The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family Chapter 376 376: Straight Lines in a Crooked World (8)

Reidar scanned the area to check his position against the landmarks, noting that because the tower was still visible through the ash, he was on the right track, luckily. He folded the map and put it away, having figured out what to do.

He turned his attention back to the Quadraginta, noticing that the mages sat on their horses, waiting; Reidar walked to the nearest horse and grabbed the reins, though the creature didn't react, and then pulled himself into the saddle as the horse adjusted under his weight.

He looked at the Quadraginta. "Follow . Stay close. If anything attacks , defend, even at the cost of your life."

Not that theirs was real life to begin with.

The mages nodded. Their glowing eyes tracked him, and their horses shifted, as they were ready to move.

Reidar kicked his mount forward, and the horse surged ahead, moving so fast it almost seed to glide over the ash-covered street, while the Quadraginta followed, forming a loose formation around him. The ruins blurred past as they rode, and Reidar kept his eyes on the path ahead, scanning for threats; the ash made visibility terrible, but at least it worked both ways, aning that if he couldn't see far, neither could the creatures hunting him.

Behind him, far behind, the ravens were still dying. He felt each death through the connection, a sharp pulse of feedback every ti one of them was destroyed.

[Your Summon (Apex Raven) has been destroyed.]

Three were left.

Reidar kept his mount moving at a steady pace, the spectral horse gliding over the cracked streets with hooves that made no sound while the Quadraginta followed behind him. He was heading toward the edge of the city, taking a route through the manufacturing district where the buildings were low and sprawling—factories, warehouses, and processing plants stretched out on either side of the road, most of them collapsed or gutted by fire, though a few still stood. Reidar checked the Vorathid Sky-Hunters' situation, noticing that the insects were still harassing the Ignis, diving at them to keep them distracted from the real prize—him—but it wasn't working as well as he'd hoped.

Through the insects' eyes, Reidar saw more and more of the monsters leaving the chase.