Chapter 323 (2/2)

“We go forward!” Vandal chimed in, sniffing the air. “Someone over there is a good cook.”

Iznock nodded slowly, and the group of 13 walked forward, heading towards the fire. As they came closer, more and more figures around the fire spread away… slipping into the blind spots that the fire left in the approaching group’s eyes.

“Welcome, friends.” A low male voice with a southern twang said. “What brings the East End Village folk over here? And with a skeleton lieutenant, no less.”

Copper said nothing, stepping forward. “I could ask you the same, warriors of Donnyton. What is Squad 13 doing so far North?”

Once they were close, Copper’s worst fears were confirmed. There was no mistaking the craftsmanship of the armor, or its quality. These were weapons forged in Donnyton. And with so many of them gathered together, moving as a unit, that could only mean…

One of the squads had come North, without anyone being aware of it. But the fact that they allowed Copper and his group to come close meant they didn’t care if they were being discovered. Or were they just confident in eliminating their group…? No, that didn’t sound right. From every report they received, Donnyton’s squads were methodical and no nonsense. Arrogance didn’t factor into their decisions.

Still, the fact that it was the 13th squad wasn’t surprising. Most of the top 10 were held up by the Skeleton Knight’s offensive, although it didn’t seem like either side would lose soon. Although it wasn’t steep, there was a drop off in power after the X squad, simply due to the powerful equipment that the higher squads received.

There were also other reasons that a squad didn’t enter into the top 10. In this case, Copper suspected this particular squad was more fearsome than their ranking indicated; they were simply the type of squad to be weaker at direct confrontation.

Two figures stepped forward, their faces hidden in shadow with the fire behind them. The man with the southern twang spoke again. “So we’re both a bit away from home… but I think we have dibs on this here spot. Why don’t y’all move on?”

The threat was clear in his voice. The low sound of metal sliding across leather as squad 13 drew their weapons around their group gave weight to it. And yet…

Stepping forward, Copper produced an item from his bag that he didn’t expect to be his best weapon in this situation. “Before we go, would anyone care for a game of chess?”

There was silence. And then a snort.

“You’ve done your homework, skeleton boy. Weird, we don’t know anything about you. I’ll go for a game.” If Copper had a body, he would have been sweating, and the voice eased some of his worries. Clarissa, the Weather Witch, one of the top movers and shakers of Donnyton, walked forward with interest as she looked at Copper.

She gave the others a glance. “Interesting, interesting. What a unique crew you have here…”

Trailing off, Clarissa took a moment to look at each individual in turn, even the normal guards. In her eyes, it was clear she was activating some sort of skill, and was able to see through their strength in an instant. At least, that is what it appeared to be to Copper, and from Vandal’s expression, the younger boy had a similar foreboding when he looked at this opponent.

“You...are the one who created these thunder wards?” Iznock said abruptly, the burning sockets of his skull locked on Clarissa.

She shrugged. “Secret. But I’d be interested in hearing how you detected it…”

Iznock said nothing, folding his arms. Clarissa seemed to have expected as much, so she turned to Copper once more. “Well, your intel is good. I play games against my better interest. Join us for dinner? Your group can stay as long as we are playing. If you win, I’ll tell you what we are doing up in your neck of the woods. You’re wondering right? If you lose… we need a bit of information from you skeletons. What’s the Skeleton Knight’s Regalia?”

Clarissa smiled. It was strange, she just looked like a middle aged female librarian. And yet the air around her was abruptly getting cold, a thin mist spreading out from her. “Fair deal right? What do you say?”

Copper turned to look at Iznock, who remained still. After a few seconds, Vandal took a deep breath through his nose, smelling once more the cooking. Even Copper could sense, although he had no desire for food, how well made the stew they were cooking was.

When it became clear Iznock would not act, Copper said. “Alright, you have yourself a deal.”