Stupid, unholy, disgraceful monkeys leaped from the building. Sun Tie witnessed three descending upon a poor woman who had just opened her door. These little shitheads were armed with daggers, reminiscent of the trio he and Cole had battled inside the first dungeon they entered.
She stood no chance against the raging beasts. The daggers slashed towards her neck in a swift motion, slicing her throat open.
"Shit," James muttered under his breath, gripping his sword tightly.
Then, the zombies approached close enough to engage the other survivors. A man and a woman just slammed the door shut again as the horde of six zombies converged on the woman who was desperately clutching her neck while the other monkeys continued to stab at her.
The zombies began to lower their almost claw-like hands toward the frenzied animals and the dying woman as she collapsed to the ground.
"This escalated rather quickly," Sun Tie observed, unable to conceal the shock on his face. When he glanced at the other two, their expressions mirrored his own. "What kind of friends did she have, huh?"
They watched as the monsters began to brawl amongst themselves, monkeys leaping from one zombie to another, stabbing and slashing. None fell to the ground just yet, but it seemed inevitable that they would.
"We'd better be the ones to gain the experience," Cole remarked, nocking an arrow to his bow. "I'll try to hit the monkeys... they're too unpredictable."
Sun Tie nodded and began to advance toward the fray, attempting to flank the monsters and avoid confronting several creatures simultaneously.
"Be careful. Some of the zombies seem to be more intelligent than the others. Come close to me if it gets too tough," Sun Tie advised James, continuing his advance. One zombie glanced over its shoulder, noticing the duo's approach, and instantly abandoned its battle with the lean grey monkey stabbing at its heart.
The zombie lunged towards them, the devilish monkey clinging to its torso. The beast's shrieks attracted other undead, and Sun Tie nodded at James to engage. Cole had already taken down two zombies and one monkey, and the remaining enemies were charging towards him.
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Sun Tie's sword blazed to life instantly as he assumed a defensive stance. The undead, oblivious to the monkey's futile attempts at murder, continued its charge, the gashes in its chest widening with each attack, yet no blood flowed.
Despair was evident on the animal's face as the undead flung it directly at Sun Tie. With a grin, the young master bisected the creature with a swift slash.
The momentum was enough for the zombie to close the gap and collide with Sun Tie, sending him tumbling to the ground. He rose swiftly, evading the monsters' grasping hands. With a sidestep and a mighty swing, his sword struck metal in the creature's neck, producing a resonant clink. The creature collapsed, and just as Sun Tie prepared to deliver the final blow, something struck his back, toppling him over the monster.
The stench of death and decay invaded Sun Tie's nostrils with such intensity that he nearly retched. The grunts of the monster beside him drowned out the other battle sounds.
"Argh!" The young master grunted as he struggled, hindered by the monster's awkward positioning. He noticed the creature had broken its leg near the knee, which would make walking or running exceedingly tricky. Stepping back, he took in the pathetic sight of one of the zombies swinging the upper half of the monkey Sun Tie had just slain at a frightened James.
"Ha-ha-ha!" Sun Tie couldn't hold back the laughter.
"Help me!" James screamed.
"Nah... it's too fun to end it right now," Sun Tie said as he casually stroked the zombie's neck, finding the vulnerable gap between the neck armor and the helmet.
Blood from the monkey spurted towards James, half-blinding him and causing a reflexive flinch of his sword. This lapse granted the zombie—an astute bastard. Sun Tie noted—an opening as he charged at the monster.
He swung in a descending arc, targeting its shoulder, but the creature cunningly used the monkey's body as a shield, cleaving it into two parts—one with a head and an arm, the other merely an arm and shoulder—a bizarre spectacle.
The zombie hurled the monkey's remains at Sun Tie, but the young master ducked and lunged toward the creature. In a fluid motion, his flaming blade pierced the skull of the monster.
Glancing in Cole’s direction, Sun Tie noted the old man had already dispatched the remaining threats—monkeys and zombies alike—but they could still hear footsteps echoing from the same block.
"Come on..." Cole muttered, "They're not even worth any experience points." As the archer concluded, Sun Tie realized he had only received notifications for the monkey he killed. Driven by curiosity, the young master activated his [Mana Seer] ability again, only to observe a thin yellow line emanating from the corpses of the zombies, trailing directly to the corner from which the footsteps approached.
"I think I've found something," Sun Tie declared and began to walk, tracing the yellow line. "Follow me." He hastened toward the source of the line and the footsteps.
Rounding a corner, they were met by three unarmored zombies, and beyond them hovered a red crystal, multifaceted and pulsating. Beneath it, a red pool shimmered on the ground, and from it, a hand emerged—a big, big one.