{[Asking for help doesn’t make you weak. Facing the world alone crumbles everyone.]}

Nothing on television, or movies, or video games come close to the horrors of war. From evaluating every shadow as a threat. To the odor of rotting and burned flesh, and the gore that comes from witnessing how frail a human body truly is.

War is savage, disgusting, and the mother of all terror.

A horror only shared among the survivors.

Ashner carried his M4-Carbine, on his chest two grenades, and more ammo. The weight of all the gear used to encumber him, but after the first few months in the field, he had gotten so accustomed to it, now it just felt like a backpack.

Since he was the rear vehicle's gunner, he was helping mount the 50 cal machine gun. Most people don't know, but after a while, war just becomes routine.

A strong arm wrapped around Ashner's chest, a bear hug from a beast. "Gio, what are you doing?"

“Just watching Soto’s morning routine.” He pointed at a private walking towards the armored vehicles. As soon as he did, Wong joined them.

“I say two trucks.” Gio made his bet.

“That walk indicates fatigue… Three vehicles.” Wong gave his input.

Ashner took a wild guess. "I say, first truck."

Soto's stomach twisted. He bent over and vomited near the first truck's wheel.

Gio and Wong moaned, and each reached into their cargo pants. Grabbing m&m's packs, they both handed their MRE's best snack to Ashner.

“You have an impressive power. You seem to always know when someone is going to regurgitate." Wong commented with a sly smile.

“Say your jokes now, medic. I'm going to enjoy eating your sweets today, and tomorrow, and the day that follows."

Wong sighed and went back to his vehicle. Gio gave him a side tap and left with a brisk pace.

And so began the day.

{[Months of training, hours of playing it in your head over and over. Nothing tests you more than the first bullet ripping across the sky. Chaos and fear, sorrow and blood, life against life.]}

Most days, Ashner's platoon would drive around towns, trying to keep the peace. Some locals hated them, and others adored them. The times they would dismount out of their armored vehicles usually involved meetings with local leaders, or on occasion, trying to capture a specific individual.

Gio carried a SAW. Wong paced to his right, Ashner was the spearhead, and Soto had the far left. A simple wedge formation.

As they walked through the town, the soldiers glanced away from a certain building. Stones still littered a section of its wall.

“One week," Soto muttered to himself. "I go home in one week."

Yeah, I’m sick of this place too.

The locals supervised them from their homes, treating them as some unwanted door to door salesmen. Ashner kept his eyes open, but his weapon was aimed at the ground. They had managed to keep peace with this town over the ten months. Now they had to maintain it until another company took over for them.

“You know what I miss?” Gio spoke.

"Porn?" Wong presumed, and he wasn't entirely wrong. Access to the internet was only permitted for the higher-ups.

“That too, but honestly… Anime… And hentai, mostly hentai.”

“You’re special forces, a meathead, and you indulge yourself with cartoon porn?” Wong gave him an eyebrow raise. “You’re supposed to be a professional.”

“Well, excuse me for enjoying the little things in life… At least I don’t have my nose in a medical book every free moment of the day.”

“Unlike you, I actually plan to do something with my life when we get home. Medical school put me in debt.” Wong tugged his backpack. He was similar to a turtle with how large it was. Even with that, he still carried more supplies than required. Just in case. “You spend so much time in the gym, why not get a girlfriend?”

"I do have a girlfriend." Gio bragged. This made everyone stop. He had never mentioned her before. "She just happens to be 2D."

The squad sighed loudly.

Ashner glanced back. Another four-man squad walked behind them. Sergeant Ensley and the Lieutenant were among them.

“Seriously? What is your 2D’s wife’s name.”

“Rem.”

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you. Why can't you be normal and like sports or MMA?"

“I like those things too, but anime has a special place in my heart.”

“You’re a nerd…” Wong teased, “and by the way… Emilia’s better.”

Gio’s mouth dropped. “Oh… Now we can’t be friends.”

{[One thing all soldiers can tell you, disaster always comes when you least expect it.]}

The echo of a thunderbolt rang across the sky. All weapons came up, searching for the enemy. But once the boom of a bullet echoes, it’s usually too late.

Soto’s helmet rolled across the ground, in front of the three, leaving a line of blood as it came to a stop. A second later, Soto’s body fell limp on the ground.

"Contact!" Ashner scanned with his gun. His scope passed citizens who were spying on them from their homes. As soon as the gun was pointed at them, they skittered away.

The platoon behind them started engaging.

Wong and Ashner grabbed Soto's body and dragged him towards the closest home. As they did, bullets sprayed towards them from the homes that surrounded them.

Gio engaged with a light machine gun, ripping apart a target with his overwhelming firepower. As his rounds flew, every fifth round, a red flare guided his path. The enemy screamed as they were ripped apart.

Ashner kicked in the door and rushed in with Wong, clearing the room. Inside, a man aimed his AK-47 at the soldiers. Ashner fired first, nailing him twice in the chest. As he fell, he scanned the room.

“Clear!”

Wong and Gio grabbed their friend and pulled him into the home.

The man Ashner shot gasped, blood escaped his chest, his eyes were wide open, in complete disbelief. It's always that way for someone who dies in battle, it's something they expect, but it's surreal when it happens. Letting him suffer wasn't right. Ashner kicked the weapon away from him and aimed his weapon at him.

Ashner recognized his face.

It was the man who had sacrificed his wife.

The man coughed up blood and squeezed Ashner's boot. He was begging for something in another language. His eyes held the same gaze as his dead wife, as she begged for her life. This time Ashner had a choice, use his own medical supplies and save him. Or…

"Fuck you." Ashner pulled his sidearm from its holster, which was strapped against his right thigh, and fired a single round into the man's head. The shell rolled across the floor. Outside, the roars of battle raged.

Wong grabbed a bed cover and put it over Soto’s body.

Sergeant Ensley and three soldiers rushed into the room, closing the door behind them.

“Where's the rest of our platoon?" Ashner asked as he and Gio both rushed towards the house's windows. With a nod and a countdown from three, they both aimed their weapons out. Sighting their targets on the roof of another building.

They were identified, so the enemy fired first, hitting none of them, the rounds went in between the two soldiers. Ashner and Gio fired, killing four targets. "We're scattered around the town!"

After they pulled away from the windows and another barrage of bullets rushed into the house, destroying furniture and an old radio.

"Stay away from the walls. The bullets will bounce and ride along them!" Ashner's training kicked in. He wasn't a sergeant, nor did he view himself as a better soldier than the others. Right now, they needed to survive.

Lieutenant Howard grabbed his radio and started communicating with Headquarters, giving them a sit-rep.

“The town is hostile!" He screamed over the gunfire. "Our company is scattered, and we have one K.I.A. Requesting air support!"

Ashner aimed his weapon out another window. Dozens of locals were rushing towards them armed with weapons so old. Some of their magazines had rusted alongside the weapons. He pulled the trigger, focusing on the ones carrying the cleanest weapons.

That’s seven.

Ashner reloaded his weapon as Gio unloaded with short bursts. The home started to crumble. Bullets were leaving strays of lights.

Staying there was suicide.

"Echo platoon!" The Lieutenant caught everyone's attention. "It's too hot for an extract to pick us up in the middle of the city. We need to push our way out on foot until we find somewhere large enough for the bird!"

Ashner’s eyes widened.

We’re going to rush through the battlefield carrying a dead soldier… Fuck.

Wong wrapped Soto's body in the white bed cover. The fallen soldier was a short man, but he was just dead weight. The Lieutenant grabbed the covers by his head, and together they lifted him up.

The walls were rattling and cracking under the outcry of gunfire.

“Ashner!” Ensley ordered. “Lead the way!”

Ashner reached for a flash grenade and readied it. Once he opened the door, he rushed out full sprint. Bullets at his heels peppering the dirt, he tossed the flash grenade towards the head of the warriors facing him. They glanced down as the burst of light shook their nerves. Before it flashed, Ashner slid behind a rusted car.

Ashner’s weapon aimed up at the roofs, pulling the trigger over and over.

Eight, ten, eleven, twelve, fifteen, eighteen.

The ones below fired madly around Ashner. Two bullets hit his breastplates, cracking them.

The stopping power knocked him on his back. But that wasn't enough to stop him.

Ashner fired at the ones on the ground.

Twenty, twenty-three, twenty-six.

His magazine emptied. As he reloaded, more citizens emerged from their homes, their sights aimed at Ashner.

A light machine gun fired towards them, and in seconds they were erased from the earth.

Gio knelt down next to Ashner.

Behind him, the others rushed forward.

“Wounded?" Wong studied Ashner, he had taken a few rounds, and his chest was throbbing, but he was alive.

“No," He pulled the Velcro off, and the plates that protected him from harm littered the floor in pieces. Before he asked, Wong grabbed Soto's and handed it to his friend.

Thanks, Soto.

The platoon moved through the city. Ashner kept his weapon ready. As he scanned the town, he discovered a family crouching on the ground, a curious child eavesdropping on them. Some of them dropped their weapons and ran. Ashner let them go. He was low on ammo, and his focus was on getting out alive.

Ashner sensed the beating of his heart against his armor. The weight didn't bother him. What did was the knowledge that at any second, he might die.

The soldiers made it to an abandoned parking lot. That’s where they put down Soto.

The radio came to life. “Hellfire one, heading to your direction, pop white smoke.”

The Lieutenant smiled and started relaying more information.

“Finally, we called them almost an hour ago.

Has it really been an hour? It felt like twenty minutes…

Smoke was popped, leaving an obvious trail. And a destination for the enemy to follow.

Bullets ripped across the sky. Bouncing of cars and shattering windshields.

Ashner, Gio, and Wong took cover behind the cars.

An ambush

Soldiers in a three-story building engaged them.

The enemy fired from different rooms in the building. Shooting down on the squad.

Ashner’s platoon engaged, taking quick shots.

Twenty-nine, thirty-two, thirty-five, thirty-nine.

A car exploded behind the soldiers, one of the car doors shot out, knocking a soldier into the open. As soon as he was exposed, he took a bullet in the leg.

He started screaming from the pain.

No, crawl towards us or pretend to be dead. It's too hot to try to save you!

Ashner loaded his last magazine.

Bullets rained down on the loud soldier. Then his body fell limp.

"Gio! Rivera!" Ensley pointed at his soldiers. "Get him out of there."

“Sergeant?" Rivera was down to his handgun, "He's dead. Once the chopper gets here, we can get him.”

“Don’t argue! Get him out of there now!”

Is he a dumb-ass? We need more guns firing at the enemy, not less. Leave him. Once we clear the building, we'll collect our dead.

Gio and Rivera eyed each other confused.

“Get him now!” Ensley yelled.

Hesitant, they both obeyed, rushing forward towards their dead comrade.

A rocket-propelled grenade flew towards them, leaving behind a blue smoke trail. Exploding next to the dead man, Gio and Rivera flew away from him. Rivera landed on top of a car. His body was burned from the explosion.

Gio landed next to Ashner and Wong. His helmet had shattered, and in his head was a piece of metal.

More than likely from one of the destroyed cars.

{[Dead or alive, you're going home. That means standing your ground and fighting on top of your friend's corpses. With the knowledge that they're gone for good, but you won't fail their families… They will come home heroes, even if it costs you your fucking life.]}

Wong got to work immediately.

Two guns out of the fight. We’re fucked here.

Ashner was down to his sidearm.

Wong tossed him his last magazine. “Make them count!”

Even in the middle of a battle, Wong kept his cool. Ashner wouldn't admit it, but he was fighting his body. It shook from the fear.

He did his job, firing at the building as soon as he made out a body. Aiming center mass, he pulled the trigger.

Forty, forty-two, forty-three.

More RPG's fired down on the platoon. In the chaos, the Lieutenant's body was ripped apart.

Wong screamed. Ashner took cover and glanced at his friend. A bullet had nicked his left eye, leaving a trail of blood going down his cheek.

“You’re hurt!”

“I can’t stop!” Wong kept focusing on Gio. “I have to save him.”

“Toss me his ammo!”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“He’s out.”

Ashner gawked around him. He had littered his magazines all over the floor, and the enemy was still raining hell on them.

He pulled out his combat knife.

I can’t believe it’s come down to this.

Hellfire missiles rained down towards the three-story building, crumbling it into itself. The blast knocked Ashner and Wong back. The enemy stopped firing.

It was over.

Ashner stood. Around him lay the bodies of his comrades. He found Rivera.

His armor had melted into his flesh. Even his magazines had morphed in an odd shape.

The Lieutenant was in pieces, Gio was unconscious, and Wong's eye kept dripping blood.

I was fortunate…

The helicopter started descending. Its blades pushed dirt away from the group. Reinforcements have arrived, more Apache's hovered above them, keeping their gaze on the enemy and fired randomly.

It took both Wong and Ashner to pick up Gio. He was a short man, but he was all muscle. They loaded him up first. Ashner lamented the next part of his job. He reached into the chopper and pulled out multiple body bags.

Ensley was nowhere to be found. Even so, Ashner owed it to his friends. He started finding what remained of them. He wasn't entirely sure if he put the right body parts in the right bags. Not that it mattered in the end. Most of them were having closed caskets. When he arrived at Rivera's body, he found Ensley sitting next to him.

He had pissed himself.

Nothing Ashner hadn’t appraised before.

"Help me put him in the body bag," Ashner spoke, mostly to somewhat snap Sergeant Ensley out of his trance.

“Who’s the sergeant here, you or me?"

Fuck you too.

As Ashner zipped up the black bag, something caught his eye. Ensley had five magazines full of ammo. At some point, he had stopped firing back.

Fucking coward… Should’ve been you.

*******

Ashner opened his eyes. He wasn't in the war anymore. Above him was a water damaged ceiling. Even if he wasn't there anymore, his body was shaking with fear… He took a few moments to recover himself.

The war was over.

He had survived.

And for a few days, he was a hero. While his friends recovered in the hospital… But then he was taken to jail and spent a year there after accepting a plea deal. He was innocent, but it was a guaranteed one year sentence or up to thirty years if he fought it with no chance of winning. He weighed his options, everyone presumed he was a rapist, but he just incriminated himself more to get out of jail early.

Something was off.

Someone was holding his hand.

He turned his head. Risa was on the corner of his bed, sitting on a chair, with her hand on his.

"Good morning, master."

“What are you doing?” Ashner asked, still embarrassed about the prior night.

“You were screaming in your sleep, as your slave. I took it upon myself to try to ease your suffering.”

I wasn’t aware I screamed in my sleep… Well, it’s not like there’s anyone that would know.

"Thank you, Risa," Ashner sensed the fear inside him fade away. He was home, in the presence of a beautiful woman. How could he not be at ease?

“It’s my pleasure, Master.”

Ashner sighed, “As for you.” He turned his head towards his other hand. Alex was holding it tightly.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I also want to relive your pain,” Alex admitted.

"I get that, but you're a guy. We really need to talk about boundaries."

“I don’t understand, Ashner.”

“It's okay for a woman to hold my hand. It's just creepy when a guy does it."

“I’m creepy?”

“Right now you are.”

Risa let go of Ashner’s hand and tuned into the two guys bickering back and forth. She raised her eyebrow and spoke.

“Alex, you are not permitted to speak back to our master.”

Alex shut up immediately.

Odd, even after last night, she’s still so dedicated.

"No," Ashner stood up on his bed. The morning light was shining down on the three of them. "You're allowed to speak your mind. You're allowed to say no. And you're allowed to fulfill your own desires."

Ashner sighed loudly.

“Alex, Risa… I owe you two an apology.”

The slaves studied him with a troubled face then at each other.

"A master does not apologize to their slave," Risa added.

"Then I'm a crappy master…" That earned him a glare from Alex and a head tilt from Risa. "Alex, I ignored your input when we were in your world. In truth, I was only thinking about myself… And Risa, I was so blinded by my own lust for you that I didn't consider your feelings… If there's anything you want. Just let me know… Both of you, can you find it in your hearts to forgive me?"

The two stayed silent for a little while. Ashner didn't understand why and even became a little uncomfortable.

"I forgive you." Alex hugged him, his ears shot up, and his tail wagged left and right.

“Lay off!” Ashner shrugged him aside. “Why are you so needy?”

“I’m just so happy!”

Alex tried giving him another hug. Ashner held his arm up, keeping the short demi-dog away from him.

“Master.” Risa interrupted.

"What is it?" Ashner held Alex's face against the wall, Alex's tail wagged faster.

“I was part of the Leliel clan, that was until we were defeated in battle by humans." She grabbed her arm, hesitant with her words. Her ears were down on her head. “I won’t forgive you… Unless you help me with something.”

Whatever she's going to ask, it's something she wants badly. Judging by her body stance, she’s assuming I’m going to punish her.

"Let me return to my world. The remains of my kin were left to rot… So the Dead God claimed them as his own."

“The Dead God claimed them?”

Alex jumped into the conversation. "If a body isn't burned to ash, the corpse becomes a plaything to the Dead God, walking our world as undead slaves, until the darkness overwhelms their souls, then they're devoured by the Dead God…”

So zombies, then food?

“How can we save them?”

Risa's ear shot up. "With fire or light magic. Once their corpses are cleansed, their souls are freed, and they can walk enter the Eternal Forest."

“What’s the Eternal Forest?”

“It’s the land where the souls of the righteous go, the Luminous God created it for my kin, upon our deaths, we enter his realm."

So their form of an afterlife.

Ashner debated his options. He was curious if zombies dropped gold. In truth, he owed her that much, after the night they had.

“Do either of you know light or fire magic?”

Alex spoke first. “I have a variation of dark magic.”

Ashner turned to Risa. “I only know wind magic.”

"Then we can't exactly go in there and save them unless I buy a slave that's proficient in light or fire magic. Sadly most of my weapons won't set people on fire."

Risa's face tilted down towards the dirty carpet.

“That doesn’t mean I won’t help you.”

Her ears and tail shot up.

“How much time do we have until their souls are consumed?” Ashner asked.

“Three days.”

Ashner glanced up and put his hands on his head. "We're going to need help… But I intend to keep my word to you…"

Risa leaned back, surprised by his words.

Next, Ashner stood and walked out of the room. Alex followed behind him.

“Ashner.” Alex’s voice was cherry. “You’re helping her?”

“Of course.”

"I know you said I'm not helpful in a fight, but you can trust me… No matter what you need, please, rely on me." Alex's tail wagged. "But don't expect too much. Unlike you, I'm not very brave."

You think I’m brave?

Ashner was conflicted with his words. Alex was too trusting, too innocent.

But he was right. He wouldn't get far if he didn't trust anyone.

His past had kept him from making friends, it made his family despise him, and it had eaten away almost every part of Ashner.

"I need to see someone. Please stay here and watch over Risa."

“As you command.”

Ashner turned and left his home. He walked deep into the city, passing homeless men, prostitutes, and thugs. Some parts of the city reeked of manure. This place wasn't his home. Ashner chased a friend here. But he didn't have it in himself to face him.

I'm not brave. I've been running from my past, drowning myself in alcohol and self-hatred. I know I didn't rape her. But that doesn't stop the world from judging me. After being called a rapist over and over by so many different people… A part of me started believing it… My shame is an anchor, and the world is the ocean… I sank, but I didn't drown… I fell further than I ever had before, but the depth is infinite in the ocean of shame. So I have only one choice… I need to swim. I need to fight. The world needs to know what I'm made of. Of course, I'm not foolish enough to believe I can do it alone… I need people by my side. Those I pushed away while I sank.

*******

Ashner stood at the end of a hospital bed, lamenting his failures. Gio's body was still alive. Even if machines were helping him breathe, he had become a bit smaller from before.

“Someone’s been shaving your beard.” Ashner studied his friend. “I’m sorry I haven’t visited. After what happened, I kept track of you. Even followed you here. You were always the strongest of us.”

“Ashner?” An echo from the past brought a shock down his spine.

Ashner turned.

Wearing clean scrubs and a stethoscope around his neck was someone Ashner had tried his best to keep away from. His Asian features were strong, and he had grown a bit slimmer since he last laid his eyes on him. Around his eye, he wore an eye-patch.

“Wong.”

The doctor lowered his clipboard. “So you finally gave him a visit.” Wong’s eyes sharpened with rage. Ashner lowered his head.

“I wrote a letter to you every week. For the entire year you were in jail. I even visited you every month. Not once did you come out to see me…" Wong dropped the clipboard on a seat. "Are you done being a bitch?"

“I’m sorry-”

“Zip it!” Wong interrupted. “You know what your problem is?”

Wong rushed forward, sizing up Ashner.

“Tell me.”

“You don't trust anyone, even after we've proven ourselves to you over and over. In that stupid little head of yours, you perceive your own worth as less than nothing. And push everyone who's ever given a damn about you away. You're insufferable, idiotic, cold, and worst of all… You pushed me away… YOUR FRIEND!" Wong's hands shook with rage. He was fighting his own instincts to take a swing at Ashner. On his neck, a vein pulsed. "I thought you were gone, both physically and mentally… I'm glad you found me. God knows I tried finding you…"

“I’m sorry. After what happened-”

“Oh, you mean that bullshit lie of you forcing yourself on that supply girl?” Ashner raised his eyebrow. “Yeah, I kept up with the news involving you, and I know you don't have it in you to do that… You're lucky I'm in scrubs. Had we met outside, I would've kicked your ass so hard our Colorectal Surgeon would have to work through the weekend just to put you back together…”

“You knew?”

“Of course I fucking knew. You didn't have the guts to talk to girls at bars, and when one touched your arm, you just about yelled. Honestly, you were kind of a loser then, but now… That's yet to be determined." Wong changed the subject, he wanted to keep lashing out, but that wasn't productive. "I always wanted to be a surgeon, even did the eight years of school before I joined the military. Gio didn't have anyone. He joined after his dad died. So after I was medically discharged, I made sure he followed me wherever I went. I've been watching over him ever since."

“I should’ve been there.”

“Finally, something we agree on. But you're here now. And judging by your shit appearance, I'm guessing things didn't work out too well for you."

“You can say that. I didn't expect to find you here, Wong. But you were always the smartest of the three. So I'm glad you made something of yourself."

“It'll be the three of us again, once this gorilla of a man wakes up." Wong paced towards the machine, monitoring Gio's vitals.

Menu, can I wake him up from his coma?

The screen popped up and spun.

Awaken Target – 100XP

I have 504XP. I can bring him back.

"Wong, there's something you should know about me." Wong studied his friend. "I discovered a key and a world… I can bring him back right now."

“Please don’t tell me you’re on drugs.”

Ashner shook his head. “Menu, awaken target.”

XP:404

Gio’s eyes opened.

Wong jumped back. "Well, fuck me sideways and call me Nancy Drew. How the fuck did you do that?"

Gio glanced around, confused.

“We have a lot to talk about… Now that it’s the three of us again… I need your help.”