Four hours passed like minutes.
Marcus's eyes opened before the first light touched the horizon. Old habits from his previous life wake before dawn, check your gear, prepare for battle.
Some things never changed, even across lifetimes.
He sat up quietly, not wanting to wake the others scattered around the dying campfire. Liz was curled up near the embers, her blade within arm's reach even in sleep. Tobin snored softly against a tree. Vera meditated with her eyes closed, though Marcus suspected she wasn't actually asleep. Keepers didn't seem to need much rest.
Dain and Mikael shared watch duty, their silhouettes visible at the camp's perimeter.
And Nigard…
Nigard sat alone at the far edge of camp, staring toward where the fortress would be. Preparing mentally, most likely. Everyone had their own pre-battle rituals.
Marcus pulled up his status mentally.
[SYSTEM]
The interface flickered to life, familiar blue light casting shadows across his face.
Then something new appeared.
