Renato had already heard the commotion without needing Klauthsura's telepathic warning. A chaotic clatter of hooves accompanied the trembling ground. Pebbles bounced across the floor, and dust sifted down through cracks in the ceiling.
With his palm pressed against the wall, he could clearly feel the vibrations traveling through the masonry accelerating sharply.
Against the silence of the Silent Dead City, the noise sounded especially loud, like drums pounding in the night.
Probably cavalry. The steadily growing hoofbeats laid their intentions bare. Or rather, these riders were coming straight for Renato and Klauthsura and saw no need to conceal it.
Since the city's residents and soldiers had all been transformed into undead, the knights and squires mounted on warhorses had most likely suffered the same fate.
Renato quickly estimated their numbers. Judging by the hoofbeats, there were at least four riders.
The hoofbeats were dense and heavy, striking the paving stones in a perfectly synchronized rhythm that showed these riders maintained strict formation even after death.
He did not know how they had discovered him, but that did not stop him from preparing to fight. He downed another bottle of Oil of Speed, the bitter liquid assaulting his taste buds, then took a Magic Scroll from his Space Ring and untied its binding.
By listening to how quickly the sound approached, Renato could determine his opponents' speed and direction.
The riders were charging along the street at tremendous speed. Against enemies who could gallop on horseback, fleeing down the street was certainly not a good choice.
Two legs could hardly outrun four. Out in the open street, he would be nothing more than a living target for a lance charge.
Besides, the two of them had already cleared the Zombies from these streets and alleys, so they would not need