When I woke up, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself no longer in the open fields, but lying on quite the comfortable cot inside a tent. I sat up to look around and saw that this tent was massive! There were thousands of other cots like the one I lay upon, each one holding someone.
When I looked closer, most of the people looked injured or passed out, and I saw men and women wearing sterile white robes with black stripes. That is when I realized I was in some sort of medical tent that this army has.
Seeing me wake up, one of the white-robed females with black stripes walked over with a serene smile as she quickly checked me over, as if looking for any more wounds or issues. "Welcome back, peasant Vale. It seems you healed up nicely. Luckily, your injuries weren’t too severe and only required one recovery pill. Stay here; there is someone who has been waiting for you."
I also noticed that the robe is a different kind as to what the black-robed Sentinels wore. These white robes are a lot tighter fitting and even cuffed around wrists.
She walks off into the distance, which I can only assume is toward the front of this tent, since the place is incredibly large; no matter where I look, I just see more filled cots. Looking around once more, I do notice that there are those who have missing limbs, which means this world doesn’t have the means to replace limbs, or at least not commonly available.
I decided to check myself over too, since I was told to wait here. I lifted up the white sheet that was covering me completely and realized that I was completely nude underneath. Other than that, nothing really seemed wrong or out of place. I did have quite a few new light scars adorning my torso and legs, yet nothing too crazy.
With that out of the way, the only thing for me to do is wait and count the time. It wasn’t until another half hour later that I finally saw the same white-robed woman walking back this way, this time with a familiar blonde-haired badass in tow. She had the same straight, no-nonsense look on her face, as if nothing was worth her attention.
"Thank you for your help, Medicae Orlissa," the blonde-haired woman said plainly to the white-robed woman I now know is called Orlissa.
Orlissa bows slightly at the waist, her right arm going over her chest. "It was no issue, Sentinel Vernissa." Afterward, she walks off to attend to other patients.
Vernissa, my favorite blondie, then stares at me and raises her eyebrows slightly, as if surprised to actually see me again. "Get ready, the general orders your presence."
"Err, well, I am kind of nude under here. Got any clothes?" I ask, while lifting the white sheet a bit to make my point.
In response, she simply looks unbothered and points to underneath my cot. I follow her look and peer over the edge to see a neat pile of new black linen clothes just like I wore before. A new pair of boots and my gauntlets that I wore. They even looked cleaned up, and I almost would have thought they were a new pair, if not for the various scratch marks on them.
She didn’t seem like she planned to leave or look away anytime soon, so I just simply stood up, showing off my well-built body that I worked hard to attain in all its naked glory. Still no reaction from the woman, and I honestly had no idea what she was ever thinking, which was kind of unnerving.
Well, since I am not the type to just stand around naked for a single woman and tens of thousands of Knights to stare at me, I quickly reached under the cot to grab my items and got dressed. I even put the gauntlets back on so I wouldn’t have to carry them around everywhere.
Immediately upon noticing me fully dressed and ready, Vernissa turned around and walked away with only a single word. "Follow." To which I obliged with a wry shake of my head at this mysterious woman.
Thus, I followed for a long, silent walk through the rows and rows of cots filled with injured Knights, most of them men, but I did notice the occasional female Knight as well. Eventually, after a half-hour walk, the tent entrance was finally in sight. That was when it finally occurred to me that I didn’t see a single black-robed Sentinel anywhere amongst the injured in this tent. It made me curious, so I asked.
"Sentinel Vernissa, were there no injured Sentinels, as I haven’t seen any around here?" I spoke to her the same way that Orlissa did, trying my best to be respectful and follow their ways around here.
She didn’t stop or slow her pace, yet she did answer without a change of tone. "Sentinels recuperate in their own private tents, peasant Arthur Vale." I honestly was getting tired of being called a peasant all the damn time, but I could tell in her voice and the others there was no disrespect. They were simply calling me by what was likely my position or rank, which to everyone I was just a peasant so they called me as such.
The rest of the journey was one of silence as we exited the tent and made our way through the maze-like encampment. However, this time, I immediately noticed that the camp was in a different location than before. After all, right over the top of the tents, to the north, I could see the vast, endless abyss of the ravine and the massive center bridge. It seems that in the time I was out; they moved camp to the burnt-down remains of the enemy camp.
This time, it took nearly a full hour of walking as I tried to memorize the path before we reached the far rear of the camp, at another absolutely massive tent. This one had a sharp point at the top and a large flag. Speaking of the flag, since this was the first time I took a close look, it had a pretty cool design.
All Imperium flags and banners were square on a long pole. It had a red outer edge and a black center. In the black center was a golden dragon of eastern origin, with long, regal whiskers and horns shaped like a crown on its head. The dragon itself was coiled around a golden globe as if claiming the planet as its throne.
Vernissa then stopped at the tent’s entrance, her hand gesturing for me to go inside. Seeing that she had no interest in going inside, I simply walked in, leaving her behind outside. Inside, I saw all kinds of weapons and various robes arranged in rows on both sides of the tent, like a trophy collection. I even saw the badly damaged silver robe and large tower shield that the giant of a man used. The shield had a massive cut in the center that literally indented the shield, almost folding it in two.
At the center of the room was a large table, with what looked like a large map of the valley and the ravine ahead. Around the table were a few ornate chairs that looked quite comfortable. Standing at one edge, peering over the table, was General Corvo Ataras. The large man had an aura of pure intimidation that radiated off him, and it didn’t help that he stood an entire foot taller than I.
"Good, you are here, peasant Arthur Vale," the general says as he turns toward me. He then goes over to a nearby chair and sits upon it, gesturing for me to stand before him.
I do as he orders and stand right in front of him as he sits there, analyzing me. "How does it feel to be led around by a princess, not once, but twice?" he asks, with a mischievous grin on his face.
"Huh?!"