The soldiers that we revived earlier walked out of the APC one by one. I already got out of the hatch of the tank and walked toward the four women, following Jane from behind. I really wanted to distribute the stat points, but my objective clearly stated that I needed to provide continuous medical support for the task force.
The women didn’t say much as we approached. One was crouching next to a sandbag barricade, her sharp ears twitching slightly as she adjusted a sniper rifle, scanning the forest through the humongous scope of her rifle. The other two were near a small makeshift tent, one organizing medical supplies, the other holding a tablet.
“Uh... cat ears?” I asked, almost without thinking.
“Ain… you have horns,” Jane sighed.
Jane approached the woman holding the tablet. They shook hands. Jane introduced herself while I curiously observed the twitching cat ears coming out of the holes on their combat helmets, just as how my horns came out of the two holes on my helmet.
[Provide Anesthesiologist Medical Support For Task Force 404: 0/1]
* Support the remaining operations with available resources
* Accompany the task force as a combat support
Okay, that seemed simple enough. The healing magic in this world was pretty straightforward, and I didn’t have to worry too much about fatal casualties, I guess. Still, these women looked like they knew what they were doing. They were skilled, but I hadn’t scanned their levels or abilities yet.
They were all wearing high-end tactical gear, so at least I knew they’d be able to keep me from dying. I instinctively made my way toward the woman who was organizing the medical supplies. She seemed like someone I needed to talk to.
[Mira -- Mechanical Healer Wolfkin — Level 25]
“Great, another pair of hands,” the white-haired woman said, giving me a firm handshake. Her grip was surprisingly strong for someone so slender.
“Nice to meet you, Mira,” I replied, setting the two medic bags I had gathered from my inventory down with a quiet thud.
She glanced at the bags, then raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Just these? Barely a dent in what we’ve got left.”
“I thought you looked like you were still well-stocked,” I said, shrugging slightly, looking over the crates containers marked as medical items.
Mira’s gaze shifted toward the group of survivors we had rescued. “Well, these are for them,” she said with a sigh, gesturing toward the people. “They’re finally going home today. And we... we’re stuck here, in this shithole, if I’m being honest.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Then, my answer came in the most unexpected way. Jane suddenly shouted out a command to all the men inside the IFV to pack their bags.
"Move it, guys," she ordered. "The emergency aircraft will be here in three hours. Get your stuff ready. We’re out of here soon."
Her words were met with a flurry of activity, as the men scrambled to gather their gear. Why would they leave these three women alone in here while they left? Were they in different units? They wore the same flag, as far as I could see.
Mira then added, “They’re with the 85th Airborne Division. They’re not exactly the surgical tactical teams you’d send to deal with Divinity. They’re tasked with dealing with armored vehicles patrolling Solimat, but well… you know the story.”
As Mira and I stood there, watching the soldiers dismantle the remaining tents—leaving only one large tent for the four of us—I couldn’t shake the shock from my mind. This sudden shift was almost too much to process. They were just going to leave them like this? It didn’t make sense. What kind of justification could there possibly be for abandoning them with so few people?
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
There was no way three people, even with military gear, could handle any significant military operation. And then there was me—no training, no experience. Sure, I’d played Call of Duty, but this wasn’t a video game. The reality of a real military operation was a whole different world. I felt completely out of my depth.
David and Jane moved with efficiency, helping the soldiers pack their gear into the APCs. For anything that couldn’t fit, David would expand his inventory and carry the heavier items, his movements smooth and practiced. They packed everything up until all that was left were the two tents. The JLTVs were loaded up and driven off, leaving only one behind for us.
Mira sighed heavily, a bitter, almost sinister look in her eyes as she watched the unit leave. It was clear she wasn’t thrilled with how things were unfolding, but she seemed to be resigned to the situation. The commander gave a simple nod to Jane, acknowledging her request, while the soldier chopping the tree kept at it, seemingly indifferent to the whirlwind of activity around him.
I grabbed David by the arm, pulling him back. "David, what the hell? Are you really going to leave these three here? Just like that?"
He looked at me, giving a half-shrug and a tone that wasn’t exactly reassuring. "Well..." He hesitated, clearly unsure, before continuing, "It is what it is."
"Why?" I asked, my voice rising a bit in disbelief.
David sighed, clearly not thrilled with the situation either. "I have no clue. My task was to revive the airborne forces, which I’ve done, by the way. Jane’s job was to extract the soldiers with her VTOL cargo craft. And Case? He’s off taking care of the armored vehicles scattered in Solimat."
"And that means what, exactly?" I pressed, my frustration mounting.
David glanced at me, the calmness in his demeanor almost maddening. "It means we’ve finished our assignments. Our part’s done. The Task Force still has unfinished business, and I’ll leave it to them. What’s the matter?"
I stared at him, stunned. "Are you out of your mind?"
David blinked, unfazed, and nonchalantly continued his task, lifting the medical crates from the nearby tent. "No? I mean, if the Federation is confident in their abilities, then I’ll let them be. You should’ve been more careful about reading your quest, Ain."
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was the plan? Leave them here with nothing? I could only stand there, trying to process his cold indifference to the situation. I put myself in his shoes. Of course, we never feared death, but still, leaving people in here, to their own tasks? It was rather… unbelievable.
And these three? Why didn’t they protest at all? Were they just accepting this fate, or were they all out of their minds? I couldn’t fathom how they could stand by so passively as the convoy rolled out, leaving us behind. Not a single word of protest, no sign of anger. They were just... resigned.
I let out a frustrated sigh. A part of me really wanted to grab the medical supplies away from David. Maybe that would give me some leverage, but who was I kidding? If he countered, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
So, I did the only thing I could—retracted myself from the situation. There was no point in getting into a fight I couldn’t win.
The convoy of armored vehicles gradually disappeared into the distance, their engines growing fainter as they made their way out of the outpost. And there we were, left behind.
It was only me and them now. The remaining trio and me. And as much as I hated to admit it, I was the weakest link. I had no military experience, and no skills beyond basic survival. If things went south, I’d be the first to go. The realization hit me hard—this wasn’t going to end well for me.
Mira then patted my shoulder, offering a surprisingly comforting gesture. “Cheer up, Ain, isn’t it? It’s not that bad.”
“It is,” came a voice from behind, and I turned to see the woman who had been looking at the tablet earlier.
She was tall, with the heaviest armor of the bunch, with ceramic plates inserted throughout her body armor, accompanied by a confident air about her. Her black ears were twitching in discomfort while looking at me.
[Elene – Rogue Paladin Elf– Level 30]
“Well, that’s one way to greet a newbie,” Mira chuckled, shaking her head. “Elene, I don’t think that’s exactly how you should start.”
Elene, or whatever her name was, shot Mira a quick look before responding, her voice filled with disdain. “My task is to complete this mission and keep you all alive. But somehow, the Federation thinks that losing our airborne troops is such a big deal, that they pull them out? So what about us? Are we expendable?”
“Maybe?” Mira shrugged, her voice casual, but there was a glint of uncertainty in her eyes. “I think we’ve been through worse odds before.”
I then asked, “Let me reiterate something—if they’re not the 404, then it’s only the three of you?”
Mira didn’t seem to be in a rush to answer, but Elena wasted no time. “Long story short, yes,” she replied, her tone blunt. “Officially, we don’t exist. But well, that’s never the case, is it?”
“Welcome to the team, Ain. I hope you enjoy the wild ride.”