Khan's sudden advance made the teams hurry forward. The Thilku had difficulty advancing in that slippery environment while maintaining their battle formation, and getting to the big passage worsened their situation.
The river was vast, but the passage was even bigger, featuring sidewalk-like roads at its sides. Yet, those paths were slightly narrow for the Thilku, forcing them to abandon their battle formations to advance in lines of two.
The march grew even slower due to that additional hindrance. The troops didn't want to swim to the other side of the river either to avoid splitting their forces, and breaks happened once the darkness became unbearable.
The soldiers quickly rearranged the lamp-wielders to add clarity to the area and resume their advance, but anxiety began to spread. They were blind in enemy territory, and their scanners could prove themselves useless underground.
