Six months had passed since he was dropped in the middle of nowhere, without a plan, but full of questions. Needless to say he has killed a bunch of people since then, but the answers he was seeking? They were alive and slowly killing him. So, after his much foreseen failure, he did the unthinkable. Aklion crouched in the middle of his tiny farm, a shovel in hand. The morning sun was harsh and unforgiving, casting a sweltering heat over the land, but he didn’t mind. Compared to the blistering gunfights and blood-soaked streets of NEOTROY, this was a vacation. Aklion wiped his brow, his muscled arms flexing as he dug deeper into the soil, intent on creating the perfect trench for his crops.
System Notification:
Skill Gained: Basic Farming (Level 1)
XP Gained: 10 XP
Next Level: 190 XP to Level 2 Farmer
“Great, I’m leveling up for planting vegetables. This is the pinnacle of my combat career,” Aklion muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.
The farm life wasn’t quite what he had envisioned when Vectora first planted the idea in his mind. The former commander who once planned strategic battles against insurgents now battled chickens that wouldn’t stay in their pens, soil that resisted his efforts, and crops that mysteriously died in the night.
He strolled toward the chicken coop, eyeing the small flock that had given him so much trouble in the past week. Aklion had faced down death countless times, fought rebels with decades of combat experience, and survived wounds that would have felled lesser soldiers, but none of that compared to the daily terror of collecting eggs from these satanic chickens.
System Notification:
Daily Task: Collect 5 Eggs from Coop
Reward: +15 XP, Improved Livestock Handling
Difficulty: Medium
Status: Unlocked
“Chickens. Just chickens,” Aklion muttered under his breath, psyching himself up. “Let’s get this over with.”
He approached the coop, cautiously unlatching the gate. The chickens stared at him with beady little eyes, and Aklion swore they were plotting his demise. He reached inside to grab an egg, his hand just inches away when one of the chickens—probably the leader—squawked and launched itself at him.
“Son of a—!”
The bird pecked at his arms furiously, wings flapping wildly as it defended its precious egg. Aklion stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the other chickens as they joined the assault.
System Notification:
Skill Check Failed: Animal Handling (Level 0)
Damage Taken: -5 HP
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Current HP: 145/150
Mental Stability: Shaken
Aklion cursed, swiping at the aggressive bird and finally managed to scoop up the egg. He held it aloft like a trophy, victorious despite the feathers still stuck to his shirt.
“Take that, you little bastard. I’m winning this war.”
System Notification:
Task Complete: 1/5 Eggs Collected
XP Gained: +3 XP
Current XP: 13/200 XP (Farmer, Level 1)
“Three measly XP. Great. I’ll be a legendary farmer in no time at this rate.”
The chickens weren’t the only challenge. There was also the fact that the land itself seemed to hate him. He’d tried planting everything from potatoes to carrots, but only a few stubborn plants had managed to sprout. Most of his seeds just withered away, leaving him staring at the barren earth in frustration.
He spent hours each day working the soil, hoping that maybe, just maybe, this time something would grow.
System Notification:
Skill Gained: Agricultural Patience (Level 0)
XP Gained: +5 XP
Next Level: 182 XP to Level 2 Farmer
Aklion sat down, plopping into the dirt with a resigned sigh. He could fight entire armies, but he couldn’t seem to get these damn plants to cooperate. And the chickens? The chickens were winning.
“Maybe this is the universe’s way of balancing things out. You kill hundreds of men, now you have to deal with demonic birds,” he muttered to himself, wiping his hands on his shirt.
In spite of it all, he had to admit there was something soothing about farm life. The routine of it. The quiet moments between fights with livestock. He hadn’t heard the sound of gunfire in weeks, and his body had begun to adjust to the idea of peace.
Vectora had been right. This was what he needed. He’d even started to think about calling her, inviting her to join him out here, in the middle of nowhere, away from the war. Maybe they could build something together. Maybe they could find a way to live without the constant threat of death hanging over their heads.
Aklion stood up, dusting off his pants, and gazed at the small, handmade sign at the entrance to his farm: “Asphodel Farm.” He’d carved it himself, thinking about the afterlife, the field where the ordinary dead resided. Not glorious, not hellish. Just… there. Somewhere in between.
Would he be a good husband? Could he be something other than the machine of war he had become?
The questions weighed on him, but for the first time in a long time, he was beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, the answer was yes. Maybe there was a future where he wasn’t fighting, where he wasn’t killing. Where he was just… Aklion.
He decided to turn on his safe comms. They’d been offline since he arrived, kept quiet in case anyone was trying to track him down. But if he was serious about this life, about reaching out to Vectora, he needed to make contact.
He hesitated for a moment, thumb hovering over the activation switch. The idea of opening himself up to the world again, after months of quiet, was daunting. But there was no point in hiding forever.
The comm unit blinked to life, running its diagnostics before connecting to the network. Aklion felt his stomach twist with unease as the connection established.
System Notification:
Safe Comms Online
No Anomalies Detected
Current Status: Secure
He breathed out, relieved.
And then, the HUD in his comm flashed red.
System Notification:
Priority Signal Received
Source: Vectora
Message Type: Distress SOS
Aklion’s heart skipped a beat. His hands gripped the comm as Vectora’s image appeared on the screen, her face pale, bruised, and streaked with blood. She looked frantic, her voice shaky and weak.
“Aklion,” she breathed, her voice barely audible. “I don’t have much time. They’ve… they’ve found me.”
“Sector 9C… the old district,” she wheezed. “The Conglomerate… they’re going to kill me. I’m hiding, but I don’t have much time.”
His heart sank.
She hesitated, her eyes filling with something beyond fear—regret. “Aklion, there’s something else. I’m pregnant. It’s yours… I tried to contact you… but… no…no… they are here...”
System Notification:
End of Recording