Betrayal

As he surveyed Axis from his vantage point, Liam's hands trembled with rage. Despite knowing full well that Axis was playing them, a knot formed in his stomach. She'd never been a true ally, but rather a shrewd opportunist who only helped when it suited her.

Axis simply grinned as she squeezed Colleen's frail wrists, causing the Draconian woman to exhale a painful gasp. "Why bother?" Axis scoffed, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "She's no longer useful to us, so why not let the Gnoll have his fun?"

With that, she hurled Colleen at the creature. Colleen landed with a sickening thud at the Gnoll's feet, her body twisted at an unnatural angle, and Liam could only watch helplessly.

Colleen's eyes widened, unable to blink as she realized the gravity of the situation. It was as if the bravery and rage she displayed in front of Axis had vanished from her body.

Liam stood there in stunned silence for a moment, his mind reeling with shock and horror. Then, with a roar of rage, he lunged at Axis, his feet lashing out in a frenzy of blows at her. Axis easily deflected his advances, her body dodging and weaving as she taunted him with a sultry grin.

"You can't beat me, Liam," she purred as she danced around him, her lithe form taunting him. "I'm a little too quick for you, ya' know."

But Liam was beyond logic, his mind clouded by a red haze of rage. He kept coming at her, his blows becoming more frantic and uncontrollable with each passing moment, and the Ash Phoenix Flame darkened as he grew angrier.

Thud-!!

Finally, he landed a glancing blow on her chin, knocking her out and sending her reeling backward.

"You arrogant, bastard!" exclaimed Liam.

"Ha! Don't be so full of yourself. I wasn't even trying. You're so blinded by your anger that you can't see that." Axis cast a glance at Colleen as she brushed off Liam's kick.

Then Liam turned to face the Gnoll wielding its spiky mace against Colleen's helpless body.

"Colleen, nooo!" Kaiser continued to strike the Gnoll, as did Aaron and Sharky. Gnoll, on the other hand, knew Colleen would die from his hands before the other three could. As a result, he didn't mind them in the least.

The Gnoll's eyes blazed with a newfound determination as he realized this was his last chance to complete the objective before entering the Green Zone.

"Why did you do that?" Liam demanded, his voice barely suppressing the rage bubbling beneath it.

Axis just shrugged, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Why not?" she said casually. "She was annoying, holding onto my clothes like she could beat me; it's not like we're a family in here, you follow?"

Liam felt his blood boiling with rage. "You know very well why she was holding onto your clothes," he snarled, his voice low and menacing. "She was attempting to prevent you from making a grave error, sacrificing one of us to that thing."

Axis laughed, making a tinkling sound that irritated Liam. "And what makes you so sure it's a mistake?" she asked, a devilish grin on her face.

Axis charged at the Gnoll, leaping in the air as the axe materialized in her hands, aiming for the vulnerable Gnoll on the ground's neck.

But... a foot flew by, greeting Axis' face and sending her flying back beside Liam.

Liam shivered as a silhouette fell to the ground.

"You... why... how..."

The greatest spy in the new USSR glared at Liam and squeezed the small goblin that was barely alive in one hand, choking it with great force, while the other was inside his pocket.

"Fancy to meet you here, NATO's greatest detective." Alexei Arman Volkov clenched his fists, his muscles and veins straining against his skin, gaze still fixated on Liam.