The ’logistical purposes’ excuse fooled exactly no one.
Then the professional kicked in.
"Medical first," Renoa said, the stammer gone entirely. "Calypso, those lacerations need cleaning and assessment. Everyone’s armor needs immediate inspection before it’s worn again."
She was already walking, expecting them to follow.
"Showers are heated and ready. I had the mess team prepare high-density recovery meals when I saw you heading south." She glanced at her clipboard, made a note, glanced back up. "Is anyone experiencing mana sickness symptoms? Dizziness, nausea, visual distortion?"
Luna raised her hand.
Calypso raised her hand.
Aria raised her hand.
Nyx raised her hand.
Bastet raised her hand with the dignity of a queen admitting to a minor inconvenience.
<Me too!> Alice’s halo pulsed weakly. <Raise two hands because you speak for the both of us!>
"..." Kaiden did as asked.
Renoa’s clipboard lowered. Her professional composure held for exactly one second as the full scope of how badly they’d pushed themselves registered across her face.
Then it cracked.
"All of you?!" She turned on Kaiden, and for a brief, glorious moment, the stammering fangirl vanished entirely. "You pushed a team of level fifties against a level seventy-nine monster until every single member developed mana sickness?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?! Mana sickness at this altitude with these density levels-"
She caught herself.
Remembered who she was talking to.
Remembered that millions of people were watching her scold the man whose content she consumed religiously.
The blush that followed was nuclear.
"P-please follow me," she said, voice three octaves higher than it had been a second ago. "This is serious!"
She turned on her heel and walked very quickly toward the medical station, clipboard pressed against her chest like a shield.
Kaiden watched her go with a grin.
...
An hour later, the recovery tent was quiet.
The medical team had done their work efficiently. Lacerations cleaned and sealed. Mana stabilizers administered. Then they left, leaving them alone to recover.
Armor was collected by Renoa for inspection and repair.
The tent itself was spacious by field standards, a reinforced canvas structure with thick bedrolls laid across raised platforms, privacy screens between sections, and a soft amber glow from mana lanterns that kept the interior warm without being bright.
Most of the girls had surrendered to exhaustion within minutes of lying down.
Luna was out cold, sprawled face-down on her bedroll with one arm hanging off the edge and her mouth slightly open. The gamer girl slept the way she gamed: completely committed and without a shred of elegance.


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