Chapter: 824

Suddenly one of the knights pushed the other one in the back, giving it the momentum to instantly send it running.

The intelligent sword-shield wielding knight shot out, bashing away a stray swing with its shield and escaping the skeleton formation.

It was determined - and based on it’s direction it was going back to its nest, or whatever these things had for a home, undoubtedly to warn its brethren.

“Fuck.” Jay pursed his lips.

He had to stop it at all costs yet only sent Handy after it - he could tell that the other knight was looking for an escape too, so having the other skeletons guard them was a necessity.

The problem was that Handy couldn’t catch it by itself, it was fast but could only hinder its movement.

While his bone helminth had an [Ensnare] ability, which would snare it for a second, there was no way it would be able to enter the earth through the tangled web of roots below.

Jay was left with only one option - to chase it himself.

Jumping from cover, Jay stashed his sword and shield in his inventory and began dashing across the root-covered forest, making sure he didn’t trip while nimbly stepping over each root.

Without all the heavy armor, Jay was faster - faster still was Handy who was already wildly swinging its two-handed sword down on the knight’s back, being met with the cling of the heavy armor in return.

(Aim for the back of its knees) Jay ordered to Handy, though it was easier said than done, and the knight was not slowing down.

Jay sprinted, flying across the roots with all the speed his legs could give him.

“I can’t let it escape, I can’t let it fucking escape” he grit his teeth.

If the parasite-infested knights knew of his presence in this dungeon, it would make things immeasurably harder.

What would be a few days would turn into weeks - and in this dungeon with mass starvation and parasites, who knows how long until the food would run out? Jay only had a few days of food in the first place, and the villages would only last so long before everything would be covered in these creeping roots.

Not to mention that two weeks here would result in nearly one and a half days passing in the real world, and there was no telling if the mage hunters would catch up to him by then.

Plus, Heavy was still guarding Asra outside the dungeon - would she even bother to wait for Jay? He still had her blood-fueled compass, so at least that would keep her around for a while, but what of her wrath?

As Jay ran he completely ignored the fight which broke out between the four skeletons and the three knights behind him.

The one intelligent knight was effectively using its two-handed sword and covering the backs of its kin, locking them all into a drawn out struggle, buying as much time as possible for the escapee.

Jay was closing in on the armored knight, but as he neared the back of its hulking armor he wondered how he would stop it.

“Do I try to pull it back and slow it down, or push it, sending it toppling forwards and face-planting?”

A nudge forward would only serve to speed it up, so it would have to be powerful.

Jay dismissed the option of sending his sword into its spine - he did not have the practice that the skeletons did with pushing it through the armor gaps.

From Jay’s perspective it seemed like an unstoppable steel-skin bull; a lot of force would be needed just to either knock it over or slow it down.

When Jay was close enough to try something, he was already out of earshot from the fight he left behind. Despite its heavy armor, it had already covered a lot of ground through the forest.