A Fragile Thing || Far Cry 4

Chapter Eight

The system of caves was massive and ever changing. Ajay would have to crawl through one section only to end up in an enormous cavern nearly fifty feet high, the black rock worn smooth by centuries of erosion. Only part of it seemed natural though. The other half looked as though it had been hewn from the stone to better suit the needs of its adoptive inhabitants. Spare crates full of who knew what were lined along the walls. Probably reserves in case the fortress were under siege. All the while, muffled remnants of the skirmish above echoed through the caves.

After fifteen minutes of aimless wandering, Ajay was starting to get nervous and twitchy, seeing shadows and ghosts around every turn. He was hopelessly lost. Then a pained shriek reverberated down the tunnel. It sounded so close, it made Ajay jump, but it was just a trick of the walls. Ajay sought out the source. Whether it was friend or foe that had made the noise, someone was engaged in some kind of battle. The continuing yells confirmed the theory.

It took longer than Ajay would have liked to follow the sounds. As soon as he thought he was getting close, another shout would reach him coming from the opposite direction. Ajay was running now, hoping that he could reach whoever it was in time.

Finally, he turned a corner and saw one of Yuma's guards kicking a man on the ground, who was doing his best to protect himself. Ajay fired. Belatedly, he realized that the armor the guard wore was too thick for normal rounds to pierce. He would have to shoot him with a shotgun at close range to even make a dent. The guard swiveled on the spot, seeking out the new attacker and Ajay was forced to duck behind a boulder just as return shots came whizzing past where his head had been.

Then there was a strange gurgling noise. The bullets had stopped flying and, in the utter silence, Ajay peeked around the boulder. The man, who Ajay now realized was one of the archers, had stabbed his knife sideways into the guard's neck. In seconds, his struggles ceased and his pupils dilated, one last breath bubbling from his blood-filled mouth. The archer fell to his knees beside the body.

Rushing forward, Ajay helped the man to his feet. "Are you alright?"

The man grimaced and sagged against the wall, clutching his right arm. "My arm's broken. He came at me out of nowhere. Once he had me on the ground, he just wouldn't stop kicking. He could have shot me easily, but he wouldn't let up."

Ajay glanced back at the bloodied corpse and came to find that he recognized the face. It was the guard that had tortured him in Durgesh. It seemed that he had a penchant for cruelty.

"Well, you're still alive. That's all that matters." Ajay rigged a makeshift sling for the man out of his jacket. As Ajay was tying the knot behind the man's head, a slew of gunshots boomed through the cave. Both heads whipped toward the sound. "Shit," Ajay swore, then turned back to the man. "Can you walk?"

A sharp nod.

"Then head back to the entrance, wait for us there." Ajay made to leave, but was stopped short.

"Wait! I can still fight. I'm coming with you."

Ajay knew the man was in no shape to fight. No matter how good he was, with his arm broken, he would be more of a liability than anything. And he probably knew it too. Knew it, but his pride wouldn't let him walk away. So Ajay offered him a solution. One that would save his pride and, most likely, his life as well. "You will be fighting. Go back to the entrance and hold off any troops that come this way. We don't need them sneaking up behind us." Ajay raised his eyebrows pointedly, nodding.

The man recognized the offering for what it was and didn't fight it. He sighed. "Alright." He motioned with his head toward the sound of gunfire. "Go. And good luck."

Ajay took off down a tunnel to his right. It was harder to locate the sound this time. It was so much louder, it just kept bouncing from wall to wall. And then it stopped entirely.