Chapter 253: Seeing the Signs (2/2)
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With a sigh that was almost reminiscent of satisfaction, the Death Knight finally collapsed. Although she'd proven dangerous when he fought her alone, with the assistance of the blonde haired woman called Cariel, Brenden was able to bring her down in short order.
While the undead warrior had proven fully capable of defending herself from both attackers, something about the golden aura which surrounded Cariel had seemed to weaken her every time they exchanged blows.
The skill wasn't something he'd ever seen before, but he guessed it could be categorized as some kind of Divine Magic. Eventually, the Death Knight had no longer been able to keep up, and was dealt a lethal blow from Brenden's sword.
”Alight! That was great as a warm up fight.” The blonde haired warrior exclaimed, then cocked her head to one side and stared off into the distance.
”What? What's the matter?” Julia asked while coming up to stand beside her.
”Hm...It feels like one of the undead is getting stronger...or just getting serious? Maybe? Anyway, I think I need to go over there now.”
”Huh?” The cat beastman asked while glancing at Brenden. ”After all that, you just want to leave? Weren't we here as part of your mission? What was the point of coming to this part of the battlefield?”
”Wasn't it to fight strong enemies?” Cariel replied with a matter of fact tone that suggested Julia was crazy for thinking otherwise. She twitched and looked back at the battlefield again, this time staring at a strange black cloud that had formed while they were talking. ”Whoops. Looks like I need to go now.”
With that, she simply started running, not bothering to check to see if her companion was following. Julia, for her part stared after her for a few moments, raised her hands as if she was imagining throttling something, and then sighed. ”Hah...that idiot.” She glanced over at Brenden and pointed at him. ”If I survive this, I want to meet with your friend. He's got a few things to answer for.”
Not waiting for an answer she took off after Cariel while yelling over her shoulder, ”You better not try to get away.”
[Well, whatever. I guess I'll just deal with it once the battle's over.] He thought to himself before looking over at his followers. They'd already finished off the remaining undead in the area, and were now clear to move on.
Fang, who'd naturally fallen into the position of his second in command, walked over. ”What's the plan, Boss? We still trying to meet up with the folks in the fort? Seems like their a little occupied at the moment.”
Although their side was quiet, Brenden could still hear the sounds of combat raging to the north and west. Judging from the conspicuous lack of a large flying reptile, he figured that Mike was operating in another sector.
”We need an accurate picture of what's going on, and we can't do that without understanding the battle plan.” He replied while walking towards the fort.
[Why am I getting a bad feeling?]
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Mike stared at the corpse for a few moments as he contemplated all the possible implications and hidden motives such an offer might entail. It was appealing on the surface.
Even when considering who the other side was, its not as if he was disinclined to fulfill the corpse's request. In all likelihood, he would have ended up fighting Kultanis anyway, and if he was as dangerous as they made out, Mike would need all the help he could get.
However, it almost seemed too convenient. Here he was, about to launch his own attack on the enemy headquarters, and all of a sudden a mysterious stranger appears to offer him assistance. A stranger, by the way, who claims to be the creation of the legendary Archlich. In exchange for simply following through with his original intent, they brought out one of the most lethal fighters Mike had ever tangled with and suggested that she be used to deliver the final blow.
It was just too smooth, too coincidental. Even his luck didn't operate like this.
[Could he have planned things up to this point? If so, what's his goal? Either way, I don't think I can trust them.] He thought before signalling Red to approach. It was time for him to get back into the thick of it.
”I decline.” He answered simply, provoking a look of shock from both the corpse and the Prime Minister. Even the assassin seemed a bit surprised, albeit briefly.
”That's troubling.” The shard of the Archlich murmured. ”Won't you reconsider? As it stands now, you will be hard pressed to even deal with Kultanis before he completes the ritual. If you try to fight him after he succeeds, it will only lead your destruction.”
The Prime Minister jumped in, ”He's right. This is too big of a challenge for you. Only by working with them does Almir have a chance of survival. Quite simply, we need them.”
Listening to their shock, Mike felt convinced that the he'd made the right decision. Any further protests were drowned out as Red slammed into the ground next to him, raising a cloud of dust which momentarily blinded them. Without wasting any more time, he started climbing onto the dragon's back.
Once seated, he looked back down at the trio, and yelled down to them. ”I don't know what you are planning, but I cannot trust you. Fear not, though. I will take down this Skull Lord of yours and put an end to his ambitions, but I will do it on my own.”