Rather than wallowing in despair, Aectaeon simply accepted the fact that the system was his main aggressor.
He put the card in his pocket, adjusting the fit of his boots all the while. Once he was done, he faced Private Germont to give his parting words.
"Well then, Private. I hope you'll keep your promise so I can keep mine. I wish you good fortune and success in your missions."
"Rest assured, Lieutenant."
Aectaeon nodded at the soldier's reply, proceeding to walk towards the door. Private Germont watched every bit of his movements keenly. The soldier wanted to be alert in case Aectaeon needed his help.
To his luck, Aectaeon stopped before he could get a hold of the doorknob. He then turned towards Private Germont and asked, "Do you think the Commander is in his office right now?"
"I'm only a private, Sir. I haven't met the Commander in person aside from during drills and camp formations."
"Basically, you can't give me an answer."
Private Germont didn't respond anymore. There was no use repeating what Aectaeon had already said.
Aectaeon was more than grateful for the soldier's silence. He wasn't really the type to voice out his thoughts. Because of that, talking to other people made him more exhausted than complaining to himself.
After giving the soldier a brief smile, Aectaeon opened the door and quickly made his way down the building. Compared to his struggle of climbing up the other building, Aectaeon barely saw a handful of soldiers en route to his destination.
Unfortunately, another problem arose in his ordeal.
Since the adrenaline running through his veins was about to wear off, it was beginning to dawn on him that his body was screaming in pain. Once he had exited the building, he searched for a spot where the least people could see him.
'Oh, right. That's why there's no one in the building. They're all outside.' Aectaeon thought as he sighed.
He went back inside the building, stopping by the entrance. Aectaeon then leaned on the wall and closed his eyes. A weak groan escaped his lips, beads of sweat riddled his forehead, and his muscles started to cramp.
Unknowingly, he was gritting his teeth to the point that a small section of his gums was bleeding. And yet, the only thing that his tongue could recognize was the salty taste of his sweat instead of the metallic taste of his blood.
As if to mock his fortitude, a panel appeared in front of Aectaeon. It wasn't until a few seconds had passed that he opened his eyes to the new message.
{{ Mini Mission }}
{{ Gather Items within the time limit }}
{{ Time Limit: 00 D; 03 H; 00 M; 00 S }}
{{ A: F1 Grenade x 8 }}
{{ B: M84 Stun Grenade x 1 }}
{{ C: Beretta M9 x 1 }}
{{ D: SIG Sauer P320 x 1 }}
{{ Reward }}
{{ A: None }}
{{ Penalty }}
{{ A: Automatic 'Failed' Status of the Mission 'Absenteeism in the Upcoming Meeting' }}
{{ To View Multiple Mission Panels: recite "Ongoing" }}
{{ To Exit Mission Panels: recite "Exit" }}
Aectaeon had no energy to complain anymore. He felt like he would lose to the system if he kept on being surprised at every mission that it threw at him. Besides, he wasn't in the position to complain about the mission when he couldn't even get a grip of himself.
For the first instance in a while, Aectaeon wasn't guilty of wasting time by standing idly. There's a myriad of things that he should accomplish within the next few hours. That thought alone made the pain he was feeling even more unbearable.
From a distance, a couple of soldiers spotted Aectaeon. At first, they didn't want to meddle with another soldier's business. However, their conscience prevailed when they saw Aectaeon fell to the ground. They immediately ran towards him.
Once they were beside Aectaeon, they knelt beside him and carried him further inside the building. They laid him down carefully on the floor, checking his pulse and temperature thereafter.
"Can you get some water?"
The other soldier nodded and stood up. Withal, his companion grabbed his trousers to stop him from walking away just yet.
"Call the medics first."
The instant that his companion left, the soldier went on to unbutton Aectaeon's clothes. Afterwards, he grabbed the cap. Just as he did so, he felt a weak grip on his wrist. The soldier warily looked at Aectaeon as he slowly lowered his hand.
"Sir, you're sweating a lot. We have to remove your cap to help your body cool down."
Instead of responding, Aectaeon tried to pull himself up to a sitting position. Though the soldier didn't want to let Aectaeon strain himself, he had no choice but to help him.
"Sir, the medics are on their way. Please get checked first before going back on duty."
Aectaeon slightly shook his head, attempting to dismiss the soldier with his hand. Regrettably for him, his helper wouldn't budge.
"I-- I'm really alright. Don't mind me."
"But Sir, you don't look alright to me."
Just as the soldier said, Aectaeon didn't appear to be what he claimed.
He looked as if all the blood had been drained from his body. Moreover, his exposed skin was filled with beads of sweat that quickly made his uniform bedraggled. His lips had become dry and cracked. But most worrying of all, he felt as if his head was spinning and the urge to vomit was there.
'No, no, I can't pass out right now.' Aectaeon told himself, putting his hands on the ground to get a bearing, 'If I pass out, it's the end for me. I won't let that happen. I certainly won't.'
Gritting his teeth again, Aectaeon attempted to take a stand. Withal, he stumbled back to the ground on his first assay. He suppressed his desire to groan, only to make another attempt.
Finally, after three more attempts, he was able to be on his feet but with the help of the soldier.
Aectaeon gave the soldier a nod before taking his leave. He didn't want to indulge the soldier's request since it might spell trouble for him.
'There's barely an hour to accomplish one of the missions. I'll gladly pass out after I'm done with that.'