Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 266: Unusual commander

Chapter 266: Unusual commander

Fenn stepped through the tent's entrance, and his initial impression was complitely different to what he had expected. Instead of the grandeur or luxurious sophistication he thought might belong to a commander's quarters, the tent was shockingly bare. There were no tables laden with maps, no racks of polished weapons, and no ornate furnishings. The ground was covered with little more than a few scattered patches of straw and dirt, except for a modest fur thrown across one corner, serving as a makeshift bed.

Beside the fur lay a sword still in its scabbard and an axe , casually discarded as though they were an afterthought rather than the primary tools of war. Fenn's gaze lingered on it for a moment, noting its worn leather grip, before returning to the man sprawled on the fur.

The man didn't bother to rise as Fenn entered. Instead, he propped himself up lazily on one elbow, his sharp eyes flicking up to size the boy up. A sigh escaped him, a mixture of exhaustion and faint annoyance, as though the arrival of yet another stranger was more a nuisance than anything else.

"Well?" the man said flatly, his voice low and steady. "You're not much to look at. What do you want?"

Fenn blinked, caught off guard both by the man's appearance and his tone. He had expected someone regal or commanding, but this man radiated an air of relaxed indifference, as though he were simply waiting for the next interruption to pass.

Egil was a striking figure, even in his state of apparent disinterest. His tall frame was immediately noticeable, with long, corded muscles visible even through his relaxed posture. His blonde hair, neck-length and slightly unkempt, framed a face sharp and angular, his high cheekbones accentuating the intensity of his piercing eyes. Those eyes, cold , seemed to take in everything with an unnerving clarity, leaving Fenn feeling like he was being weighed and measured.