The Dreamer's Fall

Chapter 48 - The Price of Failure

As the sun's edge dipped below the western horizon, the quiet Agelian-Bernish camp came alive, growing more raucous with each passing moment. Soldiers poured out of the thousands of tents within the camp, groggily shambling to grab a bite to eat before the army set out for the night raid.

Inside his tent, Damian Verac stood idle, arms outstretched to his sides, as servants carefully strapped various pieces of intricately crafted plate armor to his body.

With every piece placed upon him, the pale silvery metal took on a subtle blue hue as the adamantite armor became saturated with Damian's mana. This rendered the beautiful murals etched into the metal that displayed Minaan's victory over the false gods to grow ever more apparent and defined.

As the sound of a soldier's gait reached his ears, Damian glanced over his shoulder to find a young woman clad in armor entering the tent behind him.

"What is it now, Livi? If those damned Bernish lords ask for another meeting, I swear I'll take my men and go home. All they do is complain without end. Minaan knows I've suffered them enough." Damian whined as the last of his armor was attached.

Livi chuckled. "You mustn't. It's been much too fun watching you squirm under their incessant attempts at gleaning information. Where else might I have opportunity to see you so restrained?"

Damian groaned and glanced at the now idle servants humbly bowing at his sides. "Leave us."

The servants quickly scurried outside, and once they were alone, Damian closed the distance between them in a flash, pulling Livi into his embrace.

Damian lovingly grabbed the side of her face and stared into her emerald-like eyes with a boyish smile. "What kind of house guard finds pleasure in their lord's anguish?"

"Hmm. I don't know?" A crooked smile crept across Livi's lips as she leaned closer and whispered into his ear. "What kind of lord finds pleasure between their house guard's thighs?"

"A helplessly foolish one, I imagine." Damian laughed before leaning in for a kiss.

"None of that." Livi held up her index finger, pressing it to Damian's lips to stop him. "I've come with news. So don't get yourself all worked up after the servants spent all that time dressing you in your fancy armor."

Damian was unable to refute and backed off sullenly. "What is it now?"

"Our eastern scouts are late for check-in." Livi replied as she casually leaned against a desk and crossed her arms.

Damian's eyebrow rose. "How late?"

"They were meant to check in half an hour ago and confirm the location of the Ollerinian camp."

"That's not so late to cause alarm, but I'd rather play it safe. We'll send out another group of scouts for now." Damian declared. "Are the men ready to march?"

"They'll be ready by sundown." Livi reported. "Also, Countess Puck asked me to inform you that she doesn't intend to join the raid. She said that she gave Marquis Kallik command over her levies for the time being."

"Thank Minaan! One less interrogator chipping away at my sanity. If only the others were as lazy and willful as she." Damian grabbed his cloak from a nearby chair and latched it to his armor before making his way to the tent's exit.

Livi chuckled as she followed from behind. "Remind me. What's that idiom about pots and kettles? I swear, I've seemed to have forgotten it entirely."

"I take offense to that, dear lady. My laziness is expressed purely through verbal means, while my actions remain dutiful. When I'm required to, I..." Damian's words trailed off as he caught sight of a flickering spark above the row of tents before him.