"Fine… I guess you're right…" I muttered. "We haven't been good friends."

"I didn't catch that, what were you saying, Cory?" Ann said.

She must've been messing with me, I know for a fact she heard those words clear as day, yet, when Ann told me to repeat myself, I believe the subtext was that she wanted me to rephrase what I said.

"I haven't been a good friend." I muttered.

I stopped walking when I noticed that the sky was darker now, a single ray of dying sunlight cutting through the trees. I could see my reflection in the fountain's water as I approached it; I disdain myself, my tired, pale, hollow eyes.

"Very well said, Cory."

After Ann said that, I heard some clinking from her side, like metal or glass, perhaps she was busy with something as I gave her this call.

I took a deep breath and continued:

"I want another favor," I said. "Something important… It's a big favor, so I guess, if you agree to this, compound with the aforementioned Jared favor, I'll let you have me for 3 debts, instead of 2."

"Cory… Does this relate to the fact that I didn't see you in my friend list? I would only assume you unfriended me or… You got your account deleted by a mod. The latter of which I doubt, because you're in the heart of the mountain, the former I also doubt by the fact that you called in for a favor... So it could only mean that your character died, Cory."

Hearing my name this frequently kinda messed with my head.

"... You can say that." I answered, "A whole party die, 5 total."

"... Five?" Ann sounded suspicious for some reason.

"Just… Get to the point, please." I stopped anymore of her questions.

"Tell me more about how you die." She demanded.

I sat down the walls of the fountain, letting lil splashlets of water touching my neck and dress as I began to explain.

"I'd assume you know about Worsetingale the Dragonborn wizard, his tower, and his nineteen experiments. Well, one of our teammate got a quest to check out his tower… Now I'd assume his experiments wouldn't be around, because he shouldn't be relevant until the Eastern continent gets unlock, but I was wrong… Me and this woman was faced with the Eastern Blue-Winged Butterfly."

But then Ann Murphray cut me off.

"I'd assume you took advantage of the butterfly impersonating the woman and having her body?"

"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KN-"

I decided to not cave into her words as I continued,

"Then, the quest got updated, and we'd assume we should get back to the quest giver to finish it up… But then I saw signs of the Sacrilegious Druid, one of the stronger experiment of Worsetingale, so we voted, and we decided to pursue him."

"You remember how I was the one that took him down with a group of Danielle NPC? I thought it was going to be easy like that… But instead, we got separated with zero counterplay and warning, before long, I saw that we got dragged up this massive, giant, tree… And you are not going to comprehend the meaning of the word massive in this context, it is taller than at least 10 raid Titan of Ashen Bark bosses stacked on top of each other, I believed the clouds was not even half of its height. I sincerely do not comprehend how such a thing exist in the woods."

"So… I got dragged up, and about one kilometres above, I cut the vines and fell to my death… Uh- I got stunned by a lightning strike and could not break the fall to save myself using this faulty physic engine."

Ann Murphray stayed quiet for a bit, I heard random noises over there before she took a deep breath.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked.

I paused for a second.

"I want you to force Darkmoon Adventure VR to rollback its server ~36 hours. Reverse all the progress of the entire game to before our party even embark on that quest. I die around 24 hours ago, but to be safe, I'd want it to be at least a 30 hour rollback." I said with full confidence.

"You are not serious." Ann's voice got deeper.

"Three debts that you can strung out of me, Ann. You know I'm good for it, I always pay my debts." I bargained.

She sighed, and I could distinctly hear the sound of a chair squeaking as she stood up and started walking, too.

"Why don't you just create a new account?" She asked.

"I haven't been well mentally." I answered, "I just need this to take some loads of my shoulders… I know that being in debt to you might cause more strain in the future but right now I'm living for today, not for the future."

"How long have we been friends?" Ann suddenly asked.

"...? At least a decade, yeah, or more." I answer, "So like… When I was in middle school."

"We've known each other many years, with him was a crucial part that held us together, and when he's gone, we should've parted ways, yet we didn't, how miraculous right, Cory?"

"Ann, I do not have time to-"

"But for past few years... I can't remember the last time that we hang out like good friends, maybe over a cup of coffee, a few cheap pastries we could stuff our face with over a pirated TV show, yet I've been very confident that you're my best friend… And I think you share the same sentiment."

Her words had, more or less, struck a nerve in my empty shallow heart. And once more, I felt genuine disgust of myself.

"I'm sorry…" I muttered, "I know that I've only been asking for favors from you, and yes, maybe this back and forth of favors and debts isn't what made us friends."

"That make us savages, my friend." Ann said, "Savages, animals, barbarians, neanderthals, whatever you labe them… Those trades food, leather, and slaves. One of these days they'll just going to stop trading and start pillaging, because that would gain them the most even in the long run, only a matter of time before they realize that."

"... Please help me this once, Ann."

"I understand… You found ease in the relationship you have with me, every time you needed something done, you come to me, and when I need you to repay me? I gave you a job that suits you perfectly, you get to watch women have sex. And you even joined in on their fun, if what I've heard is correct? Oh, so horrible of a punishment I gave you, such an unbearable thing."

At this point, I started tearing up, my nose swelled and my eyes started stinging.

"You didn't need a friend like mine. You needed a person you can ask for help anytime you wish without any major consequences, and then you get to be groggy and bitch about it whenever that person ask you to pay your debts."

"So today, you've come to me and ask for such a ridiculous request, knowing full well I will do it, and we both know how to achieve that. So? You abruptly call me up on the day my boyfriend needed my full-attention, and you ask me to risk everything I have in Darkmoon Adventure… Just so that the admin will rollback the server, effectively revive five level 40 accounts by reverting everything back before they died? And for what, three favors?"

I started breaking down audibly at this point.

"... Ann, I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry-"

I couldn't contain my sadness anymore as I realized I shouldn't have called at all. But now I don't have the balls to hang up, so I just bit my lips, hand gripping my thigh, and stick through the conversation.

She must've felt pity, or remorse, or something at least, because she lowered her voice.

"But at least, Cory… We are on first name basis, and that means a lot to me." She said, "So stop crying as I lay down my additional conditions."

I didn't stop crying for another minute or two, as I kept saying "yeah… yeah… I'm not crying… I'm okay- I'm okay" repeatedly for a few hundred times, until the tears finally stop and I wouldn't hiccup anymore.

Ann then cleared her throat and lay out her conditions, as she said.

"I'll do this, in exchange for five debts instead of three."

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me through the phonecall.

"And since you're living with the Sonder's daughter, I expect you to try and convince the development team to actually use rollback. Because they might have different ways of handling the situation, I can name at least 3."

I didn't have access to the development team, but I guess it was… Reasonable of her to say that, so I nodded in silence again.

"That's it, Cory." Ann sighed out loud, I can hear her drag her breathing, "Some day, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do five tasks for me to repay your debt, or at least, one great task that equals to five in value and difficulty. But until that day… I hope you rejoice in knowing that Darkmoon Adventure VR will surely change forever, starting in a few hours once I've distributed the unintended riches."

Ann Murphray, my good friend, hung up, leaving me sitting under the bluish grey shade of the night.

I lost all strength in myself, and I just… Kind of, let loose of all my muscle, and lay down flat on the grass of the garden below me, smashing my face against the grass.

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