Reconnaissance in force

"During tonight's skirmish, we lost three men. Seventeen more were injured during the fight," Al announced, reading out loud the report prepared by his direct subordinate. He then raised his head at the small gathering of the camp's leaders, coughed to clear his throat, and looked at the thin stone slab in his hand again. "Out of those, two deceased were from Markus' faction..."

"Stop," Layn interjected, opening his eyes. Even since he had to listen to a report like that for the first time, he developed a habit of closing his eyes. For some reason, it made it easier for him to hear the bloody news. 

In response to his sudden word, all the eyes moved on his face. Even if their structure of command was something they just loosely agreed on, no one ever gave him the right to preside as the overall leader. As such, his remark was not only rude but also unwarranted.