Chapter 416 - A Simple Task (1/2)
Chapter 416 - A Si us?” Kaleesh turned his head to glance at the trees that lined the road behind theh no people could be seen, his eyes held a hint of wariness
”They're still there,” Arran confir They're just Rangers, after all”
Several days had passed since they left the city, with the road to the Wolfsblood Arly endless farmlands that held more sheep than people
But sparsely populated though the area was, Arran and Kaleesh had not gone unnoticed Barely an hour after they left the city's outskirts behind, Arran had Sensed a pair of Rangers following soh the trees like wolves stalking prey
Of course, that coers werewolves, with only the laws of Sacrifice protecting them from their quarry
That fliers needed, however Easy as it would be for Arran to defeat theers without cause — not where others ht learn of the attack, at least
”I suppose they're harh there was a trace of displeasure in his voice ”Still, I'd like to knoho sent them”
”I could capture them,” Arran said ”Even if we can't kill them, perhaps they can be persuaded to talk”
Kaleesh briefly hesitated before shaking his head ”Even if you get the the truth Besides, the camp should be less than an hour away If they continue to spy on us there, we'll have cause to act”
Arran gave a short nod ”We'll see what they do” While he was hardly an expert on the laws of Sacrifice, he understood that spying on any of the arers crossed that line, the situation would naturally change
A half-hour passed quietly, and it wasn't long before Arran saw buildings appear in the distance — enough to pass for a small town, rather than the camp he had expected to see
Yet he remembered almost immediately that the camp Kaleesh had chosen lay just a few miles from the nearest town This should be the town, then, which meant the camp would be nearby
”Let's take a look,” Kaleesh said ”It can't hurt to knoho our neighbors are”
Arran naturally had no objections to this, and as they neared the small town, he looked around with some interest
It was immediately obvious that this was no co the buildings, he spotted over a dozen inns and taverns in just a few short h to accommodate hundreds of travelers
Yet plentiful as the inns and taverns were, they currently stoodat one of them
”It seems Sassun is a stricter commander than I am,” Kaleesh mused ”I'd have expected to find at least soht not be strictness on his part” Arran rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes ”We're in Sacrifice, after all, and I can't i lower than elsewhere”
As realization set in, Kaleesh reedy I handed Sassun enough coin to last several ave the captain a wry sh for a week or two, in other words”
Though Kaleesh's expression turned ugly at Arran's words, he did not argue the point Instead, he re his head in disgust ”I've seen enough Let's go”
Arran did not argue, though he did not share Kaleesh's annoyance, either While the prices in Sacrifice were undeniably extortionate, his void ring held enough pure shadowmetal coins to supply the army for years if not decades
More importantly, he had other h he had sothen his new bloodlines, he had yet to put his theory to the test And although he had some confidence that his instincts were correct, a shred of doubt still remained in his mind
Yet just as they hts were interrupted by an anxious voice
”Master Kaleesh!+”
As Arran turned to look, he saw that the voice belonged to an elderlyover at a pace that seemed to be well beyond what his frail body could handle White-haired and dressed in a set of ill-fitting clothes that ht once have been called fine, he had the look of a nobleo
”Master Kaleesh!+” the ain, his face red from the exertion as he came to a halt He faced the tith some doubt in his eyes, apparently uncertain which of them he'd called out to
Kaleesh re look Finally, he said, ”Yes?”
At once, the olds you,” he said, his breath still heavy from the short run, ”but Master Sassun told ent matter to discuss with you”
”Sassun told you about me?” Kaleesh frowned ”What sort ofwon Kaleesh's attention, the old man took a moment to catch his breath Then, in a calmer voice, he said, ”I understand that you and your men intend to travel into the Desolation soon It isyou with supplies”
”You're a merchant?” Kaleesh asked, his voice flat as he looked at the man with barely veiled skepticishtly shaking his head ”Ulti sold in Sacrifice is controlled by the church But I am well-connected, and I can help you acquire supplies at a price well belohat you would otherwise pay”
”What's in it for you?” The captain made no effort whatsoever to hide the suspicion in his tone
”A small fee,” the man replied, not the least bit deterred by Kaleesh's curt old In return, I will save you a great deal of shadowmetal Naturally, I can also help with other matters Should you need information, I can provide that as well Whether it's maps or details about the other armies, I can find what you need”
Kaleesh narrowed his eyes as he studied the ave a nod ”I'll give you a chance,” he said ”Two Rangers have followed us since we left the city If you can find out who sent them, I may decide to make use of your other services”
At once, a broad smile appeared on the man's wrinkled face ”Certainly!” he said in an excited tone ”I will get to work at once My name is Baqi Once I have the information you need, I will find you at once Now, I need to…”
Arran and Kaleesh did not learn what it was the man needed, as he instantly turned around and walked away,to himself as he headed for one of the taverns
”He see look ”Why did you ask for his help?”
”He , ”or perhaps a particularly inept crook But whatever he is, the Is would not send someone like that It can't hurt to see if he's of use to us”
”If you say so” Though Arran had little hope that the oldhim a chance At worst — and most likely — he would fail to find any useful information
”I do,” Kaleesh replied ”But we should head off I'm curious to see how the army has fared in our absence”
There was a trace of anxiousness in the captain's voice as he spoke, and Arran understood his friend��s worries all too well
While Sassun was a capable enough coth If any of the Rangers in the army had made trouble, Sassun would have had to rely on others to put an end to it
Still, there was no point in adding fuel to the captain's worries And so, instead of voicing his own concerns, Arran merely nodded and said, ”I'm sure Sassun has kept the him”
As the Wolfsblood Army's ca before they saw the caate appear in the distance
At once, Arran breathed a sigh of relief Although the caate looked like it would struggle to stop a wild boar, he instantly recognized Arjun leading the sate
If nothing else, at the very least that ave them an excited wave as they approached ”You've returned!” he called out, a wide s to worry you'd abandoned us”
Though his face held a grin, the relieved look in his eyes suggested that he spoke only partly in jest They had been gone far longer than expected, after all
”Good to see you,” Kaleesh said as he approached the Ranger ”Any trouble while I was gone?”
”Nothing too serious,” Arjun replied ”There was a bit of a scuffle, but Barric took care of it Couided the look ”A scuffle? Who were involved?”
”Do to speak much about it”
At the mention of Do trouble?”
Although Do the Wolfsblood Arers But for all his talent, he was also a constant source of disagreeer had started trouble once more, Arran suspected Kaleesh would kick him out of the army, talented or not
Yet to his surprise, Arjun shook his head ”This tih I can't say what they were bickering about, this tied, then added, ”Either way, the beating Barric gave theood I haven't heard a coh it looked as if Kaleesh was about to ask another question, the captain fell silent when he laid eyes on the camp He did not speak for several moments, until finally, he said in a soft voice, ”I paid ten pure shadowe and shock in equal measure, and as Arran looked at the ca
Thethat could be said about the camp was that it was, in fact, a ca fields, a nues to house the cos
Yet a single glance was enough to see that all of it was in a state of utter disrepair One of the barracks was ht collapse froes looked to be in slightly better shape, they still ars' sheds than they did co fields… Arran shook his head in disgust thein space, most looked like freshly plowed farmlands that had just weathered a terrible storround wherever he looked
Seeing their dued to find several new cooks,” he said ”So at least the food is good”
”This is…” Kaleesh began, but a nation ”I suppose it can't be helped We'll only be here for a feeeks If nothing else, we'll be well-prepared for the hardships of the Desolation”
”It could be worse,” Arjun said ”The first time I stayed in Sacrifice, we had to stay in tents”
Arran refrained froht be a step up fros he saw before him, as tents would at least not collapse on top of their inhabitants
”Come,” Arjun continued, ”I'll show you to the others They'll be glad to see that you've both returned” At those last words, he cast a short glance at Arran, as if he'd been worried that Arran in particular roup
They spent the next hour greeting the Wolfsblood Ar drinks with the troops while they loudly joked about the dismal state of the camp
Arran quickly discovered that Barric had not held back in dealing with Doers still sported heavily bruised faces Ifras in particular looked miserable, with a broken nose and two black eyes, but Domar wasn't in a much better state
When Arran asked Barric about this, the giant Ranger gave a booth,” he said ”I ain, I would be happy to help them remember”
Arran could only save Barric, he did not think they would forget the lesson any tiood h he'd handled his task without issue, only a blind lad he was to be rid of it
Finally, as the troops returned to their training, Sassun took Arran and Kaleesh aside ”I'll show you to your quarters,” he said ”We've saved the best two cottages for you, but…” He shrugged helplessly, the gestureit clear that they shouldn't expect ht that we should suffer with the rest of you But tell me, we met an old hed ”You'veus ever since we arrived Word is that he does the saroup that stays here I'll do my best to keep hi Even walls don't seem to stop that man”
Kaleesh shook his head ”There's no need to stop hiht to me”
A frown crossed Sassun's face, but he knew better than to argue with Kaleesh ”Very well The next time he visits, he's your problem”
”Good,” the captain replied with a nod ”Now, Arran, I suppose you're anxious to get back to your training?”
Arran couldn't help but laugh ”Good guess”
”Before you go, have you seen any ave a shake of his head ”They disappeared soon after we left the town If I had to guess, I'd say they're still there”
Kaleesh frowned, his expression thoughtful ”Good,” he finally said ”Perhaps that old h about that Sassun, take Arran to his quarters After that, we can start work on preparing the army for the Desolation I mean to leave no later than three weeks from now”
A few e that appeared h it was shtly rickety, the interior was clean and the walls showed no sign of collapsing any time soon