Three hours later, close to noon, Soren and another apprentice Political Commissar reached the area near the forest. But as far as they could see, there was nothing but wilderness. No forest in sight.
Soren checked their position again and again. If they were in the right place, did that mean the Map was wrong?
At least they had learned something the others hadn't. If the forest didn't exist, could the other locations marked on the Map be wrong too...?
Soren looked back over the Cavalry, sweat beading on their foreheads.
The temperature had risen seven or eight degrees since they set out. Standing under the sun was already growing uncomfortable.
Their first priority was to cool the unit down.
The Map showed a stream a few miles away... Should he trust it or change plans?
"It's so hot..."
A murmur of unrest rose from the soldiers behind him. Soren decided to keep moving away from their destination and look for the stream.
The vegetation was thick across this wilderness. There had to be water somewhere. Even if the Map was inaccurate, the stream couldn't be too far from where it was marked.
The other apprentice Political Commissar faced the same problem. "It's so hot..." Hearing the complaints from his unit, he made the same decision as Soren.
After another hour on the march, the two parched, listless units reached the stream's marked location one after the other.
Before them stretched an endless expanse of Emerald Plains.
Was the faulty Map part of the trial too?
Soren passed the error-riddled Map around, told the soldiers it was unreliable, and urged them to stay calm. Just then, a scout ran back from up ahead with word that several hundred Ratfolk had been spotted.
Soren perked up and turned to the others.