It was early morning when they left the abandoned village. Even before the sun rose above the grassy hills in the distance, hundreds of soldiers poured out into the narrow road and formed a mile-long column.
At the head of the column were Lady Merem and her Rangers, their uniforms immaculate and their ranks neat and organized. But impressive though they appeared, anyone who took a closer glance would soon realize that the Rangers looked inexperienced, more resembling young nobles than veteran warriors.
In that regard, they made a sharp contrast with Kaleesh's mercenaries, who followed a short distance behind. This group was headed by Arran and the captain himself, and although the mercenaries' numbers had fallen, they looked no less formidable for it.
The mercenaries were seasoned fighters to begin with, and the scars they'd gained in the battle against the Blightspawn further added to their vicious appearance.
Moreover, unlike the Rangers, the mercenaries kept a close eye on their surroundings, ready for battle at a moment's notice. While the road to Knight's Watch was believed to be safe, none of them put much faith in that supposed safety — not after the ambush they'd already suffered.
And so, the mercenaries traveled down the road to Knight's Watch with wary eyes, their hands never straying too far from their weapons.
Just as alert were the soldiers in the larger group that followed behind them. Led by Arjun, this group consisted of the Darian soldiers who had been recruited by Kaleesh, and although they appeared less formidable than the mercenaries, their eyes still shone with pride.
Common soldiers counted for little in the Imperium, and they had expected having to beg to join some powerful faction, earning mere scraps for risking their lives.
Yet Kaleesh had made it clear that his Wolfsblood Army would be different. All who joined would be treated as full members, and whatever rewards they gained in the Desolation would be divided based on strength and bravery rather than status.
It was a simple promise, and one that had yet to be fulfilled. But the captain's words alone were enough to fill the soldiers with a sense of pride. Rather than beggars, they had become equals in an army that had not only defeated hundreds of Blightspawn, but whose leaders had also earned the recognition of an Imperial Knight.
Thus, they marched with their heads held high, eager for the chance to prove their worth and truly earn their place alongside the mercenaries.
Considerably less zealous, however, were the soldiers who followed behind them.
There, at the very end of the long column, were the groups that had not joined Kaleesh's army. Many of those groups' leaders had shown little interest in joining forces with Kaleesh, but now, they looked ahead with somber eyes, questioning whether they had missed a golden opportunity.
Yet as the column slowly started toward Knight's Watch, Arran paid his fellow travelers little attention. Instead, his thoughts still lingered on the short exchange he'd had with Lady Merem, and the strange power her attacks had held.
What troubled him wasn't just the ease with which she'd defeated him. Although he disliked the idea of being so thoroughly outclassed, he had enough experience to know that the world held many forces he could not yet match.
Rather, what bothered him was how little he understood of her power. He knew that its source wasn't magical — even if the Darians did not consider magic an abomination, he could tell that it was related to insights rather than magical Essence.
But even so, how insights could produce such effects was a question that left him utterly dumbfounded. And the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.
The journey to Knight's Watch took several days, and during this time, Arran spent every waking moment pondering the question before him.
Yet his efforts were to no avail. Though he'd painstakingly built a foundation in the Darian techniques Muna had taught him, he was now reminded of just how shaky that foundation still was.
The Darian techniques he'd learned should be a first step toward the powers of Lords and Imperial Knights, but a vast chasm still lay between his skills and theirs. And unless he found a way to bridge that gap, he suspected that understanding Lady Merem's powers would be an impossible task.
The question weighed on Arran's mind enough that he barely even noticed it when they finally reached their destination.
"It's quite a sight," Kaleesh's voice sounded, a hint of awe in his tone.
The words ripped Arran from his thoughts, and when he looked up, his eyes went wide when he saw what the captain was talking about.
In the distance lay a vast city, stretched across a towering hill that was thousands of feet tall and several times as wide. Yet impressive though the city itself was, what truly astonished Arran were its walls.
In a wide circle around the hill that held the city stood a massive wall, well over two hundred feet tall and constructed entirely from smooth gray stone. But impenetrable though the defense appeared, there was another wall like it less than half a mile behind it, and yet another behind that.
In total, Arran saw, there were nine layers of walls, and each of them appeared formidable enough to break even the largest army. To conquer the entire city, an army would have to break all nine of them.
Arran believed that facing the Blightspawn had given him some small idea of how dangerous the Blight was. But now, a single look at the city in the distance was enough to remind that the Desolation held dangers far greater than anything he'd faced so far.
The Darians would not build a city like this without good reason. And if they had reason to create defenses like these, it could only mean their enemies were terrifying enough to merit them.
Of course, Arran already understood that the Blight was a threat to the Imperium's very existence. But part of him had believed — or perhaps hoped — that it was a matter of numbers rather than raw power.
As vicious as the Blightspawn were, a large enough force of the creatures would be enough to bring down any army. With their inhuman strength and utter lack of fear, even a Knight's strength would eventually be overcome on the battlefield.
But the defenses of Knight's Watch were a different matter. Whether there were a thousand Blightspawn or a million, no amount of such creatures would be enough to break through the outer wall, much less the ones behind it.
To break through such defenses would require something far beyond mere Blightspawn or Reavers. Something with the strength of dragons or the magic of Archmages.
The thought caused Arran to let out a weary sigh. Years of training had allowed him to reach a level of strength he once would have thought impossible, but the more he learned of the world, the better he understood just how weak he still was.
Just then, with the long column barely a hundred paces away from the gate, the Rangers at the front came to a sudden halt. A moment later, Lady Merem appeared in front of Kaleesh and Arran.
"This is where we part ways," she announced. "After I relay my findings to the governor, my apprentices and I will travel straight to Sacrifice. The two of you, however, should build your strength before traveling there. Beyond Knight's Watch, the road carries many dangers." With a glance at Arran, she added, "Even for those with the strength to slay Reavers."
"Then we thank you for your help," Kaleesh replied at once. "And we'll trouble you no longer."
Though the captain spoke politely, his expression made it clear that he was more than a little relieved to see her depart.
It was a sentiment that Arran wholeheartedly shared. Although he knew that his dealings with the Imperial Knight were far from over, he still understood far too little of the Imperium to fully see through Lady Merem's schemes.
Until he addressed that problem, every second he spent in her company put him in danger. And if she became his enemy, an Imperial Knight would be far more of a threat than even a hundred Reavers.
Arran and Kaleesh waited silently as Lady Merem and her Rangers departed and headed into the city, remaining quiet until they were certain that the Knight was far away. Then, finally, Kaleesh let out a deep sigh of relief.
"That woman terrifies me," he said in a wistful voice. "When she looks at me, I feel like she could kill me without even drawing her weapon."
"I have no doubt that she could," Arran replied with an uneasy shrug. "But now that we've reached Knight's Watch, what's your plan?"
Kaleesh scratched his chin, and his expression turned thoughtful. "I suppose it's time for us to build an army."
"How long will that take you?" Arran asked.
At this, a look of alarm flashed across Kaleesh's face. "Me? You're not planning to leave, are you?"
"Only for a while," Arran said. "I need to train, and I can't do that here." He cast a meaningful glance at the city, then added, "There are too many people here."
For a moment, it looked as if Kaleesh was about to object, but then he sighed in resignation. "I suppose it helps us all if you grow stronger," he said. "Though having you around would make it easier to attract talented soldiers. "
"It can't be helped," Arran replied. "I need a secluded place to train. But I don't plan to stray too far from the city, and I don't expect to be gone for more than a month or so."
Kaleesh nodded, forcing a smile to appear on his face even if his eyes still held a hint of dejection. "A month shouldn't be a problem. Gathering an army will take at least twice as long. But be careful — if Lady Merem says the area is dangerous, you'd best believe her."
"Then I'll return within two months."
Arran did not linger after he said his goodbyes, and although his departure caused more than a few looks of surprise and concern among the mercenaries and soldiers, he did not look back as he left.
Although his leaving at so important a time would be no small burden to Kaleesh and the others, it was a decision that couldn't be avoided.
After they'd left the mines half a year earlier, Arran's skills had increased rapidly — so rapidly that he'd believed that he was well on his way to matching the insights of Knights, building a foundation that would sooner or later allow him to even surpass their achievements.
But after seeing Lady Merem's techniques, he had finally come to realize just how wrong he had been.
While he was indeed close to matching Knights in combat — normal Knights, at least — that owed more to his strength than it did to his foundation in Darian techniques. Take that strength away, and he was only barely at the level of a Ranger, if that.
Yet to learn the methods used by Lords and Imperial Knights, he could not rely on his strength. For that, he would need a proper foundation in the techniques that lay at the core of those methods. But so far, he had used his strength as a crutch, using it to avoid building the foundation he so desperately needed.
Now, however, the time had come to remedy that shortcoming and begin to create the proper foundation he still lacked.
Of course, one or two months wasn't nearly enough for such a task. But it should barely be sufficient to make a start in solidifying his foundation. Then, once he'd made that first step, he would have something to build on.
He forced himself to ignore the twinge of guilt he felt for leaving Kaleesh and the others behind, instead focusing on the path ahead. After all, if his efforts paid off, it would not just help Arran himself, but his companions as well.
All that remained now was to find a quiet place to practice.