the blade chose to accept someone with barely a fraction of the original owner's soul or blood was beyond him. It was virtually impossible, unless-….
"No-… NO! I can't be!" The sword that belonged to the King's bloodline couldn't possibly accept another outside of it. It couldn't be…
It chose to be wielded by Vasu, one of pure heart
prataapaavanhaa (Valiance).
It was betraying its original master for another, was that even possible?
Vasu began to understand the significance of the broken ancient sword, it seemed to have been left there intentionally for someone to take away. He was honestly only intending to use it for just this moment. But soon, he found something rather frightening about the sword in particular. Whatever it touched corroded into ash, that included Bhaskar. That was why he changed his fighting style upon pulling out his kukri and other weapons out of thin air.
Vasu had never felt such power flow through him so naturally, it was something beyond that of his time as an "exalted".
"So this is how he felt…. So disgusting…" It was a forbidden power, that much he knew. If Ajay were there, he'd applaud him for sharing the same sentiment. Unfortunately, as much as they hated it they needed it to combat Golden Path and the newly emerging Rakshasa.
"RAAARRRGHH!" Bhaskar flayed his newly acquired sword at Vasu armed with that blade. (Clang) (Clang) The sword was slightly more resilient to the corrosion than normal metal but still gave in to the corrosion upon it.
Bhaskar jumped a distance after throwing out a wall of knives that held a deadly poison even to beings like himself. He gained a moment of rest between himself and Vasu, but a moment was all he needed.
Vasu stood unsure of what he was planning as he began to chant something archaic and quickly tried to close the distance between them.
"Let me show you the difference between a Rakshasa and a mortal, Vasu. Here's the difference between heaven and earth!" Bhaskar yelled out as he finished chanting.
"I hereby curse thee, bloodline of Sen! I break thy cycle of reincarnation! I elipse your path of enlightenment! Slaughtering Moon Hex!" And at his command the surrounding natural law began to shake and crumble as he fired the hex at Vasu. An invisible thread flew out, not deterred by the objects between them, at the moment he was touched by the curse, he felt his entire body fall like an anchor into the deep ocean, worsening his wounds. But that wasn't all, as if a stream of venom was invading him, he felt like he was plunged by knives all over.
He couldn't hold back a scream even if he wanted to, but the pain completely rendered his vocal cords mute.
"You feel that? That is the effect of the hex specially suited for men like you. Have you ever felt a moment when you killed someone without conscience but pure anger? For every such kill and slaughter, the pain multiplies. And it's no surprise you've done so on more than one occasion. How many did you slay under the spell of fury? Dozens? Hundreds? Each adding to the fuel of the hex, burning your soul and body from the inside out." As Bhaskar stated, it was a clearer explanation upon what was happening to him.
Vasu was not enjoying any bit of the curse he was hit with, but his will wasn't about to falter here as the curse was eating him inside out. He could already see his skin on his hand turning purple and spreading.
-Even so…..-
He bit his lip and struggled to get up bit by bit.
"My name-…." He said with great difficulty.
"My name is not-….. Sen-… IS KHATI!"
And as if a window had shattered, so did the basis of the entire curse crumble to the ground. A great wave of relief fell over him from the absence of the stabbing pain all over. And at that entire time, Bhaskar watched him wriggle on the floor in a pathetic way. The fact that he broke the curse with the change in his family didn't matter.
"Then, shall I curse the Khati bloodline as we-." (zip) (Thump) (Thump) (Thump) Bhaskar narrowly dodged three throwing knives, all emaculating a dangerous sealing aura. He retracked the origin point of the projectiles to find a shadow blocking out the sun over him.
(BOOM) The thunder of a projectile out of a barrel of a gun shook the air around them. Vasu looked in surprise, as he had expected another person to have come from the signature sound of that double-barrelled weapon that messed his days as an "exalted". But it was not him, instead another hom he recognised more clearly than any other.
Sensing something terrible from the shot beforehand when it was unslung from his back, Bhaskar tried to get out of its effective range. The sabot slug missed him, but exploded into fragments nearby, and the shrapnel hit him.
Embedding itself deep into his body. It didn't matter if he was a Rakshasa empowering this body. None of the recovery abilities were restoring the wound, and worse of all he felt the devastating effect like any mortal would. Bhaskar collapsed onto the ground in a kneel as his body refused to respond to him. Vomitting huge amounts of blood, but it was pale in comparison to the internal damage that this weapon did to him. He looked up to see his opponent was already absorbed in a chant that would end this fight.
"Mera Iccha Parvato jesa mazboot he. Mera Karma hi mantra hai. Is paapt srishti jo prakriti ka dushman hai, usko yaha sai nikaldo. Aathva Rakshash ko Nirvaasit Karna Tantra!" (My will is the mountains! My karma is the mantra! Banish all creation against Nature! 8th Demon Banishing Hex!)
His eyes widened as he saw a build up in Karmic threads intwining, but by the time he was already a move too late.
"Seal!"
"NAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Bhaskar's entire external complex instantly caught fire into an Azure flame, he screamed in agony as the person had struck him with a powerful hex that destroyed his body that denied norm which was against natural law.
"YOU WRETCHED THING! When I find you again, it will be with my brothers! And then, I WILL DESTROY YOU! BODY AND SOUL! AS WE SHOULD HAVE LONG AGOOO!-" The burning corpse finally gave way and extinguished but not before turning into a pile of ashes.
"You're welcome to try." He answered the hollow winds, the small blood ruby in his hand broke and disintegrated.
"But next time, I won't just exorcise you. I swear this on my true name."
Vasu got up with difficulty, the person before him was someone he'd encountered many times in the past. Once a rival foe, now a supposed ally. He had so many questions about the nature of the enemy they were really facing.
"Darshan."
Darshan turned to gaze at him. But would he indulge him?
Han Feng could understand Saraswati's sentiment, having her entire family locked against their will and with an opportunity such as capturing him with the possibility of negotiating for them back.
Even so, he didn't enjoy having a gun in his mouth.
"What do you mean you're helping us?" She removed the gun to allow him to speak. Althought, it was a laughable sentence he spewed right after neutralizing the guards silently and freeing her bindings in the safehouse he brought her to. Of course, she couldn't accept it. After all, he was the scion of the Sun Household, Lord Kwan's son, a Canton. Why would he help betray his own people? In her defense, Han Feng did not have a very good impression with her, especially when he attempted to rape her friend years ago.
He couldn't just up and say, "That was all in the past" this wasn't the way things worked.
"I wished that this rebellion never happened. I wish I was never born into this life!" He said his most earnest desire.
"No one is allowed to." She replied her answer.
"Even so, I wished that I still had a choice of life, to choose my own destiny! I never wanted to be a Lord of Kyrat, I didn't want to reign over others, I simply wanted to serve and be proud of something."
"Your record has shown much to be desired, Han Feng."
"…. You don't know how lonely it is to be an heir to such loathsome people." Saras was shocked to the expression he released after failing to convince her. Tears trickled from his face, the face not of a proud future Canton Lord.
"Stay away from those common filth, you must uphold the family name so don't forget that! Become a carpenter? What a joke?" The last of the lines seem to hurt him the most as he recited every single one of the words of caution by his mother, his father and relatives. Saraswati seemed to find his plight genuine and was a little astonished he had such a simple dream.
"It's not uncommon for us to be isolated from society till we're adults, they wanted to indoctrinate us with their "ways". We don't even mix with Cantons our own age because of House segregation, they want use to know our places. Only our own family members were the limit of our social boundaries." Matching with her personal experience growing up, she never really saw a Canton child roaming around the echeleons like they did. She always assumed they were sent to study in Canada or something, but it appears that this was a hidden side of the Cantons she wasn't aware of.
"But I do remember one time, I even escaped from the house just to get some fresh air despite the punishment I would get later, I thought it was worth it back then." Han Feng smiled in a way that she was surprise he could show so much joy in a single expression.
"And then I met someone I will never forget, this girl…." Saras's eyebrow raised as she was clearly listening to some childhood love story here. Han Feng was either telling the truth from the genuine expressions he held or he was a brilliant actor who deserved a place in the Toronto Academy of Canada.
"It might've just been a few days, but it was the most fun I ever had. Even if we didn't know each other's names nor cared to ask for it."
"So now are you going to tell me you exchanged some sort of trinket." Han Feng scratched his head awkwardly whilst laughing it off.
-Seriously?-
Saraswati lowered her handgun as she sensed no malice from his intentions, if anything it was too overwhelmingly ridiculous.
"So what was your friendship with Sugun? Don't tell me it was just a working relationship." She sat on the safehouse sofa with the gun on her lap.
"As a matter a fact, it was. You know how House Hamal has always had close ties with the Sun Clan. Getting together with tubby was just to let both of us know who was the next leaders of our respective families. But that pig was no friend."
"Alright, we're done-."
"I'm not." He insisted.
"We are."
"I'm still not done! You want to know the reason why your friend was raped, right?!"
"Shut up." She turned away not wanting to listen.
"I never liked Sugun but I bore with it for the sake of the family, I always practiced smiling in the mirror just in case. But believe me when I tell you that if you felt sick just looking at that fat pig then I was revolted by the things he did. Sugun had always been this bastard because his father allowed it and when he was sick of his half-siblings. He bullied his half-brother and beat his step-sister. Then one day, he proposed to whore her out to our training Company and his father or all people, didn't even flinch! That was how much she meant to them!"
Saras visibly shuddered when she heard this and turned around wiith a look of disbelief.
"I knew she didn't deserve it as did her brother, but who was I to stop that from happening. But it didn't mean I would turn a blind eye, so I expressed my desire to have a go with her first." Saras frowned as Han Feng waved out to stop the misunderstanding.
"I wanted to pretend! Pretend!- it was the only time I could be alone to ask if she wanted to leave with her brother. I'd arrange their export out of the country and say she ran away and I killed her."
"Say for a moment I believed you, that still doesn't justify what happened next does it." Saras replied in a cold tone, implying the attempted rape incident. And there was not cutting close corners with that one when Jeevan was a witness and both the deliverer of justice upon him.
"I admit, going in during her shower was the wrong time. But it still made a perfect alibi for Sugun to acknowledge. Of course, she was startled to see me in the bath as well…. But as she turned to face me, I had a strange feeling of nostalgia. It took the lines I rehearsed out of my mouth."
"You rehearsed lines?"
"I didn't have much contact with girls since I was a kid so please don't go laughing at me."
Saras suppressed the sudden desire to laugh, it was still a serious thing, to hear why he raped her friend Kanaan. But she couldn't help but feel that it was some sort of misunderstanding, whatever excuse he had cooked up better be believable.
"And just when I regained composure and told her to hush, I saw it." Han Feng dug into his shirt and took off a necklace holding it out for Sarsa to take. She received it and opened her hand to see what all the fuss was about.
In her hand was a small wooden figurine of a clam shell. And that was when she had the strangest of feelings she'd seen it before.
"This-…."
"Before we departed I gave that girl the other half of the shell."
Memories raced in her head as Saras recalled a time when they were two adolescent girls having fun and talking about secret crushes. Personally, she had a short crush for a boy she knew in the Dev family but she had a pretty low self-esteem back then and dressed boyishly. That boy got together with some bitchy girl too dense to notice her flaws. It was only during the Crystal Fall Ball when she wowed everyone with her transformation did he notice her beauty and charm and deeply regretted his decision. Adolescence was fun. And Kanaan was no different.
When she asked if she had a crush which she obviously did, she took out a necklace that was run through a wooden depiction of a shell. Saras asked her the reason why it was only half or was it supposed to be that way.
To which she replied and Saras recited before Han Feng. "As happy as a clam. And only by having two halves will our happiness be whole."
Han Feng's eyes widened and begun to tear once again, but not of sorrow.
"So, it really was her all this while…. Kanaan."
Saras was able to figure out the rest based upon all three of their accounts. Kanaan's, Jeevan's and Han Feng's. Han Feng was excited upon seeing the necklace pendant and wanted to inquire if it was hers or whether she got it from somewhere else. And became a little physical to the extent of grasping her shoulders, but given the place and situation it was enough evidence to convince Jeevan of the situation otherwise like a romp in the shower. Kanaan also misunderstood because Han Feng lacked the skilfulness in conveying himself.
It was at this point that Saras couldn't control herself and bursted out laughing at such a ridiculous incident. It should have been a happy ending, yet it turned for the worst in the worst possible way. Han Feng couldn't intervene in Jeevan's punishment because he had a position to uphold, he could only watch from afar as his misunderstanding was carried across. Thinking if she were in his shoes, it felt heart wretching. Someone so precious, so close and yet so far away.
Han feng sighed as he felt a great relief telling a very personal story that even his father hadn't. Saras was just about to accept this excuse when she recalled the events at the King's Birthday.
"You mind explaining the King's 49th Birthday while you're at it?"
"That was simple. I gave up. I knew she would hate me even if we were engaged but I didn't care. Let's just say I crossed a very dark bridge back then. And then her brother suggested he run away with her. Of course, I didn't want that! Whatever I said regarding sharing her around with my mates I wouldn't allow that. I know she wouldn't accept me in the beginning but over time… was what I hoped she would."
"You've just changed back my opinion of you."
"I'm glad you think that way at least. I'm not going to lie about what my intentions were, but sometimes if yearnings aren't fulfilled they can become obsessions. I had no one to talk about my problems, so how do you think my thoughts festered that way?"
"…"
"That ship has sailed. I know I can never try again. Just knowing she happy is good enough for me."
"Why are you doing this?" She asked him as he still didn't explain why, only gave her a brief history of his sob past.
"You were there, remember? At the Papirese Palace Garud Durbar." Saras could recall.
"You recall what Captain Kadayat said to me?"
"His retort about your dubious history of attempting to rape Kanaan?"
"Do you remember what happened next?"
"Hang on, was it when Badala reprimanded Bipin?" Han Feng nodded.
"Badala should've been supporting Bipin, so when he stood up for not just me but the Canton soldiers in general…. You couldn't possibly understand the feeling of liberation, for once in your life, someone doesn't judge you based on status, or whose kind you belong to. Colonel Min was right."
Saras couldn't help but let a smile creep on her face.
-So your big oaf heart touched even them.-
"I know that Colonel Min was on Badala's side, we all knew she didn't support the older Cantons' ways. We were willing to follow her if she did decide to turn her back on your elders."
"She? She?" She repeated as she clearly heard him call Samuel a she.
"Most unguarded secret in the 2nd Hussars, can you believe she still thinks we don't know? She thinks we're oblivious to the long nights of writing petitions in our implementations which I can assure you is a bitch to handle when your sponsors are stingy Cantons. She thinks we only care for glory, but if we had to chose we'd rather have her as our commander than kudos. And we're thankful for Bipin being at her side." Han Feng said in a light conversational manner and chuckled a bit.
"… Why doesn't she know that you lot know?"
"Uh-." Han Feng felt that he tripped on a landmine and began to sweat. Once again, her opinion of him dropped.
"Did you take part? Did you peek on Sam while she showered or changed?"
"….N- No comment." He turned away to hide the blush.
Saras's smile twitched.
"When this is over, Sam will know all about it."
"Madam!" Han Feng addressed her formally whilst getting on his knees, kow-towing and holding out his hands.
"If its possible please say it was just me, she'll believe it! But the lads- if possible, just them-."
When Han Feng unhesitantly stepped forward to take the heat off his fellow soldiers, it really put her in a difficult spot.
"(Sigh) You boys…. Jeez. But after this she'll need to know you were aware of her identity as a woman all along."
"Thank You, Madam!"
"Alright, get up. Please, its unslightly."
"Uh- ok. Huh?" as he got up, Han Feng was given a surprise embrace by Saras much to his shock.
"You protected my dear Kanaan and got hurt in the process. I hope you can rely on me in future to tell her how you feel." Han Feng couldn't control his emotions and drop to his knees where Saras caught him as he wept against her stomach.
"Saraswati…. Save us."
Rakshasa.
Who would have thought the creatures from his multiple delusions both by that damn inheritance of the Ghale family and the hallucinations at Durgesh would actually manifest here? The sight of him for the Royal Army was a relief like no other and terror for the Rebels and Golden Path.
Those Rakshasa saw him and held reservations upon fighting him, why? He didn't know. But they were massacring his men, so they were his enemy. A powerful shot from his bow piercing their ceramic mask eye slits instantly took them down and a powerful gust of wind blew their remains away like there were but sand illusions.
It gave the garrison forces the motivation they needed
"(Ancient language)." The Rakshasa, he encountered spoke in that familiar binaric tone as in his delusions. In fact, his entire fight against these new opponents were based entirely upon the visions of Kalinag fighting them. When one disappeared into the air, it felt as if its presence had shot off into the distance. Implying that killing them, didn't really "kill" them. This was just some form of physical manifestation to substitute their actual bodies somewhere hidden away. In other words, this wasn't even a fraction of what they could do.
But fifteen minutes into the fighting, there was a sudden change in the tide. Both the anxious Golden Path and the Rakshasa withdrew and headed in the general direction of the snowy peaks of Akaash Valley. It meant that the Golden Path were most likely hiding within the abandoned temples and monasteries up there. And where was air support when he needed it. A fuel-air explosive would have been enough to kill all of them taking shelter inside. One quick swoop would've put the Golden Path in a very bad situation that threatened it with disbanding.
Ajay knew they were nowhere close to done here as their strength was far from expended, yet they withdrew with urgency straight back to their likely hideout. Something was going on up there.
-Maybe they disturbed the Yetis.- Ajay humoured himself with that thought. Although the Lost Valley was a bit away from the Akaash valley mountains. Then again, supposed Yeti sightings weren't exclusive to Kyratis part of the Himalayas so maybe. But he knew where their origin point was.
Ajay used the local airwave channel to contact Brigadier Kul whom was surprised to hear from him but did not hesitate to update him on the situation.
"What?"
*That's what I said, but at this point with those-… Rakshasa appearing can you really discount this fact, your grace?*
"No. Its fine, I belief you. I'm heading over there now, meet me there when you've assigned your lieutenants to take control and force the rebels out from the fifth bastion."
*Yes, sir. It won't be easy though, since "they" appeared the Rebels just barred themselves inside their occupied bastion.*
"I wouldn't be surprise, its like being in a folktale."
*Like the Epic of Kalinag?*
"I certainly hope not, you do remember what was the last thing he faced, don't you?" Ajay's question was met with a genuine silence over the radio. It was something he was sure Gopan was praying that wouldn't be the reality here. Unfortunately for him and everyone else, Ajay knew it was either as bad or much much worse with her around.
He made his way to where vasu was last noted of being from Gopan's account, Bastion Three. The soldiers along the way brightened up upon seeing him, even giving a cheer as he or she spread the word that Badala was in Lanka. It helped made things more fluid with them when motivated, added to the brief respite from the absence of Golden Path and these monsters who shook them greatly to the core. Ajay couldn't pretend to the casualties sustained from the sudden attack from not one but three different parties, two on the same side.
His thoughts had made his journey to the bastion in search of Vasu faster than he expected. He found a silhouette of him near a rather familiar place for a certain first encounter. But he also found another person whom he had lots to ask.
"Vasu."
"Badala. We've you been?"
"Napping, what do you think?" As he got closer, he could see Vasu was in a bad shape but not grievous or mortal so it was fine.
"What happened here? And Darshan, hang on a moment." He said in case Darshan wanted to do that cool walk away thing he always did, it was annoying because he was impossible to find afterwards. Despite being part of Maya's cadre, the only time he was together was one of their first missions at Ratu Gadhi, where he pretended to be a pothead to a very bad degree of acting.
"My brother had a confrontation with the General of the North." Darshan instantly summarized everything that Vasu was doing here.
"Excuse me?"
"It was Bhaskar, the Golden Path scribe. Or at least that was what we knew him as." Vasu confirmed.
Ajay's mind was working out what Vasu was telling him, what it meant was that the Rakshasa had been hiding with them for a very long time.
"They've been here long before Kyrats conception." Darshan seemed to be ahead of him in predicting what he was thinking and answered his query with a certain accuracy.
"Wouldn't that mean that they could be anyone?" Vasu was not wrong with his assessment.
"I didn't spend sixteen years loitering Uttar for nothing." Darshan replied with confidence as he had combed every portion of the north for demons in hiding.
"How much does Yuma know of what you're doing?"
"Enough to know it keeps her operations going without delay or hindrance."
"Darshan-."
"How much of your Karma do you still retain?" These words made Ajay's hair stand, as if Darshan knew everything about him there was to know and was merely gauging what was left.
"….. Enough to get the job done."
"What's this about Karma?"
"Have you ever wondered how our young lord here was able to rein the beast so recently he could overpower you but then inflict maximum damage from its after affects? He was burning the Karma of his memories with those precious to him. Was that all, brother?"
"… What?!" Vasu turned to Ajay stunned that he would agree to do such a cruel thing to himself.
"And what's that about brother? You're no-."
"You declared you were a Khati, did you not? I too bear that name in case you'd forgotten."
"…." Vasu remained quiet as he got the point. "Fair enough."
"And you sat from afar watching me run about like a headless chicken, I gather." Ajay glared at Darshan with hostility. "Must have been amusing to see, huh?"
"Your fate is none of my concern."
"But Maya is, right? I don't know the reason but you hold her more carefully than even I would." Ajay stepped closer.
"I hope you aren't using her for whatever you're planning. Because if you are-…"
"Don't get bright with me, boy." Though he didn't shout, it was just as hostile as Ajay returned to him as they stared each other down. Ajay was feeling a strange nostalgia from him.
"But as much as i hate to admit... I will need your assistance." Darshan sighed as he admitted to the reality of his predicament.
"Who are you, Darshan? And what is your business here?" Ajay asked the number one question he had for him. Darshan sighed again, standing steady whilst he dug into his bag.
"The Army knows me as Specialist Major Darshan Khati, what I do keeps the paranormal away. That is their firm belief with the confirmation from Yuma, but they also know me for-."
"Locking us Devas away and killing Jaswant. And-… thank you, if you didn't kill him I don't know what would have happened."
"He was a raving lunatic."
"Sabal's brother? I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Ajay snorted as it seemed to be a trait common in Kyrats Rajput family, he'd have someone pay a close eye to them in future.
"But he was also her first mortal apostle before Mohan." He dropped the bomb hard.
-What?!- That exclamation of surprise failed to come out. So she tried more than once, but Darshan extinguished it.
Darshan took out an ancient medallion with the carvings of ten animals around its rim and a chakra wheel in the middle.
...
Ten Vedic Talismans
Ten Sacred Guardians
...
Those words rung in his head like something he'd heard before. He shrugged it off as Darshan watched his behavioural reaction to the seal medallion.
"As I've said, you know me as a specialist major in the Royal Guard. But I'm also something else."
He reached into his back and pulled out Ajay's lost slayer and held it out to return it to him.
"Ah-." Ajay accepted it back without hesitation, he was just happy to see it again after he'd gone through thick and thin with it.
"I am the Ninth Generation Inheritor of the Demon Banisher Order. And my sole intention is the extermination of body and soul-..." His knuckles cracked and teeth grit as he recalled his hated adversary.
"... To the Rakshasa Princess of Akaash."
