This time, John didn't waste any time attacking its chest and went for the leg right above the ankle where it was the thinnest.
A horrific bellow announced the start of the fight, and John watched it take its first lumbering step. Except it didn't go to the left as he hoped, it went through the middle and started to pick up speed.
"Not the best start," John mumbled to himself, abandoning his spot on the left and running around the van to the middle of the street.
"Guys, sorry but this is going to suck. Get the fuck away from the barricade!" He yelled out and got ready to dive. The problem was to jump behind the van before getting crushed, but late enough for the giant to commit to running forward instead of into the van.
It started slow, but as it came nearly at him, each step was more of a jump and the time to react was upon him. A deep thud of its massive leg brought it right next to the back of the van and just as it was preparing for another leap, John dived head-first to the left and immediately rolled on the ground, getting as far away as he could.
The monster, unperturbed, tried to correct the angle anyway and with the next step pushed itself into the van. Luckily for John, it didn't find purchase and bounced off, continuing with its momentum forward.
He heard the collision with the van during his roll, and less than a second later a massive crash accompanied by the sounds of splintering wood announced the impact. John used the time and got back on his feet and was creating more distance between them, preparing for another chase.
The monster, unable to stop, hit the barricade like a cannonball, making all the furniture and random stuff fly out, and embedded itself almost halfway into the car underneath. Using its massive hands, thick like tree trunks, to slowly push itself out from there it soon emerged and turned back to John.
He stared at the metal contraption with two parts piercing deep into its gut and as the guardian grabbed it and tore it out, he made a guess about what it was.
Is that a picnic chair?
It leaned back and whipped forward, rolls of fat moving all over its body like a tidal wave, and threw the chair right at him. This was so ridiculous it took a moment for him to react, and when he did, he only managed to duck halfway down and tilt his head to the right, saving his life but getting clipped on his shoulder. A crunch and a pop quickly followed by a sharp spike of pain all over his left side nearly made him black out, but the slow echoing steps forced him to grit his teeth and keep moving.
The beast was trying to follow after him around the abandoned cars which were slowing it down. Unfortunately, after running in the same circle for the second time, it made an angry bellow, and started walking through the cars like they were an oversized staircase, preventing his cheap stalling tactic. Sure, the roofs weren't built to support a half-a-ton monster and crumbled like they were made of cardboard, stopping it until it got itself out, but every step, every crushed car, brought it closer.
I can do it, just gotta keep cool and play for time.
He was now close to the other side of the bridge, preparing for a risky maneuver. The moment it got stuck in the last car, he sprinted around with everything he had, running back to the barricade. His shoulder was sending jolts of pain with every step, but he pressed on, already hearing the heavy steps behind him.
"Guys, here comes another one!" He yelled out, stopping under the barricade on the right side and getting ready to dodge.
There were already a few golden cracks spreading from its ankle so the dangerous part was almost over, just one more dive.
This is going to suck, he thought, grabbing his left forearm to prevent his crippled arm from flailing around and then diving right. The guardian, unable to stop, ended up planting itself into the barricade, except this time it ran into the front of the car, sent all the stuff piled around it flying, and lost footing, sliding over it and falling on the other side of the barricade.
Well, the panicked screams were not very encouraging, but no one was stupid enough to attack and a few seconds later, John saw it stepping back over the barricade and going after him.
This time, repeating the same stalling strategy worked out perfectly and by the time he got halfway through the bridge, the guardian's leg fell apart.
Now it's time for the head, Attack!
The dagger zipped around, guided by John's will, and slipped right into its eye socket, lodging itself deep into its head.
The guardian, losing most mobility, became an easy target and all John had to do was move around the white van and wait for the crawling monster to die.
The minutes dragged on slower than the monster itself but over time, more and more lines were forming around the wound, slowly spreading across its head.
"C'mon you piece of shit, die!" John yelled, watching the cracks spread further and finally hit some threshold, exploding in a wave of golden light. The guardian's head crumbled to dust and its headless body plopped to the ground, slowly turning to ash and creating a blue ball filled with loot. Somehow, the timing was absolutely perfect, because it died in front of the van, perfectly hidden from the people watching from the other side of the bridge, and gave him time to carefully climb over the barricade and disappear behind it.
"I am not going to lie, I wasn't expecting you to pull that off." The policeman said, giving John a hand to get down easier. "How bad is it? Oh and err, my name is Richard." He said, looking at his shoulder.
"Not sure, hurts like a mother fucker, but I guess it's just dislocated. Happened to me once a couple of years back and yeah, I was told It might happen again if I am not careful. And nice to meet you Rich, I am John. By the way, let's get out of here, there was this group watching the fight and I feel it's better to avoid them if I can."
Richard frowned, looking through the gap in the barricade and sure enough, a group of at least fifteen was coming over. "Yes, let's go, follow me." Taking a right on the first intersection, they burst into a run and kept their pace for a few minutes, making sure to lose any pursuers.
"This should be safe," Richard said, leading John into a small underground parking lot. "Show me that shoulder."
John nodded and with Richard's help carefully took off his jacket and the shirt underneath.
"May I?" He asked, nodding towards the shoulder.
"If you know what you are doing, sure," John replied.
After carefully touching the joint he nodded, "I think you got lucky there, nothing seems broken and from the looks of it it is just a dislocation. I can fix it, but you will need to keep it at rest for a week or two. Brace yourself."
"Wha…" John began to ask but Richard grabbed his wrist with his left hand, keeping his right at the side of his neck, and quickly jerked towards him, and with a pop, the pain was mostly gone. "Fuck, you should have said something, I wasn't… yeah, maybe not." Carefully moving his hand, he sighed in relief. "Thanks."
"But now I deserve some answers. Why was it so important to kill that, and how would it help others?" Richard questioned, watching John's reaction.
"Let me make sure it worked out first. Apocalypse deck."
There, waiting for him, were two new cards. One was called Create shelter just as he hoped, and the other was called Wave of force with a blue border.
That's a new ability!
Looking down at the description, it said Ability to summon a wave of force, pushing on everything in its way. Tags: Spell, Cooldown, Area of effect.
Fighting the excitement and grinning like an idiot, he willed the new ability into the blank slot above and let the deck close. If he were alone, he'd be using it right away, testing what he got, but with Rich there, it was safer to keep his secrets close.
"Yes, I got what I needed. Do you know about Vinton's square? I just gained something called Create shelter and if it works, their place will become far better secured."
Richard nodded in acquiescence.
"I do, a group came by the bridge a few hours ago, returning from further up north and inviting everyone to gather there. I was planning to see that place later myself. Now though, I've got to go, we agreed to meet with the other officers around eight o'clock and it's getting close. So good luck and I hope your plan works out."
"Oh, ok… wait… how do you know what time it is?"
Richard smiled and pulled out his sleeve to show him the watch. "No electronics inside, got them from my grandfather when I was young and now, it's the only timepiece that works."
"Good thinking. Well, it was good meeting you Rich, and thanks again for the shoulder. If you need to find me later, leave a message at Vinton's square." John waved goodbye and willed his dagger to stick to the side of his waist, looking as if it was clipped there.
His track through the city was otherwise uneventful, except for an awkward turn and detour after seeing a particular lady at the wardrobe gate, forcing him to enter from the east.
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"Welcome to the Valiant's stand, are you a newcomer or already registered?" A young man with a brown hat asked.
"I am a guest, got something very important for Tom… err a young lad, has some kind of paralyzing ability. Is he inside?"
The young man smiled in recognition and spoke in a reverent tone.
"Ohh you know Valiant Tom? He and the rest of the Valiant crusaders are currently resting. They were cleaning the city and saving so many people, they are our heroes. That's why we call this the Valiant's stand, you know. But I think you should let them sleep. They are all very tired, surely it can wait until later."
John shook his head, thinking about what angle to use to convince him.
"I am afraid I'll have to insist. Trust me, this is something he wouldn't want to miss. You see," he leaned closer and spoke in a conspiratory tone, "I have managed to kill the giant zombie on the north bridge and got something I believe has the potential to change everything, but some group saw me kill it and might be onto me. I must speak with Tom as soon as possible."
The young man's eyes widened in disbelief and he stuttered. "Wait, you took down the fat giant? No way, those things are impossible to kill, I have heard it wiped out two entire groups when they attacked it. But wait, what other group?" He looked behind them, making sure nobody else was there and John smiled, knowing he had him.
"I saw them coming across the bridge from the other side, at least fifteen of them, but I ran and lost them in the streets. Can you lead us to Tom? He will know what to do." He made a bit of a show of looking behind himself as if the group could burst out from the end of the street at any moment.
"Come inside, quickly, I'll take you to him." The young man opened a metal gate and let them inside and then shouted at someone close by.
"Hey Mark, look after the gate for a minute please, new information has come up."
Before the apocalypse, Vinton's square was a historic site containing a small chapel to the east, an ornate fountain to the west, and built on a crossroads of two major streets forming a T.
Now, the shops situated on the ground floors were cleared out and filled with tents, the chapel seemed to be turned into a makeshift hospital, and right next to the fountain was a big tent around which stood two groups of people who appeared to be in the middle of an argument.
"Come, this way." Their guide motioned to follow and walked towards an archaic-style building behind the fountain with a large plaque saying Grand Hotel and to the burly guard standing in front of it.
"We need to see Valiant Tom, it's urgent."
The guard frowned, speaking in a hesitant voice, "I don't know if you should disturb them, they came back only four hours ago. How important is it?
"Very." The young man replied in a grave voice and John only nodded, keeping his face stoic.
Grunting, the guard stepped out of the way and motioned for them to go inside, giving directions as they passed.
"The Valiants have the right wing on the second floor and Tom should be in the third room to the left. Do not bother anyone else."
With the elevator out of order, the group took stairs and followed directions, which led them into a long corridor decorated with old paintings and filled with ornately carved doors.
"Third to the left… should be this one." The young man mumbled for himself and rapped his knuckles on the door in three sharp knocks.
After a few seconds of silence, an annoying voice from the inside replied. "One second."
Tom opened the door dressed in a bathrobe and stared at their guide with tired eyes and then spoke. "Whatever it is, I am on a break. Go see Mark or whoever else's group is currently on standby."
Their guide, caught off guard, stuttered an apology and was about to head out, but John stepped forward and stopped him from closing the door on them. "Hey Tom, you remember me?" He gestured towards his waist, where the golden dagger was.
"I think so? But seriously, if you need anything or have any problems, go to Mark I am not…"
"I killed the fat giant at the northern bridge." John interrupted.
"You what?" Tom frowned, taking a moment to digest what John just said. "You killed one of the big ones? How?"
"Can I go inside?"
Tom looked somewhere to the right, sighed, and spoke in a defeated tone, "Sure," then looking at John's guide he added, "thanks for bringing him to me, I'll hand it from here."
Leaving the slightly dejected guide outside, John entered a richly decorated room and noticed the reason behind Tom's reluctance. To the right, sitting on a king-sized bed, was a woman in her mid-twenties dressed in a similar bathrobe and staring daggers right at him.
"Oh… sorry for coming on to you like this, I'll try to make it quick," John said, trying to placate their annoyance. "You are the only one I know here, and I didn't want to get tangled up in questions others have no business to ask of me. So yes, I have killed the giant zombie guarding the northern bridge and from it, I have obtained something which has no value to me but should be a big help to people here. Apocalypse deck."
Willing the card out of the deck, he offered it to Tom and smiled after seeing the disbelief in his eyes.
"Tom, stop gawking and tell me what it is." The woman stood up and tried snatching the card from his hand, but he leaned away and rebuked her.
"Stop messing around Mira, this is serious." Then he turned to John and continued, "How do we use it?"
"My guess is, just will it. But before you try, maybe we should go to the middle of the square?"
"Good idea John let's go!" Tom, filled with excitement, was about to head out, but a polite cough from John made him stop.
"Maybe you and this lovely lady want to get better dressed before we head out? I'll wait outside." And as he was closing the door behind him, he heard the woman call Tom a dumbass.
They both came out fully dressed in firm leather clothes and after Tom got elbowed by his companion, he awkwardly spoke out. "Ehh… so… this is Mirabella, leader of the Blood hawks. And ehm… I am sorry, what was your name again?"
She leaned towards him and in a soft voice added, "Real smooth." grinning from ear to ear.
John, watching their antics, also laughed and introduced himself, then adding a question of his own, "Why Valiant's stand by the way?"
"You think it's bad? I felt like we needed something inspiring and that sounded just right." Tom was asking, curious about John's opinion.
"Some might think it silly, but I agree with you. Valiant's stand is a good name for what you built here. Let's try the card?"
They both nodded and walked downstairs and as they were walking through the lobby, John noticed a wooden pendulum clock mounted behind the now empty reception.
Twelve minutes after eight, huh?
The rest continued walking outside and forced John to catch up.
As they exited the hotel, a middle-aged man with a self-assured grin and fully dressed in a black business suit walked towards them, followed by a couple of other people from the two groups near the fountain.
"Ahh Valiant Tom and Bloody Mira, good that you are up. About the name of this place, you see we put it to a vote and…"
"Sorry Mark, not now. Need to test something." Tom brushed him off and left him there staring at his back.
Standing somewhere between the chapel and the fountain, Tom deemed he was close enough to the middle of the square, pulled out the new card, and willed Create shelter! and the card crumbled into silver light.
Mark caught up to them trying to ask what they had done, but before he got half a sentence out, a bright white beam of light hit the ground in front of them, momentarily blinding everyone around and leaving behind a round three-meter tall pillar made of white stone.
Tom placed his right palm on it, closed his eyes, and a moment later a wave of light rippled out from it, lazily spreading throughout the whole square, and a weak beam of light started shining from the top of the pillar into the sky.
[Welcome to the Valiant's stand.]
"What have you done?" Yelled Mark, after reading and dismissing the message.
Tom merely smiled and nodded towards the pillar, saying, "Touch it," and placed his palm back on it.
More and more people were now gathering around, and John had decided, his job was done here and it was time to go.
He only made it through the gate and halfway down the second intersection when the whole world lost all color, stopped, and a new message appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You are among those who have obtained the Apocalypse deck and survived the first twelve hours.
Rewards: Fate is increased by 1.
Special conditions met: Land a finishing blow on at least 100 zombies.
Rewards: Fate is increased by 1.
Special conditions met: Be part of the group which successfully killed the Zone guardian.
Rewards: Fate is increased by 1.
Special conditions met: Land a finishing blow on the Zone guardian.
Rewards: Fate is increased by 2.
Special conditions met: Use the card Create shelter, becoming its leader.
Rewards: Fate is increased by 2.
Note: Someone's an overachiever.]
[Congratulations! You are among the top 100 humans on the Fate-ladder.
Choose a name you wish to be represented as.
Note: You can only see the Fate of those below you.]
Hmm, John is a no-go, what should I use?
He would have laughed out if he could, but his whole body was completely immobile, only letting him think the plethora of dumb nicknames.
For a while, he considered picking Qwerty. A simple, quirky, name to serve as a callback to all the times he had to pick a name in a videogame but couldn't be bothered to care.
Wait, why not go with Sparrow?
It was his call sign during his childhood, because of his shy yet graceful personality. Sparrow and Peacock, the adventurous siblings.
The more he thought about it, the more fitting it felt.
[Great choice! Everyone will get a rare body modification card Identify monster and ash according to your placement
1: Sparrow - 17 Fate
2: Reaper - 10 Fate
3: Sgt. Harrison - 9 Fate
4: Doomhammer - 9 Fate
5: Kun'arl - 8 Fate
6: Boris - 8 Fate
7: The boss - 8 Fate
8: Ginger - 8 Fate
9: Katuška - 8 Fate
10: Empty - 8 Fate
…
…
86: Red maelstrom - 5 Fate
87: Valiant Tom - 5 Fate
88: Black rose - 4 Fate
…
…
100: Number one - 4 Fate
Rewards: Stack of 1500 white and 25 blue piles of ash.
Note: Stay tuned for the next episode of Fate-ladder tomorrow, now for more exciting news…]
[Attention!
The second wave of the apocalypse is about to begin. You have ten seconds to prepare.
Note: Prove your worth or fall even further behind.]
"What… the… fuck!" John cursed and got ready for more carnage.