Author's Notes:

I really screwed myself this exam. But all fixed, I've managed to get a pass for all my papers and attended the supps which I will never do again.

Just did the first chapters to my XCOM reboot a few days ago. I'll be taking off the previous XCOM stories soon, so yeah. Just some heads up.


The air was filled with a roar of triumph and celebration, as a moment that seemed like all was lost suddenly took a turn for the best.

Strange creatures emerged from the smoke assaulting Baghadur from within and around. These humanoid creatures, they knew not what they were. Pale azure white painted skin donning a mask that had a striking resemblance to Badala's except theirs had an inhuman touch to it, a more frightening visage whereas his still showed parts that said he was human behind it. Attacking them with knives, bow and arrows, one large one carried some sort of flamethrower torch. There were even dogs rigged with explosives. The tigers had taken a serious beating and lost almost half their forces to this attack. If the Garrison at Delta Barracks did not come to help them, they might've faced a total annihilation.

And then there was Jeevan Hamal, amidst the mass of these monsters. Fighting them in the same fashion that they fought, with knife and blade. He garnered a considerable attention from these creatures that Amita was able to reorganise as the Tigers had previously been fighting the Rebels for the Airport.

When she first laid eyes upon them, she had a sudden recollection of a certain Thangka hanging in the walls of the Rajput family estate during a one time conference, Sabal's ancestral home. One he left behind when fleeing.

It was a thangka that demonised Pagan and his forces, made before Ajay Ghale came to Kyrat and founded the Demon they knew today. There was a single group that represented the Hunters by in the mystical sense. The Rakshasa.

These creatures looked every bit like them and seemed to fight almost like the Hunters in general. Fierce and on the move always.

And then, as if something was calling out to them exclusively. These "Rakshasa" looked to the mountains and disappeared into the smoke. Almost as if they were nothing but an illusion, except the bodies of the Tiger and Rebel victims lying around. The Rebels, scared out of their wits, left the premise as quickly as possible when the Rakshasa turned their attention to the mass gathered around the stronghold Baghadur.

Amita allowed her people a moment to value their survival for just a moment, even if there was still a tough road ahead. She personally approached Jeevan to thank him for his assistance at the untimeliest of manners, it was he who informed the Delta Barracks to help them as the trouble with communications prevented them from assessing the situation correctly.

Jeevan stood huffing away what was the centre of where the enemy were but had disappeared with the winds. He was filled with cuts and grazes but stil seemed to be standing on willpower alone. And then, his legs gave way. Amita was quick to catch him before his head bumped the floor.

(Clang) The kukri fell harmlessly from his hand to the compound pavement.

"Well done, intern."

"(Huff) Well done?... Your welcome, boss." Amita was reassured of his condition since he had the strength to retort.

"I would never have thought this day would come, so…. Thank you, son of Hamal."

"….. I'm not a son of Hamal any longer."

"…" Amita kind of forgot, House Hamal was involved in this Rebellion, she knew it. So it was fair to say that if they the loyalists won that would be the case that House Hamal would be liquidated save for Jeevan who stayed loyal to the King.

"I guess I'll be taking my Mom's maiden name from now on."

"Which is?" Jeevan felt awkward lying on the lap of Amita so he tried to get up. But Amita pushed him down with her palm again.

"Lie down, I'll allow it just this once. You've outdone yourself here today, Jeevan." Amita looked at the surrounding calm scenery.

"I wonder what were those things?"

"I would like to ask the same question? I have a feeling that they're connected to why Master returned mortally wounded."

Amita held a grave expression, creatures that could harm even their fabled demon and put him in that situation? It meant that they might not even have the sufficient means of combating these things when the next assault came.

"I think we'll think about it when we've ended the rebellion. They'll be back for sure. Alright, get up boy wonder. I've got things to-." But as she tapped him Jeevan didn't respond. She checked his pulse and breathing to confirm if he was alright and her conclusion was that he was exhausted from the fight which he clearly overclocked his abilities. Still, where it took a salvo of automatic fire to cut one of them down. The last she saw Jeevan from the distance, he was fighting hard but didn't seem to show signs of weakening or his defense breaking, that Royal Martial Art seemed to play a big part. Amita had privy to the existence of the Royal Art but her family wasn't of warrior kin or even those old families so it was not afforded to her, not that it would even fall into the hands of a woman to be studied either.

All she could do was sigh and carry him back to the quarters to place him on. As she folded his arms to throw him over her shoulder blade, she noticed a very perculiar tattoo upon his left wrist. It looked like a serpent coiling around his wrist but looked more detailed than just a mere serpent, almost as if it were alive. Or rather than a serpent, it looked like… a dragon, a black celestial dragon.

Yet his personality and the way he brought himself didn't seem to match with someone who chose to desecrate their flesh for some mere showmanship accessory. Was this an icon of his past indulgence or did Ajay Ghale do this to him as a part of a ritualistic initiation? Possibly, he was fond of forcing pacts and covenants upon others by means of intimidation and oppressive. Even though he wore a charming face.

-Who else would it be.-

Amita huffed at thinking about that nasty habit of his. Ajay was an evil schemer trying to look benevolent yet somehow, she couldn't help but applaud him for it. Because it was getting shit done that hadn't since this mess started. It was doing what she had tried to do since she joined Golden Path to apparent effect since she truly couldn't bring herself to go so far with a façade that it would bring her severe consequences. Maybe the people felt the same way, about a leader that could do horrible yet great and benevolent things in their interest. She carried Jeevan around her shoulders to bring back gave her a sense of nostaglia of carrying around her once small sibling in piggyback.

"What a handful you are." She said with a gentle smile.


Dominic had seen crazy before. But this fella was a lunatic that shouldn't be allowed to exist. Just awhile ago when they silently recontacted Willis after nearly a month of hiding in the mountains and depending on high-speed airdrops via the Company. This was the hardest time they'd experienced, yet they couldn't leave, because the Kyrati Military had woven a lethal air defense web over the Himalayas. The Company deployed their high-profile stealth container-carrying drones to drop them the necessities, the cost was great. And the boss was not settling for half rewards on their trip here, even deploying the pre-production prototypes of the N1 program. The highest priority project in their establishment, said to revolutionize warfare forever.

Combat suits. Made to enhance the soldier's reflex, agility, strength and endurance a hundredfold. Protected by a second skin made out of a crystalline-coltan titanium shell, and sandwiched between that was an Ionic Electroactive Polymer reservoir acting as both spalling armor and means of providing power to the suit from catalysing Gold-Cobalt Oxide within a powerpack. But it didn't end there. Underneath and within the outerlayer of Cryfibril muscles were millions of working nanites. Their sole purpose was to keep the suit running optimally and "recover" it from any external damaged sustained.

So what was this?!

How could that person look at them like they were nothing but prey? Even a nobody could understand they were donned in power armour. Why couldn't he understand he was outmatched? Dane was the first to take initiative by charging with his shotgun aided by enhanced speed.

Mitchell maintained overwatch over the rest of the mercenaries whom seemed twitchy with their weapons on their appearance.

An unsettling feeling of dread washed over him behind the suit layers, coming from none other than that man himself.

The one the old man had interest in studying where his prowess was based on.

And during the entire time he had the luxury of thought, Dane moving in to subdue him. Badala just stood there smiling, not even taking up defensive measures at all.

Lynch said he was classed as a CIA threat Category L. Men and woman said to be capable of waltzing straight into Langley or even the White House to kill the president alone. He had met the Jackal inadvertently during an opt, but Badala was giving a dreadful aura that exceeded his. Badala had to be the most dangerous Category L to ever live.

*Wai-! (Bang) (Bang) (Bang)* As Dane fired his shotgun at him. Ajay's silhouette vanished from the original point of his gunbarrel and he forcefully readjusted to fire again. But after three shots, nothing hit and a hand now grasped his shotgun tightly.

Dane tried to shove him aside with the shotgun as a fulcrum, but Ajay stayed in place much to his disbelief. He extertion was at least 50kN of force aided by the suit muscle fibril, but his grip felt like the shotgun was embedded in concrete.

Before he had another chance to do anything, a kick was delivered to his trigger arm. Wretching the lower half of the shotgun in two, but also sending him flying into the wall of the hangar. That suit weighed at least 300 kilos was easily thrown that far.

-Wha-…. What the hell!-

(Bababababaam) Mitchell had already fired upon Ajay to keep him suppressed.

Michelle and Paul fired back at him with no effect to his armour but breaking his line of concentration. He turned to face them to get rid of their pestering, so Dominic turned back to where Badala was. Only to find he was no longer there.

Realizing too late, Dominic turned back to warn Mitchell whom was shocked to find him up on the catwalk ten metres above ground thanks to some sort of tether wire on his own armour.

Mitchell reacted by swinging his rifle in a combat rifle butting fashion only to sway at thin air. (Crunch) A haymaker too quick for even the cameras on the visor to capture struck Mitchell on the jaw pushing him back. (Crunch) Another haymaker punch struck him on the opposite temple crushing the weave of alloy protecting him.

Mitchell threw a random punch with his augmented strength at Badala that seemed to be a fluke in getting a possible direct hit to his abdomen. And all he did to counter that poor punch was a wave of his hand to push the fist away from his stomach and balled his own fist, delivering a powerful strike to Mitchell's stomach protected by the thickest armour section. Sparks flew from where the tungsten-carbide kukri stabbed through the armour weave into his gut.

*Mitch!* Dominic raised the last Gauss Rifle in his possession.

The demon that gutted him turned on a dime and presented Dominic's line of sight with an impaled Mitchell instead. Causing his trigger to hesitate. With a kick, Mitchell's motionless body ragdolled off the knife and flew in Dominic's direction blocking Ajay entirely from his view.

(Baam) (Baam) Dane recovered as quickly as possible to readdress the odds, firing his shotgun at Ajay.

But he wasn't there again where he aimed. What they didn't know was in close confines, like in the Labyrinth under the Lanka fortress trenches, Ajay was King. The darkness of the corners, the obstacles that provided him with cover, and the unparrellel edges that allowed him the use of his highly-tuned grappling anchors to give him limited manueverability apart from his own movements to direct thrust. The enemy was literally entrapping themselves in his zone.

Ajay appeared directly above him bringing his entire weight as well as drop kicking downwards at Dane that struck his shoulder and pummelled him to the ground with a loud (thump) as the cement fractured and made a concrete angel out of him.

(Beeeww) The strange whistling sound of the Gauss Rifle discharging a shot whizzed through the air but not hitting its target at all.

*Fuck!* Just as he was about to pull off the follow up shot, the gun jammed on him. It was still relatively untested technology but gave them a tremedous advantage provided it worked.

And it was the wrong time for it to fail.

*Come on! You fucking piece of shit!* Dominic didn't despair as he still had his fists to fight with and the suit to help. The rifle was chucked aside as Dominic went for a bull charge to grapple Ajay and end it with his artificial muscles to overpower him. And to his surprise, Ajay remained where he was waiting for him to come over.

In fact, he held out his hands to grappled with Dominic as they latched on to each other's hands squeezing and pushing. But try as he might, Dominic did not even budge him. Ajay stood straight like a monolith and it made Dominic look silly being in the powered suit.

An armour cladded Ajay was face to face with a visor and suit sealed Commander Crow.

"These suits are pretty impressive, chief. Survivability, I'll give it 10/10. But you of all people should know that armour isn't always what's needed to survive in the battlefield. If I had to say, this suit seems partially completed, those camo cloaks seem to be part of its development. Don't tell me-… your boss brought it here to field test." Ajay grinned ever so brightly whilst Dominic was struggling even under the assistance of the suit.

*What-…..What the hell are you?* Dominic asked over the strain. His suit was capable of delivering 55kN of force and here his target was not even seeming to budge. He clearly wasn't human.

"There's lots of things here in these mountains that no one outside has even the slightest understanding of. To be honest, your hardware really disappoints me. You couldn't even fight the Rakshasa with this."

*Rakshasa?...*

"Simon says, kneel." Ajay exerted more strength into his wrists that forced the muscle fibril of the suit to fatigue heavily and brought Dominic to his knees. (Thud) (Crack) Then Ajay delivered a kick to his face that smashed him backwards into the floor and cracked the visor in the process.

Ajay stepped over Dominic's motionless body and sat on him to pin him down. He reached down and plied the red visor off his face, not bothering the least about the pressurized clamps that held it in place. Those metal bindings sprung and broke from the superhuman torque.

Even now, Dominic had difficulty accepting that a normal human even as tough as Ajay appeared couldn't possibly do the things he did.

"If you're listening to this, I'd like you to know. It wasn't the suits' fault, its users were holding it back." Dominic and everyone else who was awake to hear what Ajay said not directed to him but the suit was baffled. Until a reply came from the suit external microphone.

*At last, someone who understands our limitations as man.* Came an automated reply from Dominic's suit. Dominic's hairs stood up, because the voice wasn't his, but his employers.

"This is Badala of Kyrat. To whom do I have the pleasure?"

*CEO of the company. But for informality sake, you may call me Ahab.* Ajay knew it wasn't his real name but at least had something to call him by.

"As in Captain Ahab? I wonder who your whale is?" Ajay calmly got up and waltzed about Dominic who was given allowance to sit upright.

*Something even you wouldn't begin to reckon.*

"Well, you have yourself a nice day, Ahab. I have lots to do now, interrogating the charming CIA spooks. Skinning these suits from your boys and perhaps selling it to Russi-."

*Wait.* Was all that came from the other side. Ajay chuckled upon hearing the tone of hesitation.

"So these suits have a lot more value than all three of their buttchecks put together, hey? I have to bet they're even more valuable than this entire operation. But if you couldn't get them back, I'd guess some sort of self-destruct would go off, no?"

"Sunnovabitch! Har-!" Dominic got up cursing his employer who could have killed him to protect his technology. But was cut off by the employer of his.

*I'll have none of that, Commander. Thank you very much. I did specify that an insurance was in place and for you not to be the one using it.*

"…..Tsh! If one of my men used it, you'd blow their heads off without a second thought!" Ajay pressed his foot down on his torso.

"You. Shut up, before I save your boss the trouble of pressing any buttons."

Dominic wasn't stupid to challenge someone that overpowered three suits on his own so he kept his mouth shut and let them speak.

"Quite the fancy stuff you brought here. Who were these suits meant to be test on?" Ajay teased knowing it was for him.

*Your reputation proceeds you, Category L "Demon" Badala.*

"Sup!"

*I don't suppose I can ask for my suits back intact?*

When the voice mentioned this Ajay laughed and stared at Dominic.

"Look how he treasures you fellas." His said in mockery, Dominic's face bloated red but all he could do was grit his teeth.

"I'm gonna need a finder's fee."

*Name you price.*

"Name your price? Wow. I'm beginning to like the sound of it. You speak my language, Ahab. But unfortunately, I no comprende with mere wired cash or any other physical valuables. No, Ahab. You owe me a favour for each suit. That makes three wishes from my magical wish granting genie."

*….. What will it be then?* That fact that this Ahab gave in to this degree highlighted the genuine value of the suits to him.

Ajay smiled in that familiar triumphant way that Maya instantly recognised, when it followed after a clear victory.

"Don't worry, Ahab. It'll be worth your while."


What Ajay negotiated with Ahab over the suits could not be said as he told everyone to get out. But it was definitely worth his while without being to unreasonable or beyond Ahab's capacity. However, Ajay was determined to keep the suits around so long as his "wishes" were not granted. One wish for one suit return. Ahab couldn't fault him if he got what he wanted back.

The airbase staff wasted no time performing an immediate scramble of air assets into the sky. Chief Khalid had arranged their units to support which element of forces fighting out there. The IAF pilots led by Commander Singh took into the air first to destroy the jamming system and maintain a full perimeter sweep of the airspace over the Himalayas. There was no telling of someone may have flown over by chance to test out their air response.

The most unfortunate obstacle upon recapturing the Airbase was the lack of Air Support attack aircraft. Ajay had been made aware of Corialanus's mutiny, along with the entire 2nd Squadron, he commended Commander Singh for the initiative of sending Pravi to destroy them. The majority of the Airpower was based in Papir Republics' airport to dispatch to all other states at the quickest possible time. All that were left were the Su-34 Bombers and the Mi-28 attack helicopters sent to support the 6th Mechanized Airborne Battalion supervised by Vasu. The Bombers, he had another task for them.

Ajay was wondering more about what Ahab's "Moby Dick" was that it required the development of these suits as a priority project. The CNS operatives outside had surrendered to the overwhelming numbers of the mercenaries and the earlier softening with firepower by Ajay. It wasn't worth dying over, and Ajay wasn't so tyrannical. He set them on the spare An-12 cargo plane along with some provisions, their gear he confiscated. He simply wanted them out of his country, now that he had Ahab, the CEO of that powerhouse back in the states by the balls. He could now stand a chance against the next possible incursion by the United States Armed Forces or CIA's Special Activities Division. Since he had already used one favour, he sent Mitchell and his suit back with the rest of the operatives because he was in need of medical attention from the stab wound. Unfortunately, he couldn't remove the suits from those two due to some complication in skin chemical fusing that would tear their flesh if he plied it open but also set off some sort of "vapourisation" function that liquidated both suit and wearer. That was the insurance Ahab spoke of as a complication to the suit, perfect for removing fingerprints in a region of operation.

(Crunch) With that out of the way, it would be a while before the jamming to the air wave was destroyed. So Ajay had some spare time to kill in doing something to a certain someone he had waited a long time to see.

"Boggrrh! Arghh!- (cough) (cough) I ain't saying shit!" Willis stubbornly held on as Michelle wrecked his face. To think she had this much of a sadistic side as well.

"La belette." She said as she straightened his head to strike once more with her bandaged fists.

"Sweetheart, shut up and take this ring!" Apparently, Paul was also into hands-on women.

"You'll- (cough) Never make me talk!" Willis said all bruised up.

"Oh! I just let her beat you for the sake of beating you. It makes me happy, it makes Maya happy and it would certainly make have made Pagan happy if he were here. So instead, Paul will just tape your execution."

"What? Why me?" Paul was already comfortable on the work sofa in the hangar where the staff took smoke breaks.

"Check bonus."

"Deal!" He said no more and took the video from his smartphone.

"In the end, you get nothing from me!" Willis spat defiantly.

"You really rate yourself too highly, Willis. You, dying a painful dog's death is good enough for me. Whatever dirty secret you have locked away can stay that way…."

(ZZZZZZZZZZZ) "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Came a yell from the next room where Maya tortured Lynch with a aircraft power source and two cables.

"Well…. At least till Lynch spills his side of the beans."

Willis's face looked like it had weathered over twenty years of age in an instant. Everything he'd built up to now, destroyed by this foreign filth. Worst of all, he scrounged in the blessings of America not too long ago. Badala was a traitor if he ever saw one. But it didn't change the fact that he was indeed out of playing cards.

"You should have gone on the first flight out of Kyrat the moment this chaos erupted. Then you'd at least have a months headstart before I chase you." Ajay said into his eyes.

"Why?... WHY!? What did I ever do to you? Badala! Why must you fuck with me!?" Willis underwent a mental breakdown from the pain and suffering he held back for so many years.

Ajay grabbed his chin forcefully to face Willis towards him.

"….. In your defense, "Every patriot is a sunnovabitch." Were you looking at a mirror all this while?" Ajay laughed at him with disdain.

"They say that the bullied usually become the bullies and I don't fault that. Having experience hell, why would you let others do upon you like that one bastard."

(ZZZZZZZZZZ) "AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Lynch's screams were invading their conversation.

"But you know, Willis. Humanity is cruel."

"…. Then why are you keeping me alive?! Just kill me!"

"Shhhh…. You should already know my methods by now, Agent Huntley. To my friends, I reward. My enemies, I kill. And my arch-nemesis and people who give me a fucking headache, I torture for life till there's no life left. I know I'm an evil bastard, but even we have perks of being evil."

Hearing the route which he had been destined to take after all he'd done for the States. Willis broke under the weight of his suffering and laughed maniacally and sadden reside.

"You still don't know what I've hidden here! That's enough to be proud of." He said with loathe to Ajay. But again, that boy showed an unnerving smile like he owned it all. It was more painful to look at than Lynch's face.

"Actually, I have a rough idea of what it might be."

Willis couldn't hide his surprise.

"I'm fairly sure you both weren't here for something that existed prior to your arrival twenty-six years ago. It would have to be something that forced Langley to send you here, as clean up. Because Kyrat isn't capable of shaking any disputes between the Soviet and Western powers."

He stared at Ajay was stricken eyes and did his best to turn away, in case he was using some sort of trick to retrieve it from his expression. Ajay frightened him.

"So if it wasn't something Kyrat had prior, it had to be something landing up here. Something Langley absolutely could not let fall into the wrong hands. Something so serious, you helped the Nationalists kill the Royal Family to create chaos so that your footprints could be masked."

Ajay drew closer and closer to the terrible truth, for once in his life Willis felt a genuine fear of Ajay finding out his guilt.

"Its definitely not a person you sought, and object. But not just any inert thing. It was hardware. And to lose something like that through this tough mountain terrain it has to be a crashlanding. So, cargo. But what is the cargo? What is so terrifying about this cargo that when you were both sent in without prior info, Lynch bugged out when you both saw it? Langley screwed you from the very beginning of the op, you know that right? You were their assets, but Lynch didn't give in. Instead you were Yoshi to his Mario to get to the other side."

"Shut up-."

"And for twenty odd years, you couldn't accept the fact that you were betrayed by both country and partner."

"Shut up!"

"So you went off-route, to find means to fuck them both. And stick it to Langley who owed you two decades of your freedom."

"And what's wrong with that!?"

"Nothing. But you also fucked with the wrong man." Ajay pointed to himself.

And to Ajay's amazement. Tears were falling from Willis's eyes and he began to sob like a bitch.

"…. Paul, sedate him."

Paul sighed and grabbed the anesthetic kit.

"Bads!- Wait! Alright! Let's have a deal!"

"Tick Tock, Paul."

"I'm hurrying. I'm hurrying." Paul said lazily as he squirted the syringe.

"Bads! Bads! BADS!" Willis screamed.

"Hold." Ajay told Paul who crossed his arms waiting.

"…. Arrow…." Willis murmured.

"Nevermind Paul. He's not willing." Paul sighed and approached Willis who prepared his heart full of guilt to open up to Ajay all that defined his purpose in Kyrat.

"BROKEN ARROW!..." He wailed loudly just as the needle touched his neck.

Ajay sighed and held a hand to his face as he laughed in sad reside. For this was what the Devi Bloodline ended over. So that the United States could save some mere face.

"GURGHH!" (Crack) Ajay threw a solid punch to Willis's face that sent him and the chair he was tied to flying and rubbing across the floor.

"Broken Arrow." Ajay repeated what Willis said in a cold tone. (Crunch) Went his nose breaking.

"Broken Arrow." He delivered a merciless kick to his shoulder. (Crack)

"Broken Arrow!" His voice boomed louded as he kicked him again even harder. (Slurck) Wet sounds were now substituting the cracking of bones as he squished something soft instead.

"Broken Fucking Arrow!" And kicked him the last time with augmented strength causing Willis's ribs to crack and internal organs to rupture. Willis couldn't help but pass out from the stress and pain.

"Fuck me!" Paul instantly knew what that phrase was from his time in IDF and Mossad, he even whispered what it meant to Michelle who responded with-

"Merde!" And stared a Willis with disbelief and hatred brewing.

Broken Arrow was a United States Air Force term for an accidental event involving certain hardware in transit. But it wasn't for just any ordinary hardware or materials being flown from A to B getting lost or discharging.

They were exclusively for Nuclear Weapons.

Ajay's knuckles blistered and a deadly killing aura brewed about him with an even more frightening expression found on his face that would make the weak at heart faint. It made Michelle and Paul back off ever so slightly. "CIA-….. United States-… When I'm done with this war, be prepared for me to wage another on you! I don't care how the world views me, I-.. will-… make-… you-… pay!"


The battle raging at the Royal Palace had taken a bloody toll upon the besieging troops, some much that they mustered a regiment to take the Palace. As furious as the Canton Lords were, nothing could be done without the head of Pagan. But the Palace Guards and Palace Guard Chief Samar were making the job almost impossible.

But the defending residence of the Royal Palace too had taken a serious beating and losses to their already small numbers. Five Guards had perished along with twenty work staff. They used the last ounce of their life to make a push from the previously barricaded setup within the Palace to regain control of the inner portion of the palace.

The enemy had adopted an approach of sending wave of companies after another, so far they'd survived the five waves in total. A lot of corpses were scattered around the courtyards and the corridors of the building.

What made this possible to hold were the existence of two individuals. One was Samar and the other was former-Deva Vijaya Acharya, otherwise known as Gary. Pagan's right-hand man and personal attendant. Both had a wealth of experience, it became useful to them in defending their Alamo. But even they too had taken a thrashing, their clothing was torn from the many close calls with bullet grazes and roughing in close quarter combat with some that entered the building.

Samar coughed out a stream of blood after taking a hit for Eric who was out an about confusing the Rebels with his likeness to Pagan.

"How's the wounds?" (Bang) Gary fired the Dragunov down at the stragglers from the last wave that had not fully retreated.

"Arghhhhh…. I'll manage. (Huff)." Samar was forced to apply his own first aid due to only the six combatants currently protecting the Palace alive and still in fighting condition. Eric stood with the two-remaining palace guard and armed servants in the throne room.

(Bang) Another round fired off at a runner, blowing his head off.

"You should fall back."

"We have a vantage he-."

"This place in no longer defendable. We've pushed them into desperation, they will use explosives and rockets, that's a guarantee. They know the King wouldn't be out and about and that Eric is most likely a decoy."

Gary ignored him and reloaded his rifle. A hand reached out and grasped his shirt.

"Vijaya….. (plop)" Samar weakly called out Gary's former identity before collapsing. Gary immediately put down his rifle and picked up the fallen Chief of Palace Guards.

As he held him up and placed him against the wall, he noticed his hands covered in thick blood. Looking back at a smiling Samar.

"Looks like this is the end of the road for me." These words were hard for Gary to accept, even so it was Samar accepting his fate.

"Do you really believe dying here will change anything?"

"Whether I die or not doesn't change what happens or will happen…. Besides, if anyone can turn this situation around, it would have to be him." As much as Gary wanted to deny that naiviety, it was all Samar had been running on this far.

"(Sigh)… do you have any last wishes, any regrets?" Gary asked him to which he surprisingly had some strength left to laugh it off.

"Last wishes? None. I had a king support my little hobby. Youngsters to pass my legacy. They've all been fulfilled. Regrets?... Perhaps one." Samar held out his hand towards Gary who clasped it.

"Ajay…" An item concealed by a clenched hand dropped into Gary's hands from Samar's.

"My deepest regret was not being able to live to see his rise to greatness. How frustrating…"

"It might be better than knowing his outcome, he might fall harder."

"Even so… I owe it to him…. I owe it to his mother, Lady Ishwari…..(cough)."

"Nonsense." Came a voice from the corridor, as Gary looked up in horror.

"Your Highness!" It was not just Pagan, but Yuma following closely by him.

As much as Gary wanted to place Samar aside to warden them back to the vault. Samar's hand held his arms tightly despite dying.

"…. Your Highness…." Samar said weakly with blood flowing from his mouth.

"You don't owe anyone anything. You standardized the manufacture of arms, you equipped and armoured Ajay. You built the romance of the Kyrati demon. And you made all these things possible, even Ajay… even I know, there was so much more to you than what you think, my friend." Pagan knelt down and took the hand of his dying subject.

Samar was unable to refute, he was losing too much energy to retort, so he just smiled every so dimly.

"These twenty-eight years of service…. Have been an honor. My lord."

"Aye….. Aye! Friend."

Pagan's face held a solemn tone to it.

"….. Permission to be relieved….." It was Samar's request to be freed from his servitude to the Monarch of Kyrat.

Pagan reached down and ran his hand over the corpse's eyes to close them.

"…. Permission-…. Permission Granted. May Karma smile upon you." Pagan gave his final blessing upon the departed soul of one of his most loyal soldiers and longest serving subjects.

Gary respectfully lay his old friend on the floor and said a few words of pray to any god that would listen.

Yuma loomed just a few feet away, walked forward to touch the corpse's forehead and murmur words of thanks.

Although for Pagan, he was not in a mournful mood at all. It had been a while since his temper had flared, much of that was thanks to Ajay and a newly emerging new generation of officers and officials succeeding where their predecessors had just left things idle. He had so much time to reflect upon his actions and feel ashamed of it all, to think that the death of Lakshmana drove him to the near-decline of this adopted-home of his.

Pagan walked to the open ledge of the second floor they were on. Passing the bodies of his subjects that died fighting to keep him safe. Coming into full view of the forest and winding roads where the Rebel Regiment loomed below.

"Your Highness!" Gary became frantic as snipers had been scanning the windows to look for targets. But Pagan was presenting himself before the next wave that was assembling outside the forest.

"You bastards!" Pagan said as he faced the Royal Fortress down below.

"If you wanted Kyrat so badly, why didn't you just ask me for the throne!? Ajay never wanted it!" He shouted at non-existence. Gary wanted to intervene but Yuma of all people latched on to his hand and shook her head.

Why did she do that? She believed Pagan needed to vent this emotion now if he were to carry resolve for what was to come.

"Ah-Kwan-… Richard-… I saw you as hing dai (Brothers)!" Soon, Pagan's open presence became known to the spotters in the forest as the company making up the next wave were about to charge. Word was passing around fast, and the Rebels' mood brightened.

"But now, you're both just animals of instinct. You both disappoint me greatly." These words carried the bulk of his faith in the Canton Lords he once fought side by side with. And like a heavy weight, it fell to the ground, crumbling into nothing.

Pagan no longer held restraint for those he once called family. He had only one family left. That was with Yuma, Ajay and the people of Kyrat he called his own. He was prepared now to fully accept his responsibility as the father of Kyrat.

"Rebel scum! Hear me!" He shouted with much power out to the Rebels much to their disbelief.

"I am the reigning monarch of Kyrat, I am Pagan Min! I am here, I am open! Take the shot if you dare!"

His taunt had reached the ears of every rebel of the regiment including their commanders.

"If not-…..!" Pagan picked up the bandolier of ammo and slung it over his shoulders, holding the fallen rifle off a palace guard.

"Come and kill your King!"

These were his famous last words, this was the thought that ran through the minds of the rebel officers as the chuckled at the last words of a soon to be dead monarch and the end of the Min Dynasty under Pagan Min. If it was a noble death, then they could at least arrange that for him. A fight to the bitter end.

The forward commander was just about to complacently give the order for the final charge. When a worrying thunder echoed through the sky followed with sonic booms. The men were late to notice due to the canopy of the forest that covered over them. And then in a split-second-.

(BOBOBOBOOOOOOM) The entire forest and treeline ignited into a wall of high-temperature orange inferno.

Those that did not die from what appeared to be a napalm carpet bombing run, were burned to death by the high-viscous napalm fuel. Screams resounded from the forest that burnt the entire exposed regiment to fire support. What little survived the napalm attack, ran towards the Roya Fortress for safety.

A pair of Sukhoi bombers thundered pass over the mountains. And it was a sight to behold for those that survived in the Royal Palace. It only meant one thing.

Pagan's expression leaked a smile that soon grew in proportion bit by bit.

"My boy is back."

Lupus Caelum answered to no one, not even him. So only by Ajay's authority would they act against the Rebels. It was also something that the Canton Lords knew from the viewing parapet in the Royal Fortress. Staring at the devestation wrought by the bombers upon the attacking force on the Palace.

But this attack had two purposes.

Napalm would burn continuously for hours. And so, the carpet bombing of napalm not only destroyed the attacking regiment. It had also isolated the Palace via a wall of burning napalm, preventing any crossing or attempt on Pagan's life.

One particular aged Canton Lord gazed at the burning barrier with blood shot eyes and had aged several years in an instant. He knew what had changed just from that airstrike alone. He'd felt a similar feeling when Interpol closed in on them twenty-six years prior in Hong Kong. It spelled the coming end of the short-lived triumph of the Cantons in Kyrat. Solomon, beside him was no better, but at least he didn't cringe at the problem at hand like the old lord did. Retiring to some quarters or just loitering brooding over an event that couldn't change.

"Dispatch." Solomon called out with a strong tone.

"Present!" A young officer reported crisply.

"Bring Colonel Roka and the old couple over."

"Yes, lord!" The dispatch disappeared with haste to relay instructions to the appropriate manpower.

Solomon made a glance towards where Lanka lay beyond.

"Your move, Ajay Ghale."