After nearly an hour of discussion, Aectaeon was finally able to go back to his room. As an excuse for not knowing where his room was, he requested to be escorted back out of the pain he was feeling on his legs.
Upon entering the room, Aectaeon hurried over to the bed and nodded at the soldier who assisted him.
"You can go back now. Thank you for bringing me here."
"Are you sure you won't need any more assistance?"
"Yes, I'll be fine for the time being."
The soldier then gave a salute, startling Aectaeon. He immediately remembered that he was among the officers, so it's only natural that the soldier would give him a salute. Aectaeon returned the salute forthwith.
"The medics will pay you a visit after four hours to replace the dressing on your wounds. As for your breakfast, another soldier will be delivering it since I'm on duty."
Aectaeon simply nodded at the reminders as his mind wandered somewhere else.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave, Lieutenant."
Once the door was closed, Aectaeon let himself breathe. He had a lot of information to process, but his body wanted to yield to its exhaustion. Aectaeon yawned, sensing the urge to close his eyes.
Prior to being taken to the Obelisk, Aectaeon had a long day at the university and at work. After the ordeal within the Obelisk, he had to use his whole body just to escape his own allies. He had sustained wounds that would forever be imprinted on his body and in his memory.
'No… I shouldn't sleep at a time like this.' He thought as he was about to fall down the bed, 'I just got a clue on how to escape this world. I have to che--'
In the end, the temptations of repose won over Aectaeon. Before he knew it, he was pulled into a deep sleep.
~~~
Groaning as he stirred in his sleep, Aectaeon fought to open his eyes.
He sought to escape his dreams.
Or rather, nightmares as he saw them.
His face, hair, and shirt were wet with sweat, so was the bedsheet and the pillow. He was shaking his head incessantly, grumbling indiscernible words all the while.
Aectaeon's body began to stiffen. It gave the impression that the man was attempting to get out of someone's hold. Though, it didn't look like he would be liberated any time soon.
On the other hand, two soldiers and three medics were at the door. They had been knocking for nearly a minute, waiting for Aectaeon to allow them to enter.
Oddly enough, the two soldiers had already tried to deliver Aectaeon's meal three hours earlier. Withal, since Aectaeon didn't answer when they knocked, they assumed that he was asleep. They decided to return with the medics an hour later, thus there they were.
"Is the Lieutenant still asleep?" One of the medics asked.
"Looks like it."
"Shall we just return later?"
"Unfortunately, the Lieutenant needs to attend a meeting within an hour. His wounds need to be dressed properly because he said that he will be participating in the drill after the meeting."
The two soldiers looked at each other and nodded. One of them knocked on the door again while saying, "Lieutenant, the medics are here. We've come to help you prepare for the meeting. Lieutenant? Are you there?"
Sighing heavily, the soldier gazed at his reddened knuckles. Hence, he turned towards his fellow soldier and held out his hand with vigour.
"Give me the tray."
At first, the other soldier wanted to reject. However, he figured that it would be faster if they compromised. With a reluctant sigh, he gave the tray to his comrade and went on to knock on the door.
"Lieutenant, Private Gart here. Please open the door. The medics are here."
Knocking for a few minutes more, the soldier started to lose motivation. As he was about to give up, the sound of the doorknob being turned made his ears prick up. The people behind him were also alerted.
When the door opened, Aectaeon's bedraggled appearance welcomed them. His eyes were hazy, droplets of sweat still running down his forehead. All of the blood on his face seemed to have been drained.
Beyond a sliver of doubt, the soldiers and the medics were shocked by his mien. They became flustered, giving each other uncertain glances.
"Yes? What… what do you need?" Aectaeon queried, his voice beyond raspy. It sounded as if his voice was scratching his throat.
"Uh-- Yes, uhm, we're here to deliver your meal. The medics are here to tend to your wounds. May we come in?"
Without another word said, Aectaeon opened the door wide before returning back to his bed. He sat on the edge with his head down, still unable to come to his senses.
The medics went ahead and did their job while the soldiers organized the meal on the table. On the other hand, Aectaeon was just starting to realize what was happening around him. He closed his eyes as he felt the bandages stick on his wounds, making it harder for the medics to remove them.
Right then, his thoughts before he slept laggardly came back to him. A smile could be seen on his lips at that instant, replacing the frown of aching. Afterwards, his eyes naturally went to the countdown panel.
[[ Return Countdown: 13 D ; 10 H ; 18 M ; 03 S ]]
'Hmm, two hours to go.'
Satisfied, he looked towards the table, Once the savoury smell of the meat, vegetable, and pastry made its way to his nose, Aectaeon couldn't help but gulp.
He met the gaze of one of the soldiers, nodded, and spoke, "Can you give me the plate of-- What is that? Calzone?"
"Yes, Lieutenant."
The soldier who answered quickly picked up the plate and brought it to Aectaeon. The man readily took a bite of the Calzone, he felt his energy coming back to him.
'I forgot that I haven't eaten anything but breakfast. No wonder my body felt so heavy.'
His contemplation was interrupted when the soldiers suddenly spoke up.
"Lieutenant, we have to prepare you for the meeting."
"We'll assist you on the way."
Lamentably for Aectaeon, panels came with the words of the soldiers.
{{ Mission }}
{{ Absenteeism in the Upcoming Meeting }}
{{ Reward }}
{{ A: None }}
{{ Penalty }}
{{ A: Inventory Wipe Out }}