We barely have time to catch our breath after stepping off the lift before we all notice the village far below in flames.

Lazarevic, I realize with dread, though it pales in comparison to the fear I see in Tenzin's eyes.

"Pema…," he murmurs in worry before racing down the pathway, Nathan and I right on his heels.

Thankfully, we don't take long to make our way back. The front of the village seems none worse for wear, although I can hear the nearing sounds of gunfire and grenades.

We find Elena not far from the entrance, doing her best to calm a frightened little girl down. All around them, people are either fretting or running in a panic.

"Elena!" Nathan calls out as we race towards the pair.

There's barely any relief in Ellie's eyes when she sees us, only desperation. "Nate! Noah! I-It's Lazarevic…they found us..."

("Where is Pema?") Tenzin implores in as steady a tone as he can manage.

"I-I don't know…I don't know," she tremulously answers before turning to me and Nathan. "Schafer's got her."

I force my own breathing to settle. I don't want to imagine what that poor child is going through. A sharp pang of anger hits me, and I shake my head.

"Nate, Noah, this is our fault," Elena states in pure despair, gesturing a hand to the despondent villagers. "We did this."

"Which is why we're going to make it right," I state firmly yet gently with determination in my eyes, remembering what my grandmother put on the line to help these people.

Nathan returns my look with a nod. "Damn right, we are." Then he turns to Elena, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Stay here. Make sure everyone stays safe."

And like that Nathan, Tenzin, and I charge into the fray, helping the villagers wherever we can, even though we know at best we'll only slow the body count.

The long battle is a blur to me, a mash of near-misses and grazing shots and even fists, all against the background of explosions and screams of pain.

All the while this village's beauty is lost in flames.

Through divine luck, the three of us manage to push through until we emerge on the wooden balcony of a house. We easily spot Schafer and Pema in the distance thanks to Tenzin and his binoculars. When he hands them to me, I spot them huddling among the ruins, Schafer holding the girl close.

My heart is clenching, only now for a different reason.

And my stomach follows once a goddamn tank rolls into view and aims its turret at us. Me and Nathan have only one thing to say.

"Shit!"

Again, we are some blessed men because we dive off in the exact second before the tank shell hits where we'd been standing, blowing the balcony and most of the upper story to smithereens.

And back into the thick of everything we go – or rather a thicker everything because whoever is operating that tank does not give two shits about who gets hit, as demonstrated when one of the blasts sends a few of Lazarevic's men flying.

We ourselves are flying by the skin of our teeth as we race pass it, taking cover from its gunfire whenever possible.

"Tenzin, get that door open!" Nathan shouts as he and I huddle behind our friend while he rushes jimmying the entrance open.

Seems Tenzin's patience wore out because he just grunts and starts ramming his shoulder against the door instead. Naturally, Nathan and I lend a helping hand (or in this case, shoulder).

Some running and shooting around later, we manage to get close to where we last saw Schafer and Pema – and so does the tank, which oh so graciously blew up the bridge we were about to use, sending us all flying back.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one getting sick of this thing," I bemoan as we get back up and resort to running along the side towards the open window of another house.

"RPG?" Nathan shouts at Tenzin over the din of the tank's gunfire as we vault into the house. "RPG! What's Tibetan for RPG?"

"Given our propensity for finding free guns on the ground," I shout while we jump into the next building and gun down some soldiers waiting for us. "I'm sure we'll find one somewhere."

Despite the situation, my joke gets him to crack a smile, although it looks more like a grimace. Eh, close enough.

Anyway, once the three of us lift a few fallen supports out of the next entryway and parkour our way into the adjacent pathway, we manage to make our way through an alleyway, dodging tank fire all the while.

Except when I look over my shoulder once we reach the cliff, Nathan's nowhere to be found.

Shit.

("Focus on finding cover first.") Tenzin advises in a hushed yet urgent tone before he straddles his way across a thin ledge. ("And perhaps one of these RPGs too. Besides, Drake will not go down easy.")

I sigh before following him. Unfortunately, he's right. Better Nathan being steamed at us than all of us getting smoked.

As luck would have it, he pops around the corner just as Tenzin and I are about to head up yet another set of steps.

"Seriously, where the hell were you guys?"

"Surviving," I wearily bemoan. "Where the hell were you?"

"Also surviving."

Never mind any of that. Once we get into the next building, Nathan's quick to notice and scamper up a nearby ladder onto the roof, where a few more gunshots ring out.

"You OK up there, man?" I holler up out of worry.

"Better than OK!" Nathan shouts back in an oddly excited tone. I suddenly realize why the moment I climb up just in time to see him fire an RPG, no doubt relieved from the fallen soldier at his feet. He spares a glance at me. "Hey, let's see if we can't find any more of these! Don't bother waiting up!"

His words throw me for a loop for a moment. Me? Firing a rocket?

Oh, why the hell not? I think with an easy shrug. I'm already in the deep end as is.

Fortunately, between me and Nathan scrambling across the rooftops and taking turns alternating between gunning down the tank with more pilfered RPGs and providing coverfire alongside Tenzin, we get a decent system going.

The honor of the final blow goes to me after we rappel into the building on the other side of the road. Not to sound like a pyromaniac, but I never thought that the sight of an exploding tank could be so relieving.

It's also hella cathartic.

"Ha, say goodnight, asshole!" Nathan cheers before clapping me on the back. "For a photographer, you really know how ta point and shoot."

"It's only my first time, too," I respond with a somewhat frazzled grin as I unceremoniously toss aside the RPG. "And I hope my last."

Now that we don't have any more maniacs unloading on us, we can get through the red gates.

Once on the other side, we notice a truck speeding off into the distance.

"Crap," I murmur under my breath. "Did they just take off with him?"

("Father!") a familiar tiny voice calls out. It's Pema, running up to us alive and unscathed, thank God. Tenzin wastes no time picking up his child and hugging her out of relief.

"Pema," I'm quick to ask. ("Schafer was with you, right? Do you know where he is?")

Instead of answering, Pema merely points out the way the truck has gone, confirming my suspicions.

Double crap.

"Nate! Noah!"

Elena's racing up to us, urgency written all over her face, but there's no time to catch up as Nathan's already heading for an open truck nearby.

"They took Schafer!" he states as he tosses a dead soldier off the driver's seat. I waste no time getting in from the other side.

"Oh God," Elena bemoans, "it's because he had the dagger!"

"Trust me, we're well aware," I pipe up. My eyebrows jump up, though, when Elena dashes past Nate and into the driver's seat.

Oh boy, I've seen Elena drive before, and I don't think this truck has seatbelts.

Thankfully, it doesn't take much for Nathan to convince her to let him drive instead. After a brief goodbye to Tenzin and Pema from all of us, we're off.

XXX

Nathan Drake is one crazy mofo.

Apparently so am I because here I go, jumping from truck to truck and the occasional jeep the same as him, either shooting or fist fighting, just to clear the road for Elena.

Oh, and also while making sure not to be on any vehicles about to explode.

Yeah, nothing insane going on here.

At one point, I'm under heavy fire from a turret on one of the trucks, no vehicles close enough for me to jump off. I can already smell the gasoline leaking out when suddenly the bullets stop. That's when I hear Nathan's voice.

"Try this on for size!"

I peek up and witness jeeps getting sent sky high left and right, courtesy of Nathan manning a turret. I sigh in relief once I notice he left one nearby truck intact. Perfect!

I safely jump my way across and proceed to keep shooting up as many soldiers as I reasonably can.

Soon, I manage to make my way to where Nathan is, landing on my feet, shaken but still alive. I even have the gall to give him a shit-eating grin – I'm feeling that good.

"You come here often, big guy?"

"Oh hush."

Apparently, Fate agrees with Nathan because something hits our truck's engine, the resulting collision sending us off our feet and the turret clean off the truck.

We need to jump off. Now.

"Nate, Noah, over here!"

Thank the crazy blond angel.

Nathan and I leap off onto the top of Elena's truck the moment its within reach, steadying ourselves once we're on.

There're a few light thuds from below us.

"Hey, you boys OK back there?" Elena calls up.

"Yeah!"

"We're alive and in one piece if that counts." My heart leaps when the lead car comes into view. With a gasp, I point ahead in excitement. "There it is!"

Nathan's face goes resolute. "Elena, gun it!"

"Hold on!" Elena answers before flooring it, me and Nathan needing to hang from the sudden acceleration.

Already we're making ground with the gap between us and the lead car steadily closing.

I do my best not to hop up and down, instead shaking Nathan by his shoulder, not that he seems to mind. "We're almost there. We're almost there!"

"HAHA! That's right you bastards! We've got you noooowww…oh crap!"

It takes me a second to realize what changed his tone: a soldier has an RPG trained on us.

Elena manages to swerve the truck hard enough to dodge the incoming blast.

It's also hard enough to cause us careening straight off the cliff.

XXX

"My first-time rock climbing was with the Boy Scouts. Indoor gym."

"You don't say?"

"Yeah, they even had a snack bar. When was yours?"

"Eh, somewhere in Arizona," Nathan answers in a dazed tone. "Forgot the place."

For any of you wondering, yes, we are having this conversation alive and not in the afterlife because yes, we did indeed survive the crash thanks to our jumping skills. And climbing skills.

Seriously, there has to be a better way to exercise than this.

Right now, we're all on our backs on solid ground again, me on Nathan's right and Elena on his left, taking a moment to catch our breath.

"Oh yeah? Mine was back in Florida with my dad," Elena adds before we all sit up. "So, now what?"

'Now what' is right. In the distance, we can see the ancient ruins of a cliffside village, waterfalls here and there as several towers dot the righthand side.

"Creepy old monastery?" I ask in the plainest tone ever.

Nathan nods before pulling out the binoculars. "Creepy old monastery."

When he looks through, a frown comes to him. "There's Schafer. Damn it!"

I shake my head with a sigh. "Don't tell us. Lazarevic has the dagger now."

Nathan's sullen grimace as he puts the binocs down says everything.

"Oh no," I can hear Elena gripe.

I run a hand through my short curly hair, already bracing myself for the next stretch of this madcap journey.

"You two ready for this?" Nathan asks, sparing each of us a glance.

Elena and I exchange a look, hers resigned, mine determined.

"As we'll ever be."

"Let's do this."

XXX

Stealth works wonders if you can pull it off.

And when there aren't soldiers posted every five feet. Or snipers. Or those huge heavy-duty guys.

Seriously, where does Lazarevic get all guys from?

At least traversing the ruins isn't quite as bad as with the caves, although that's because there's still daylight out. Not to mention there are all these convenient ropes the soldiers left behind.

The jumps are still nerve-wracking, me and Elena feeling safer having Nathan there to catch us once he's already cleared the harder leaps himself.

Once we're on a sturdy platform again, I notice people on the main bridge.

"Hey, you guys see that?" I ask, making sure to keep my voice low as I point. "Up there."

Elena narrows her eyes, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. "Think that's them?"

Nathan pulls out the binocs again for a closer look. "Yeah. They're moving Schafer into that tower." He lets out a soft scoff. "Damn."

"C'mon," Elena ushers as she heads for some fractured steps. "This way."

A few winding flights up takes us to a pair of doors – a pair sealed off tightly we realize after Elena tries prying them open.

"Ugh, it's locked. There's no way we're getting through here."

I shift my eyes, examining the place. "What if we try going around then?"

Nathan chuckles at my suggestion. "Read my mind, buddy. You guys sit tight while I find a way around, see if I can't open it from the other side."

I shrug my shoulders. "OK, just make sure to be discreet, man."

Elena nods, gesturing a hand at the door. "He's right. We don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."

Nathan quirks a brow at us in his usual cocky manner. "Subtle. Right…got it."

To be fair, his stealth lasts about five minutes before we start hearing gunfire.

To be fairer, there's a jerk on the other side of the next bridge with an RPG. At least he's nice enough to have his blast accidentally rock the doors open for us.

"So much for subtle," Elena wearily jokes as she and I join Nathan, who's already hunkering behind a low wall.

"Tell that to the RPG guy," I tease back.

Clearing everyone all out takes a while, but thanks to a well-placed Dragon Rifle, we're able to get through to the next building…where we come under fire from even more snipers.

"OK, a way up would be nice right now," I murmur as I hide behind a pillar, Nathan behind the pillar across the room.

"Up there!"

I look towards Elena when she speaks and see her pointing her gun up at something. Lifting my eyes, I notice a shortened ladder attached to the next story. One boost-up from Nathan and she's able to lower the ladder for us.

After a very tense trek up the tower, ammo and shootouts included, we reach a floor where a balcony and narrow bridge await – along with the snipers. And even a rocket guy when I narrow my eyes for a closer look.

I let out a puff of air, exasperated. Nathan and I are currently hiding behind some boxes. "OK, I'm pretty sure it's high time we dealt with these guys."

"Hey," I hear Elena speak through our walkie talkies, her voice staticky. "I think there's a sniper rifle up there."

Both my and Nathan's eyes shoot up and sure enough there is indeed one waiting on the next floor. We share a glance and nod before making our way up the building, mindful to duck and cover to avoid the snipers' sights.

In no time at all, we're topside and taking whatever rifles there are.

Nathan makes a point to take out the rocket man first right as he's about to blow us to kingdom come – somehow causing a last-second misfire that takes out enough of the tower's side to make the whole thing crash and crumble!

My jaw is dropping and I'm pretty sure Elena's is, too.

"Holy shit, did you just do that?!"

"Uh…yeah," Nathan states, just as blown away. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Well, on the bright side, dealing with the snipers from that point on gets easier – er, relatively easier on account of the menagerie of soldiers trucking onto the bridge, but nothing well-placed headshots and careful attention to our surroundings can't handle.

I probably should not be this calm and collected about shooting people.

"That's the last of 'em!" Nathan calls out to us once the last soldier goes down, much to my relief.

Once we're back on the previous floor and get across the thin bridge, Elena spots some familiar figures entering the monastery to our far right.

I'm already racing across the thankfully much wider bridge, Elena close at my heels, the two of us far ahead of Nathan. The two of us notice and pause to give him a chance to catch up, Elena even waving her hands up.

Except the moment Nathan takes more than five steps on it, the bridge starts to break apart, Nathan nearly falling off due to the board beneath him giving way.

"You OK?!" Elena calls out in concern.

"RUN!" Nathan screams the moment he's back up.

The three of us bolt down the bridge as it continues to come undone, wood splintering and tethers snapping. Elena and I manage to reach the other side fine, just in time for the bridge to disconnect from the side we came from and flop down into the cliffside, taking Nathan with it.

"Nate!" Elena shouts as she and I race to the edge to spot him.

"Shout back if you're still alive!" I call.

"Still alive!" Nathan yells. We notice him making his way up the ruined bridge, dodging falling pieces all while needing to rush from crumbling perch to crumbling perch.

Lucky for him, Elena and I are there to catch him once he's at the top and needs to make a leap of faith. What's left of the bridge finally gives way and tumbles into the chasm far below.

"Pull me up, pull me up!" Nathan begs frantically as we drag him onto solid ground. Again, this man must be on God's shitlist. He bends over, hands on his thighs, with a relieved sigh. "Remind to never cross a bridge with you two again."

"There's a joke in there about us not wanting to cross a bridge with your unlucky self ever again," I weakly retort. "But you know what, I'm not even gonna push it."

"Same here," Elena wearily agrees.

Once we all get our breath back, we head towards the double doors with the fancy knockers and push them open, Elena and I closing them once we're all inside this…rather ominous-looking stone staircase leading upward to somewhere.

I take a deep breath, trying hard not to shiver, as we make our way up. "We're getting close, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Nathan answers in a hushed tone. "Be careful, guys…and follow my lead."

"Right behind you," Elena confirms.

Once we get near the entrance, we split to hide behind the door's wooden frames, Nathan on one end, me and Elena on the other. We spot Lazarevic walking through the middle floor of a building on the far side of a huge courtyard filled with soldiers.

I narrow my eyes. "Where's Schafer, though?"

"Good question," Nathan comments before spotting an even higher floor, this one guarded by a soldier. "They must be holding him up there."

We don't even bother with stealth this time, charging in with a fine howdy-do instead, Nathan taking point from the high rise filled with snipers while Elena and I handle the guys on the ground.

Once we're clear, we reach the red door in the back right corner of the courtyard, where Nathan and I work together to crank it open. Once we've got the door high enough, we let Elena go through first, me second, and Nathan rushing in last, right before the door can fall back down.

A short flight of stairs and a ladder-induced mishap later, we're scaling up one of the buildings when a familiar sound catches my ear, making my blood run cold. I don't think Nathan and Elena even noticed.

Lord, give me strength if we have to deal with those hell-beasts again.

But we have other troubles once we get up to the ledge of a story and hear men talking. Same as before: shoot, duck, hide.

And after that, a clear shot outside and to another pair of red doors.

We barrel our way through and emerge into a much larger – and taller – square room.

Nathan looks up and points out another pair of doors at the topmost floor. "There. That must be where they're holding Schafer."

And like a cheap horror movie, the doors we came through slam closed right behind us. Seriously, can Lazarevic's men be any more cliché?

XXX

"Did I mention how I kinda like the rocket launchers but really hate the rocket guys?" I comment once all the damn soldiers are finally dealt with.

"You could stand to mention it a few more times," Elena sighs as we finally reach the double doors on the top floor.

Without a second thought, we bust our way through, ready for a fight.

Except there are no soldiers here – only Schafer lying on the floor, coughing up blood.

I'm the first by his side, getting on my knees. I'm already losing the fight to keep from crying, barely registering what Elena and Nathan are saying to him.

I manage to hold myself together, though, by the time Schafer brings up the expeditions.

"We found them," I ask in a thick voice. "Both of them. You guys actually shot them…and you really were…"

The smile Schafer gives me is pained and sad.

"Your grandmother always believed in the best of people…but she was no fool either. She wanted to believe her fellow Americans shared her intentions…but once she realized the truth, she acted. She knew that acquiring the stone would change the course of history."

He shakes his head, the act clearly causing him discomfort. "She was the only good person among any of us."

I nod, solemn. "That's why she saved you, right? She didn't have the heart to leave you behind, not after you helped her stop them."

Schafer smiles again, wistful. "Your grandmother had a way with words, and an earnest heart to match, qualities I see in you as well." The smile falls. "That is why I know you will do everything in your power to finish what she started."

I close my eyes, steadying my nerves and my heart, feeling Nathan and Elena's gazes on me…and give Schafer the most resolute gaze I've ever given anyone.

"As sure as heaven's blue."

Schafer manages a fond chuckle, weaker than before. "Ah, your grandmother's favorite quote."

Despite myself, despite everything, I return his smile.

The moment ends when a coughing fit takes him, Elena doing her best to put him at ease.

"He took the dagger…he's gone to the tower…you have to stop him…"

When he tries to get up, Elena and I gently force him back down. He shouldn't push himself.

"This monastery hides the secret entrance to Shambhala" – he takes a heavy breath, struggling – "You must get the dagger back…find the secret path…and destroy the Stone before he gets his hands on it."

As he speaks all this, he stares imploringly into Nathan's eyes, pleading with every bit of strength he has left.

"Drake…" He reaches a hand, Nathan accepts. "You have to believe."

"And Noah…" He turns his head and reaches another hand towards me. I accept. "Do not feel ashamed of your feelings, my boy. Compassion is neither weakness nor a hindrance. It is a power all of its own."

Those are his final words…and his last breath.

Elena chokes up beside me, devastated.

I look up at Nathan…at Nate, who returns my gaze.

We nod, fully in agreement. I gaze at Schafer one last time and, with a saddened frown, place his hand over the amulet of his necklace.

"We can't just leave him," Elena insists as we all stand up.

"What choice do we have?" I counter in as firm yet gentle a voice as I can.

Elena shakes her head, still shaken. "Do you think all this really could be true?"

"I don't know…," Nathan answers before looking down at Schafer. "But he believed it. And so did Noah's grandma. That's good enough for me."

And with no more words to be said, we leave the room, Elena closing the door behind us.

We need to move forward.