Chapter 131 Stonehearts Misfortune (1/2)
They walked toward one of the s a seat next to Stoneheart
”How did you end up in such a state?” Snowcloud asked ”And where are your other recruits?”
Stoneheart let out a pained sigh ”It all began after we left the Valley Just a few days from the border, that venomous bitch Aly worried that he had offended her
”She deserves the title,” Snowcloud said ”Continue”
”She ambushed us e had only barely left the Valley,” Stoneheart said, his expression somber ”We didn't have a chance”
Snowcloud raised an eyebrow ”You were defeated by Aured her for e that?”
”She wasn't alone,” Stoneheart replied ”There were two other novices with her, both Waning Moon scues and near a thousand skilled fighters, it was a ed to escape”
”You seeed it better than your recruits,” Arran said, a hint of bitterness in his voice He still res about the destiny of those recruits had come to pass
”I delayed Aive my recruits a chance to escape But I failed” Stoneheart shook his head ”I nearly died, and even so, almost half of them lost their lives in that battle”
”See at the disheveled group of men and women in the caiant novice's army had counted thousands of recruits If these few dozen were all that was left, it meant Stoneheart's army had been wiped out almost completely
”Amaya was only the start of our problerave ”After the battle, we fled west for several weeks, until we finally lost theh, his expression pained ”Things only got worse froain?” Snowcloud asked
Stoneheart shook his head ”Not Amaya Some local warlord Calls himself the Lord of Bones He's already killed several novices in the region He commands an army of bandits and ht him?” Snowcloud asked with a frown ”Even after your encounter with Amaya?”
”We didn't have a choice,” Stoneheart said ”He took us by surprise, and ere forced to— I think I could take hiainst me But his ar, but against so many…”
”Body Refiners? Thousands of them?” Arran's heart almost skipped a beat when he heard this He knew that there hadn't been time for Lord Sevaril to raise an army of Body Refiners with the food Arran sold to him, but even so, he knew of only one person with the means to hand out the means to raise such an arht possible Most of the recruits I had left fell in that fight before we made our escape We've avoided their main force since then, but we've encountered several of their raiding parties And each time we face theers?” Snowcloud asked ”How did they get tangled up in all this?”
”My scouts found one of the raiding parties headed toward their village,” Stoneheart said ”We couldn't fight theers along Better that their houses burn without the to do now?” Snowcloud asked
”We were planning to travel north,” Stoneheart said, though there was some doubt in his voice ”My uncle has taken an old fortress there, and if we reached hion is nearby?” Snowcloud asked, a thoughtful look in her eyes
”His fortress a few hundred miles north of here,” Stoneheart said ”But the warlord's ar parties roam the lands for tens of miles around You're lucky you haven't run into them yet”