The stone town was not very large, so only the ministers and the Guards of the Grand Duke of Longinus were given access to the house to rest, while the rest of the soldiers and nobles were forced to camp outside the town. Walking twenty miles on a dirt road in the cost of nine hourglasses was more difficult for a group of newly formed infantry farmers than tending to the fields, so when Silver Moon cast the first veil-like light on the ground, the soldiers who had set up their tents and hastily finished their dinner immediately retreated into their tents, leaving only a part of the cavalry to stand guard around them.

The rainy season had left the ground soft and thin, but the soldiers had a way to deal with it. Everywhere branches and shrubs are cut off and laid on the ground, with a layer of fur or cloak to keep the body dry. But for the Grand Duke, who was mostly fertile farmland, there were simply not enough branches near the town, so a large number of soldiers had to find a place to lie down and rest. The Quaids and most of the regular legionnaires had sturdy tents made of several layers of thick linen, so they did not have to lie on the ground in tattered cloaks or furs, as the peasants did, and only the fire that swayed in the wind in the silent night gave a little sad warmth.

The number of Quaid mercenaries was still so high, no more than two hundred and forty. The Dragoninus were supposed to employ more than five hundred warriors, but the civil strife in Harusa prevented them from crossing the river. No caravans wanted to pass through an area full of robbers, especially since the section of the Fabrek River near Harusa was already infested with bandits. Without an easy fleet of transports, the barbarians had to walk around the land with the newly recruited one-third of the Mars infantry legions, even if the journey took them more than a natural month.

The Quaids were shocked by the size of the army, though most of the soldiers were not even in line. The Mars's sword-slaying infantry, known for their ferocity and fierceness, were also present in the dragon's back-wide ranks, all dressed in the same style of sleek, shiny chain mail and covered with long linen coats with gray eagle tattoos. The mercenaries were reluctant to hide their whereabouts, so they wore the god of war's pet, the Condor, which had pecked at the flesh of the gods, as a badge on their chests.

The huge slashing sword on his back, which was broad and more than five feet long, was removed and placed together. After stepping deep into the mud and smearing the dirty leather boots on the grass, the Mars men burrowed into the tent like soldiers. The standard tents of the army of Longinus could make half a dozen people sleep comfortably, but the rush of war made it not enough. The barbarians were only given twenty, but with the addition of private tents carried by a few officers, they could barely squeeze everyone out.

The fatigue and soreness of the march caused most soldiers to fall asleep quickly, except for those who walked around the sentry posts. Amid the snoring and dreaming of the peasants wafting across the wilderness, the silver moon soon slipped from east to west. Make room for the goddess of death, Avne, who has been transformed into a tear of blood by the Red Moon Ruilin Ace. Half-congealed blood-like light poured down from the sky, smearing on the damp and shiny ground without drying stains.

The wind in the night also became more powerful at this time, gently extinguishing the fire, which had no firewood, and then wrapped the warmth of the soldiers and left. The sleeping soldiers could only curl up with force and hold their cloaks or furs tightly. The sentinels, who had been patrolling back and forth for more than three hourglasses, also took the opportunity to change shifts, and they called their sleeping companions up, and quickly helped them take off their armor and lay down in the tent with a comfortable hum. The awakened cavalry could only get up with a curse, simply put on leather armor and went outside to soak his cheeks and hair with water. They didn't think the Harrisons would come and attack this huge army, like a caterpillar that wouldn't challenge a dragon with its teeth and claws.

The Quaid camp is on the north side of the town, outside of a large area of farmland. There is also a large area of arbor forest. The forest was dangerous and mysterious in the night, but the noble count in charge of the area did little to take precautions, not even to send a few more soldiers to the watchtower. There were more than 5,000 soldiers in the army here, but the thousands of guards of the nobles were just thin farmers who had just picked up their spears and threw away their hoes and sickles. The Quid ranks had been hidden in the center, but the barbarians, who did not like to be restrained, eventually moved to the edge, close to the cavalry-guarded posts.

Time slipped through his fingers like fine sand, when the Demon God's Eye began to shoot a black glow from the east. The dim stars in the sky became the source of light for the earth. Silence and darkness are the most feared things of mankind, because the Lord God has left a description of hell in the dictionary. There was only a glimmer of light from the darkness. It was quieter than the underworld where the undead roamed. Fear will seize you before you know it, until the beating veins stop flowing. ’

Intimidated by the darkness of the night, the sentinels quickly retreated to the flickering fire, telling each other the rudeest jokes to maintain their courage. They discussed the daring prostitutes of Pompeira's plebeian quarters, boasted of the taverns' maids' silk-smooth ivory skin, and even the cavalry couldn't help but miss the coquettish lady of a few days ago. Many nobles fled back to Pompeira from the south, but the muddy roads and swift Harrison cavalry cost them most of their wealth. Some wealthy nobles were able to live on their possessions in Pompeira. But more of the lesser nobles had to rely on others for help. Those who still didn't want to put down the aristocratic shelves needed enough coins, so the knights of the North or the West with steel coins in their pockets became the target of the noblewomen, even if they had been called 'hillbillies' in the most contemptuous terms.

As soon as he began to paint the plump body in all the beautiful words that could come to mind, the sentinels immediately fixed their eyes on the companion in silence. "She had long, silky flaxen hair as slender as a vine, and a white and hot face as a dragon's sacred stone. The pair of pink lips are soft and **, and the blue eyes are rippling with melting sweetness. Even now, I still have that amazing smoothness on my fingertips, and the passionate panting echoes in my ears. The cavalryman untied the belt of his sword that was tightening around his waist, stretched his shoulders, and then clasped it again and deliberately pursed his lips.

The sentinels, who were listening in fascination, did not want to lose their fun, so they clamored for their companions to continue, for it was difficult for the average person to imagine the noble ladies moaning and gasping for breath in bed. The cavalryman cleared his throat vigorously, took a few sips of water from a recruit who had taken the initiative to hand him a scoop. "I still remember her slender waist that was as flexible and powerful as a water snake. The taste was like being taken to the kingdom of God with a smile from the platinum dragon god. The sentry laughed and reopened his mouth until a stubby crossbow shot through his throat.

Crossbow arrows followed suit, sending the cavalry to the ground in a torrential rain. The sentries around the fire in the dark were visibly clumsy like fat pigs, and they had left their chainmail in their tents because of the trouble. The crossbows used by the Harrison and Dragonus armies were powerful but difficult to wind, so when a rain of arrows knocked down half a dozen cavalrymen, the 'blue cattle' who had been lying in ambush immediately rushed forward and brutally hacked the soldiers who were still alive.

The cavalry, awakened by the screams in the tent, quickly got up, but by the time they were armed and tried to rush out, the Harrison had already dropped their torches onto the tent. Some of the damp linen cloth was lit by the grease torches and immediately spread in all directions, causing the cavalry to charge out in even more panic, even if they guessed that it would be a glittering knife with a handle.

The closest to this outpost are the Quid. Riga, who had been in his cell for two days, was not so eager to sleep, so the hunter immediately rushed out of the tent with a scream as the flames swelled and spread in the distance. The cool, moist air and flying insects of the night immediately poured into their throats, but before the barbarians could spit out the mosquitoes that had been sucked into their mouths, they tripped over the bucket in front of them. Even colder water splashed on his face and beard, and the warrior covered in stinking mud got up from the ground, soberly and muddy, and then escaped into the darkness with a spear in hand.

The barbarian warriors, who were not accustomed to sleep, quickly got up from the ground, wrapped themselves in cloaks, and rushed to the wooden outpost. The townsfolk built a half-guard tower around it, but now unfortunately the third one has been destroyed. The first two were destroyed by the Harrison Rangers who had appeared a few days earlier, even though there were no soldiers in the wooden watchtower at the time.

The Black Moon shrouded everything on the land in shadow, so the running barbarians didn't make it easy for them to reach the Burning Tower. He fell several times on the road, to the point of appearing like a ghost shrouded in darkness when he appeared among the corpses all over the ground. The ground in the watchtower was covered with corpses and blood, weapons and wooden barrels and scoops containing water were thrown in the mud, burning wood and hot ashes fell, and there was a loud and piercing 'snort' sound in the puddles on the ground.

"The samurai of the barbarians. A cry of weakness tore through the silence of the battlefield, and then a dying cavalryman raised his hand and pushed down the spear beside him to make Riga pay attention to himself. "It's the Harrisons, they attacked us and captured ......" the sentry tried to continue, but the crossbow bolt that pierced the veins in his neck made him stop, and he collapsed with blood foaming from his mouth after a 'gurgling' sound came out of his throat.

The hunter walked up to him and crouched down, pulled the bolt from his neck, and watched in the shadows of the flickering flames. With a wide feather feather on the tail and a sharp and heavy steel arrow at the top, the dried cedar soaked in vegetable oil is firm and lightweight. The Quaid dropped their refined crossbow bolts on the ground and hid in the shadows in a serious manner, following the bloody wind that had not yet completely dissipated into the forest.

This is a group of powerful and experienced enemies, so much so that the barbarian hunters have to treat them with the most solemn attitude.

ps: Let's change first, the latter one should be at one or two o'clock in the morning, everyone should wash and sleep first. (To be continued......)