The Valley of Beasts 2

"How are things going?" Kazak asked as Damian placed two injured soldiers in the temporary infirmary beyond the valley entrance.

He and his unit had a few hours to recover their strength; Royce and the others were holding the frontlines, though retreating with each step. It was a good idea to engage them far from the valley entrance, even if they had to give up the open land to fight in a forest. 

"Not good. How much more time do we need? I don't think they can hold them off much longer," Damian replied.

"Should we join?" Kazak asked, glancing toward the distant forest where the battle raged.

"Let's wait until Royce calls for us," Damian said, offering a water skin to an injured first-rank pugilist in his unit. He cast an advanced healing spell on the soldier's worst injuries to give him a fighting chance.

"You can heal, too?" Kazak asked, raising an eyebrow.