Chapter 18

The Syringe

Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you. – Misty Copeland

Ajay felt his whole body be swaddled in softness unlike anything he's ever felt. Every muscle he moved felt like it was being caressed by the smoothest feathers.

Opening his bleary eyes tiredly he found himself in a massive queen-sized bed. He was surrounded by velvet blankets that shined like freshly cut rubies. The pillows his head laid on were dark black, but had a sheen to it that made the light seem like it was being devoured by the void. Then there were the curtains that encircled the whole bed that could fit ten people. The curtains were pink and transparent, but all Ajay could see beyond them was darkness and candlelight.

Groaning, trying to wake up, Ajay tried to recall the previous night. He had sudden flashes of fire and blood—his, others—but a jolt of a splitting headache made him forget and focus on the pounding pain in his skull.

The pink curtains were suddenly tampered with, dainty hands threw them open and he saw her. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen—blessed to see.

"Yakshini." He somehow managed to get the words out.

The Goddess smiled at him; her red lips glowed in the dim light of the candles.

"My Champion." She cooed. "Ajay." She crawled over the bed towards him.

The angle he was at allowed him to witness the huge mounds that swayed with each movement of her arms. So hypnotic, so distracting—then he felt the air be taken from him when Yakshini pounced on him and gave him the greatest kiss he had ever experienced in his whole damn life.

The goddess entwined her tongue with his, sucking the breath from his lungs as they kissed passionately. Her hand clamped onto his head, keeping him and place, her nails dug into his scalp to the point where he felt blood.

Ajay, despite feeling like he could black out any second from lack of oxygen, couldn't control his hands and started feeling her up. His palms felt her beautiful, unblemished skin. Her thighs felt supple, her perfect waist smooth with every caress and her breasts—her breasts!

They enveloped his fingers once he grabbed and fondled them. He elicited a moan from her, which reverberated through his mouth. He tweaked and pinched her perky nipples, getting two more loud moans from the goddess.

Yakshini retracted herself, just in time as Ajay was starting to see stars. He would have lost consciousness again had she continued kissing him.

The goddess looked down at her champion and licked her lips hungrily. Like a tiger who had found a meek, and easy prey to pounce on. With a flick of her wrist she removed any and all clothing she had on. Showing herself fully to Ajay who was practically struck dumb at the sight of such perfect beauty.

"And now my Champion." She snapped her fingers and Ajay felt his arms get restrained to the bed post. "For your reward."

She stood up and revealed her blooming flower. Pink, perfect, moist, and burning for him. Ajay could not fight his urges even if he wanted to. His erection made the goddess smile predatorily.

She lowered herself down and impaled herself on his rod. The nights were filled with Ajay's and Yakshini's screams of ecstasy.

. . .

Pagan paced back and forth outside the infirmary, anxiousness practically consuming him by the second. He brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and his steps became heavier as anxiousness started to get replaced with blind anger.

Worried thoughts for Ajay were suddenly getting replaced by dark, evil thoughts of what he'd do to Paul and the Golden Path if his boy didn't pull through.

There were not many survivors from the burning of the City of Pain. More civilians, but the few dacoity they managed to pull from the fires revealed that they were following Paul, who was working for the Golden Path. Even some of the freed civilians were confirming this. Saying that Paul acted on his own, against the crown. They even mentioned seeing an American fellow with slick hair and sun glasses.

Pagan almost didn't believe it. Paul was like a friend to him; one he would even openly admit was a friend. He invited him to his daughter's recitals, parties—

"And yet he betrays me?" Pagan fumed hushly. "Tortures Ishwari's son? My boy?!"

His fist flew and struck a pillar. That was when the doctor finally came out, scared and nervous from seeing what his king just did. Splintering the wood of the pillar.

"U-um, my king?"

"What is it?" Pagan said, his rising anger reduced back to worry for Ajay. "How is he? Is he okay?"

"I—I think you should come inside."

Pagan gripped the man's coat and brought him nose to nose. The mad look in the king's eye almost made the doctor piss himself.

"Don't give me that bullshit! Is Ajay okay or not?"

"He's fine! But it's complicated. It'd be easier to show you."

Still glaring, Pagan released the man and was led into the infirmary. The doctor stopped by Ajay's section and pulled back the curtains. The sight of Ishwari's son made Pagan gasp.

Ajay laid flat on his back, eyes closed, and half naked, save for the medical gown. All over his body were pulsing veins, black as sin, dark rings were around his eyes, making it look like he had been punched in both. His breath was ragged and shallow. He was already in bad shape when they first picked him up, but in just the span of a couple hours, his condition worsened severely.

"What's happened to him, doctor?"

"From what we can guess, Mr. Ghale was injected with some kind of poison. It's infected his blood stream and is slowly killing him."

"Paul." Pagan deduced with a low growl. "You say it's a poison? Then can you cure it?"

"We would, but it's not that simple. Look at him my King, I've never seen anything like this before. Whatever poison is in his system, it's unlike anything I've ever seen."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying . . . that we have no antidote to cure him."

. . .

. . .

. . .

Pagan's silence made the doctor uncomfortable and wondered if the king would break out his pen and stab him to death. But, much to the doctor's surprise, the king asked another question calmly.

"What's with the pitched tent?" He pointed to the obvious boner in the Ajay's pants.

The doctor looked between Pagan and the boy's erection.

"The poison apparently has an adverse effect on the bloodstream and causes uncontrollable erections and . . . ejaculation."

"Are you saying he's been . . .?"

"This is his third gown now."

"I see."

The doors suddenly burst open, Yuma marched in. Her eyes widened and she slightly gasped at seeing Ajay's condition.

"What happened?"

"He was poisoned." Pagan said, surprisingly once again, in a calm tone.

"Poisoned?"

"Paul did it to him. But don't you worry Yuma, he'll be just fine."

"What?" Yuma asked.

"WHAT?" The doctor asked more surprised.

"Yuma, gather all of Ajay's allies and bring them to the throne room." Pagan started walking out of the room. "Doctor, do whatever you can to keep Ajay alive. Buy us whatever time you can."

"Uh-um, yes, King Min."

"Pagan wait! What do you mean Ajay's allies? You mean like his Fang Squad?"

"Yes and no. I mean, bring me ALL his allies." He stressed.

The Throne Room

Ajay's allies were gathered in the throne room. Everyone that Ajay had fought alongside was there, Nisha, Boris, Commander Sivudu, Hurk, even Bhadra was brought in. All of their thoughts were that of concern for Ajay.

Nisha bowed before her king and was the first to question. "My king, what is Ajay's condition? We've heard little news."

Hurk suddenly blurted out, "Mister Pagan King Dude, how's my bro doin'? Is he okay? Does he need drugs? I got a lot of different pain killers."

"He's fine, uh, Hurk. For now. His condition is critical. The doctors say that he doesn't have long to live though. There's a poison in his veins and there is no certainty for a cure."

Everyone gasped in shock, some covered their mouths. Hurk's reaction was more dramatic. He fell to his knees and cried to the high ceiling.

"Oh why?! Why my bro Ajay?! He was so young! And handsome! It should have been me! No wait, it should have been someone else instead. I'm too young and handsome too."

Before Hurk could act more like a drama queen, Pagan continued. "However, I know of a way to save him."

"How, Your majesty?" Sivudu asked.

"There is this rare orchid that grows in the Himalayas, with special healing properties. It's hard to find, but once in many years it's discovered and can be turned into a serum that is capable of curing deadly diseases and powerful poisons."

"You have discovered this plant, my king?"

"Very astute Nisha. Yes I've sent out soldiers to retrieve and process the plant. It was to be delivered to me some time ago. Unfortunately, the plane delivering it crashed somewhere in the mountains and my men have yet to return with it.

"And now you want us to go get it." Sivudu deduced.

"Yes."

"Forgive my rudeness, my king, but why?" Sivudu asked. "Why not just send more people to get it? Why send us?"

"You are Ajay's closest allies. You have watched my boy's back since he first arrived in Kyrat. I can tell you've all developed a bond with my boy and therefore I believe you all have the best motivation to achieve this mission. I know you will all do everything in your power to ensure Ajay's wellbeing."

"We will not fail you your Majesty." Both Nisha and Sivudu bowed before their king, with heads lowered and knees bent.

"Good. Because if you fail I'll have you all beheaded." Pagan said cheerily. Everyone sweated fretfully.

"I will ensure this mission is a success." Boris promised.

"You can count on us Mister Pagan King Sir." Hurk saluted.

Pagan smiled. "Fantastic."

. . .

All of Ajay's allies were preparing helicopters to take them into the mountains. Packing up food, loading the guns, and fueling the choppers. The Fang Squad made sure all their guns were prepared. Last reports were that the Golden Path was in the area, looking for the exact same target as them.

Over by one of the choppers Nisha and Boris were getting their weapons ready. Boris was loading his Cannon and Nisha was inspecting her arrows. Sivudu was commanding his squad, ensuring everything was ready. Meanwhile Hurk was preparing his own helicopter, the one he and Ajay lifted from the Golden Path. Since then he had spray painted a shark face on the front, as well as other graftti such as a naked silhouette of a woman, a flaming eyeball, and a stylized "Fuck the Golden Path!" No one was helping him prepare because no one wanted to ride with him. Ajay had told a lot of people how Hurk was an ignorant pilot and was incredibly reckless. So, he'd be flying alone on this mission.

Both the Boris and Nisha looked up when they saw Bhadra rush over to them. The young girl was wearing a thick white coat. On her back was a bow and a quiver of arrows. Sixer was placed in a holster fastened to her hip.

When she got closer, both Nisha and Boris addressed the girl.

"Bhadra what are you doing." Nisha asked.

"I'm coming along with you guys."

Boris boisterously laughed. "No. No, I don't think so little babushka."

"This is going to be a dangerous mission, Bhadra. We're sure to run into the Golden Path."

"But I have to come! Ajay got hurt because of me. I was the one who told him about Paul."

"Ajay, wouldn't blame you for that, Bhadra."

"Boris is right and Ajay wouldn't want you to get hurt for his sake."

"I can fight!" She said adamantly. "When Ajay was saving me, I fought off the Golden Path with my arrows." She unholstered her gun. "Plus, I have Ajay's Sixer."

"Arrows and a pee-shooter won't do much, Bhadra." Boris laughed, which slowly turned into nervous chuckles when Nisha shot him a mean look. She didn't appreciate the remark about arrows.

Nisha kneeled down to Bhadra's height and lowered the girl's pistol. "Listen Bhadra, I know you've seen some shit, but this is still a dangerous mission. This is only for adults. Don't worry. We aren't going to fail, not with Ajay's life on the line."

"But—"

"Last call everyone! We'll be taking off in three minutes!" Sivudu called. Everyone was now rushing to finish whatever they could.

"It'll be fine, Bhadra." Nisha assured.

"Just stay with Ajay and the king. Let the professionals save the day." Boris said cockily.

And with that they jumped into the Blackhawks and strapped in with the other members of the Fang Squad.

A minute later, the helicopters took off and headed northwest.

Pralaya Giri

Three helicopters flew through the skies of the Himalayas. Their departure was uneventful, that is, until they reached near their destination. A raging blizzard appeared without warning, scrambling most of their equipment, but they were in no immediate danger.

Hurk suddenly flew by them, yipping like a maniac on the radio. He made his chopper do spins and circles around the other helicopters, who tried to retain their professional formation.

"Hurk!" Nisha shouted into the radio. "Quit fooling around! With this blizzard you could ram into any one of us by accident."

"Chill out, girl. I think I'm actually getting the hang of flying this bad boy. You wouldn't think this was my fourth time."

Everyone was really thankful that they were not riding with the American.

The helicopters shook and the pilots nearly lost control.

"We need to put these birds down! They can't fly in this weather. We'll have to track the target on foot." Sivudu ordered.

"Should we deal with those Golden Path guys down there first?" Hurk asked.

Everyone looked out the window and saw several rebels trudging through the snow. The billowing winds were so loud they couldn't quite hear the chopper's rotaries yet.

"Yes, we should." Sivudu answered. "Everyone, open fire!"

The blackhawks fired their guns. The barrage of bullets ripped into the unsuspecting rebels. By the time they retaliated, many had already died and it wasn't long before the rest joined them.

Once the area was clear of Golden Path, all four copters landed. The pilots stayed inside, while everyone else got out. Hurk got out of his chopper regardless and joined Sivudu and the others.

Sivudu pulled out a tracker device and saw the light blink green as he held it toward the mountain.

"The King's tracking device says the medicine is this way. We're going to split into two groups. One will stay by the helicopters; the rest will head up with me to retrieve the target. Arju, Hiran, you are in charge of the copters. Guard them with your life. Everyone else, follow me."

The group marched forward trudging through the three feet snow like the rebels, while also stepping over their corpses.

"Hurk, are you coming?!" Nisha shouted behind her.

Hurk was looking at his chopper, before responding and following after. "Yeah, I'm comin'!"

They trudged through the snow and walked over the dead bodies of the rebels. They walked up the mountain for about half an hour before they came across a Golden Path encampment. They all crouched down to get a better look.

Sivudu looked through his binoculars, as well as Nisha, Boris, and Hurk.

"Lott'a Golden Path down there." Hurk said.

"You think?" Boris said snidely.

"Best not to draw attention so early in our mission." Sivudu suggested. "Nisha, take your hunters and empty that camp."

"Yes sir." Nisha said, unslinging her bow and ordering her men down the hill.

"We'll stay here and provide backup in case things go south. Hurk you just . . . Hurk?" The soldier looked around for the Yankee, but did see him. Looking down the cliff his eyes widened. "Hurk?!" He whispered harshly.

Hurk had dropped from the cliff and landed on an unsuspecting rebel. His blade pierced through the man's shoulder blade and a quick twist killed him instantly. The portly guy then followed after the hunters and helped silently kill the camp.

The group was surprised to see that such a pudgy man was so stealthy. Considering how loud they knew him to be they wouldn't have thought he could do such tricks. But as they watched from the cliff, the American was killing just as many rebels as the Hunters.

Hurk approached a large tent. He could hear rough talking going on inside, but couldn't make out what was being said because they were speaking in the native tongue. He readied his kukri and inched his way inside. He stopped though when he saw a Hunter also preparing to breach the tent.

The Hunter shushed Hurk and he responded with a nod. They readied their respective weapons and rushed in. Hurk was the first in; he ran low, so the Hunter could shoot an arrow over him. The arrow struck and killed a rebel, spooking the second occupant and allowing Hurk get close enough to stab the rebel in the heart.

But there was apparently a third occupant in the tent, one that had plenty of time to grab their weapon and fire it. The bullets missed Hurk, who rolled away into some furniture for cover.

The weapon fire alerted the rest of the camp and the remaining rebels went on the attack. The ambush was ruined, now it was a free for all.

"Should we engage, sir?" asked.

"No." Sivudu responded. "Let Nisha and her Hunters handle the rebels. If the gunfire draws reinforcements then we engage. For now, we overwatch."

Sivudu's faith in the Hunter's abilities would hold true, as the elite of the Royal Army were handling the offending rebels almost easily. The Hunters used the elements to their advantage. They'd fade into the blizzard and reappear like ghosts behind the enemies, striking them with sharp blades. They would use deception to trick the eye and appear as many, then strike in multiple spots. They would bring down snow piles from the cliffs to crush the rebels or skewer them with icicles. To Sivudu and the rest of the normal grunts, their skills were unreal and a sight to behold.

Hurk was not as . . . elegant as the others. While he had a knife, he wielded no bow and arrow, and stuck to his antique shotgun for long range fighting. It was a deadly accurate weapon for a scattergun. He was quick on his feet though, very much like the Hunters. He'd manage to move around the enemy to flank them or hide long enough they'd lose sight of him and he'd strike with a kukri to the back. Hurk was not a professional like the Hunters or even Ajay, but he WAS a fighter; better than any of the troopers in Sivudu's company.

But that didn't mean he couldn't make mistakes.

"Oh yeah!" Hurk waved his gun in the air and did a little dance over a rebel's corpse. "Bet'chya didn't see that comin' did ya asshole! Is that steam in the air because I think my hands and feet are on FIYA!"

Suddenly a bullet went right through his shoulder. "OW! OWOWOWOOOWOW—MY Back!" He turned and saw a rebel approach him with a rifle raised. "Aw man, shooting a guy in the back? You could have at least tried stabbing me instead." Hurk groaned and joked.

The rebel slowly approached and was about to shoot the American in the head. Then suddenly a black eagle swooped down and scratched the rebel's face. The gun went off but missed Hurk by a mile. The rebel looked up thinking the bird would attack again, but then an arrow pierced the guy in the back and the head came out his chest.

He fell to his knees and then flat on his face. Hurk watched and saw Bhadra holding her bow behind the fallen rebel.

"Bhadra?!"

Nisha stormed over to the young girl and was quickly joined by the rest of her entourage. The camp was clear of enemies now.

"What are you doing here?" Nisha asked angrily.

"Savin' my bacon is what she's doing." Hurk said, stabbing himself with a syringe and injecting its pain healing contents into his bloodstream. "Thanks, Bhadra."

"Besides that, Hurk. I told you stay at the Palace."

"I couldn't just stay idle while Ajay's in danger. It's my fault he's in this situation, I told him where Paul was. Now he's really hurt. I have to try and help him." Bhadra defended.

Sivudu joined them in the argument. "How did you even get here with us? All the helicopters were full."

"I brought her along." Hurk replied innocently.

Everyone looked at the moron and gave him hard stares. Hurk returned them with confused ones. "What? What I do?"

"Hurk, you brought a child onto a battlefield?" Nisha practically growled.

"Well sure I saw no problem with it. Bhadra wants to help out Ajay, seemed reasonable enough to me. She asked for a lift and I gave her a ride on my chopper."

"Which reminds me," Bhadra piped up, "can I ride with someone else on the way back?"

"This is unbelievable. I knew you were an idiot, but I cannot believe you were stupid enough to bring a kid along!" Nisha chewed out Hurk.

"Hey! We're all Ajay's friends here! She has just as much right to help as anyone else." Hurk defended.

"She's a teenager! She shouldn't be here at all!" Nisha screamed.

"Well I'm here now!" Bhadra yelled back. "I know you all don't want this, but I CAN fight. Please let me help."

"Bhadra this isn't a game. This is life or death, you can get killed out here."

"I know that. I'm no stranger to death. I've watched friends and family get killed almost every day. For the longest time I was just set aside, protected and coddled. But I can do something here. I can help save Ajay. Please let me help save Ajay. He's the only friend and family I have left."

Sivudu and Nisha looked at each other. The soldier gave her a curt nod and the Huntress gave a reluctant nod too.

"I say we keep her!" Hurk shouted.

"No one asked you, idiot!" Everyone shouted unanimously.

"Fine, Bhadra, you can stay. Mainly because we can't turn back now and we'll need everyone for this expedition. But you listen to me and Nisha. You do what we say, when we say it and follow our orders to the letter. You got it?" Sivudu said authoritatively.

Bhadra gave them a salute, but was no less serious. "I won't let you all down."

"Come on." Sivudu said, pulling out the tracker. "We gotta go this way."

The expedition squad continued on. The blizzard still wasn't letting up yet and was blasting the group with intense, blistering cold. Most of them were used to the weather and temperature, but a few had never traveled through the mountains before. Hurk was especially taking it the worst.

"ACHOO! Hey, how much farther Sivudu? I'm getting frostbite in places I didn't even know I had."

Sivudu looked up from his tracker and was face to face with a mountain . . . face.

"Looks like we gotta climb people."

Hurk whined, voicing everyone's thoughts. Everyone pulled out their grappling hooks and climbing axes. It was a perilous climb, especially with the blizzard trying to knock them down. Mother Nature would succeed in taking two lives, with one losing their footing and the other just getting blown off. The group could do nothing but keep going.

"ACHOO! Man, what I wouldn't give to be outta this freakin' blizzard?" Hurk complained.

About half an hour later, they reached the top and found the dark mouth of a cave waiting for them. In front of the cave was spatters of blood and signs of a struggle. Something was dragged inside.

In the mountain though was a cave, but in front of that were splatters of blood.

"Looks like you'll get your wish, Hurk." Sivudu said. "We got to go through here."

Hurk looked down at the blood. "You know the cold ain't so bad now that I think about it. What did that hot princess say in that movie? Let it go. The cold never bothered me anyway?"

Nisha grabbed Hurk by the coat and dragged the fat guy in. "Then you'll be just fine going in there because it's also cold. Now move it everyone!" She ordered.

The group switched on their lights and traversed the cave system. They were thankful it was less freezing then outside, but now they were in enclosed spaces with pitch-black darkness surrounding them. A good place to get ambushed by Golden Path. Or worse: something with sharp teeth, razor claws and a bad attitude.

Sivudu led the group through several paths. The tracker could only point in one way, so they had to rely on their commander's navigational skills. To Sivudu's credit he only got stopped and turned around a couple of times, but he somehow managed to get them back on track.

The cave systems also seemed to take them upward. There were small elevated sections that they had to climb and they could feel the air get thinner and thinner, to the point they need to watch their breathing with their CO2 masks.

Along the way they also found the remains of Golden Path rebels. Their bodies were bloody and missing pieces. Something tore them apart savagely. Something they've yet to find.

"Hey." Nisha stopped and the group. "Do you feel that?"

"I can't feel anything except the cold and my throbbing hands and feet." Hurk whined.

"I feel it." Sivudu answered, ignoring Hurk's reply. "The temps getting colder. We must be close to an exit." He turned to the others. "Come one men. Nearly there."

A soldier helped pull his comrade up. His attention was drawn to two glowing orbs hiding in the darkness. Then suddenly he felt several sharp intruders enter his face and body. The soldier screamed as he was violently mauled and dragged into the darkness.

"KIAAN!" His comrade called, but it was too late. The screams died in the dark.

The soldiers held up their guns ready to shoot anything that'd pop out. Everyone waited for a tense moment, their hands shook with fear and anticipation.

Then a second beast emerged, revealing a sleek grey-blue, spotted coat. A snow leopard zipped passed them, the sudden barrage of bullets missing by several inches and feet. It joined its companion and snarled at the soldiers.

They pointed their weapons at it again and this time they had a clearer shot.

"Wait!" Nisha said and quickly got between the soldiers and the leopards. The leopards hissed and growled, ready to pounce once the human got too close.

But Nisha got close enough that she wouldn't be attacked. She kneeled down and then blew a series of high-pitched whistles.

The snow leopards stopped hissing and relaxed. They then casually approached Nisha, who pet the creature's soft fur. A leopard rubbed against her leg and hands, while the other one licked her face, taking comfort in the new stranger.

"I've heard the rumors, but I've never seen a hunter actually tame a wild beast before."

"You got to teach me that." Hurk said excitedly.

"Sorry, Hurk, but that's a Royal Secret. Literally."

"Aw, come on!" Hurk whined.

"If I told you, then I'd have to kill you." She half-joked with a deep scary voice, like some villain.

"Enough chit-chat!" Sivudu shouted. "Let's get out of this cave. Forward march!"

The group exited the cave and found themselves at the bottom of a mountain peak. The blizzard had apparently passed and was now just cloudy. So now they could see the enemies in front of them. The rebel's expedition group had made it and were heading toward the top of the mountain. The spot of the medicine.

"Do not let those rebels take another step!" Sivudu ordered.

Hurk held his shotgun in one hand and his kukri in the other. "FOR AJAY!"

The soldiers charged and fired on the rebels.

A few of the Golden Path were quickly taken out before they wised up and got into cover. They hid behind rocks and got on their bellies as they returned fire.

Nisha sent her beasts forward. The leopard's fur allowed them to blend in with the environment and with the distracted rebels firing on the soldiers, they managed to sneak into the ranks and sew chaos among them.

The Hunters advanced cautiously, finding weak points in the rebel's forces and taking them out. They waited for opportunities to get around them and then strike in a pincer attack. Some managed to spot birds of prey in the sky and possess them to attack. Others attempted to go in and strike up close. Only three managed this and each got in a kill, but then were quickly wiped out by the rebels.

Boris and his men held the line; keeping the rebels from advancing or fighting back. He fired his Canon, practically spooking everyone with its loud signature bang. When enough rebels were killed, he and his men were one of the first to charge and push.

Sivudu's men advanced more slowly. Little by little they took more ground, though each meter was the cost of one or two men. Sivudu held firm though and kept his cool. They were proud soldiers of King Min and loyal to his protégé, Ajay. The young man was one in a million and needed them now more then ever. No matter the cost, they would get that medicine.

Filled with even more resolve. Sivudu fired his assault rifle and got one rebel in the head and grazed a second in the side. He used the attached grenade launcher, after scanning for friendlies, and blew up a rock with three rebels covering behind it.

"Men, Advance!" The Commander shouted. The soldiers did as told and pushed the rebels further and further back.

Hurk, listened to Sivudu, but mostly did his own thing. He was his own man! With his own set of skills! He wasn't afraid to rush into the fight with the Hunters and strike like ten soldiers. He pumped his shotgun with one arm and quickly blasted a rebel. His kukri spun in the air when he threw it, embedding in a rebel's face. He then struck a rebel in the nose with the butt of his gun, blasted him then shot a second rebel twice. Retrieving his kukri, he slashed a charging rebel three times before shooting him, then spun around nearly decapitating another.

He released a battle cry and emptied the rest of his gun on any yellow-wearing rebels he could see. There was one heavy rebel that survived his buckshot, but Hurk quickly charged at the man and knocked him over the mountain's edge, down to the bottom.

"Hasta la vista, Bastard!" He shouted down at the falling man. Then a he felt an intense pain in his back. "AGHR!"

Hurk fell to his knees and looked behind him. A rebel had managed to sneak up behind him and he was holding a bloody kukri. The rebel tried finishing his work, but Hurk grabbed the guy's wrists and tried stopping him, but he was only slowing the rebel down. Inch by inch the blade got closer.

"SKREEE!" A black eagle all of a sudden, swooped down and buried her talons into the rebel's face. The man screamed and let go of Hurk to try and swat the bird off his face. His could feel the nails dig further in, his flesh pulled with every flap of the bird's wings. Such agony burned unlike anything he ever felt. Then he felt an intense pain in his back. Followed by another jolt of pain and another. It was too much and he died from his injuries. The eagle released him and feasted on his eyes and tongue for a treat.

Hurk looked past the rebel's body and saw Bhadra holding her bow. Three arrows were lodged in the rebel's back.

"Holy crap, Bhadra, you saved me!" Hurk elatedly said.

"Glad I could help, Hurk." The young girl smiled, then returned to the fight. She pulled out Sixer and and fired on an unsuspecting Rebel. She called down her feathery companion to hound the rebels alongside the other animal familiars. Like the Hunters around her, she kept herself low and struck when the rebels least expected it. Despite throwing herlef into danger, no enemies ever got close to her. Because everyone, namely Hurk and Boris, kept her from harm.

A rebel though managed to spot her and attempted to shoot her.

"RAAAAAGH!" But Boris rushed the last Golden Path and filled him with three potshots of lead. Scanning his surroundings, he saw no one else. "Clear!"

"Clear!" Sivudu shouted.

"Clear!" Nisha stated.

"Clear!" Both Bhadra and Hurk repeated.

Sivudu ordered the men to secure the area, while he and the others followed the last few steps to their objective.

*Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beeeeeeeeeep—*

Sivudu looked past his tracker and found the frozen remains of a Royal Soldier. He was curled up in a ball, holding tightly to his chest a large metal container. He was propped against a flag of the Kyrati Kingdom.

"Poor bastard." Hurk sympathized. "Bad way to go."

"Did he set up this flag himself?" Nisha wondered

"He died a loyal soldier of the crown." Sivudu kneeled down and looked at the dead man's tags. "His mission has ensured the survival of an important person. You will not be forgotten, Aahan Anand."

Sivudu took the contents from Aahan's cold, stiff grasp. After ensuring its contents safety, he handed it to Nisha.

"Commander Sivudu!" One of his men called. "Golden Path reinforcements are coming!"

"How many?" The commander asked, walking down the hill.

"I count more then fifty, sir. And more are still coming out of the caves."

"Well, looks like we got ourselves an old-fashioned Mexican standoff." Hurk said cockily.

"This is not at all a Mexican standoff, Hurk." Nisha drawled. "Everyone, get into positions." She kicked a body out of the way to get behind a rock.

Some of the soldiers even took the rebel corpses and piled them up to form makeshift barricades.

"Ready . . ." Sivudu prepared. ". . . Aim" . . . "Fi—"

Before Sivudu gave the command to shoot, the sound of helicopters caught his attention and praise be to Kyra, their reinforcements arrived.

All four of their choppers swooped in and fired on the enemy rebels. They were practically mowed down to bits with heavy firepower. Enthralled, Sivudu issued the order to fire and helped their fellow gunners take out any remaining rebels.

It was a short fight and one everyone cheered at the end.

Everyone loaded up quickly into their choppers. Sivudu ordered his men to collect the brave and deceased Aahan, so you could be given a proper funeral, as well as high honors. Bhadra rode back with Hurk, as punishment for sneaking in on their mission.

They had what they needed and quickly flew back to the Royal palace. Now they just hoped this antidote would save their friend.

. . .

Eternity. That's how long Ajay felt he had spent with Yakshini, connected with her, ravished her, loved her, fucked her. And he wanted to keep spending eternity with her.

His body felt forever spent. Yet he felt rejuvenated seconds later, ready to worship every inch of his goddesses' perfect flesh.

Yakshini has introduced to him more pleasure then he could ever imagine. He felt drained but he felt a compulsion to keep going and do whatever she told him. To give her everything that he was until he was quite literally nothing. It was like an endless cycle of pain and pleasure that just had no end in sight.

Yakshini strokes a long nail over his chest. She hummed sensually and licked her lips hungrily.

"My Champion, mmmm, you are ... delicious. Let us go once more." She voiced huskily.

"Yes, Yakshini." Ajay gasped. He felt his breath always taken by her, even with just looks.

She smiled hungrily again, but then he beautiful smile turned. A frown now marred her face followed by outrage.

"Yakshini?" Ajay asked confused. He felt something and looked down; his body was fading.

"No." Yakshini said furiously. "No! Stay! He is mine! You can't take him!" She tried pushing Ajay down on the bed, hoping to keep him in place.

"Yakshini?" Ajay questioned fearfully. He could do nothing. His whole body felt numb now. Unable to even feel Yashini's pleasant touch.

Ajay was almost gone. He reached out and Yakshini tried to claw for him, but he was already intangible. Yakshini could do nothing, but watch her Champion disappear.

"My Champion Ajay, we will be together again. You cannot escape the pain and when you seek release, I will be waiting for you."

That was the last he heard and saw of the goddess. His sight became filled with light and he woke up. In a hospital bed. Surrounded by doctors, Pagan and his friends.

The young man blinked several times, then rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. "P-Pagan?"

Pagan nearly jumped to his side, pushing the doctors out of the way. "Yes' my boy. I'm here, you're alright now." He smiled assuredly.

"Alright? Where am I?" Ajay asked very confused, looking around.

"In the infirmary Ajay." Yuma answered. "You ... weren't well when we found you."

"I was at . . . at . . ." He tried to recall, but his mind was very foggy and his head felt like it was hit by a truck.

"Hey is he okay?! Let us through!" Ajay heard familiar voices behind the curtains. Arguing that got closer an closer.

"Hurk! Damnit, give the king and Ajay their space!" Nisha chastised harshly.

"This is a hospital you damn ape!" Sivudu barked.

Suddenly the curtains were pulled back, revealing Hurk, Boris, Nisha, Bhadra, and Sivudu

"Buddy!" Hurk practically pushed Yuma away and bear hugged the hospitalized young man. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

"I'm so sorry my king." Sivudu apologized profusely for Hurk's actions. "We tried to restrain him . . ."

"But it's like trying to hold back a greased monkey." Nisha sighed tiredly.

But, much to everyone's surprise, Pagan paid no mind. "Nonsense! This is a time of celebration. Ajay is alive and well. Thanks to you all."

"Them?" Ajay questioned. "What did they do? What happened?"

"They risked life and limb for you of course. I sent them on a perilous journey in order to save you from the unknown poison in your veins." Pagan held up the Syringe that contained the contents of the cure. But now it was a empty.

"They trekked through the perilous Himalayan Mountains, faced all manner of terrorist and beast and brought back the one thing was guaranteed to save your life."

Ajay looked at everyone. "You guys did all that? For me?"

"Of course, Ajay!" Hurk smiled broadly. "What kinda friends would we be if we didn't stick our necks out for you?"

"Especially after all the times you saved our lives." Nisha grinned cheekily.

"We are your Claws, Ajay." Sivudu responded seriously. "It's our job to risk our lives for you."

"BAH! Sivudu's just too shy to admit his real feelings." Boris chuckled. "We got you back, comrade."

Ajay couldn't help but smile a little at the corner of his mouth. Then he frowned quickly after realizing something.

"The statue . . ." He looked around frantically. "Where's the statue?"

"Statue?" Hurk said confused.

"Do you mean the statue we had to pry out of your hands?" Yuma asked, immediately getting Ajay's attention. "We put it in the vault. We didn't know why you were carrying the thing around, but we assumed it was important."

Ajay breathed a sigh of relief. 'She's safe. My goddess is safe.' He then realized what he just thought and shook them away. 'No. None of that was real. Just the drugs—the poison—messing with me. It wasn't real . . . right?'

"Ajay? What's wrong?" Pagan asked, concerned.

"Nothing . . . just—" No, he wouldn't tell them of his delusions. "Just hold on to that statue would you, Yuma?"

Yuma stared silently at Ajay before nodding in agreement.

"Thanks, and one more thing."

"Yes?" Pagan asked.

Ajay gave the King a very hard, firm stare. One that promised pain and endless torment. But it wasn't directed Pagan. He just remembered who poisoned him.

"Where's Paul?"

AN: You know, if someone told me it has been a year since I've updated this story, I would have laughed at them. Then I would look and see they were completely right and that I was the fool. Scary thing about getting older, it feels like less and less time is passing, even a lot of time actually is. Years.

I really got no great excuse for not updating. I got a lot of stories I like to focus on, but really 2019 just wasn't my year for writing. It was a slog and I admit that. I'm so, so, so sorry to all of you who like this story and waited so long. I'm sorry for not updating for such a long time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.