Survivors

by Dave Willmarth

  The zombie’s health plummeted by about 30% and it groaned in pain as it turned toward her and began to stumble forward, its pace slightly faster than a normal walk.

  Four other nearby zombies noticed the attack and turned as well. Shari checked her combat log. “The spell did two thousand damage! And another two hundred keeps ticking off every second.”

  Proud of herself, she puffed out her chest a bit. Layne smiled at her. “You see? You are a zombie’s worst nightmare!”

  Brahm stepped forward and gathered the aggro on the five approaching mobs. Only two of them were armed; one with a short sword and the other with a spear. A mighty horizontal swipe of his axe removed the head of the lead zombie. Its body twitched as it dropped, its mouth still moving as its head rolled away.

  Mace and Lila got behind the approaching group and each of them took out a zombie with daggers to the head, getting critical hits for sneak attacks and attacks from behind. The game mechanics were strange in that a body could take massive damage, like the loss of a limb or sucking chest wound, and still survive as long as the health points were still there. But a critical wound to the heart - or the head, in the case of a zombie - would kill instantly regardless of the victim’s health point level.

  And of course, beheading killed everything. Which Brahm promptly proved on the last two zombies in the group.

  Shari cast her heal on another likely-looking mob, and this time only got three. Mace shook his head “This is the proper way to do this. Burn them down in small groups. But it’s going to take all day.”

  As they quickly took down the three mobs and Lila looted them, Mace tried to think of a safe way to kill large numbers of zombies.

  He looked at Shari. “You don’t happen to have a grenade launcher on you, do you?”

  She grinned back at him. “Boys and their toys!”

  Then she got an odd look on her face. She looked to Layne. “Hey umm… Layne? I have a question.”

  She wandered over to speak quietly with the bard while Mace looked down at his enchanted dagger. It hadn’t reacted at all when he’d killed any of the undead. Its normally pulsating aura was quiet and dull gray. He really needed to investigate the magic of the thing. Or find someone other than the dwarven smith who could tell him about it.

  “Ha!” he heard Shari shout. “Hey, Mace! I got your grenade launcher right here.”

  There was a triumphant look on her face as he turned to look at her. Without ceremony, she lifted her bow and drew an arrow. After less than a second, the arrow began to glow. She loosed it at the nearest zombie, but before it struck, the arrow divided - or multiplied, he wasn’t sure. It ended up as three glowing arrows that slammed into three different mobs. All three howled in pain and turned toward Shari, bringing maybe a dozen others along.

  Shari didn’t look worried. Layne started playing a tune that slowed the progress of the mobs and drained their stamina. Shari fired light arrow after light arrow, dividing each one before it hit. In about thirty seconds the whole group lay unmoving, pin-cushioned with glowing arrows of light.

  She and Lila both leveled up as the last of the zombies fell, and the little rogue grinned at Shari. Taking a seat against the wall, she crossed her feet and leaned back, pretending to clean one of her nails with a dagger.

  “I’ll be right here relaxing while you level me up, Shari darling.” She smiled at the elf, who grinned back and started firing again. This time, she pulled a group of ten. And once again they didn’t make it even halfway to their tormentor before dropping.

  Shari looked at Mace with a question on her face. Mace just shrugged and said, “Do your thang miss zombiekiller!” As Shari went back to work, he watched the look on her face. He was a little worried that she was venting some kind of real-world frustration, killing these mobs as substitutes for the zombies in the world above. Until he asked himself, So what? It’s probably good for her.

  So he sat cross-legged next to her and watched as she burned through the rest of the zombies. The whole remainder took her less than ten minutes. She had to pause a few times to drink a mana potion, but other than that it was non-stop zombie murder.

  When she was done, she let out a long sigh. Stepping over to the wall, she slid down next to Lila and zoned out, looking at her character sheet. The two ladies (as well as the three pets) had leveled up several times during that particular stage of the dungeon.

  As her eyes flicked left and right, she nudged Lila with her elbow. “Okay, I did all the hard work. Get off yer lazy ass n loot.”

  Lila snorted as she sprang to her feet. “Twist my arm,” she mumbled as she happily began to ransack the corpses scattered about. Snuffles followed in hopes of interesting edibles, but was quickly disappointed.

  A moment later Lila called out, “I suppose you want all these eyeballs and other gross squishy bits?”

  Shari gave her a thumbs-up and smiled fondly as she watched the halfling. “I’m gonna start calling her Lootmonster.”

  Mace leaned against the wall next to her. He unconsciously reached for her hand and held it in his. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.

  The two of them watched as Brahm helped Lila loot the zombies. A few uncommon items popped up, and they were waved in the air to alert Mace before disappearing into bags.

  Looting accomplished, it was time to get moving. The six armored undead were still guarding the door to what Mace hoped was the boss room. He was anxious to get this dungeon finished. In fact, to speed things along, he held out the hand with his spell-ring and called, “Stone Golem.”

  The ring held three of his more complicated spells, that ones that required components and time to cast. Stone Golem was his favorite, and as he leveled up his abilities, the summoned elemental monster grew bigger and stronger.

  The golem that appeared now was easily twelve feet tall, and its bulk was roughly twice that of Brahm’s. Thick stone legs supported a wide torso that weighed easily half a ton by itself. Wide shoulders led to arms as thick as telephone poles with three-fingered hands that could crush armor like an empty tin can.

  The creature bowed its head to him, awaiting orders. Lila instantly shouted, “Oooh! Can I ride him?”

  Despite himself, Mace cracked a smile. “Maybe after the fighting’s done. He’s about to get a little messy.”

  Looking to Brahm, who nodded, Mace said, “Shari? Want to do the honors again? Pull them all.”

  Shari grinned and drew her bow. Two seconds later, a light arrow struck the defender on the far left and all six reacted. Each raised their shields and held swords at the ready. They formed up into a defensive line, then as one took a measured step forward. Mace was impressed. He’d never seen zombies work with this type of coordinated strategy. He said

  “Golem, when they get close, break that shield wall. Kill as many as you can. Brahm, if any get past the golem, they’re yours. Lila…”

  He looked at the little halfling, who was grinning like a fool, looking at the golem. “Stop thinking about golem-surfing and get behind them once they’re engaged. Go for the gaps under their helmets. Body damage isn’t going to slow them down.”

  She nodded her understanding, but didn’t stop smiling.

  Layne began a song to provide Strength, Stamina, and Health Regen buffs for the party. Shari was still firing arrows, though most were deflected by shields or heavy armor. One defender had an arrow in its left eye socket.

  Undead Defender

  Level 45

  Health 11,000/13,000

  Each of these mobs was higher level than Mace. He would finally get some xp for these kills.

  Raising his hand, he focused on the face of a defender in the center and shouted “Infier!” causing a fireball to rush forward, impacting the mob before it could raise its shield and doing some splash damage to those on either side.

  He kept up a steady stream of fireballs, doing minor damage. But his intent was just to keep them distracted. As the center three defenders raised their shields to war
d off the fire, the golem hit them. It had been moving at a jog, which was the best pace for the bulky creature. Tons of rock smashed into their shields, sending the three of them flying backward several feet.

  Brahm took advantage of the hole and stepped behind the shield wall, axe already coming around to slam into the spine of a still-standing defender. It rang off the armored backplate and did no damage. Growling, the minotaur reversed his swing and aimed higher. This time he removed the defender’s head.

  But the hasty move cost him. Another defender had abandoned the now-broken shield wall and moved around to Brahm’s blind side. A short sword blade slid into the minotaur’s kidney as his axe struck the other defender.

  The wound dropped his health down to 20% and he fell to one knee as the sword was withdrawn. The defender immediately swung for Brahm’s head, but he managed to raise his axe for a feeble block.

  Shari and Mion both cast heals on their tank. His health bar climbed back up to 50% as Mace leapt in between him and the attacking undead. Mace’s left dagger parried a swing of the short sword as he kicked the mob in the chest, pushing it back.

  With a moment to breathe, he cast a magic shield on the still-recovering Brahm, then looked to his left. The golem had flattened one of the enemies into the floor. It wasn’t moving. Another was having its head squeezed, and Mace was just in time to see it explode like a rotted melon. A third was trying to damage the golem with its sword, but was only managing to chip away small bits of stone with each blow.

  Mace turned back to the enemy in front of him. He quickly raised his hand and cast a fireball into its face.

  “Infier!”

  The blast rocked the defender back on its feet, and Mace stepped up close while it was off balance. Since the thing’s helm protected its skull, Mace jammed his dagger up under its chin and into its brain. When it didn’t drop instantly, he pulled the dagger out and jammed it right back in. The second time around, the defender went limp and fell as he pulled the dagger back out.

  Turning, he saw Brahm back on his feet and cleaving through the helm of the last standing defender with his axe. The blade passed through the skull at a forty-five-degree angle and exited to bite into its opposite shoulder. The upper left half of the thing’s head slid to the floor before the rest of it followed a second later.

  Brahm bent and put his hands on his knees. Gasping, he said “Thank the gods for you ladies. I am not used to such healing. I’m afraid I might have died if not for you.”

  The big minotaur turned and nodded at Mace. “And for you.”

  Mion fluttered down onto his shoulder and cast another heal on him, then licked his face and chirped happily.

  Shari translated. “Mion says you’re welcome. And that you owe her a treat.”

  Brahm chuckled. “You shall have all the treats your little belly can hold, tiny one.”

  To which Mion chirped again, this time nuzzling his neck.

  Shari rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the little dragon. Mion returned the gesture, making everyone laugh. Except Lila, who was looting the corpses and missed the whole thing. She walked over to Brahm and handed him a sword and shield.

  “From what I learned at my dad’s smith, these are actually pretty good quality.”

  Brahm accepted both and examined them briefly.

  “Aye, these will make good gear for the guards at the settlement,” he agreed. He dropped them into his bag and went to help Lila gather the rest. Mion rode along, stretching her neck to peer at the items he collected.

  Mace moved to the door that the defenders had been… well, defending. He took his time checking it for traps. After that battle, he didn’t expect any, but one had to be sure. About two minutes later he called, “All clear. You guys ready?”

  They all nodded and Shari cast Life of the Forest on the stone golem to restore the minimal amount of health it had lost in the fight.

  Mace commanded it to open the door and step through in front of them. The door was large, maybe twelve feet tall and six wide and made of stone, but the golem pulled it open effortlessly. It stepped into the room, then one pace to the right so the others could see past its bulk.

  They were in a throne room of sorts. The room was roughly square, with a raised dais at the back end and floors of perfectly polished stone. There were no chairs or tables of any kind, just a wide stone pedestal on the dais.

  A being in dark robes sat slumped on the floor, its back leaning against the pedestal base. The robes covered all but its skeletally thin hands, which jutted from the sleeves. One hand held a scepter with a dark orb on one end and a wicked looking serrated dagger blade on the other.

  As the group approached, a deep, rasping laugh echoed through the room. The head lifted up, and two pinpoints of green light could be seen in the depths of the hood.

  “So you made it past my children.” the being observed. His voice sounded as if he’d smoked about a million cigarettes, and chased each one with a shot of whiskey. Mace took a long look at him.

  Travis the Necromancer

  Level 60

  Health 5,000/25,000

  He didn’t have a lot of base health for a level 60. But then, many magic users focused on their intel and wisdom stats to the detriment of all others.

  “Why have you come here, adventurers? To watch an old man breathe his last? You’re several centuries late. Have you come for plunder? Gold and shiny things?” he motioned to a side door that sat open. Inside were shelves piled with treasure. “Help yourselves. I have no need of such things.” He coughed wetly, his free hand rising to pat his chest.

  Shari whispered to Mace “Should I heal him? And will that hurt him?”

  Mace shook his head, not specifying which question he was answering. He stepped forward.

  “We came to clear this dungeon of any threat to our lands.” He continued to approach. “Are you a threat?”

  Travis laughed again, causing another coughing fit. When he’d recovered enough to speak, he said, “Once. Once I was a threat to all of Elysia! The dead spoke to me, and I knew the secrets of every king and queen in the land. I traveled from lowly pauper’s cemetery to royal crypt, raising my children and learning of political murders, fits of jealousy and betrayals. Of unwanted children and inconvenient lovers. And those rulers paid for my silence. Oh yes, how they paid.”

  He motioned toward the treasure room once more. Lila actually took a few steps in that direction before Brahm took hold of her.

  “After all, if a child you murdered walked into your bedchamber and demanded its weight in gold in return for my silence, would you refuse?”

  He paused, as if expecting an answer. After a moment, he continued. “And gold was not my only demand. I demanded favors! Nations went to war on my orders. Thousands died, and my army only grew stronger. Given enough time, I would have ruled everything!”

  Mace was now standing within a step of the old necromancer. He squatted down and attempted to look inside the hood. There must have been some darkness enchantment in the robe. He’d be sure and check that after he killed the man.

  “And what was it that brought you so low then, old one? From world power to dungeon boss?”

  “I did. I lost patience. I broke my own rules and pushed too many too far. They banded together, admitting their secrets to one another and forming an alliance. They drove me away and slaughtered any of my children in their cities. I fled here with the last of my army and sealed us inside. The dead don’t age, you know. Well, not much. But without new souls to feed me, the strain of controlling and maintaining my children has drained me. I eventually lost control of them and didn’t have the energy to regain it. They turned on me, so I locked myself in here, and this became my prison.”

  “I can put you out of your misery, old man. As you say, you have been dead a long time. Let me send you to your rest.”

  The old necromancer laughed more loudly this time. His voice echoing boldly around them all. “HA! I was about to make you the same o
ffer!”

  More quickly than Mace would have thought possible, the scepter in the old man’s hand twirled around so that the dagger pointed toward him. At the same time the necromancer leapt to his feet and thrust the weapon at Mace’s gut. It glowed with a sickly green light as it sped toward him.

  Mace flung himself into a backflip, avoiding the strike and providing a bit of distance. The old man screamed in frustration and kept coming, the blade held in front of him.

  “You cannot escape me! Hold still and I will finish you quickly! Continue to fight and I will make you one of my children!”

  Shari cast Life of the Forest on the old man and he screamed in pain. In the blink of an eye he spun and hurled his weapon at the healer.

  The scepter flew faster than the eye could follow, the blade embedding itself in Shari’s shoulder. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground as the scepter’s glow brightened and it began to feed her life force to the necromancer.

  As the old man’s attention was focused on his feeding, Mace stepped up behind him.

  “Never turn your back on a drow,” he whispered as he slid his enchanted dagger into the necromancer’s back. The rush of energy that surged up his arm from the dagger nearly knocked him backward. He felt himself screaming along with the single thought that it transmitted into his mind. One clear word.

  “YESSSSSS!”

  Necromancer Travis made a short coughing noise, then fell to his knees. The dagger drained the last of his energy and his body shriveled into a dried husk. Everyone in the room leveled up, and Mace nearly passed out. The combination of the rush from the dagger and the pleasure the game awarded for a level up crashed down on him all at once.

  He staggered toward Shari, slightly off balance but recovering quickly. The others knelt around her as Brahm withdrew the scepter from her shoulder. She was barely conscious as Layne poured a health potion down her throat. Mion was frantically casting Life of the Forest on her pet human, but it didn’t seem to be having any effect. A dark web of veins was spreading up Shari’s neck and down her arm.

  “Poison!” Layne observed through gritted teeth. “One I do not know. Shari!”