Chapter 404 Suppression (2/2)
While the army continued to pour across the boundary, Kaleesh announced in a loud voice, ”Make camp! We continue tomorrow!”
Weak and pale-faced as they were, the troops wasted no ti the order, and the captain turned to Sassun ”Set a triple guard, and tell the htest sign of trouble”
As Sassun set to work on securing the caht you were confident that the Darian lordlings wouldn't attack us?”
He had no doubt that Darians hat the captain worried about With less than two days' travel between thehtspawn at all, h to threaten an ared ”I'm confident,” he said, ”not certain And while I don't expect any open attacks, that doesn't htfully, then added, ”Besides, if so decides to size us up, it can't hurt to have theshape”
Arran nodded in agreelad that Kaleesh did not wish to press on ih for the difference if they were forced to do battle
Setting up the caly inspecting the defenses several times over But even so, when the captain was finally satisfied with the soldiers' efforts, it was only barely afternoon
Then, with the camp fortified as if they expected an attack at any h the soldiers eak and weary from the Desolation's suppression, none complained that there was no time to rest It was abundantly clear that they were in no state to fight, and few did not understand that in their current condition, any battle would result in disaster And so, even the laziest and weariest a them sparred and practiced with the fervor of necessity
The first few hours offered a strange spectacle, with soldiers and Rangers alikewith the cluradually, the soldiers' control iained a seers, however, were another er than the soldiers, which th And while the soldiers adjusted quickly,
”Each tirunted, wiping the sweat from his brow as he faced Arran They'd spent the past quarter-hour sparring, and although Arran had taken care to hold back, the Ranger was already approaching his lier,” Arran replied with a laugh ”By the ti your guts out whenever you enter the Desolation”
”A price I'd be glad to pay” Arjun gave a weary chuckle, but then, he cast a curious look at Arran ”And yet, froh”
Arran was about to protest — he hardly felt like his usual self, after all — but he paused when he realized that the Ranger was right
When he first stepped into the Desolation, he'd been shocked at how ers' reactions, he could not help but think that he was affected far less than they were
Briefly, he wondered whether it th to spare, but he rejected the idea as quickly as it had coers should uess I have a stronger sto a chuckle ”But if you have the strength to talk, then you have the strength to fight another round Let's go!”
It took another quarter-hour before Arjun was pushed beyond the brink of exhaustion, and as the Ranger sat down to catch his breath, Arran quickly hout the evening and the night that followed, dividing his attention equally between the Rangers and the soldiers in the arth
Yet the th hadn't fallen nearly as ers retained more of their power than others — especially Kaleesh, whose true insight into speed remained formidable — all of them were clearly affected more than Arran was
Theit would have to wait Before they reached Sacrifice, the only thing thattheir destination And while Kaleesh ht attacks, Arran still had his doubts about that
Sunrise found the Wolfsblood Army in a weary state Most of the soldiers had barely slept, choosing to practice through the night to adjust to the suppression of the Desolation as quickly as they could Between their lack of sleep and dith, few of them welcomed the day with enthusiasm
Kaleesh showed the soldiers little mercy, however
He had theeven an hour of daylight After all, once they traveled beyond the edge of the Desolation, there would be nowhere to retreat if they were attacked The safety of Sacrifice was less than two days' travel away, but until they reached their destination, they would be completely exposed
”Should I scout ahead?” Arran asked the captain as they watched the soldiers ready themselves for the journey ahead
Kaleesh hesitated in answering Finally, some uncertainty in his voice, he said, ”You should, but don't stray too far If trouble finds us, ill need your strength”
Arran responded with a nod ”I'll make sure to stay within a mile or two of the army”
He understood the captain's worries all too well If any Darian forces attacked the Wolfsblood Arhts That would be a problem at the best of times, but with the army in its current state, it would more likely than not end in disaster
Of course, Arran's poould provide scant protection if they faced hts in battle, but his mere presence should do le to defeat enes who co battle
The only question hether their enes, thepassed quietly He constantly traveled around a mile ahead of the army, his Sense spread across the Desolation as he searched for any hidden threats Yet carefully though he looked, he found nothing to cause concern — neither Blightspawn nor Darians
If anything, this part of the Desolation seemed more peaceful than the wilderness that lay before it There were none of the ruins that littered the wilderness, and the only tracks he encountered were those of ar to and froht Arran little coh the hilly woodlands around hiht seem, he suspected that if they were attacked, it would likely be a good distance fro passed and midday came, he knew that they had truly left safety behind Here, e, there would be no question of fleeing If they were attacked, there would be no choice but to fight
And so, when he finally Sensed an arers, accohtest bit of surprise Instead, a grim smile flashed across his face, and then he hurried forward