As the day wore down, the group found themselves at the far side of the region, much too far to work their way back to base before dark. That was almost certainly a deliberate effort on the part of the Captain, but nobody in the unit really minded.
They had taken six Ascended and a Commander Rank trophy today, and if Hawk's scouting was right, there was a chance to get two more Commander Rank monsters in the morning.
Without Karl's team, that would never happen for them, but it would be a potent reminder of the dangers of an incompetent leader when they brought them back to camp.