Chapter 329 Battle Approaches (2/2)

The days that followed passed quietly, with the long coluress All those present ht be Body Refiners, but that did not make the mule-drawn carts that carried their supplies ave Arran some hope for the war between the Ninth Valley and the I, but their lack of void bags and rings would be no small hindrance ar erupted

Still, with another battle only a week away — assuht Arran little comfort If he died in battle or was forced to expose his powers, the Ninth Valley's advantages would do hiood

Yet if Arran was frustrated at the sluggish pace, he could tell that the soldiers had it even worse Constantly, they looked at the forests and hills along the road, with eyes that plainly expected to see enes, when they ht, the soldiers did not relax in the slightest Even while eating or resting, their hands never strayed far from their weapons

Arran feltwith the mercenaries under his command

At first, several of the mercenaries complained about his command They were all newcomers to the Wolfsblood Company, and not all of thee

A few sparring h to show exactly why Arran had been chosen to lead the, none of the a h for the men and women to accept Arran's command For Body Refiners, the easiest way foras to learn froth filled his troops with hopes for their own progress

But although Arran booked steady progress in training his group, hts were still focused on the battle ahead Although Captain Kaleesh was confident in their chances, Arran found himself frustrated at how little he knew about their opponents

While he was certain there were no Knights, the captain had inforers And after having faced a Ranger in combat, Arran knew that most of the mercenaries would be no ed on relentlessly, and before long, the first week of their journey was nearing its end And as their group set up caathered up his commanders

”I've had a look at Payam's maps,” the captain said, ”and I'm certain the attack will coave the man a curious look ”What do you want us to do?”

”You?” the captain faced Arran, then shook his head ”Nothing You are to keep your group behind, away froh, the other newco to be useful Only move if you coh he didn't like the idea of reroup still lacked practice and discipline In a large battle, chances were that they'd get in the way rather than help

At Arran's nod, the captain turned to his other co until I give the order to move We want Rannoc's troops fully occupied e attack them Understood?”

The three conificantly less enthusiasm than the others While the other iant ht ive the order,” the captain continued, ”I need all of you to ht into the ene Kadun's troops Lasha, you back hiroup around and attack from behind Sassun, you cover us and strike where needed”

The orders were siain, the three coh this time, Gar showed far more enthusiasm than before

Yet Lasha frowned as she looked at the captain ”What if they don't do as you expect?”

”Then we'll adapt to the situation,” Captain Kaleesh replied ”But all of you, get so day, but we should all be richer at the end of it”

As the coive them instructions for the next day, Arran spent another two hours practicing with his own group Even if they weren't supposed to take part in the battle, he needed to get a feel for their strengths and abilities

Yet after two hours, Ervin approached him ”Sir,” the old et soht ahead tomorrow and all”

At once, Arran realized the ht While he did not feel the least bit tired, he could see that his troops were tired And although Body Refiners would recover quickly from the exertion, they would need to be fresh the next day

He quickly dis the opportunity to have another eveningout their bedrolls

Arran, however, turned his attention to his sergeant While they had spoken several times over the previous week, he still knew little about the old ht at the captain's side before?”

Ervin nodded ”Many tiood twenty years, and not once seen him lose a battle that could be won There's no need to worry about tomorrow — if the captain is confident in our chances, then you should be, too”

The h only partly, as he still felt so his life in the hands of another Yet there was nothing for it but to hope for the best

He awoke early the next day, well before dawn And as he looked around, he saw that he wasn't the only one Several of thetheir breakfasts and sharpening their weapons

The group left shortly after dawn, and Arran could see that the mercenaries weren't the only ones who felt tense While the soldiers did not knoas to come, it was as if the mercenaries' tension had spread to them as well, and they looked even more alert than they nor of note happening, with Arran and the othercolumn of soldiers and carts And as afternoon ca

Maybe Rannoc's forces had decided not to attack, realizing that with the e in numbers Because while they had easily twice the nuated that advantage

Yet Arran's hopes were short-lived

By late afternoon, they entered into a wide valley, with densely forested hills on either side of the road And as soon as the column of soldiers and mercenaries had fully entered the valley, Arran heard panicked shouts ahead A moment later, the shouts were joined by the clatter of weapons

It seeht