Chapter 341 (1/2)

“Orders are to pull back a little,” Decklan said casually, stepping effortlessly around the first strike of the Skeleton Captain and shattering its spine with the hilt of his dagger. “Keep them in sight, but stop engaging them so seriously.”

Dozer just grunted, leveling 8 skeletons with a single swing, then stepped forward and did it again. But based on the time they had spent together, Decklan could sense that there was more of a questioning lean to this grunt.

“Apparently we have something big planned for this group. All we need to do is keep them slowed,” Decklan said, his skepticism clear in his tone. “Apparently a big hitter is showing up.”

Again, Dozer grunted, but this time, after annihilating another portion of the skeleton army, he put the large club he used now, forged out of the thigh of an ogre, against his shoulder. They considered the fleeing skeletons before them.

The group had been annoyingly well trained, and had managed to keep the combination of Dozer and Decklan’s squads from just ripping them to shrewds. Usually the mix of decisive power and shrewd strikes would chip away at their opponents’ resolve and ability to resist, but the Skeleton Knight’s forces were all so replaceable, that there weren’t enough pieces that they could strike at to break them.

Plus, the enemies with group were a high enough level that they gave Decklan’s squad paused, and it was simply too hectic to press through here. Morosely, Decklan once more wished that Thorn had agreed to come North with him. If that guy was here, these skeletons…

“So we wait?” Dozer’s voice was flat.

“We babysit,” Decklan said, echoing the sentiment. They both gave the orders, and their men continued to harass, but stopped pursuing so directly. Bored, Decklan spun his dagger across his fingers, watching the skeletons recognizing the difference in treatment, and slowing, almost to see what was going to happen next. There was clearly someone intelligent at the center of the formation, moving them around.

Decklan showed his teeth. If he had a few more minutes… well, it’s too late, orders were orders. Now Decklan couldn’t wait to see how Mrs. Hamilton was going to pull a victory out of this one. Especially since…

They were now reaching the edge of the narrow valley, and more and more skeletons were pouring down, filling the mouth to blockade the pursuit. Although Dozer would undoubtedly be able to make a hole, there was basically nothing that could stop the man in a direct charge at this point, there would be a huge amount of numbers that would drown them out past that mouth.

So how-

Decklan stilled. The ground was rumbling. In a way that for a moment, made him believe that Thorn was here. But this vibration wasn’t the same, more shallow, but swiftly increasing in volume. His eyes flicked to the side as he noticed a new message.

“Clear a path,” Decklan said in a low voice, his eyes narrowing as he looked behind them, from the way they came, where the rumbling was coming from. Dozer heard the words, and repeated it, and the squads moved to the side.

Decklan did his best to sharpen his gaze, pushing his skills and Perception to the limit, but the twilight was fading to true darkness, and it was impossible for even his System augmented eyes to find what was coming.

Then all at once, it was here.

A huge monster, a thick traincar almost, that resolved itself into a bone wurm, was sliding down the valley almost as if the ground was iced and greased. Instantly, his instincts screamed to dodge, but it was simply too fast, and it was upon them within seconds, roaring forward, the ground shaking with the momentum of their passage.

But out of the corner of Decklan’s eye, he saw a hand, reaching out, stretching for him. Decklan blinked.

Almost against his will, he reached out his hand in return. The jolt of force as he was grabbed and pulled twisted his shoulder almost to the limit of his body, but abruptly he found himself sitting on the back of the wurm. The wind was howling past, keeping Decklan from being able to get a grip on what was happening, but then, abruptly, the noise cut off, and there was a relative amount of silence.

“Mana Shields work well enough, but they break after a few seconds. Just need to keep them on rotation, so we can talk.” A voice said, low and deep and almost awkward sounding.

Dozer’s grunt brought Decklan back to himself. And also, focus his attention to a point, fixated on that voice. Even as he removed a potion from his pack, his eyes were gazing at the man sitting at the head of this bone wurm.

He was sitting casually, as if they weren’t moving at over 70 mph. Long, unruly black hair to his shoulders. Bare feet. A spear made of woven roots. Piercing emerald eyes. The Ghosthound.

“You…” Decklan said, almost at a loss for words. Luckily, it seemed Dozer retained more of his sense, and was able to speak.

“Welcome back.” Then, as if this covered all of the emotions that one would feel after a 6 month reunion with the man who had saved all of their lives, Dozer continued. “What’s the plan boss?”