The red-haired Novice took four short steps into the diner, weapon outstretched in accusation at the building that was apparently devoid of promised undead. It was at his fifth step that he snagged on something, and in his haste he tumbled to the floor face first, sword clattering across the wood away from him. As he rolled over to see what had been affixed to his boot, the female Novice spoiled the reveal.
“The zombie was under the table!” The gasp became a starter light that flickered along the fuse of their despair as around a dozen zombies crawled from, or flipped over, the furniture they had been hiding beneath. One of them got stuck and lumbered forth like a hideous tortoise.
As the red-haired Novice tried to kick away the shoe-grabber who was now fruitlessly gnawing on his thick leather boot, a second zombie lunged from the table beside where he fell. The flash of red eyes was his only brief acknowledgement before the undead man bit into flesh, the searing pain heightened by the shock of the assault.
“Ack! Help!” he called out, trying to shove away both attackers.
“Help him!” The Cleric growled at the panicked Novice still standing. He calmed himself and began channelling a spell. “[Healing W-”
Thunk.
Sally ducked back behind the counter and grabbed another glass mug, a wide grin spread across her face. The ambush from the zombies wasn't all that complicated, but their options had been limited. As she peered slowly over the countertop, it looked like it had had the desired effect.
With the Cleric interrupted the two novices had five zombies bearing down on them - just about too much to handle. The wails of the fallen one increased as help was no longer on the way. Sally shuddered. The pained pleas of her would-be killer were music to her ears. It was concerning, or at least, part of her believed so.
She watched as the female Novice cut down one of the zombies before her sword lodged in the torso of the second one. As she struggled to remove it, the old gentleman zombie grabbed at her arm, waylaying the adventurer and allowing a couple more undead to pile into the attack.
“Oh God!” The Cleric looked panicked now as the female Novice screamed - overrun by the superior numbers. He went to prepare a spell but faltered, weighing up the effort.
Sally jumped up onto the counter and stood proud. “Nice try, magic-boy!” she cackled over the sounds of screams and feasting undead. “Go find your easy Exp somewhere else!”
The Cleric glared with confused eyes at the zombie woman gloating over him from across the room. He opened his mouth as if to reply, but part of the horde split off after him - and with one brief look at the two fallen, he turned and made haste out of the diner.
“Ah, let him go.” Sally shrugged and sat down at the edge of the counter. “Is he really a class level of Three if he can be beaten by one mug? I don’t mean me.”
The zombies paused at the doorway, a slightly forlorn look of wanting passing over them before they turned back to what remained of the novices. The Observer floated down from his vantage point to hover beside the strange woman.
“That was an interesting outcome.”
“Meh,” Sally cocked an eyebrow at the skull, “they would have planned to stick together. We just needed to break them up a little and overwhelm, interrupt their carry.”
“Simple, maybe. But not something a zombie would have thought up or been able to enact.”
Sally swung her feet back and forth as she sat. She didn't feel like a zombie. There was undoubtedly a degree of undeath to her, but despite how tasty and red the novices looked, there was no desire to consume them. Her friends seemed to be all about that, though.
“Oh!” She watched as a [Level Up] arose in gold lettering above seven of the zombies, and their Power Level changed to One. “Some of the gang levelled up!”
“So did you. Look at your wrist.” The tone of Humphrey's voice had the barest hint of excitement to it - if Sally didn't know any better (which she didn't), she would think he had a vested interest in her development.
Upon her wrist was a golden star. It hadn't been there before, and it had a weird shimmer to it - like a hologram. With one grey finger, she pressed it, prompting golden text to appear in the air before her.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
[Error]
“Oh, neat?” She pressed it again, and a strange buzzing filled her ears before it suddenly popped, and text appeared in her vision.
[Level Up]
[Skill Gained: Command Dead]
[Party Option Unlocked]
[Title Gained: the Unliving]
“Pfft, the Unliving? That's a pretty dull name. Shouldn't the zombies get the cool stuff as they did all the work?” She crossed her arms and glared at the Observer.
“How strange…” Humphrey zipped around behind her to take in the text, which he could apparently also see. “You are a named monster now… but the Party option is only for Player Characters.”
“Did I not just command the dead? Why am I only now getting the skill? Seems cheap.”
Humphrey sighed and gradually started to bob in a circular motion around her. “I don’t really know; you shouldn’t have been able to in the first place. Consider this your proper crowning.”
“Are there many skills?”
“I'm not a New Players Guide, Sally the Unliving. I wouldn't burden your mind with things you do not need to know at this stage.”
Sally pouted and slid off the counter to the floor, dusting off her grubby red skirt. “You think Sally and her friends will be dead soon, so you don't care to answer.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny my feelings on the matter.”
Sally paced around the room, avoiding the new, fresher stains on the floor. This was a lot to take in. First, she was dead, and people wanted to kill her. But she could also get stronger and protect those around her.
“Didn't even get to pick my class,” she huffed. “Looks like I can have four friends, though. I'll pick…”
She pointed out three of the Level One zombies, then, with a sigh, turned to the older gent with the tweed suit. “Sorry old friend, you have the job of looking after these weaklings.” Sally jabbed a finger into the soft shoulder of the zombie, who gave a vague acknowledgement of his task in return.
Another Level One zombie would fill out the party… but she paused as she observed one of the shamblers. He was a little shorter than the rest, with a thatch of messy dirty-black hair and an outfit messy even for a walking corpse. There was something about him that was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.
“You’re in, zero-point-five. I’m going to call you… Chuck.”
[Party 5/5]
“Alright, my group, go stand over that side. Don’t get killed for a little bit, and I’ll give the rest of you names too.” She pointed to the right side of the doorway, and an elderly couple and a businessman-looking zombie joined Chuck.
“You are picking this up rather fast,” Humphrey noted whilst hovering around the diner. “If you hold down the star, you can bring up the party information.”
“Yeah, no thanks to you, Hump.” She stood with her hands on her hips before relenting and pressing the odd star on her wrist. Immediately a window was brought up in the side of her vision.
[Chuck (0.5) - 100% HP]
[Zombie (1.0) - 100% HP]
[Zombie (1.0) - 100% HP]
[Zombie (1.0) - 100% HP]
“I can check out all my friends. How convenient. Health and power, just like a… like a…?” Sally paused, unable to draw the comparison, before shrugging it away. “Are you going to tell me who you’re doing this peepin’ for now?”
“I suppose. I've already broken the terms of my service, so what's a little extra exposition whilst I'm at it?” The skull came to settle down at eye level.
“Should I sit down for this or-”
“I observe for the Architect. Whilst their name might imply they are the creator of everything, it is more accurate to say they are the underlying force behind the abilities and statistical-”
“They're the god of numbers go up? Got it. So they have you check up on things to make sure the math isn't going all loopy?”
“Again, your choice of words is… bemusing, yet not far from the truth. I was sent here to ensure there was nothing untoward happening with this experience boosting. And then you turned up.”
Sally sucked in a large lungful of air before slowly exhaling. “So I was a normal zombie, and then suddenly I became super smart and capable. Despite being an Observer, you didn't see that happen?”
Humphrey hovered in the air in silence for a few seconds, the facial expression of the skull unmoving. “Yes, well. Perhaps whoever burdened you with such enlightenment leaned a bit too hard on the sass button.”
“Either give information or scoot.” She waved him away and headed towards the open doorway to peer out. In fairness to the floating skull, she was being especially… open with her thoughts. It was as if a chunk of her brain that usually weighed her down was missing. Which was quite likely, all things considered. Although she stalled, trying to remember where she drew the comparison from.
The sun had gotten tired of any adventure thus far and had begun settling in behind the forest. The last grasp of amber slowly rescinded to be replaced by tendrils of cool shade. That would be much nicer weather to travel under - Sally had no intention of staying put and being a target again.
It was a slim chance that the small group of weaklings would be the only tribulation in her unlife. In fact, just being a zombie would be a magnet for those that felt the need to defeat evil. Not that Sally felt particularly evil… even if the corpses of the novices smelt delicious right now.
Sally turned back around to the increasingly gloomy diner. “Whatever part of me is meant to tingle when there is danger is doing so. No doubt Mr Cleric will return for revenge or send some higher level group our way.”
“Now that some of you are higher level, you'll be worth more experience,” Humphrey seemed to agree. “Even if you’re not that much more dangerous. Zombies don’t really unlock many skills as they level, just some statistical increases.”
“Boneface,” Sally shook her head with a tut, “they'll be crawling out of the woodwork once they hear about the talking zombie girl. I’ll be on the bounty board by morn. Figuratively, or literally, depending on how this world works, I suppose.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
A wide, sharp-toothed grin spread across her face as she turned back to the outdoors, grasping the cracked door frame.
“Why don't you watch and see?”