Paragon of Destruction

Arran's victory did much to lift the mercenaries' spirits. Though none had said it outright, many among them had not expected to leave the village alive.

But now, they knew they would live to fight another day.

Still, they did not celebrate. Their losses were too great for them to feel any joy. And even had they wanted to celebrate, the village's tall walls still needed defending. Because although Arran had slain the group of Blightspawn, other groups might yet be lurking out of sight.

Yet no attackers came that night. And when morning finally arrived, Kaleesh split the uninjured mercenaries into two groups, sending one to gather the Blightspawn's amulets and the other to retrieve their fallen allies' bodies.

They buried their dead in the small graveyard just outside the village walls. Kaleesh spoke some brief words for the fallen, but no more than that. Few of the mercenaries had a taste for sentimentality — they had seen too much battle for that.

When they finally stepped back through the gates, Kaleesh cast a somber look at the hill of bodies that still filled the village square. "I suppose we should bury them, as well."

Arran nodded silently. Burying the dead villagers wasn't just a matter of respect, but also one of necessity. The stench of death in the village was already close to unbearable, and it would only grow worse with time. If they intended to remain in the village for several more days, that problem needed handling sooner rather than later.

Yet disposing of the bodies was no simple matter. There were thousands of dead villagers, travelers, and soldiers — far too many to bury separately.

After a brief discussion, they decided to dig a single large pit several hundreds of paces away from the village. Perhaps it wasn't the burial the villagers deserved, but it was the best they could offer.

Even that was no small task, however. By the time the mercenaries had dug a pit large enough to hold all the bodies, the morning was already nearing its end.

Just then, as they were finally preparing to move the bodies from the village, one of the scouts Kaleesh had sent to keep watch in the area came rushing toward them.

In an instant, the mercenaries readied their weapons. The previous day's battle still fresh in their minds, there wasn't a single one among them who hadn't kept a wary eye on their surroundings as they dug the giant grave. And now, even a hint of trouble was enough to put them on alert.

As he looked at the troops, Arran saw that they weren't just ready for battle. Rather, they seemed eager for it — eager to take revenge for their fallen allies.

Their thirst for revenge would have to wait, however. Because as the scout approached, he called out, "Soldiers approaching!"

Darians then, rather than Blightspawn. Which meant they should be safe, at least for the moment.

The scout came to a halt before Kaleesh some moments later, breathing hard as he faced the captain. "Darian soldiers," he said. "Roughly a hundred, with at least three Rangers. Ten minutes out."

Only when he finished relaying the information did the scout finally take a moment to catch his breath, though his eyes remained fixed on the captain.

Kaleesh scratched his chin in thought. "Anything unusual about them?"

The scout shook his head. "Just common soldiers," he said, his voice calmer now that he'd had a moment to rest. "Didn't look too experienced, either."

"Then they should be on our side," the captain replied. "Still…" He cast a look at the mercenaries around them. "Form up behind me, in a loose formation. Don't do anything unless I give the order. Arran, you join me."

Arran did as told, though he couldn't stop a frown from crossing his face. While he understood Kaleesh's desire to be cautious, there was a tenseness in the captain's voice he hadn't heard before, a hint of concern that went beyond mere caution.

It seemed Kaleesh had recognized this, as well. He gave Arran an uneasy smile, and said, "It can't hurt to be prepared."

"True enough," Arran agreed. "Especially out here."

Still, he couldn't help but feel some worry. There was plenty of reason for caution, of course, but he understood the captain well enough to know their losses had affected Kaleesh more than he let on.

If that left the captain a little warier than before, it wouldn't necessarily be a problem. But if his confidence had been affected, it could spell trouble ahead.

They didn't have to wait long for the Darians to arrive. Just a few minutes had passed when they saw the group appear in the distance, a long column of soldiers, with several supply carts trailing behind.

The group did not approach the mercenaries immediately. Between the Darians and them still lay the hundreds of dead Blightspawn Arran had slain the night before, and when the soldiers saw those, a ripple of shock went through their ranks.

Yet the shock lasted only moments. Then, at a greater pace than before, the soldiers hurried toward the group of mercenaries.

As the Darians neared, Arran saw that there were three Rangers at the head of the column, two men and a woman. Each of them carried a starmetal blade, and they moved with the quiet confidence of experienced warriors.

But while the Rangers were clearly experienced, the soldiers behind them were a different matter. They were young, barely more than youths, and the mere sight of the Blightspawn had left their faces ashen with shock.

At a guess, Arran thought none of them had ever seen battle before. And if they had, it must have been against common bandits rather than Blightspawn.

When the group of soldiers came to a halt before the captain, one of the three Rangers immediately stepped forward — a middle-aged man with leathery skin and black hair that carried several streaks of gray.

"You were attacked by Blightspawn?" the Ranger asked in an urgent voice. "Here? East of Knight's Fall?"

"It certainly would appear that way," Kaleesh replied, barely even bothering to conceal his annoyance.

The Ranger let out a curse, then asked, "Were there more?"

"There were," Arran replied, speaking before Kaleesh could respond. He gestured at the hill where the mercenaries had fought the Blightspawn, the top of which was still covered in their foes' bodies. "We defeated those, too."

After a long stare at the hill, the Ranger shook his head in disbelief. "I've been to the Desolation three times, and I've never encountered a group even a fifth that size." He sighed, then faced Kaleesh. "Your losses must have been terrible."

"We lost some good men," the captain confirmed, his voice softer than before. With a glance at Arran, he added, "But it could have been a lot worse."

"You have my sympathy," the Ranger said. "My name is Arjun, and we are in your debt. Had those Blightspawn attacked us, I doubt any of my men would still be alive."

They spoke for several minutes, and as the Ranger heard more about what had happened, a grave expression soon appeared on his face. When he was told that there had been a Reaver among the Blightspawn, his eyes widened in shock, and he looked at Arran with barely veiled awe when he learned who'd slain the creature.

As Kaleesh finished relaying the details, the Ranger sighed deeply. "Khavya can help care for your wounded," he said, gesturing at the female Ranger at his side. "She's no priest, but she's a skilled healer. And I'll have Mezrin carry word to Knight's fall."

The other Ranger gave him an uncomfortable look, but after a moment of hesitation, he nodded reluctantly. "I'll travel as fast as I can."

"Good," Arjun replied. He turned back to Kaleesh, and continued, "As for the rest of us… If you'll allow it, we will remain here until we know the road ahead is safe."

"Allow it?" Kaleesh gave him a surprised frown. "None of us are Rangers. You have no need to ask for my permission."

Arjun shook his head. "Rangers or not, you defeated the Blightspawn. That puts you in charge."

"In that case, you're free to stay." There was a hint of surprise in the captain's voice, as if he hadn't expected a Darian Ranger to accept an outsider's command so easily.

"You have my gratitude," the Ranger said. "I'll have my troops bury the villagers. Your men have earned their rest."

A few sighs of reliefs came from the mercenaries when they heard the Ranger's words. Moving the massive pile of bodies from the village would be a deeply unpleasant task, and they were glad to let the Darians handle it.

The soldiers accepted the task without objection. After seeing the dead Blightspawn, they were well aware that without the mercenaries, they would likely have shared the villagers' gruesome fate.

In the hours that followed, as the Darians moved the villagers' bodies to the pit the mercenaries had dug earlier, three more groups arrived. Two of these were small bands of a few dozen soldiers each, with only a single Ranger between them, while the last was a large merchant caravan.

Having seen the dead Blightspawn, none of the groups dared to continue onward by themselves. And so, when nightfall came, the small village was crowded with well over two hundred people hiding behind its walls.

Somewhat to Arran's surprise, most of the mercenaries got along well with the newcomers.

The Darian soldiers were almost all young men and women, traveling to the Desolation for the first time, and they listened breathlessly as the more experienced mercenaries regaled them with stories of battle.

Arjun proved to be good company as well. Experienced and unassuming, he readily shared what he knew of the Desolation with Arran and Kaleesh. And if it wasn't quite as much as they might have hoped, it would still be invaluable in their travels.

The Ranger's tales confirmed to Arran what Kaleesh had already told him — just how unusual the attack they'd suffered had been.

Not only were attacks east of Knight's Watch completely unheard of, Arjun also explained that in years of traveling the Desolation, the largest group of Blightspawn he'd seen had only counted fifty of the creatures.

"I've heard tales of larger groups," the Ranger added, "but they're as rare as trees in the desert. And whenever such groups are discovered, multiple Knights are sent to hunt them down."

Kaleesh listened with a thoughtful expression, a look in his eyes that made it clear the information did little to soothe his worries.

That night, Arran and the captain inspected the village's now well-manned defenses. And as they made their rounds, Arran turned to his companion and asked, "You think there's change afoot in the Desolation?"

"Has to be," Kaleesh replied. "An attack like this doesn't happen without reason. It was well-planned, a targeted attack on one of the Darians' main routes to the Desolation."

Arran nodded slowly. "If it was part of a larger plan, there might be even more danger in the Desolation than we expected. It would be good to have allies."

Kaleesh shot him a sideways glance. "You think we should let Arjun and his troops join us?"

"If you offered, I doubt he'd refuse," Arran replied. "And we might find others willing to join, as well. You've seen the Blightspawn fight. We need the numbers."

As effective as Arran's magic had been against the Blightspawn, he'd rather avoid using the same strategy in the Desolation. Blackening the skies with massive clouds of Shadow Essence wasn't exactly the subtlest use of magic, after all.

Which meant they would have to rely on simpler means. And against enemies as vicious as the Blightspawn, few options were as simple or effective as having each of the creatures pinned down by half a dozen spears.

Kaleesh, however, seemed unconvinced. "I'll consider it," he said after a moment of silence, his expression still as ponderous as it had been earlier.

Arran did not push the matter. It would take several days before their wounded would be fit enough to travel, which would give the captain plenty of time to reach a decision.

By then, the Ranger Arjun had sent to Knight's Watch should have returned as well, hopefully bearing news that the road ahead was clear.

And if it wasn't, at least they would have the numbers to face their enemies.