Chapter 315: Frantic Chase

The other half turned toward Darion. They would follow their master.

Darion looked at Seren. "Stay with me."

Seren didn’t hesitate. She gave him a small smile. "Sure."

Darion nodded. Then he summoned his original undead wolf.

Green light erupted beside him. The massive creature materialized. Its body was tense. Its glowing green eyes locked onto Darion. Darion grabbed its fur. "Let’s go."

He climbed onto its back. Seren immediately climbed on behind him, wrapping one arm around him to steady herself. The wolf lowered its body. Then—

BOOM!

It launched forward.

The undead wolf moved like a beast possessed. Its massive legs slammed into the ground as it raced through the streets.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Buildings blurred past them. Darion leaned forward. Seren held tightly onto him. The wolf jumped over a pile of debris. BOOM! It landed hard and immediately accelerated again.

A market stall appeared directly ahead. The wolf didn’t slow down. CRASH! Wood exploded everywhere. People screamed and scattered.

Darion didn’t stop. He could see Dross and Caef in the distance. They were running toward a stable.

"They’re going for horses!"

Seren looked ahead. "I see them!"

Darion urged the wolf forward. "Faster!"

The undead creature responded. Its speed increased.

Dross and Caef were almost at the stable. Seren pulled her bow from her shoulder. She didn’t need Darion to tell her what to do. She drew an arrow. Pulled the string back. Aimed.

The distance was difficult. The movement was chaotic. But Seren was Seren. She released.

THWIP!

The arrow flew through the night. Dross suddenly cried out. "AH!" The arrow struck his leg. His body stumbled. He nearly fell.

"Chief!" Caef grabbed him before he hit the ground. "Keep moving!"

Dross gritted his teeth. "My leg..."

"Forget your leg!" Caef pulled him forward. "We need to get out!"

They reached the stable.

Caef kicked the stable door open. BANG! Inside were several horses. He immediately spotted the largest one. A massive black stallion. Its muscles were thick. Its eyes were wild.

Caef grabbed its reins. "Come on!"

The horse resisted for a moment. Caef pulled harder. "Move!" Finally, it surged forward. Caef threw Dross onto its back. Then climbed up behind him.

"GO!"

The stallion bolted. Its hooves hammered against the ground. THUD! THUD! THUD!

Darion emerged from the street just in time to see them disappear around a corner. His eyes widened. That horse was fast. Really fast.

The undead wolf accelerated after it. Darion tightened his grip.

Then a system notification appeared.

[Get Chief Dross and you end the war.]

[It is tradition that if you kill their leader, you stop a war.]

Darion’s jaw tightened. He stared at the fleeing horse. "Then I’ll kill him."

He kicked the wolf forward. "Faster!"

The undead wolf surged ahead. The chase was on.

The black stallion raced toward the outer gate. Behind it, the undead wolf pounded through the streets. The distance between them slowly began to shrink. But the horse was fast. Too fast. And the outer gate was getting closer.

The chase continued.

The black stallion tore through the streets of Vrethka, its hooves pounding against the ground as Caef desperately pushed it forward. Dust and debris flew up behind them, scattering across the cobblestones. The horse moved like a creature born for speed, its body low and powerful, its muscles rippling with each stride.

Behind them, Darion’s undead wolf followed.

Its massive legs slammed into the streets with every stride, the impact shaking the ground. Its green eyes glowed in the darkness, fixed on the fleeing horse with unwavering focus.

The wolf had been Darion’s first summoned mount, the original undead creature he had raised from death. It had carried him through forests, across battlefields, and through dangers that would have killed any ordinary animal. It was fast. Faster than any living wolf. Faster than most horses.

And yet the stallion was matching it.

Darion stared at the fleeing horse, his mind racing.

’What type of horse is that?’

He had seen fast horses before. Valdenmoor’s stables had produced some of the finest steeds in the region. The horse he had taken to Jiopk had been well-fed, well-bred, and fast. But this stallion? This was something else entirely. It moved with a power and grace that seemed almost supernatural. Its strides were long, its balance perfect, its stamina seemingly endless.

Darion’s undead wolf was faster than any living animal he had ever encountered. It didn’t tire. It didn’t feel pain. It didn’t slow down. And yet the horse was keeping pace. Matching them stride for stride.

’That’s not normal.’

He made a mental note to investigate later. If there were horses this fast in the world, he wanted to know where they came from. Maybe they could be useful. Maybe Percvale could breed them. Maybe—

He shook the thought away. Not now. Focus on the chase.

The distance between them was shrinking. Slowly. But surely.

"Come on!" Caef shouted. He kicked the horse again. "Faster!"

The stallion responded with another burst of speed. For a moment, it seemed like they might actually escape.

Then they reached the market. A much larger market this time actually.

The horse crashed straight through a market stall.

CRASH!

Wood splintered. Boxes flew through the air. Pieces of the stall scattered across the street like shrapnel. Caef barely managed to stay on, his body lurching forward, his hands gripping the reins with white-knuckled desperation. Dross clung to him from behind, his wounded leg trailing uselessly, his face twisted with pain and terror.

"Keep going!"

The horse didn’t slow. It couldn’t. The market became a blur of destruction as it plowed through one stall after another. A cart of vegetables exploded. A stand of fabrics tore apart. A display of pottery shattered into a thousand pieces. The street behind them was a trail of wreckage.

Behind them, Darion’s wolf reached the wreckage.

Instead of stopping, the massive undead creature jumped. Its body sailed over the broken stall with impossible grace...