The bird turned up near the end of a long day cutting wood, so I didn't have the energy to shoo it away, and it looked too scrawny to eat. So I left it alone.
And when it turned up the next day (the markings on its wing were very distinctive), I was busy putting in foundations.
Every day I continued to build my house, and every day I came up with an excuse not to bother it. It's now got a nest on the outside of the cabin.
It lays a lot of eggs, bit tangy but still good.
I couldn't tell you when the change occurred, but there was a marked change from the point I started at and the point I found myself at.
I'd started with hope and stars in my eyes, and the intervening years had ground me down, with all the battles I'd fought, the lives I've taken, to stop them taking mine.
And now, I stood atop a mountain of skulls, and I wish that was a metaphor.
But the fact is, as much as I miss that ideological young man, at least I'm still here to miss them, unlike others I'd killed.
I woke up hungover and alone. Like, on the planet, I was alone.
I assumed, that is. The internet, before it went out, only had bots posting on it, and while it's possible there's someone in the middle of Africa or something, I seemed to be alone.
I managed to set up farming and that fairly easily in the flower nursery down the road, and began to try and establish order, until I remembered the space station.
Eventually, its escape craft came down, with the occupants of the station.
Unfortunately, I was still technically the only human on the planet.
Once the water subsided,, I headed out from my mountain top, and began to make my way through the mud, looking for anything salvageable.
After a few days, I came across a firepit, with a lit fire. Now, assuming a miracle had not occurred, that meant someone else was alive. So I made laps around the area, but couldn't find a soul, or even any other sign that there was life.
Eventually, with a lack of options, I poured water on the fire.
The fire went out, which just made me more confused, until I heard the angry shout.
I washed out of the guarding training, which got me some notoriety, given that the only ways you're supposed to be able to Ieave are as a guard or dead.
So naturally people wanted to know what happened. And I milked it for all it was worth, every elf or half-orc who asked at the tavern would get a tale for the price of a few drinks. Soon enough people worked out I was lying every time, and people stopped asking, and accepted me as another lowlife.
Which was good, since I could start reporting back crimes to my captain.
She stormed into my office.
"I thought you were despicable, but this is low, even for you!"
I signed another Christmas card, then looked up at her.
"What exactly do you think I've done now?"
"You rigged an online poll of school children to support your policies to-"
"I have no need to rig any such polls."
She stared at me.
"But these results are-"
"You don't need to rig a poll, online or otherwise, when you've already 'rigged' the minds of children."
She stormed out.
Of course, when it's so easy to rig an online poll, might as well.
The army was camping in the valley, hidden from obvious observation, but reliant on lookouts to alert them to any approach. This was efficient, but also easily broken, as by taking out one lookout, I was able to sneak into the camp.
The General's tent was in the center of the camp, an efficient location for such an important place, but also expected, I was able to find it easily.
The General was surrounded by elite guards, who were the best of the best, but also wore fully enclosed helmets.
The General ate efficiently, but failed to hire food testers.
