Trust is a fickle thing, just like people.

  -UWO Staff Sergeant April-

  The first rays of morning's light crest the horizon. I didn’t sleep well last night, but it’ll do. As I watch the sunrise from the balcony, I’m reminded of fonder memories.

  There was a willow that grew in the field behind my childhood home. A stubborn old tree that my mother wouldn’t let my father cut down. No matter how many times he asked her. The answer was always the same. She saw the beauty in its defiance, in its persistence. Despite his objections, my father tended the tree. Even when vines would grow up during the spring and strangle the branches. He’d spend hours out there when he came home for the short times between deployments. Not just to make her smile while he was home, but for when he was gone. So that she could look out at that old tree with gnarled limbs and know that he cared about her. No matter the distance, she always knew.

  That taught me something, love is not just about passion. It’s also about compromise. Showing you give a damn, even when you don’t want to. Not because you should. But because you do.

  Whenever I look at Cortez, I can’t help but feel that I would also tend to the tree for her. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this deeply about anyone. It’s raw, visceral, and all-encompassing. Terrifying and joyous in the same breath. I’ve lost her once, I won’t lose her again. The memories of feeling powerless. They are the fuel. The thing that guides my growing resolve. Watching the sun rise higher, I begin to formulate my plans for my own rise.

  Ulana is not my ally. The System is not my ally. I don’t need them to be. Level fourteen. It’s just the beginning. A stepping stone to where I will climb. I will not stop at the peak, I will climb beyond it. Grasping the stars with my bare fucking hands. Someday, I will break the System. I don’t know how… but I know that I will. The memories are burned into my soul. Joined by the memories of the foxes, and tempered by the Wyvern’s. It has changed me. Opened my eyes more than they already were. The foxes were strong. Stronger than humans, and their world is gone now. That will not happen to Earth. Not while I draw breath. I’m not some kind of chosen one. I know that Ulana picked me on a whim. Boredom perhaps. There is no delusion in me. I don’t matter to her. That’s good though. It sharpens me. Hones my thoughts. Keeps me aware.

  If the next Respec on Death quest is anything like the last, then I’m not ready yet. There’s no telling when I’ll get another chance to get more Tokens. My first priority is to level up. So that I can then get even more Respec Tokens. More Tokens means more chances. Looking down at my hands, I close them slowly. Climb the mountain, one step at a time.

  Stretching my neck, I move to the chair on the hotel room’s balcony. Cortez can sleep a few more hours. She always did like to sleep in, especially on the weekend. I should probably figure out how screwed I am for skipping extra duty though. Pulling up my messaging interface I pull up Tran’s Messages first.

  [ SPC Tran: Bro, where you at?

  Brooooo, the fuck?

  Dude, we have dipshit Gilroy for extra duty NCO tonight, don’t be late.

  Fuck man. He’s pissed. He already ratted on you to SSG Mwangi. RIP.

  You think I should wear a regular black tie or a bowtie for your funeral?

  Bro?

  Proof of life message please. ]

  Sighing, I send him a quick reply saying I’m alive. I move to Barlow’s next.

  [ SPC Barlow: We’re meeting up by the staff duty desk. See you in 15.

  Bro, it’s 10 minutes past, we can only stall for so long.

  Hour late.

  Three hours late.

  Tell Tran that bowties aren’t for funerals.

  You good?

  Jimmy? ]

  I send him a reply like the one I sent to Tran. Shit, of all the NCOs to get for extra duty, we got Sergeant fucking Gilroy the turd extraordinaire. Thankfully he just told Staff Sergeant Mwangi instead of reporting it higher. Maybe it stopped there. Guess I should open Mwangi’s messages and find out.

  [ SSG Mwangi: Why is your squad leader bitching to me about you?

  Your new middle name is Front Leaning Rest.

  Going to smoke you like a Cuban Cigar on Monday.

  Report to SGT Gilroy NOW.

  If you don’t reply in the next 12 hours, I’m reporting you as AWOL.

  Six hours left.

  Three hours left.

  One hour left. I’m serious. You’d better be sleeping off a hangover in a ditch somewhere with a brand new I’m an asshole tattoo. ]

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Fuck. That was forty-five minutes ago. I send him a quick reply.

  [ SPC Novak: Apologies SSG, I have no excuse for my behavior.

  I’m currently off-post. Not sure if it’s opened back up again yet. ]

  I’m about to send another message but he replied already. More messages come after. He’s pissed.

  [ SSG Mwangi: What the actual fuck Novak?

  Did you hit your head?

  You knew you had extra fucking duty.

  You better have a good fucking excuse.

  Don’t bother sending it here.

  I want to see the bullshit being conjured with my own eyes.

  Post is supposed to open back up in two hours. Meet me at the Platoon Hanger.

  And Novak, don’t be late. ]

  Swallowing, I send him a reply.

  [ SPC Novak: Roger SSG. ]

  Letting out a bigger sigh, I open Sergeant Gilroy’s message.

  [ SGT Gilroy: You really screwed up this time Nobrains. ]

  My jaw moves side to side, wondering if I should dig a deeper hole. I decide to ride somewhere in the middle.

  [ SPC Novak: Hooah SGT. ]

  My eyes hover to the next messaging notifications. One from the old elf off-worlder Trevanius, we’d exchanged contacts last time we met up. Just in case I had to ask him something else. The last notification is from her… Amber fucking Dorliac. Two guesses what it’ll say. I’ll get to it. First, I want to know why he messaged me.

  [ Trevanius: Jimmy of the Novaks, greetings to you.

  My niece has brought good tidings.

  Blessings be upon you. ]

  What? Isn’t his niece dead? I don’t have time to unpack that. Just going to ignore it for now. My eyes trace over to the last message notification. Dread rising in me. Here goes.

  [ 1LT Dorliac: Do they know? ]

  Squinting at it, I message back.

  [ SPC Novak: Know what? And who? ]

  Instant reply.

  [ 1LT Dorliac: That you’re not a healer anymore. ]

  Blinking. How the fuck does she know that? Another message comes in before I can even think about responding.

  [ 1LT Dorliac: Not sure how you changed your class, but I know what I felt, or rather didn’t feel when I was healing you. There was no resonance. Don’t make up a lie. You know how I feel about lying. ]

  My jaw flexes. I didn’t realize she could tell something like that. Fucking prodigy. Sending a reply.

  [ SPC Novak: I haven’t told anyone yet. ]

  She doesn’t reply for over a minute. But my eyes are still glued to the screen, thoughts starting to worry me. What if she tells my command? Then I’ll be interrogated. They have classes that can break into people’s minds. Look past the surface. I’d never stand a chance if they really wanted to know something.

  [ 1LT Dorliac: Not even her? ]

  Guilt spirals up.

  [ SPC Novak: No, not even her. ]

  She doesn’t reply for another minute again. Leaving me anxious.

  [ 1LT Dorliac: Our little secret then. Don’t worry Kiwi. I’ll take care of it. ]

  How does she plan to take care of it? She’s just a First Lieutenant. I know her dad’s high up, a Colonel or something like that, but he’s not super high up. Plus, I doubt he’d do me any favors. Nor her, she’s repeatedly denied his help on multiple occasions. Always saying she wanted to succeed on her own achievements.

  [ SPC Novak: How exactly? ]

  I wait for three minutes, no reply. Awesome. What is she going to do? A bad feeling creeps over me. Pacing now, I have a feeling my life’s about to get really complicated. While I wait for her to reveal her plans, I see the other notices in my system interface. Titles ready to claim and Reward roll. Guess I should figure out the titles first. I click yes on the option popup.

  [ Issuing Titles… Success ]

  [ Title: Champion of Ulana ]

  [ Title: Forsaken by Fate ]

  [ Title: Blessed by Fate ]

  [ Title: Deviant ]

  [ Title: Wyvern Slayer - Received ]

  Okay, those sound… interesting. I don’t know how you can be blessed and forsaken at the same time. I’m pretty sure the champion is because Ulana chose me as a pawn. The deviant one I know is Red. They already said as much. Only the last title says received, does that mean I already had the others in effect? I’m confused. Whatever, I move to click the first one, but nothing happens when I do. From what I’ve heard, you should be able to click it. More fuck fuck games. Great. Moving through the list, I click them all. Nothing, except when I click the last one.

  [ Title: Wyvern Slayer ]

  [ Boon: Attacks against Wyverns have a higher chance of causing critical damage. ]

  How much of a higher chance? Like one percent? Or like ninety percent? Really, really love how specific the system is with everything. Okay, well, that’s great I guess. Not sure how I feel about any of this. Really not much to go off of. Besides, I don’t plan on fighting another Wyvern for a long time. I need to level up first. Alright, time for the Treasure Roll, and after I can figure out what the Custom RoD Menu is.

  Pulling up my interface, I’m about to open the Rare Treasure Roll, but I pause. If it’s big, how will I hide it from her? Guilt traces my belly before being burned away by my resolve.

  Worry about that when it happens. Clicking the Reward, I select the yes option.

  [ Rare Item Treasure Reward Roll… Beginning… ]

  [ Extra Reward boost for clearing quest added ]

  [ System Notice: Additional Extra Reward boost added for solo clearing quest ]

  [ Luck modifier added to reward roll ]

  [ Title Champion of Ulana modifier added to roll ]

  [ Title Forsaken by Fate modifier added to roll ]

  [ Title Blessed by Fate modifier added to roll ]

  [ Title Deviant modifier added to roll ]

  Okay, so those four titles clearly have some kind of effect. Also, I didn’t realize that it was going to add the extra modifiers for quest clearing. It didn’t give me a rating like gate quests do. I just thought this was a regular treasure roll. Damn, this might actually be good. I wonder what the titles do. I’m sure Deviant is probably going to hurt my chances. Standing up again, I bounce on the balls of my feet with anticipation. A new box pops up.

  [ Rolling… ]

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