74

A Painted Guardian charges Keimia as you take aim. She trips him with her spear, and they grapple, preventing you from getting a clear shot until suddenly she hurls him off the precipice.

She turns and spots you, her golden eyes going wide, just as you pull the trigger.

But then—confound it!—a feathered ape leaps between you and her as it charges a wounded Guardian. Your bullet kills it instantly, and it careens into Keimia, who drops her spear, pinwheels as you reload, and falls!

You scan the smoke and darkness, taking a moment to make sure. She and the dead ape just fell off the precipice. You suspect that won't be the last you see of Keimia, but she's out of the fight for now, and the feathered apes know it.

You still have plenty of ammunition.