Krand watched the dangerous game of cat and mouse between his Guardian and the mercenary. He’d never seen Kurandal slip this far. He felt impotent as he watched Pajin continue to leap, roll, and dodge angry swipes and energy blasts. The Ghost searched his memory banks, finding nothing of use. [i]Blackfoot! Weller! Anyone left in here with me! I’m open to ideas![/i] No response to his inward pleas, the matrix holding all of his predecessors’ spirits apparently equally at a loss. [i]Chajo, Kurrie. I never knew the rage within you was this bad...that your heart was this scarred. I’m sorry I didn’t help you deal with this before I passed.[/i] Krand swept his visual receptors left and right, trying to see anything that could stop the situation. As he turned towards the burning village, his matrix locked up briefly in the Ghost equivalent of fear. Dozens of Fallen troops were marching towards the location where Kurandal and Pajin were fighting. [i]And I thought this couldn’t get much worse.[/i] “Krand! Where is he?” Krand swiveled to his right and saw Vinda rocketing towards him at incredible speed on her Pike. She would be on him in a moment. Krand suddenly wondered if she’d be able to stop the hover bike without plowing into him. Vinda shifted her weight right, swinging the Pike a sideways, bringing the vehicle’s momentum to a sudden halt. She jumped off and ran towards Krand. “Krand, is he ok? What’s happen-” Vinda stopped mid-sentence, stunned by the viciousness she witnessed in her friend below. Kurandal was still roaring at Pajin, while the mercenary continued to dodge. “They’ve been at this for a while, darlin’. Kurrie’s just plain snapped. I...I don’t know how to stop him. And we’ve got company coming.” Vinda turned and saw the Fallen, minutes away. Her heart broke from the hurt in Krand’s synthesized voice. She had never known another Ghost so...human. Seeing the carnage below, she realized her worst fears about Kurandal were coming true. He was going to kill Pajin, then get killed himself. She had to stop him, somehow. While they still had a chance to outrun the Fallen. She ran towards the fight, her pistol drawn. She prayed to the Traveler that she wouldn’t have to use it on her friend. “Good luck, little lady,” Krand said, in a whisper. He started calculating the odds of survival. They weren’t good. He had failed his grandson. Perhaps if he was careful, he could at least help his spirit come to peace at the end. Maybe they could survive together in the matrix if the Traveler saw to it. He floated towards the fight, hoping some miracle would happen. “Kurandal! Stop this! Now!” Vinda yelled at her friend, drawing her weapon and flipping the safety off. Pajin turned to see the Hunter aim her weapon. [i]Is she aiming at the ‘lock?[/i] “You better listen to your lady friend, ‘lock! She looks serious!” Kurandal kept pressing on, throwing purple blasts wildly. Vinda prayed as she steadied her shot. [i]Traveler forgive me for this. He’s not giving me a choice.[/i] She fired a warning shot, missing Kurandal’s foot by centimeters. Kurandal finally stopped and turned towards her. His face was full of rage, dark and stormy, frightening to see. Blood covered the left side of his face, coloring the moon-shaped scar on his cheek. His right eye widened as he recognized Vinda through the red haze of anger filling the vision in his one good eye. “V-vinda?” His face softened a bit, until he realized his friend had her weapon trained on his chest. “What are you doing, Vinda? If you’re going to shoot someone, shoot the shtaphing chajo that created this mess!” “The Fallen are almost here, K! We have to go now! And after what I’ve seen today, I feel safer keeping you in my sights than the merc.” Vinda’s words cut Kurandal like a knife. The anger within him ebbed, as his heart broke witnessing his friend’s fear. Pajin saw his chance. The Warlock’s guard was down, and the gynj had turned his back on the mercenary. Pajin jumped onto Kurandal’s back, wrapping his arm around the Warlock’s throat. Kurandal struggled against the choke hold, but Pajin had too strong of a grip. He spun left and right, trying to shake the mercenary loose. “Idiots! We don’t have time for this! K! Hold still, I don’t have a good shot!” Vinda struggled to find a way to shoot Pajin without injuring her friend. “Look out!” Vinda turned right towards the warning from Krand. A Fallen Dreg scout came over the ridge, running towards Kurandal and Pajin, a shock dagger in its raised hand. Vinda jumped in front of the Dreg as it swung the dagger down towards Kurandal’s chest. Its blade met Vinda’s breastplate, pausing for a split-second before breaking through her armor and slipping into her flesh. “NOOOOOOO!” Kurandal screamed as he saw his friend crumble in front of him. Pajin’s hold loosened as he witnessed the Hunter’s sacrifice. Kurandal reached back and grabbed Pajin by the neck, pulling him off his back. The Warlock threw a focused blast of energy at the Dreg before it had a chance to draw its pistol, knocking it into the dirt. G, Vinda’s Ghost floated out of her jacket. “Oh no. This is not good.” “How bad is it, G?” Kurandal asked as he knelt by his friend’s crumpled form. “She’s very badly hurt. The blade may have hit an artery. She needs medical attention immediately.” “The Fallen will never let us leave here alive, ghost.” Pajin pulled the pistol from the Dreg’s belt. “Not if I buy us some time.” Kurandal stood up. His anger was returning, but it was held in check by the need to help his friend. He knew there was only one chance for her. “Pajin, you’re taking her back to Wryvun’s Respite. I assume you know how to pilot a Pike. I’ll tie her to you, you get her back to the town, and she might have a chance.” “Why in Mephus would I do that, chajo?” Kurandal tried not to bristle. “Because I’m hoping there’s something decent in you. Because you want to live. Because I will hunt you down no matter where you hide and you know it.” “How will you find me when you’re dead? There’s no way you can hold off that many Fallen by yourself!” “You let me worry about that, mercenary. You just get her back to town, and I won’t kill you right here and now.” Kurandal stared the merc down. For added emphasis, he began charging a Nova Bomb in his hand. Pajin looked at the dying Hunter, then back at her friend. Did he have a choice? Something decent in me? Where did that come from? He ran over to the Pike and drove it towards Kurandal. The Warlock picked his friend up and placed her on Pajin’s back. He used her cloak to tie her limp body to the Awoken. “Krand, follow them. Make sure he doesn’t take any detours. If he does, tell Javier. Watch over her for me. Please.” The Ghost started to protest, but thought better of it. If this was Kurandal’s last wish, he would obey. “Good luck, son. Traveler watch over you.” Krand floated to the Pike and linked with its rear compartment. Pajin looked back at the Warlock, watching him glide towards the Fallen troops. Ballsy shtapher. The mercenary adjusted his balance to handle the extra weight on the Pike and twisted its throttle, leaving the burning chaos behind him