It wasn't the first time on the front lines for Marcus Valerius of House Valerius, though it would be wrong to say he wasn't awestruck like the first time he was in this unique environment. The feeling was still there, though perhaps somewhat dulled this second time; the long, boring, and tedious journey only intensified it.
It would have taken a few minutes for him to travel all this distance if he only used the warp gate for a couple of teleportations, but his mother insisted that he travel a third of the empire with his retainers, building their team and wasting time instead of joining right before the time.
Surprisingly enough, they were a week early, but that would only provide more time for him and his team to familiarise themselves with the daunting environment of the rift. Unfortunately, not everyone on his team shared his enthusiasm.
"I don't like this place," May said. Her complicated elven origin and her class made her particularly attuned to the ambient energy. "Makes my skin itch the moment I enter the rift."
"First time on the front lines?" asked Pierce.
May nodded. "The aura of this place... It's like..." She stopped, unable to describe the feeling. "An animal stripped of its skin..."
Marcus didn't know if it was May's poor grasp of the common tongue, but the comparison simply didn't make sense.
"I'm going to check out our quarters," Cole said, already moving. The other two followed.
"We're supposed to meet with Major General Walt," Pierce said.
"That can wait for tomorrow morning," Marcus said. "Let's first get something to eat, I'm famished."
His expression stiffened at that reminder. The food served on the front lines was notoriously subpar. Still, he would have to make do with what he had.
Marcus struggled to maintain his composure, giving only a peck of a kiss on her palm. Her palm was cool, but her fragrance and perfume made up for it. All of Cassandra's retainers were women, each possessing a beautiful exterior and alluring figure. Marcus noticed they were giving him stink eyes.
"You must have had a tough journey to get here, huh?" she said.
"Nah, it has been... an eye-opener," he muttered. Noting the soldiers' presence, he couldn't help but ask, "Is it your first time on the front lines? Do you need help with something?"
"Not particularly," she waved her palm. "I simply overheard something interesting these good soldiers were discussing and couldn't resist. Did you know there's an open competition on the west front, and the reward is equipment from a Master Runesmith?"
"Truly?" Marcus said. There were only about a couple dozen Master Runesmiths in the empire, so the demand for high-runic equipment had always been sky-high. "But surely, high runic equipment is not enough to pique the interest of a woman of your station?"
"You praise me too highly, Young Lord Marcus," Cassandra said, clasping her palm into the long sleeves of her traditional dress. "The second-best equipment I have is merely Tier-4... I don't think the young lord can understand the plight of us common folk."
"As if common folk can afford Tier-4 equipment," May snorted from his left, her nose crooked, either due to the aura of this place or her pure detest for Cassandra.
"It's never a bad idea to make a connection with an influential figure," Pierce repeated his mother's teaching.
Marcus winced. He possessed three high-runic pieces of equipment, but it never hurt to have more. Of course, he didn't need it. But that didn't mean none of his teammates couldn't use one. While all of them had equipment complementing their class and power, it couldn't compare to any of his three pieces.
Perhaps I can win the equipment from the Master Runesmith and give it to them, Marcus mused. Although his feelings towards his team were more of friendship than retainers, it didn't change the fact that he was responsible for them, just as they were responsible for keeping him safe.
Or, maybe I can win it for Lady Cassandra...