The chaotic battle resulted in most of the meteor’s rain survivors dead. Robert somehow managed to break through to the nearest building where he tried to organize the defense. Few soldiers even followed him, while others went to another place in an attempt to save themselves. A limited zone of protection helped a lot as madmen quickly turned to each other, channeling their aggressiveness to the nearest target. Still, that didn’t put them in a safe position as some of them continued to attack them.
By this point, Rob got a few more wounds when imbued with mana nails cut through his brigantine armor. He lost a few fingers on the right hand, which were bitten off by one of the “zombies”, effectively crippling his combat skills as neither had he ambidexterity, nor he had trained with his left limb. He got deep scratches on his face and was almost blinded in one eye while losing the helmet in the process. Robert wasn’t even sure that it was all – his body felt pain everywhere, while the blood loss also didn’t help. Maybe his ribs were broken as he couldn’t breathe properly. It was fortune that his covered-by-blood figure wasn’t mistaken again as another “zombie” by his allies. It might be because they were not better themselves.
Robert was sure that the village contained not more than a hundred infected, but it happened to be enough to bury a tired group. If they were “real” movie zombies, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, fast and strong opponents, who could use weapons and fight properly with complete disregard for their own survival instincts and pain, turned out to be terrible enemies. Moreover, the infection seemed to be already spread among the soldiers, which added the ranks of “zombies” with even more dangerous individuals, often in a very bad moment. Even their infighting didn’t help that much.
Another thing that Robert noticed was the ability to speed up the infection by hitting with mana-imbued nails, because they were literally filled with ambient mana, which created not only the effect of cutting through everything but also pushed this energy inside the flesh. It was quite obvious, but Rob failed to notice it straight away. Especially how effective it turned out to be in such a matter.
Overall, it led to brutal and unsuccessful fighting against the overwhelming opponent. The opponent, who could replace their ranks with your own ally at any moment. Robert managed to create an improvised barricade from corpses in the doorframe he defended. However, without the ability to rest, wounded, tired, and having no way out, it was only a matter of time before they died. Of course, Robert could rely on his regeneration to return, but it wasn’t guaranteed that he wouldn’t get a really lethal hit before that. Moreover, he even saw how the “zombie” continued to strike the already dead warrior until its head turned into meat paste. Therefore, he struggled until the end, not willing to give up.
His clenched fist without a few fingers still could hit quite hard in exchange for another wave of pain. Despite that price, Robert punched with it without any remorse, pushing away an infected woman. Her twisted angry face was already covered with blood and another hit only added to the horrible image, knocking out front teeth. That stopped her assault for just a second before she tried to knock him to the ground. However, Robert’s axe prevented any actions when it deeply went into her chest. Her stretched hands still managed to grab his neck, but there was no strength in it. Before he could shove her away, someone clung to his leg, almost dropping him on the ground.
A quick glance downwards showed a crawling infected, who was lying underneath other corpses. How he had managed to squeeze through an improvised barricade was a big question to which Robert didn’t need to know the answer. His two swings finished both enemies, and he stepped back for a few seconds to check his surroundings. Five bodies were piled over each other, partly blocking the entrance. Another body hung through the small window frame on the left side, when “zombie” wanted to flank him. Despite the stupidity of such an attempt, it cost Robert the usability of his right hand, as such distraction created an opportunity for the main entrance to be almost breached.
One of his comrades, who was protecting other windows earlier, had disappeared. Either he left, or he was pulled out – the outcome for Robert was the same. The second one was leaning on the wall with his hands, covering a terrible wound on his neck. He tried to speak, but no words came. All his looks showed huge panic and unwillingness to die. Trembling hands were trying to stop the blood loss. However, often no matter the effort, it might be not enough. Rob made a first step towards him in an attempt to calm the man before certain death. Maybe to lie about a guaranteed good future. Or at least to stay with him in the last minutes.
All his good intentions failed miserably when Robert almost fell down. While his body was moving, fueled by self-preservation instinct, he didn’t feel anything critical. The pain was in the background and was a factor of motivation to continue instead of disturbance. However, after this short stop, it was as if someone switched his state. Every single wound and bruise, complete exhaustion and blood loss – everything dropped onto him in one moment, almost crushing him under pressure. Even his tattered armor pulled him down just with its pure weight. The slightest movement took enormous will to execute, while simultaneously taking it pay from the body.
Rob took a few deep breaths to gather his strength before taking another step. His dying comrade was still looking at him without blinking, filled with conflicting emotions. Robert managed to shorten the distance between them by a half when both heard a sound. Turning around, he saw that the wooden wall was being cut by something with a familiar glow. The latter in some cases looked like real claws of the beast. Returning his eyes to a wounded soldier, he saw silently moving lips, which seemed to be whisper – “hide”.
Robert nodded with sincere gratitude before hastily dropping on the floor. He almost rolled under a narrow bed, making it at the last moment. The chips of wood flew all over the place, creating a proper scene for a “zombie”, who barged in. The sound of heavy steps sounded like a drum to him. Each was like a loud bang, throwing his heart rate in disorder. Rob tried to slow his pulse by calming down, but not to avail. Each weighty step was followed by chaotic beats of his own heart. For him, they were clear as a day. Same as his breath – both seemed to be too loud to miss. However, Robert pushed away such thoughts. He stayed motionless while trying to focus on controlling his body. That didn’t help much as in his state and with the gravity of his wounds, such inner concertation only raised the feeling of pain. His limited viewing angle showed him a dying comrade, whose sacrifice might give him a chance to live longer. Rob was sure that right now he couldn’t fight properly. That assumption was only strengthened when he noticed sabbotons. The knight’s sabbaton.
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Only an axe, which he held in his left arm, partly helped with his mental state. Robert thanked his luck that by this world’s standards, he was short and lean, thus helping him to hide more easily. Another relief came when a refreshing wave brought energy to his beaten body. His injuries didn’t disappear, but at least he could move now. It wasn’t enough to make a proper fight against the infected knight though. That’s why he continued to stare in front of him, seeing as life was leaving his ally’s body.
The metal boots stopped right in front of the dying soldier. However, before the “zombie” had finished Rob’s comrade, the latter again whispered something silently. As if it didn’t bring needed attention of the infected, the soldier turned his head to Robert’s place of hiding. Moreover, he dropped his hand in the same direction, literally pointing at it with his finger. In the next moment, a blade pierced through his chest, ending the life of the soldier. Unfortunately, the situation didn’t resolve there as the sabbotons started to approach Rob’s position.
What a bastard! I thought you told me to hide! Treachery asshole!
Before Robert thought about a possible way of action, the knight leaped. Acting by instincts, Rob hastily rolled out from his cover only to crash into mana-imbued greaves, effectively killing all of his inertia and force. He felt like he hit a heavy rock as the glowing armor didn’t even shake from the collision. It still saved him as the longsword of the knight went through the bed exactly where his body was previously. However, Robert didn’t have an opportunity to celebrate.
Continuing to move by sheer instinct, he wanted to distance himself from the enemy. Not managing to drop the knight on the floor, he tried to squeeze himself between his legs, not finding any better solution. The mana-filled armor ate kinetic energy from hits for breakfast, additionally giving a tremendous level of defense to its owner. Therefore, Rob’s attempt to flee was quite logical. The problem was that the infection wasn’t going to stand still. Robert ended up being stuck between man’s legs when his shoulders didn’t manage to get through. He was on his knees right in front of the knight, while his exposed back was almost begging for a sword.
“FUCK YOU!”
Feeling the urgency of the moment, Rob dropped his axe and grabbed the knight’s sabbotons. Planting his feet on the floor, he shouted like a crazy beast, while simultaneously pushing his body up. The enormous weight of a trained knight in full plate armor tried to press him back, but he continued to move while roaring. His improvised deep squat ended in him literally pushing the knight upside down. Still, the wounds and sheer weight stopped him from completing the motion before he dropped his baggage to the side. The sound of impact and something breaking made him haste his actions and jump to the side, before finally turning back in search of his weapon. Robert was sure he could run away.
The scene that opened before his eyes looked like the dumbest luck he had ever seen. The knight, who obviously turned out to be the same old Sir Henry, was only half-equipped in armor. After being wounded in a duel and injured by a religious lunatic, he wasn’t in the best shape at all. Drenched in blood, he looked like a real zombie. Taking into account all the damage his body had taken; it was really surprising he could even walk.
I guess this infection can make those mad “zombies” use their own bodies to full capacity, disregarding any inner safety measures.
That resulted in a slow reaction when Robert pushed his legs up. The knight didn’t manage to put his hands in an attempt to stop the fall, preferring to focus on the sword. Therefore, when his head crshed into the edge of the bed, nothing was there to support the neck. It bent unnaturally, right before Rob couldn’t handle the weights and dropped it to the side. That only added pressure on it, leading to the immediate and quite stupid death of the knight.
Robert stood there for a full minute, trying to process everything. In the end, he just sighed before checking the village through the nearest window. All commotion by this moment had already died out. He was sure there were probably more survivors, as well as infected, but he wasn’t willing to search for them. All he wanted was to find water. His throat was dry as desert and almost burned. It didn’t take long to find a jug in a corner. The taste was wonderful. Fresh, and cold, it gave a filling of life, helping to set his mental state in order.
The next step was to get a proper rest to give his regeneration ability needed time to kick in, healing all the damage. Robert had thought of changing the location but forcefully pushed it aside. He had no strength for any search in such conditions, so he chose the very same spot underneath the bed, now with the company of the dead knight near him that he used as a cover from the eyes of possible guests. Such surroundings were unhelpful in creating a feeling of calmness or peace in his mind, but at least it gave some safety measures not to die in sleep. The thought that it was not even the second time he was spending a night near corpses made him smile bitterly. It still took him a lot to dive into darkness and finally get his wished rest. Fortunately, there were no dreams as exhaustion took its toll.
He woke up in the late morning when the sun was already shining through all possible openings. The heavy smell of blood and shit attacked his senses immediately, but Robert still lay some time without moving, trying to listen to the surroundings. All he got was the sound of the wind, the creak of hinges, and the deathly atmosphere. The corpses stayed in the same places, only starting to show first signs of rot. His hiding place still looked like a place of massacre, but this unchanging scene only made Robert sigh with relief, as nobody seemed to visit him while he slept.
Welcome to another day in paradise! Cheer up, Robert! Let’s find out what fucked-up crap it will bring today!