Chapter 225 – Carry On.

“LET ME OUT, YOU STUPID MINION, YOUR MASTER COMMANDS YOU TO!”

“Be quiet and stop squirming around in me, you’re just making this more difficult than it has to be!”

Rusty replied in an annoyed tone to the necromancer trapped inside his body. The man was not especially strong, but his constant movement made Rusty sluggish. Under normal circumstances, the paladin standing before him would have been an easy target. Now, with the necromancer interfering from within, Rusty was taking hits from the hammer and being driven back.

The bridge shifted again as the paladin advanced, boots biting into the planks while he raised his hammer for another crushing blow. Rusty met the strike head-on, shield braced, twilight energy rippling across his frame as metal rang against holy steel. The impact drove him back half a step, and the ropes groaned.

“LET ME OUT THIS INSTANT!”

Vesperus shrieked, his voice echoing hollowly inside Rusty’s frame. His current summoner was unaware of what was happening outside and that if he continued to squirm around even more, he would get both of them killed.

“Shut up already and let me fight!”

Rusty responded with growing annoyance as he activated his weight increasing skill to keep the man inside him restrained. Coupled with the boost to his attributes from his twilight energies, he charged forward without caring about any blows he might receive.

His enemy swung a sledgehammer at him, but with his increased weight, Rusty simply plowed through the attack. The paladin was forced back, and both of them flew to the far side of the bridge, where the footing was far more stable. The man slammed into one of the poles holding the bridge in place and, as he rebounded, was struck again by Rusty’s shield.

‘There. We are on the other side. Now I can get the rest of them off my back.’

He quickly switched weapons. His sword was returned to storage, and he drew his halberd. It crackled with lightning energy as it delivered the final blow to the paladin, who was still recovering from the shield strike. Once the troublesome foe was dealt with, Rusty turned and aimed his halberd at the rope with all his might.

“No, stop him, he is cutting the rope!”

The paladins, still trapped on the bridge, screamed as they saw him hacking at the thick ropes that held the swaying structure together. Some turned and fled, while a few continued to charge forward. Rusty ignored them and kept chopping with all his strength until the rope finally snapped, sending one side of the bridge tipping over.

For half a moment, nothing happened. Then the bridge screamed. The severed end whipped free, wooden planks snapping and tilting as the entire structure angled sideways. Paladins lost their footing almost instantly. One man started praying as he slipped, his fingers clasped around the rope that had not been severed. Another tumbled down as the left side folded in on itself.

For a moment, Rusty watched a couple of paladins fall into the chasm, but he quickly turned to the remaining rope and started swinging. At this point, the paladins still clinging to the bridge continued moving. On the far side, two ropes were still holding, and many of them managed to escape before the second rope was cut and the bridge collapsed completely.

To Rusty’s surprise, some of the paladins who were still on the bridge survived. They ended up slamming into the far wall of the chasm as the bridge flew to the other side. A few of them even started climbing, and for a moment Rusty wondered if he should pull out his bow and finish them. However, the distance was too great, and the wind would likely make aiming difficult, so he decided against it.

Horns blared on the side where the paladins remained, probably signaling for help. As it stood, Rusty was now in the clear. On this side, there were no enemies in sight, only a few scattered items, including a large backpack filled with something the paladins and clerics had left behind. Before he could check its contents, the necromancer trapped within him started complaining again.

“Minion, let me out. What’s happening out there? I heard something snap.”

Now that they were here, Rusty had no reason to keep Vesperus locked inside. He released the weight increase and opened his frame. Plates slid apart, and Vesperus spilled out onto the rocky ground in an undignified flop. The necromancer lay there for a few seconds, blinking and catching his breath, before finally screaming.

“You… YOU!”

Vesperus scrambled to his feet, robes torn and smeared with dirt, eyes blazing with sickly green mana.

“You treacherous, malfunctioning scrapheap! How dare you imprison your master inside your own body! I should flay your soul!”

Rusty straightened to his full height and used his limb control skill to assemble himself back into a complete suit of armor.

“You’re alive. You’re welcome.”

He said calmly as he moved toward the backpack. While he could not use much as a summoned monster, there were a few items inside that would aid him if the necromancer refused to cooperate, which already seemed to be the case.

“I will not tolerate this disrespect. Begone, you defected creature!”

Vesperus thrust a hand forward, fingers clawed as strange sigils ignited in the air. His voice deepened as he muttered a chant Rusty could not understand.

“Hm?”

Rusty looked at the system prompt. His new summoner was clearly unhappy with how things were progressing, but Rusty felt the same. Returning now might have been reasonable if this treatment continued, but he had already overcome one of the biggest hurdles of the mission. Stopping now did not sit right with him, so he selected no.

For a fraction of a second, something tugged at him. It was not physical but conceptual, like an invisible hand trying to peel him out of reality. After he declined the option, the sensation vanished, and nothing happened. Vesperus stared at his own hand in confusion.

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“What?”

He tried again, but Rusty received the same prompt and declined it once more.

“No. No, no, no… this isn’t possible. I am the master. I hold all the power. How can this creature keep resisting me!”

Vesperus cast the spell a third time, but once again, nothing happened. After that, he finally gave up. At that point, Rusty knew he could not trust this necromancer. It was even possible that the man would try to escape on purpose, since moving too far away from his summoner would forcibly unsummon him. Rusty was not sure if Vesperus knew this, but he was not willing to take the risk.

“Wait… what are those? What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to fail this mission. I also don’t think I can trust you, so don’t resist.”

Rusty rummaged through the backpack and pulled out a large bundle of rope and bandages. If he wanted to complete this mission, he would have to take the necromancer to the destination by force.

“No, stay back, you foul creature! I am the great Vesperus Mortis! I will not be bullied by the likes of… ACK!”

The necromancer let out a high-pitched scream as Rusty jumped on him. He could not resist Rusty’s overwhelming strength, and soon his entire body was tightly bound, knees pressed into his chest. Rusty had chosen the position deliberately, as it was the only way the man would fit into the backpack he intended to carry him in. Keeping him inside his body was far too dangerous, but there was still one major problem with the plan. Mana.

“Hey, Vesperus.”

“I’m your master. This doesn’t make sense. Release me!”