The barracks sit in a low stone hall, lit by guttering lamps and a smoky hearth. Men in mail and leather wait along the walls, polishing steel, checking straps, and staring at the door for orders that have not come.
Valintal enters with his great shield and great spear. The room tightens around him, not from fear alone, but from the weight of the old warrior’s name and the sight of the sickness carved into his body.
The Spear-Bearer
At last. We thought command had sent for us, or the grave had.
A few of the warriors snort at that. Others keep their eyes down and work faster, as if busyness can turn waiting into purpose.
The Spear-Bearer
No word from the captains. No horn. No runner. Just silence.
Valintal
...
The silence stretches. Somewhere outside, wind strikes the timbers. Inside, hands pause over whetstones and buckles, all of them listening for a summons that does not come.
The Spear-Bearer
If you mean to lead us, Valintal, then say it. Do we hold here, or march on your word?
✓ Quest Accepted
Lead the warriors
“"bastards said wait i am dying but no orders yet you'd think they were trying to make my wait out till my disease kill me"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Valintal
Bastards said wait. I am dying, and there are still no orders. You would think they mean to let my disease do the work for them.
The hall goes still, then a few rough chuckles break loose. The Spear-Bearer bares his teeth in something halfway between a grin and a wince.
The Spear-Bearer
Aye. That is a poor way to spend a war, waiting for permission to breathe.
The Mail-Clad Warrior
If death is your complaint, old wolf, you sound fit enough to outlast the captains yet.
The Leathered Warrior snorts into his gauntlet. Even the Silent Warrior looks up from his kit, attention finally pulled from buckles and steel.
The Silent Warrior
Say the word and we move. Say it plain, and we stop chewing on silence.
Their eyes settle on Valintal, not as a sick man, but as the weight in the room that can still turn them.
“"told me we are to be ready incase they need us so guess we to the age-old tradition of wait to be told to hurry up so we can wait more"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +0)
Valintal’s words land with a dry murmur of approval. The men trade glances, then settle into readiness instead of restlessness.
The Spear-Bearer
Aye, then. We wait like soldiers, not like shopkeepers with spears.
The Mail-Clad Warrior
Better waiting under Valintal’s eye than under a captain who cannot find his own boots.
The Leathered Warrior
That is the spirit. If command is a burden, he wears it well.
The Silent Warrior
We keep gear ready. We keep mouths shut. That is a command I can follow.
Valintal
Then keep ready. When the order comes, we move without fuss.
At that, the hall changes shape around him. Buckles are checked, a spear is leaned within easy reach, and the silent waiting becomes purposeful.
Quest Complete
Lead the warriors
New Gift: Commander of the Fallen