"That may not be a bad thing." The black-robed figure chuckled.

"Hm?"

"Baldur's Gate collapsed, Underdark creatures invaded, and then the flood struck. Do you know how many people have died in the city? How many die every day? No one could count them all. Our opportunity has arrived! Ha!" His excitement mounted with every word.

He had just cast Speak with Dead on one of the slain Amnians and now knew everything that had happened in Baldur's Gate.

His companion's mouth fell open and his eyes widened, like a bear spotting honey. "Truly?!"

"Heh. You can question one yourself later."

His companion's lips curled upward, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Why don't we gather the faithful and hold a grand ritual? Perhaps our lord will answer us..."

—

More than ten minutes passed.

Anser retreated with the group to a high slope, where Bratt and Finn were waiting.

"Why did you stop running?" he asked in confusion.

"The Undead didn't pursue us. The Amnians broke out..." Finn quickly summarized what the gray eagle had discovered.

Apart from several Zombies still tirelessly following the scent of the living, the main Undead horde had remained focused on the Amnians.

The Amnians were not fools. They had broken out toward the camp partly to create chaos, but also because the lake lay in that direction.

They gathered their remaining strength for one final charge. Two of them ultimately broke through the encirclement and jumped into the lake.

The Undead did not let them go and continued the pursuit, but they could not swim. Skeletons sank to the bottom, while Zombies were too uncoordinated. They could not drown, but neither could they catch their prey.

In the end, the Undead left an Undead knight behind to hunt the two survivors. The main horde dragged away a heap of corpses and moved east in great numbers under the direction of the two black-robed figures.

Judging from their route, they were heading for Baldur's Gate.

"What kind of Undead knight was it? Was it fast?" Anser pressed.

"I didn't dare get close. Probably not as fast as Nornoth." Finn shook his head.

The gray eagle was a diurnal creature and could not see clearly at night. The enemy also had a bow, so it had not dared approach.

Anser stroked his chin, considering what he had heard.

The Undead's departure was within his expectations. This place had been exposed, and he was wearing a holy symbol. No matter how stubborn they were, they could hardly remain here and wait to die.

Undead damaged both the environment and commerce and were hated everywhere. A bounty from the Lords' Alliance, a major church, or a guild would be enough to attract people willing to exterminate them.

The Amnians' origins and intentions remained unclear, but how could anyone Evil-aligned be a good person?

With the greatest threat gone, Anser decided to inspect the lakeside. He might discover an unexpected prize.

"Have the gray eagle guide me."

"All right."

Anser mounted Nornoth and galloped southeast.

Before long, the gray eagle arrived. It circled above him once, then adjusted course slightly and led the way through the air.

Nornoth understood immediately, changed direction in perfect sync, and followed closely from the ground.

More than ten minutes later, a gleaming lake came into view.

Under the moonlight, two figures lingered in the center of the lake. One clung to a dead log, churning the water into a shattered silver mirror.

Onshore, a gray-white knight wandered back and forth with a bow in hand, eager for a shot.

'Clever enough.' Anser laughed inwardly.

The Amnians had clearly realized the other Undead were gone. With a mounted enemy waiting onshore, they simply hid in the center of the lake and refused to emerge.

They only needed to wait until dawn, and the Undead would naturally leave.

They were not having an easy time, however. The gray-white knight occasionally fired several arrows. Although the range was long, its accuracy was respectable, keeping them constantly on edge.

Anser slowed Nornoth and approached from the opposite side. The somewhat muffled hoofbeats immediately drew the attention of both the Amnians and the Undead knight.

When the Amnians made out the approaching rider in the moonlight, their faces brightened.

"Sir, do you remember me? We met during the day. That thing beside the lake is Undead. Help us destroy it, and I'll pay you a thousand gold pieces..."

Anser sneered. Even now, the man was playing tricks, trying to lure him into fighting an Undead of unknown strength.

He stopped beside the lake and focused on examining both parties.

[Amnian ** Elite, Dragonborn, Level 3 Barbarian (Berserker)]

[Amnian ** Captain, Human, Level 5 Fighter (Battle Master)]

[Skeletal Warhorse, Undead, Challenge Rating 1/2]

[Wight, Undead, Challenge Rating 3]

'Well, now. Even a Wight has appeared.'

The Skeletal Warhorse was nothing to fear. The true problem was the Wight.

Wights arose from the corpses of cold-blooded warriors and retained their memories from life. They were intelligent Undead, and a Humanoid slain by a Wight would rise as a Zombie under its control one day later.

Whether they were Wizards of the School of Necromancy or Clerics of Myrkul, spellcasters could control only a limited number of Undead. They especially favored creating and controlling Wights, then using them as the foundation for Undead armies.

When the two Amnians received no response, they began swimming toward Anser's side of the lake with the log, clearly attempting to force him into the battle.

The Wight immediately charged after them, brimming with menace.

Anser patted Nornoth's back. The steed turned and ran, circling the lakeshore.

When the Wight pursued, he fled. When it stopped, he stopped. Nornoth was faster, and the Wight could not catch him.

The two Amnians retreated sheepishly to the lake's center. They had entered the Wight's range and drawn two arrows. Without the log to block them, both men would already be corpses.

Anser remained patient and continued baiting the Wight. After several rounds, he had forced it to waste a considerable number of arrows.

He quietly spoke to Nornoth through their bond. 'Can you block its arrows?'

'Of course!' Nornoth was full of confidence.

Anser drew a deep breath. Magic surged as orange-red energy gathered in his chest and throat, creating an overwhelming urge to release it.

'I'm counting on you. Go!' He patted Nornoth's back and lowered his body at the same time.

Nornoth abruptly turned and charged the Skeletal Warhorse, his hooves beating the ground like a dense, rhythmic drumroll.

The Wight urged its mount into a countercharge and drew its longbow to the limit. As they closed, the string thrummed, and an arrow shrieked through the air.

Nornoth's sword-like neck plates unfolded backward in layers like petals or a folding fan. They formed half a cone that completely shielded Anser and the steed's body without leaving the slightest gap.

The arrow struck the armor at an extremely shallow angle and ricocheted away with a metallic scrape, leaving a deep gouge.

The Wight froze for an instant, then fired again. With a crack, the arrow shattered several scales before vanishing into the darkness.

It reached for another arrow, but its hand found nothing. Its quiver was empty.

Nornoth was already upon it. The Wight decisively drew its longsword, its true specialty.

It had barely assumed a stance when Nornoth suddenly changed direction and avoided the blade.

Just as the two mounts were about to pass several meters apart, Nornoth's neck plates snapped closed, revealing Anser with his mouth open wide.

Whoosh!

A blazing breath of dragonfire erupted and engulfed the Wight and Skeletal Warhorse with perfect accuracy.

The Wight was blasted directly from the saddle. The Skeletal Warhorse lost its balance, crashed down, and tumbled several times under its own momentum, scattering bones everywhere.

[...The Skeletal Warhorse was hit and took 16 Fire damage and 6 Bludgeoning damage. Fatal Blow. Target killed. Gained 100 Combat Experience.]

[...The Wight was hit and took 10 Fire damage and 4 Bludgeoning damage. Current Hit Points: 68/82...]

'Hm? Bludgeoning damage?' Anser was surprised.

Apparently, breathing fire while stationary and doing so during a charge produced different results. Or perhaps the enemy had simply fallen too hard.

This had been an experiment, and the result far exceeded Anser's expectations. Casting while mounted was difficult, but Dragon's Breath made it much simpler. The drawback was that he had to enter melee range.

Nornoth slowed, turned, and began another charge.

This time, the Wight had no mount!

Thank you to all my dear readers for your support and suggestions!

(End of Chapter)