Chapter 65: Five Weeks
Five weeks went by, and the ninth month of the year had arrived. The Bloodstone Archers under Kaelor’s command had been deployed to Ivory Hills after yet another brutal assault, one that claimed even more than the lives of sheep due to the insufficient number of guards posted there.
The bats that surged from the dark skies were relentless, overwhelming the defenders with sheer numbers.
But constant battle had a way of sharpening the soul.
The Bloodstone Archers had been tempered by the conflict, their bowmanship honed by necessity. With every confrontation, their accuracy improved, their reflexes sharpened, and their teamwork became instinctual. Each return to camp was a testimony to survival, most times, with bandaged wounds and bloodied garments, but also with unyielding resolve. The bats, once a terror, had become an outlet to quench their rising bloodlust.
Soren’s swift rise with the archers did not go unnoticed. It spurred Hound into action, pushing him to hasten the strengthening of his own ranks. He roamed the wilds until he gathered a formidable pack of direwolves, using their ferocity to transform the loyal Guardsmen into a formidable ground force. Once fused, the Dreadclaws were thrust into brutal training, sword, claw, tooth, and shield, until their strength and cohesion matched the might of the Bloodstone Archers.
Both elite units prepared themselves for the inevitable clash with the Baron’s forces. That was their purpose.
"Morning, my lord! How was your night?"
Kaelor, walking past the blue stone-ringed well, paused as Elsa’s cheerful voice drifted toward him. He turned, offering a small wave in return.
"I’m alive and well," he replied with a calm nod. After more than three months in this world, he had grown far more accustomed to its rhythm, the weight of command, the uncertainty of survival, the quiet pride of progress.
Looking around, he found himself taking in the transformed heart of Redwood Town.