The River was cruel. It flowed ceaselessly, a rare unyielding force in this world of uncertainties, and time marched on, heralding the rise of the indifferent sun. A new day dawned.
“So, you have no plan.” Soren stood beside the shelter's entrance, confronting Lee's group at the foot of the staircase.
“Yesterday, you almost died, and today you’re going out with the same weapons that barely fazed the undead. Are you preparing for a tickling match? If stupidity has a limit, then you’ve definitely hit it,” Soren said, frustrated.
“Shut your mouth. Not only did we save you, but you insult us on top,” Peter retorted, still dressed in his work clothes. His finger shook with anger as he pointed at Soren.
“Saved who? Me? This suicidal trio?” Soren said, meeting Peter's gaze. “If I hadn’t intervened, you’d be festering among a sea of corpses.”
“Enough, Peter. He’s right.” Lee held Peter back. The man’s teeth were clenching so hard it was a miracle they hadn’t shattered.
“And you be polite. There’s no need for insults. They’re doing their best,” Leia interposed, somewhat diffusing the tension.
“What do you propose, Soren?” Lee asked with a thankful dip of his head at her.
“Is any one of you level 1?” Nobody responded. Lee was probably the closest, though he had only absorbed a couple essences.
“First, we get you all to level to 1,” Soren said, unzipping his backpack. The sight of the essences caught the group off guard.
“Why don’t you absorb them yourself?” Eric questioned.
“Because they are human essences. They belonged to my coworkers in the prison.”
“How can we be su-” Peter was silenced by Lee’s hand.
“Up till now, they’ve been nothing but helpful,” Lee said. “Give them the benefit of the doubt. They’re trying to help.”
“They wouldn’t have spoken if they didn’t care,” Eric chimed in. Peter, seeing the agreement among his party, backed off. It wasn’t that he didn’t recognize the truth of their words, but trusting two strangers he met less than a day ago felt wrong– no matter how helpful they seemed.
“Fine, but I’ll absorb the essences first. If something happens, we'll know who's being paranoid,” Peter conceded, reaching for a grey orb.
“Steel your mind; the process demands unwavering fortitude,” cautioned Soren, his words tempered by experience. Peter might have dismissed them, had it not been for Lee’s echoing warnings.
“He’s right,” Lee concurred, having absorbed one of the things himself. The crystals burst into essence, and quickly, Peter came to understand the truth of their words.
Absorbing essences was far from simple. Without adequate preparation, one risked succumbing to their allure—a danger for which Peter found himself wholly unprepared. The essence caressed his body from the inside, sending euphoric tingles to every cell. Yet, instead of submitting to it, he was overcome with rage. Wrath collided with pleasure, the two sensations clashing in his mind, and creating a precarious equilibrium inside his mind. The result was a surprising tranquility, albeit accompanied by a mild headache. Soren’s eyebrows arched in surprise.
“I got an attribute point,” Peter declared, holding his forehead.
“Place it on strength,” instructed Soren.
“And become your suicide squad? Instead risking our loves for a chance at survival, we’ll be sacrificing ourselves so you can get stronger. No wonder called us stupid,” Peter scoffed, a hint of laughter in his voice.
“You can allocate the point wherever you want. Want to allocate it to Intelligence? Perception? Willpower or Wisdom? Your choice. However, you know no magic and cannot make use of any of the mental stats. Now, you could place the point on an other physical stat, but then you’d still be tickling the zombies. You’d a slightly bigger ant. With enough strength, though, you can damage them. Then you’d actually be a threat. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for me to kill zombies and gift you their essences,” said Soren disdainfully.
Peter's initial skepticism gave way to contemplation as he weighed his options.
“That’s… actually, that’s a good point,” Peter conceded.
“Contrary to appearances, he has many good ideas,” Leia joked, earning smiles from Eric and Lee. Peter seemed preoccupied by something.
“We should follow his advice. Peter place the poin-”
“Already did,” his answer surprised them. “I’ve accepted that I might die. This way, at least I can fight back. It’s the best option.” Their smiles widened at his words.
“Old fashioned hope. Even you cannot resist,” Eric teased, deftly evading Peter's slap before darting away from his physically enhanced friend. Lee and Leia laughed. In the blink of an eye, they had caught a ray of hope from within the depths of despair. They still had to face rotting, hulking skeletons, charging at them faster than a horse, but at least now they had a method of retaliation. Soren’s smirk didn’t reach his eyes.
....
As they pressed forward through the labyrinthine streets, they found themselves covering their noses. The plague had spread. What had been decomposing corpses yesterday were now naught but paste and bones. The odor was pervasive, overstimulating their senses and causing painful headaches. Their hands supported their throbbing foreheads. Their vision was blurry.
“Why are you fine?” Peter complained as Soren breezed through the alleys like he was walking on fragrant spring fields. The pungent scent wasn’t exactly muted, but inside his mind, he could separate the horridness from the information it delivered, so he tolerated it.
“I’ve got high willpower.” That was explanation enough.
“Of course you do,” Peter grunted, his stance wavering.
Far ahead, a lone zombie wandered the streets, gnawing on leftover bones. With each bite, it snapped its head, scattering pieces of its meal. Breakfast was hard, and there was no flesh. It was mad.
“Can you fight?” Soren’s question snapped Lee out of his stupor.
“We’ll manage,” declared Lee, marveling at the flames dancing harmlessly over their wielder's skin. Flames fueled by Mana rather than wood. Mana that enticed the hungry zombie. It smelled a promising meal and was determined not to let it slip away.
With a sudden burst of speed, the zombie accelerated, leaving a trail of crumbling corpses in its wake. Soren pivoted aside, dodging its charge and delivering a powerful punch to its spine. Flaming tongues licked at the connecting sinews as the loosely joined vertebrae shifted without breaking apart. The zombie faltered.
Exploiting the opening, Eric struck its shoulder, knocking it off balance. Another blow targeted the weakened point on its spine, severing it with a burst of flames. The zombie collapsed to the ground, immobile from the waist down. The hunting team pummeled it until the light in its eyes was extinguished.
“That was easy,” Eric exclaimed, rubbing his bleeding knuckles—high strength didn’t include high durability.
“Stay alert, complacency's the warrior’s sin.” These words were spoken from the heart. Soren personally understood the weight of his own advice. Bending down, he reached for the essence.
“What are you doing?” asked Peter sharply, grabbing Soren’s wrist.
“Can’t you tell? I’m tap dancing,” Soren’s voice dripped sarcasm.
“It looks like you’re stealing essence crystals for yourself,” Peter accused.
“Well then, who do you think should get it?” Soren asked dryly. His question hung in the air, unanswered.
“Soren’s the strongest and the one closest to level 2. He should take it,” Leia explained. She tried her best to be polite and understanding. Sensing the tension, Peter took a step back. In his peripheral vision, Soren caught Lee nudging Eric.
“You’ve got a point,” acknowledged the younger man.
“It’s just that you don’t explain anything. You leave us in the dark, like some things should be obvious. If we're gonna make this work, we need to communicate better,” Peter said with a hint of frustration. Lee and Eric agreed, especially with that last part.
“It’s not my strong suit, but I’ll try,” said Soren.
“The longer we fight together, the better we’ll get at it,” Lee chimed in, trying to boost the team’s morale. “Let’s put it to a vote,” he proposed. “Those in favor of Soren claiming the essence, raise your hand."
Everyone did, except for Soren.
“Your vote counts too, Soren. You're one of us," Lee affirmed.
With Soren's inclusion, the consensus was unanimous, though some were grumpier than others.
“You have absorbed the essence of a level 1 Zombie-[Common]. +0.1 Strength”
“Let’s get going. No time to waste,” Leia’s cheerfulness dispelled the awkwardness, and they continued their first hunting expedition.
It didn’t take long for them to encounter more zombies. Two of the undead were grappling over the remains of a fallen zombie, inside of which glowed an essence crystal. The squabbling ceased as they noticed the approaching group.
“Can the four of you handle the one on the left?” Soren asked.
Leia glanced at the others, a glint of determination in her eyes. “We should be able to. I’ll distract it while you flank it,” she said. Knowing the zombies' lack of dexterity, Leia was confident that if she evaded their initial charge, she could survive until her comrades dispatched the undead. The others, although apprehensive, agreed to her strategy. This plan had been hashed out earlier, during Leia's level-up. She had taken on the role of the team's tank the moment she’d bolstered her durability.
Soren took the lead. He diverted one zombie, letting his companions handle the other. Thunderous footsteps reverberated across the square as the creature picked up speed. Leia felt a cold sweat break out. She trembled with fear, horrified by the barreling monster. Last time, Soren was the one who faced the zombie, so all she had to do was dispose of a bisected enemy. Now she realized how difficult it was.
The zombie drew near, an ominous presence that shook the earth. Leia wanted to flee, turn around, and sprint away, but she had made a choice. Soren was right; they were dying. If she didn’t fight now, the monsters would grow stronger until there was nowhere to hide. So she stayed, waiting for an opening.
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“Now!” yelled Lee, and Leia moved, rolling aside. Gusts of wind caressed her skin as the zombie passed by.
‘I’m alive,’ she thought as the zombie planted its feet into the ground, and turned toward her, ready to strike. Eric and Lee struck from opposite flanks. Enraged, the creature lashed out at Lee, each swing of its skeletal claws driving the older man back.
Peter tackled the zombie from the side in an attempt to wrench its attention away, but the beast remained steadfast. Its arms enveloped him, pulling him into a crushing embrace. The boy panicked. He struggled frantically to escape its vice-like grip, but the zombie was too strong. Its abominable maw loomed perilously close. Blood, mold, and decay assaulted his senses.
A blazing inferno erupted, searing the creature's skull. Tendrils of scorching heat licked at Peter's face, scorching a bloody trail across his cheeks. Yet, despite the pain, the boy remained resolute. Summoning every ounce of willpower, he wrenched himself free from the zombie’s clutches. The once formidable fiend now staggered, burnt and feeble.
Grasping the orb protruding from its shattered skull, he watched as the zombie toppled over like a marionette with its strings cut. A sigh of relief had barely escaped his lips when the pain of his burnt cheeks registered, replacing the tension in his body.
To the side, Soren zigzagged around the skeleton's attacks, quick jabs interlaced with his erratic movement. Black marks accumulated on the zombie’s ribs and arms as he parried its simplistic attacks, counterattacking during the small gaps in the battle’s tempo. {Belligerent} and {Unyielding} supported this risky style.
The music of battle chimed inside his mind. The zombie couldn’t hit him. It roared with half-eaten lungs at the slippery insect, swinging its long limbs mightily across. Soren ducked underneath the heavy, telegraphed strike, flooding the zombie’s jaw with a flaming uppercut. Mist snaked out its hollow eye sockets as Soren retracted his hand.
“You have absorbed the essence of a level 2 Zombie-[Common]. +0.1 Strength”
“Ahhhh.” After absorbing the essence, Soren noticed the grating shrieks. He hurried to Peter’s side, pushing aside Lee and Eric, who were trying to calm him down.
“I know it hurts, but your screams are a beacon,” Soren whispered, covering Peter's mouth with his hand to stifle the noise. Muffled grunts slipped through Soren's fingers. "You're alive. You're alive," he repeated in a soothing rhythm. Gradually, Peter's panicked cries subsided, replaced by silent squirms as he curled into himself.
Soren's voice cut through the air, urgent and grave. "We need to move. Right now," he commanded, prompting Lee to scoop up their injured comrade. Growls sounded in the distance as they fled. Once any signs of pursuit were lost, they took shelter in a narrow, secluded alleyway.
“Peter, can you talk?” Leia asked, rubbing his shoulder.
“I’m... I’m fine. Just shocked,” Peter stammered. He gingerly explored his cheeks, wincing whenever he touched a sensitive spot. “Is it bad?”
“You will live. Your eyelid’s intact, and you have avoided serious damage,” Lee appeased.
“How do I look?” Peter asked.
“Hideous as hell. Same as before really,” Eric joked. Peter didn’t find it funny.
"It seems more badass than ugly. Women will like it,” Leia said.
“Do you like it?” Peter tried to call her bluff.
“Absolutely,” Leia said with a radiant smile.
“Really?” Peter asked, scratching his head.
“You can look at yourself in a mirror later. How do you feel? Does it hurt?” Eric asked, steering the conversation to more important topics. Discussing their appearance in zombie-infested territory wasn’t very prudent.
“It's tender, but it doesn't hurt that much.” He turned to Soren. “Thank you for saving me. I got away with a scratch.” Any sense of combativeness had disappeared; his gratitude was honest.
“You would have done the same for me,” Soren said.
Peter blushed, hesitating for a moment. “I would have,” he nodded.
Soren smiled at him. “Keep your distance when fighting a stronger opponent. Weave strikes whenever you can. There are always gaps in the rhythm—you just have to survive long enough to find them,” headvised.
“I’ll try to apply that next time. Here, this was yours,” Peter offered, realizing that he still held the essence. Soren touched the crystal, the mist tailing his withdrawing finger.
“You have absorbed the essence of a level 2 Zombie-[Common]. +0.1 Durability.”
Lee helped Peter stand up. “Were you able to fight?”
“No…” Peter replied with a cheeky smirk.
“…but when would I ever be?” finished Lee. Their smiles widened and they both burst into laughter.
“Quiet,” Soren interjected. His voice, subdued but penetrating, quelled the noise but not the grins from their faces. Even Leia and Eric were smirking. The experience had sobered them up to the reality of the situation, but it had also reignited their belief in themselves. Soren shook his head.
‘Mana: 3.6/6’
It was enough to deal with a risky situation. If those bipedal alarm sirens died, he could have escaped by himself. That was all that mattered.
With a grunt, Leia took the lead. She was unaccustomed to her role, but she couldn’t back down. She was obligated to lead the moment she first took the responsibility upon herself. Peter trudged behind her, flanked by Lee and Eric, who watched for aerial and underground threats.
Further ahead, Soren paid attention to the vibrations of Mana. A mutated zombie crashing through a wall, any kind of ambush should have created an impression on the threads that composed the magical fabric. He was counting on his [Epic] ranked sensitivity to detect the movements of the [Common] beings while he scouted the area.
“Above you,” shouted Lee.
Soren sensed nothing but opted to trust Lee’s warnings and vaulted aside. A second later, a massive zombie landed from the rooftop of a nearby building. Without looking back, he could tell its location from the impact.
Spinning to the side and backwards, he evaded the creature’s claws, positioning himself behind it. The spine and the occipital bone were the only parts of its skeleton he could damage. His palm struck the back of its skull, sending flames and shards of bone flying. Unable to feel pain, and with its essence intact, the zombie blocked Soren’s next attack and followed up with a snappy swipe, forcing Soren on the back foot. The creature was clumsy and full of gaps, but its speed overwhelmed any techniques Soren had.
‘It was higher level than the other two,’ Soren thought. He could likely take it down by himself, but doing so would have wasted too much Mana. On the other hand, without {Belligerent}, this fight would drag on, attracting other zombies’ attention.
Before he could devise a strategy, his ideas were thrown out the window as another zombie joined the fray. Now cornered between two undead, he had no choice. Mana bubbled within him as he readied to cast a fireball.
“Over here. Why don’t you fight someone your size?” Peter yelled, taunting the new zombie.
“Look at you, Peter, being brave when Leia’s tanking for you,” quipped Eric, earning a hiss from Peter.
Leia paid them no heed as she charged at the undead, determined to confront it before it could build momentum. Maneuvering under its armpit, she made space for Eric, who punched it in the face. Peter followed that up with a kick to its legs, while Lee shoved it from behind.
The monster stumbled. Copying Soren’s tactics, Leia went for the spine, but her attack didn’t seem to bother it. The zombie pounced at the nearest person—Peter, who fled for his life. This left the zombie defenseless, allowing Lee and Eric to hammer its unprotected back. Their strikes resounded through the creature’s frame, impeding it enough for Leia to intercept the chase and grapple it, stopping it in place. The zombie thrashed around, attempting to escape, but Peter rejoined the fray, making it four against one.
Soren, a few meters away, watched the one-sided skirmish, reassured. Bending his knees, he parried an upward swipe, and drove it over his head, creating an opening. A snappy palm struck and he retracted his hand to avoid the creature’s clenching jaws. Flames spread to the zombie’s elbow as he stepped back, evading blows and analyzing its attack patterns.
Got you, Soren grinned.
With a backward jump, he created some distance between them. Human and zombie faced each other, crimson pools meeting flickering grey candle flames.
By this point, the zombie was weakened by the fire. Its bones were charred, the sinews damaged by the white-hot flames. It was poised to pounce, but Soren moved first, tilting his body to the right as he charged. The zombie, thrown off timing, had to jerk its foot back and execute an awkward swipe. It was just a hair too slow. Its nails grazed Soren’s clothes, slicing the shoulder pocket off his uniform and flinging it upwards. Soren rotated his outside foot, redirecting his momentum. The zombie’s thrust passed harmlessly by him as he lifted his foot to intercept its rising leg, but the creature was too strong and persistent and kept pushing, causing Soren's stability to waver.
Under normal conditions, this off-balanced state would have left him vulnerable—and it did—but it was inconsequential. Carried by his own inertia, Soren collided with the monster in a prickly embrace. Putrid, tooth-lined jaws unfurled as his hands slid up the zombie’s back, gliding to its head where they came into contact with a coarse crystal.
“You have absorbed the essence of a level 3 Zombie-[Common]. +0.1 Strength.”
Skeletal fingers about to cleave his back went limp as mist drifted out of empty eye sockets. A step back, the skeleton lost its support, collapsing under its own weight. Dust billowed up with a heavy thud as a small cloth landed on the skeleton’s face.
“You have absorbed the essence of a level 2 Zombie-[Common]. +0.1 Durability.”
Leia offered Soren the other essence. No one dared to speak, fearing they might attract more beasts. Only the gleam in their eyes hinted at their turbulent emotions as they rested and prepared for the next phase of their hunt.