Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 186: Running against time(1)

Marthio's pov: 

A month had passed since the fall of the Gods' Finger, the ancient fortress that once seemed impregnable, now under the rebels. In that time, lord Marthio had wasted no moment in mounting his response. He had led his army down the Everlasting Road, an ancient stone route that carved through the empire's southern block from Romelia up to the Finger .

Remarkably, they had marched three-quarter of the entire length of it in just under ten days, a pace unheard of for such a large force. Over twenty-five kilometers each day, through rain, cold, and rough terrain — a feat that had pushed men and horses to their very limits.

The old commander had done everything in his power to ensure they would arrive in the north before it was too late. He knew very well that now that the Finger fell, the southern nobles would have no real reason not to flock to the second prince's side, which meant that the only way the young emperor could mantain power was to soundly defeat Mavius in battle.

Now, The Imperial army had built camp across the wide plains of Durbegicum.

The camp was a sea of tents and banners, fires flickering under the evening sky. In the center of it all stood the command tent — a large, imposing structure adorned with the imperial standard alongside that of Achea.