A Game

As Dray turned to leave, I halted him with a request for information, overriding his instincts. "Set aside your mana sense, Dray, and tell me: how long do you estimate it will take the beastmen to reach here from the mines?"

Dray pondered for a moment before responding, "Perhaps around two days if they travel at normal speed."

With the confirmation aligning with my speculation, I couldn't afford to underestimate the swiftness of the beastmen. Their formidable physical prowess made a two-day estimate for their arrival all the more plausible. In contrast, if they were human adversaries, I might have allowed a longer timeframe, perhaps around four days.

"Prepare yourselves," I directed, a sense of urgency creeping into my tone.

For once, I attempted to outsmart myself, considering the possibility of a quicker advance by the enemy.

"Perhaps it won't take two days," I mused aloud, entertaining the notion of a more imminent threat. "Maybe a day is all they need to reach our gates."

Dray's r