Meeting

Two newcomers, both women, entered the tent.

They couldn't be more different. The lady in the back had a bright smile on her face, and her eyes were sparkling with amusement. Similar to the other people standing in front of Liam, she had black hair and eyes.

Focusing on her gear, he noticed something strange about the armor. In some inexplicable way, the enchanted armor was a part of her body. He didn't know what her identity was, but he found it strange the value of her armor surpassed the deputy commander's by a large degree.

Liam directed his attention towards the commander. Her physical appearance gave him the impression of a weak and sickly lady who didn't have the means to protect herself. She wore a plain black robe, and mana vision didn't discern any enchanted items.

Her visual appearance was telling him she was harmless, but his other senses were screaming danger. Out of the four strangers present in the tent, she was one person he did not want to cross.

Liam knew the price for saving him would be substantial. She wasn't the kind of person to take a bad deal.

Both Mitch and the lady saluted Alisha when she arrived.

"I was about to fetch him on your command," the startled woman said. "There was no need for you to come here."

"Well, you were doing a pretty bad job, so she decided to arrive in person," Nora explained. "From what I saw, you weren't trying hard, were you Pearl?"

Pearl blushed and was about to retort when Alisha raised her hand, stopping her.

"I am curious about something Mitch," Alisha said. "Will you answer my question?"

The air of authority and confidence was no longer present in the deputy commander. "Of course, commander Brofort."

"Why did you defy my command?"

Alisha didn't rage, raise her voice, or reprimand him. Since her arrival, there was no change in her voice or expression.

Even so, Liam wouldn't envy anyone in Mitch's place. He felt a tangible sense of danger in the air.

"The soldiers are discontent …."

"I know that," Alisha said, interrupting him. "I made my decision regardless of the opposition and expected everyone to follow the orders.

"So, why did you disregard my orders?"

His mouth snapped shut. Pondering over an explanation, he voiced out a pretty lame excuse.

"Not everyone was satisfied with the decision," he hesitantly muttered.

"Is that so?

"Did you think I was asking for your opinion?" Her mouth flattening into a thin line.

Mitch flinched at the change in her expression and gazed at his feet, unable to face Alisha.

It was Liam's first time seeing a small change in expression cause such an extreme reaction in the opposite person.

"Gather the other deputy commanders in my tent. I will be there shortly." She didn't wait for his explanation, knowing he had none. "Pearl, wait outside. I want to talk to him alone."

Alone also seemed to include Nora as she did not show any indication of going out.

A sound barrier surrounded them preventing their conversation from being overheard.

Both Alisha and Nora examined him. The situation would have been awkward had the branches not covered his naked body.

Alisha remained expressionless while Nora openly checked him out.

"Not bad," she said with an appreciative glance.

Liam wasn't bothered by her comment. He calmly accepted it. "Thank you."

"That wasn't the response I was expecting," she said, with a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, let's move on to the important topics."

Liam gave the commander a stiff bow. "Thank you for saving my life."

Alisha nodded. It was the smallest nod Liam had ever seen, barely better than jerking the head.

"You don't have to be so formal. After all, you aren't part of the army. I am sure you have a lot of questions, but I want you to satisfy my curiosity first. By the way, your friends are ok. You can meet them soon."

Liam did not blindly trust her words, but some of his worries melted.

"Thank you, commander."

She waved her hand. "Alisha is fine."

Liam didn't stand on formality either. "Thank you, Miss Alisha."

"I want to inform you about two things. You arrived at the camp a month ago. Our soldiers found you immediately after you came out of the Rift and brought you back. You were unconscious the entire time."

Liam was surprised to hear it but did not show it on his face.

"Before mentioning the second point, tell me something," Alisha said. "When did you fall into the Rift?"

Liam wanted to grimace but managed to control his expression. That was one question he did not want to answer but at the same time could not evade.

He did not have an exact idea of how long he was in the Rift. In that place, keeping track of time was impossible. He just knew he was stuck inside for a long time.

The reason she asked the question was obvious. It was to assess the value of her investment. The longer someone stayed in the Rift, the stronger their rift ability became. There were a lot of nuances, but that's how it worked for those who resisted corruption.

If he answered truthfully, it was highly likely Alisha would do everything to retain him. Lying was even more unlikely. In case she figured out he was deceiving her, the situation would take a disastrous turn. His situation was precarious at best, and isolating his only ally was a bad idea.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to come clean. "I do not know the exact amount of time. I fell in the 892nd year of the third cycle."

"10 years?" Nora asked, her jaw hitting the ground. "How old were you?"

"A little over 4 years old, I think."

"That's impossible!" Nora refuted his statement. "There is no way such a young kid can have willpower strong enough to resist corruption. Also, no matter how strong you were as a child, you wouldn't have survived for more than a few days in that place."

"Now, I am curious about your time in the Rift," Alisha said without any change in her expression.

Liam tensed after hearing her question, but Alisha continued before he could reply, "You don't have to bother replying. Your words will either give me an incomplete truth or be an outright lie. I was just being curious.

"I wanted to meet you to satisfy my curiosity and assess you. Don't worry. I won't force you to become my subordinate. Rather, there is something I want you to do for me."

That statement calmed him. Knowing he could immediately return the favor, he relaxed. Being in Alisha's debt was a dangerous thing.

"I will do my best to accomplish it."

"Not yet. I want to assess you before deciding what I want you to do. Tomorrow, I will be testing your skills. Most of your injuries have healed but be well-rested. The test will be challenging."

Liam didn't mind it and readily agreed. His conversation with Alisha was pleasant. She did not impose any unreasonable demands and cleared his doubts.

"If you are wondering about why I am being so agreeable, I will tell you after the test. I look forward to seeing your skills."

Liam found her statement surprising. She would have gotten a general understanding of his skills from his friends, and he wasn't going to show her everything he had. There wasn't much she could look forward to.

"I didn't ask your friend about your skills. I like surprises so make sure you don't disappoint me," Alisha said.

Liam had goosebumps after hearing her statement. He wondered if she could read minds.

The meeting was starting to get uncomfortable for him.

She answered right on cue. "Don't feel uncomfortable. We will be leaving now. Pearl will guide you to your friends."

Nora waved at Liam and winked at him before leaving.

"It's been a long time since I saw you being so excited," Nora said to Alisha's expressionless face. "Is he that interesting?"

Alisha turned the question back to her. "What do you think?"

"Interesting and handsome," Nora commented. "Building a friendly relationship with him will be useful. I don't think I have to say this, but you did recognize him right?"

"Yes," she stated. "He looks too much like his mother."