163 Fear

Snowcloud looked at Arran as if he'd gone insane.

"You want to fight them?!"

Arran shook his head. "I want to kill them."

"You can't…" Snowcloud's voice trailed off, and she cast a glance at the city. "You found something in the temple?"

"I failed to reach it," Arran replied, then added, "But I gained some benefits from trying."

"But there are—" Snowcloud began, but suddenly, her eyes went wide and her expression turned panicked. "They're here," she said in a soft voice.

When Arran looked, he saw that a large group of people had emerged from the tree line. There seemed to be at least thirty, and they were just a few hundred paces removed from him and Snowcloud.

Despite his earlier confidence, Arran could not help but feel some apprehension when he saw the group. Aside from being more numerous than he had expected, they seemed almost eerily calm, moving with a fluid certitude as they approached.