The next morning, as Vixen slept, Damien rose from the cold slab of stone they called the altar where they had both spent the night. During the tussle of their nightly sleep somehow she ended up on top of him. He carefully separated himself from he, making sure not to wake her up.
The moment he separated himself from her, a flood of pain surged through his body. The sudden release of discomfort made him dizzy, to the point where he could barely put on his clothes without stumbling.
He picked up the stick he had been using as a crutch throughout his journey and exited the shrine without glancing back at Vixen, who was sleeping soundly behind him. The fog from the previous night had completely cleared, leaving only the cold morning air typical of such high mountains.
Damien reached the bottom of the mountain just before midday and then proceeded north, heading toward where he believed Edmond's troops would be. The journey was no more difficult than before; by now, he had grown accustomed to the ache in his arm and eye. However, his one good eye was beginning to fail him.
With most of the demi-humans having retreated to the center of Beastopia due to the army's advance, he didn't have to worry much about encountering any. The remaining demi-humans would soon succumb to the virus that was spreading rapidly.
In just a couple of days, MNV-DT had already swept through Beastopia, leaving entire villages in its wake.
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Inside his tent, Edmond lay with the slender arms of a girl draped across his chest, her head resting comfortably there. A tapestry of red markings on her neck told the story of their adventurous night. Their armor was strewn messily across the tent, alongside empty mugs of ale.
Edmond gently rubbed his hands across her face. She moaned slightly before finally waking up. Her emerald eyes locked onto his, and her face flushed red as she recalled the events of their drunken night of passion.
Seeing her stunned child-like expression, Edmond called her name, pulling her from her daze. "Elizabeth, are you alright?"
"I… uh… I-I," she stuttered, struggling to find her words, which seemed to get stuck in her throat. Realizing she was making a mockery of herself, she took a deep breath and finally spoke. "What happened? Please don't tell me that we…" It was a question that didn't need an answer. Why else would the both of them be laying naked beside one another.
"I'm so sorry!" Elizabeth said, bowing to him. That was the only thing she could say. She didn't know how else to react to the situation.
Edmond offered her a warm smile and took her hand to calm her. "There's no need to be sorry; this is perfectly normal."
His kindness left her even more flustered.
"You're right. It's just that… I've never done something like this before."
"You're saying this was your first time?" he asked, and her body involuntarily jerked at his words. Taking that as the answer Edmond continue to speak.
"Do you regret it?"
"No! I enjoyed it, I think… It's just that we barely know each other."
Just then, a loud horn sounded throughout the camp, snapping them out of their conversation. They both rushed to their feet, hastily throwing on their clothes and armor.
Exiting the tent, they saw mages rushing to prepare for war.
A boy who appeared no older than seventeen approached them. Edmond bowed his head politely and greeted him. "Great General Joffrey, are we moving out now?"
Joffrey studied Edmond and the girl beside him—Elizabeth—before responding. "I see you were too busy to get the news. Yes, we are. Gather your troops; we're marching out in a few minutes."
"As you wish, sir. May I ask why the sudden haste?"
Edmond and the other generals joined the great generals who had devised a plan for a full-scale assault on the demi-humans. This was suppose to be their final push to take control of Beastopia once and for all.
"Word has it that a shaman is in the area. It's better if we attack first."
"One of the shamans? Do we know which one?"
There were three shamans who ruled over the demi-humans' territory. Edmond had conducted extensive research on them, and his troops gathered whatever information they could from the demi-humans they captured. What they learned was that the shamans were not regarded as kings, as they had initially thought; in fact, they were more like gods to the demi-humans.
"The mongrel had the gall to send us a messenger last night. He issued a challenge and revealed his location. He said his name was Grimjaw."
"Grimjaw? I've heard of him," Edmond replied. "They call him the King of Beasts. He might be preparing a trap. We should tread carefully."
"These demi-humans aren't much of a threat; it's honestly disappointing. The only ones who put up a fight are those bear demi-humans you keep ranting about."
The bear demi-human had left a deep scar and Edmond's troupes. Edmond himself had managed to bring down eight of these beasts but seeing he was the only that could put up a fight, they had no choice but to retreat.
"It was truly regrettable. We lost more than half of our troops to those bear demi-humans. We barely avoided being wiped out."
"Yes, I heard," Joffrey said, sounding disinterested. "I've even heard you allowed one of your men to desert, and you still haven't apprehended him?"
"Yes, Lucas. He doesn't possess any magic, so I'm guessing he got scared and ran off when the demi-humans attacked us. Isn't that right, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth hung her head in shame as they spoke. "I'm so sorry, sir. He was part of my four-man unit; it was my job to keep him in line."
Edmond placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "Don't worry too much about it, Elizabeth. You're still young; you have time to learn from your mistakes." Her face flushed red from his touch and his words. "Rest assured, the boy named Lucas will be caught and executed in front of his peers. He will face the disgrace he brought upon himself by abandoning his comrades. I will personally oversee the execution."
Damien was a wild card in Edmond's plans; since he had information about the virus, he needed to be eliminated. Once Edmond confirms that Damien has completed his task of spreading the virus in the river, Edmond would have no further use for him.
Who would have thought that taking a chance on an orphan boy with no magical abilities would turn out to be useful? Edmond had acquired the perfect pawn, and the moment to dispose of him was slowly approaching. If things proceeded as planned, the virus would kill both the great generals and the demi-humans, leaving him to take control of Beastopia.