Tale of a Hedonistic wizard-Chapter 271: Marching towards the keep

The soldier snapped a crisp salute before scrambling away to see to the orders. Kaeso watched him go for a moment before turning back to Jaegar.

"Thank you, my friend. Your aid will be invaluable in the conflicts to come, I'm certain of it."

Jaegar fixed him with one final, inscrutable look. Then, almost imperceptibly, he inclined his head in a small nod of acceptance. Rising to his full towering height, he turned and strode away towards where a new tent was already being erected for his use.

As the night winds gusted through the camp once more, Kaeso thought he could almost feel the rumblings of the coming storm carried on that chill breeze. A storm of which Jaegar could prove to be the most destructive force yet witnessed.

*

As Jaegar retreated into his newly erected tent, he settled himself cross-legged on the ground. Steadying his breathing, he allowed his consciousness to sink into a deep trance-like state of meditation. He would need to recover and concentrate as much of his magical energies as possible before the coming battle.

In this plane of pure focus, Jaegar could feel the ebb and flow of arcane forces coalescing around him like a living current. He visualised those unseen strands, slowly bending and weaving them to his ineffable will through sheer force of disciplined intent.

As the night pressed on, Jaegar remained utterly still and unmoving in his trance. Deep inside his sea of consciousness, his crimson spectral form began taking shape, hovering in the dark space. It mirrored Jaegar's own meditative pose, with the orange hazy outlines gradually solidifying and becoming more defined. Now it was totally under Jaegar's control.

This was the manifestation of Jaegar's truest power - an aspect of himself, raw and unleashed. He could sense the reverberations between them, like a resonant chord being struck. The crimson form's presence seemed to swell and ebb in time with his focused breathing.

By joining Kaeso's forces on this campaign, Jaegar knew he would be provided with the catalyst needed to fully unbind his magic once more. The crucible of battle would serve as a forge to retemper his mystic might, stoking it to radiant fullness.

And thus the young wizard remained, utterly unmoving save for the rise and fall of his chest, locked in spiritual communion through the timeless hours of darkness. Slowly and inexorably, he channelled and consolidated his eldritch energies in preparation for the conflicts to come.

*

When at last the horizon began brightening with the pale blue intimations of an impending dawn, Jaegar allowed himself to emerge from the trance. As he rose fluidly to his feet, the crimson spectral form dissipated, blending back into him with a subtle shimmer.

Wasting no time, Jaegar swiftly dressed himself in the clothes Kaeso had procured for him - sturdy leather breeches and boots, a leather tunic. Once outfitted, he exited the tent, squinting against the first rosy tendrils of sunlight cresting over the landscape.

The camp was already alive with activity, with soldiers and support staff hastening with final preparations. Companies were assembling in tight marching formations, banners and insignia rippling atop each gathered host.

Jaegar spotted Kaeso across the meandering flow of humanity, that man easily recognisable in his ornate half-plate armour adorned with enamel and gilt. The man was conferring intently with his lieutenants before their pending departure.

As Jaegar approached, he noted Drasus arriving at the head of his own armed retinue. He didn't forget about him, and as he saw him, Jaegar beamed a smile, his thoughts unknown to him.

The older man's beady eyes instantly found Jaegar, narrowing to slits of thinly veiled suspicion and hostility. For an instant, it seemed as if he might act, but then Drasus visibly mastered himself, continuing on to join Kaeso without a word.

"The sun's first rays grace the field," he announced, his tone clipped and formal as ever. "We should depart and make what ground we can before the day's full heat sets in."

Kaeso made a noise of assent, turning to survey his assembled troops with critical appraisal. His gaze settled momentarily on Jaegar, and the barest hint of a smile ghosted his lips before he gave a succinct nod.

"You heard Lord Drasus," he called out in a booming baritone that carried across the gathering. "Form up and make ready to march! Our first target is Stoneguard Keep, and I mean to have it wrenched from Daikrimore's vicious grasp before this day is done!"

A guttural roar of approval and bloodlust rose up from the massed ranks. Lances were lifted high, knives and swords brandished in salute to their commander's words. Amidst the rising war frenzy, soldiers jostled into tight, orderly columns, preparing to set out on the road to glorious battle.

As Kaeso turned to lead the vanguard, Jaegar fell in among the first marching companies without needing to be directed. He could sense the rising charge of belligerent anticipation rippling through the troops around him. The hot zeal for rapacious violence against their hated foes.

The long column of soldiers snaked its way across the rugged terrain, kicking up plumes of dust that hung like gauzy shrouds in the dry air. At the vanguard, Kaeso and Drasus rode side-by-side on powerful destriers, serving as the arrowheads for this first strike against the invading forces.

"You think the gladiator will truly make a difference in our efforts?" Drasus asked, nodding his grizzled chin in Jaegar's direction further back in the ranks. His tone dripped with patent scepticism.

Kaeso didn't respond immediately, keeping his eyes scanning the horizon ahead. "Perhaps. Perhaps not," he said at length. "But any advantage, no matter how seemingly small, could prove decisive."

Drasus made a noncommittal grunt, evidently unwilling to pursue the topic further for now. The two men lapsed back into silence, content to let the rhythm of marching feet and clopping hooves provide the only ambient sound.

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