The journey south.

Leaving mid day was definitely the best decision you could have made. Sure it started off fairly hot but you knew the sun was slowly setting and by the time you got into the heart of the desert the sun would be down, allowing you to continue your travels through the desert at night.

You had to keep a steady, somewhat slow pace because not everybody had tigers or horses. Many warriors still had to walk which means you didn't want to go too fast or else they may struggle or fall behind. The entire time, you lead the pack, Ashe by your side.

"I always forget how boring this march can actually be." Ashe says to you.

"Yeah, two days of marching...pretty awful." you look over at your Sunrider "But at least after tonight we should be out of the desert, then we can take a break."

"Should be able to reach the Turth River, maybe set up a small camp there, then rest, eat, sleep, relax for half a day, then continue the rest of the way?"

"Figured that would work out well. That's kind of what I was thinking, either the Turth river or find some lake nearby." You were hoping that after over half a day of marching you would reach the river, unless any unforeseen consequences came up.

The march itself was quite boring, but the company and the views were nice. Ashe and yourself continued to shoot the shit the entire way, learning more and more about each other.

As the sun set the entire Syndicate army continued to march through the barren desert, getting closer and closer to their destination. The crescent moon and the stars shining bright and guiding the way.

"Look." Ashe got your attention, pointing off in the distance. "Reflection off the river I believe."

It was still quite a ways off but at least you could now see the Turth river in the distance. You've probably been marching constantly for well over half a day now, only taking a handful of little breaks to let people sit down and rest. It'll feel nice to finally get to the river. Rinse off in the river, get some food, water and a decent nap.

"That's what..." you ponder "Another...hour away with the speed we're going."

"Mhmm..." Ashe replies "Sounds about right...."

You take a deep breath, exhaling slowly after that. "By the looks of it, we'll have a few hours of darkness til the Sun will be starting to come up by the time we get there...but that will work out well."

"Throw a hood up to shield your eyes, sleep will come easy after such a long march."

"Plus we rest for about eight to ten hours, then continue our march down towards Murnic. That means another fourteen or so hours before we reach that city, which means we can ransack the place right before the Sun gets up."

"Smart smart." Ashe nods.

"Then rest in Murnic...then another ten hour march or so to Rathkin." you let out a huff of air "So much marching...ugh."

"Yup, long and boring rides..." Ashe replies.

You just groan, your ass starting to hurt a little bit from riding on your tiger the entire way. You can only imagine how other warriors must feel, their legs stiff and sore, they bodies getting dehydrated. You can't wait to get to the river and take a much needed rest. "Only another hour..." you mumble out.