The zombie slavers were still a couple hundred yards away, but they’d had several seconds to get ready, and a barrage of laser beams ripped the air all around me.
“Jurgen’s Fist!” I shouted as I instinctively ducked.
They were better shots than I remembered. One laser shot right in front of my face, close enough to sparkle in my goggles. Without that eye protection, that shot might have temporarily blinded me.
Another one slammed into a rear thruster, leaving a scorch mark. Cursing, I triggered Shield Dome. The shimmering barrier formed around Switchblade as I banked downslope, close enough to tempt the zombies to keep firing, but far enough away that their accuracy would still be strained.
Those rifles could pump out a devastating rate of fire and even crisp waterlogged werewolves so bad they overwhelmed the werewolf regeneration, but their power cells could run out or get overloaded, as Joey had tragically discovered.
They kept firing, but at a measured pace they could probably maintain for an hour. Laser beam after beam reached out to say hello.
I adjusted speed and swerved constantly to make myself a harder target. Quite a few bolts did miss, blasting into the slope or shattering stones, but some still found their mark.
Shield Dome proved sufficient to handle that many and the bolts deflected away, most shooting skyward. I kept a careful eye on Shield Dome’s energy level. The constant barrage was eating away at the defensive spell’s reserves, but it should be enough.
If they didn’t have captives, I’d probably charge straight in, trusting to Shield Dome to protect me until I blasted through their party and unleashed Corrosive Cloud. Then I could circle them while it melted their undead flesh. Unfortunately, that would kill the prisoners too. I needed a better plan.
As I weaved and turned, heading downslope, nearly even with the zombie party, I asked, “Will Shield Dome knock enemies aside if I ram them?”
Cyrus said, “Indeed. If a being has attacked you already, it will be marked as an enemy and will not be allowed inside the protective dome.”
“How about allies?”
“Anyone not designated an enemy will not be affected by Shield Dome, so allies could step inside without harm. Note, if you allow a non-enemy within the protective dome and they choose to attack, Shield Dome will not be able to stop them.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“Any time. Keep making the journey fun.”
I passed the zombies and skidded to a halt behind another thick stand of trees about 50 yards downslope from them. There, I jumped off my bike, banished it, and slipped through the trees until I could see them.
I’d hoped some of the zombies would split off and come hunting. Taking them out in two separate skirmishes would be a lot easier. Unfortunately, they didn’t take the bait, but remained in a single group, rifles aimed at the trees, waiting for me to emerge.
I waited. There was no reason for me to emerge again when they were ready to fire. Several slow minutes ticked by and I started wondering if they’d just stay there until our full expedition party arrived.
After about 10 minutes, they hoisted their prisoners and resumed their interrupted march up the slope. Had they gotten bored, or were their short term memories that bad inside those half-rotted skulls?
My chat menu flashed in the corner of my vision, announcing a new message.
Ruby: “They’re coming this way again.”
Lucas: “Good. They haven’t seen you. How far can you throw?”
Ruby: “I haven’t measure the distance, but I’m way stronger than back on Earth, plus my upgraded Bio Morph spell gives me even more.”
I had actually forgotten all about her unique upgrade that allowed her to tap into advanced body manipulation powers during fights.
Ruby: “I’ll throw a rock first so I don’t waste a grenade.”
Lucas: “Just don’t throw too soon and give yourself away.”
Ruby: “Trust me.”
That line worked so much better when I was the one saying it. The seconds ticked by slowly, my worry for Ruby growing with every one. If the zombies rushed her position, they could kill or capture her in seconds.
When they closed to within 50 yards, I summoned Switchblade and jumped on. At the same time, a fist-sized rock hurtled out from behind the pile of rocks. The zombies instantly stopped, guns snapping up, but they didn’t have time to fire before the rock came down right in the middle of the group.
One zombie caught it, examined it, then dropped it to the ground. A grenade was already following. The zombies watched it, but failed to realize it wasn’t just another rock.
The same zombie caught it, examined it, and even from that distance, I could tell the second it realized the danger. It tensed, freezing for a critical second before whipping its arm back to throw the grenade away.
Too late.
The grenade detonated. Another geyser of white-hot flame engulfed the zombie and one of its companions standing close beside it. The two zombies freaked out, spinning and trying to run, which only spread the fire to 3 more zombies.
Their bodies seemed to disintegrate, imploding way faster than the bull’s had. Weak against fire was an understatement.
More grenades fell within the clustered ranks of zombies, but they were already scattering. Geysers of fire still consumed 2 more monsters and panicked the rest in a way even the werewolves hadn’t managed.
I blasted out of cover, zooming for the zombies, who were already orienting on the pile of rocks. They opened fire with a withering barrage, blasting huge boulders apart. They’d reduce the entire pile to rubble in less than half a minute.
Ruby: “I got their attention. Hurry!”
Luckily I could type with my mind as I rode.
Lucas: “Coming. Stay down.”
Unfortunately, despite the panic of the fire bombs, one of the infernal zombies still remembered to look back and noticed me charging their flank. All of the remaining zombies turned the full might of their energy rifles against me, unleashing an intense barrage. Since I was charging straight in this time, I made a much easier target and Shield Dome’s energy reserves plummeted.
I wasn’t going to make it. They’d tear me apart 10 yards before I got to the first one. Even if I banked away and made a run for it, I was so close, they’d probably still overwhelm Shield Dome and kill me.
“I wanted to save this,” I growled as I triggered Phase Walk.
That was my last use, curse them. I’d hoped to save it until I could permanent another spell. It would have been a huge advantage, but not dying was more important.
I phased out, and thankfully so did Switchblade. The lasers didn’t deal any spiritual damage, just pure physical, so they passed through harmlessly. I dropped Shield Dome to begin recharging and shot straight in.
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The stinking zombies only stared in surprise for a second before slinging their laser rifles and bringing out their stun guns. Only 3 had the other weapons, but they fired almost instantly.
The stun blasts shook me like sudden 100 mile per hour gusts of wind, rattling me and my bike hard, nearly knocking me off the back. My health ticked down by nearly 10%.
They didn’t hurt like a physical blow would, but the blasts scattered my thoughts and my head swam. I swayed, Switchblade slowing as my grip slackened on the controls.
I had not expected that. I tried to focus and accelerate again, but the zombies hit me again. I felt sick to my ghost stomach, which was a super weird feeling, like I might throw up my feet.
I needed to move. I had no idea how the weapons affected me so much, but they were rattling me just long enough for the zombies to fire again. At this rate, they were going to chew through my health before I could reach them.
Then one of the zombies with a stun gun staggered, a smoking hole appearing in the center of its chest. It scowled, and the zombies without stun guns turned back to Ruby, who had peeked around the stones to open fire with her rifle. Her face looked different, as if her cheekbones had become more angular, but I didn’t have time to wonder what Bio Morph change she’d triggered, or what advantages it gave her.
Their answering barrage forced her back again, but the distraction gave me the second I needed to gather my thoughts and hit the throttle. The 3 stun gun wielding zombies raised their weapons again.
“My turn.” I unleashed Shattercore Ballista.
Two of the stun gun zombies stood close together and I aimed right at them. The explosive detonation catapulted bits and pieces of the 2 monsters over a very satisfyingly huge area.
When they hit the ground, they twitched, trying to move, but the explosion had destroyed most of their limbs. One still had an upper arm and it tried to use it to drag itself toward me.
As I headed straight for the last stun gun zombie, who was staggering from the explosion, I triggered Shield Dome again.
“Warning. Activating Shield Dome so soon and with less than a full charge drains the spell effective duration to 5 seconds. Cooldown before next possible use is now doubled.”
It was enough. I plowed straight into my target. I expected Shield Dome to catapult him over my back, but I’d risen to 4 feet off the ground and the curve of the dome pancaked him into the slope so hard his head cracked like a melon dropped from a roof.
Throwing Switchblade into a turn so tight every directional thruster screamed in protest, I plowed through the still-standing zombies, making 2 more quick passes before Shield Dome winked out.
The impacts didn’t hurt the others, but sent them tumbling, scattering them over a wider area. Ruby appeared again, leaning her rifle on a boulder and took out 2 with fantastic head shots.
I skidded to a stop by the unconscious prisoners still lying on their planks. Only a couple zombies remained at this point, but I’d prefer pulling the captives to safety before finishing them off.
I was still ethereal. My hands passed right through them and their shackles.
Finish the zombies it is.
I jumped off Switchblade and ran over to the zombie slavers, who were struggling to rise. One had a broken leg, so kept stumbling. The other had lost an arm. Calmly, it swung its rifle toward me with its other hand.
I kicked it away, then slashed through both skulls with Soulrend. They might be higher leveled and incredibly durable, but we knew their weaknesses, and that made all the difference. Soulrend dropped them with a couple well-aimed slashed.
The slope was a fire-blackened mess of freshly re-killed corpses. It was like a scene from a really graphic zombie apocalypse move. I canceled Phase Walk, then gagged and nearly puked.
The reek of charred zombie was foul. I’d smelled and seen some pretty nasty things in recent days, and figured I was pretty immune to gore, but I pressed the sleeve of my jacket over my nose and tried to breath shallow as I leaned over one of the zombies, touched the corpse with a finger, and triggered Harvest.
“You have successfully harvested Creeping Death from Undead Sailor.”
“Creeping Death. Spell. Surround the caster with a dense, choking sphere of gas 1 yard in diameter. Aura expands by 1 yard per point in Perception. Will affect any exposed flesh. If inhaled, does triple damage.”
“Effect: Drain 10% of life and mana from every target for every second they remain within the aura. Once they leave the aura, drain fades by 25% per second over 4 seconds. Effects of healing potions severely curtailed while drain is active. Uses remaining: 1.”
Whoa. That was nasty, and with my Perception at 28, it would spread for nearly 30 yards. It wasn’t an insta-kill spell, though. So if I ended up in a crowd of enemies, they could still attack me for a few more seconds before the aura killed them. Anyone not escaping almost immediately, especially if they breathed in the aura, would die in seconds, though.
“No way! Lucas, I got 5 levels!” Ruby exclaimed, then laughed, lifting her energy rifle high in victory.
“Excellent!” Not surprisingly, I didn’t get a level. Still, that little fight was huge for Ruby’s growth. I hadn’t really thought about how much she might level compared to me, especially facing such high-leveled monsters.
Those immolation grenades were death in a bottle for zombies. She’d done well. Better than I’d expected. Cyrus seemed to approve too because she got a ton of loot boxes.
For ambushing the zombies with the grenades, she got a gold Sun Tzu loot box with 10 more grenades. For immolating 4 zombies with those grenades, she got a platinum Chernobyl loot box that gave her a launcher tube that could fire grenades up to 100 yards.
For making perfect head shots, she got a gold Annie Oakley loot box with an ability scroll that unlocked a throwing skill. For saving me with that distraction shot, she got a platinum Dunkirk loot box. When she opened that one, she gasped and held up an amulet on a gold chain. The amulet was a simple black stone with a blue starburst emblem on the front.
“Shifting Wardstone. Amulet. Rare. Choose up to one incoming hit in every fight to deflect and redirect against another enemy.”
“Wow, that’s a good one.”
She grinned as she examined it, then hesitated and glanced at me. “You fight up close and personal more than I do. Would you like it?”
Her voice held no hesitation. I shook my head slowly, holding her gaze and smiling, trying to convey the depth of my gratitude. “I really appreciate the offer, but I’d never take that from you. It could be a life saver.”
She tried to argue, but I reminded her I already had a lot more defensive equipment and spells than she did.
Her last loot box was even better. Similar to when I’d gotten my Spartacus loot box, she got the achievement for killing zombie slavers from a higher stage to rescue captured humans. It came with a title, and she shared the description with me.
“Title: Boudica. Like the Celtic queen who led an uprising, you’re willing to step into danger to fight for freedom. No doubt you’ll continue to succeed, unlike Queen Boudica who ultimately failed.
Title gives: Plus 5 to all base stats.
Upgrades Battle Bio Morph to allow you to harden your skin at will to provide 500% improved defense for up to 20 seconds.”
“Wow!” That was an amazing title.
“My first title,” she laughed, her big brown eyes sparkling with excitement as she rushed over and gripped my arms in hers. I saw the moment the tiny golden ring appeared around her irises.
Then her entire body shuddered and she fell against me, muscles shaking as she made an involuntary groan of pleasure from all the new stats applying. I held her up and her entire body shook in my arms.
When the wave of new power subsided, she gasped. “Wow! Sorry about that.”
“No worries. “Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
She straightened and stepped back, running one hand through her thick. “That. Was a trip. Do all titles feel that good?”
“The best ones do.”
I turn to scan the slope. That little fight had turned out to be a windfall for Ruby. I was so glad I’d brought her along. We looted the zombies for bunches of mana crystals, more basic clothing and armor, and more energy weapons, which were always welcome.
I also got one unique item. It looked like a miniature human skull, made out of shiny black metal. It was heavier than lead, and it thrummed softly against my hand when I pulled it from my inventory to inspect it.
“Gate key. It opens a gate.”
“That’s oddly vague,” I said, glancing up.
“It’s a magical item from the second stage. You’re not authorized to access that stage yet.”
“It’s not like knowing the properties of this key now would be a big spoiler.”
“Everyone must follow the rules,” Cyrus said, laughter in his voice.
“Right.”
I briefly scanned the other messages I’d received during the fight and chuckled at the first one.
“Experience Hog. You left your partner behind right before a battle. You receive a silver Glutton loot box.”
Another congratulated me for surviving over 500 laser blasts from monsters more than 20 levels above mine, while a third congratulated me for finding a unique way to isolate the spiritual damage from stun guns and still survive. From those I got a platinum Bullseye loot box and a gold Exorcist loot box.
When the silver Glutton box opened, I had to laugh. Two more sporks. The gold Exorcist loot box contained a scroll to upgrade the amount of magical damage reflected back at my attackers by my amulet of the Rebound from 10 to 15%. That was a great upgrade. The amulet hadn’t helped against the zombies, but I’m sure it would come in handy.
“Nice,” I muttered as I read the single scroll from the platinum Bullseye loot box. It added plus 5 to both Luck and CHA.
“My Charisma is getting pretty high. What kind of benefits am I supposed to get from that when I unlock it?”
“That stat is most effective with specific classes,” Cyrus responded.
“So unless I get the right class, all these great stat upgrades are useless?”
“Not at all.”
“Then what are you saying?” I pressed.
“I am saying you should probably unlock those prisoners who are waking up.”
“Hey, don’t dodge the question. You said you like questions.”
“I love questions, but—“ his voice changed to a perfect imitation of Jack Nicholson. “You can’t handle the truth.”
“A Few Good Men. Great movie,” I conceded.
“Wasn’t it?” Cyrus exclaimed.
“Are you really going to try dodging my question with a movie quote?”
“What we have here is a failure to communicate,” Cyrus’s voice dropped into an imitation of the warden in Cool Hand Luke.
I sighed. That might be a not-so-subtle hint to drop it. If I remembered that movie correctly, they killed Luke shortly after that line.
“Fine. Be that way, but you will need to answer it eventually.”
“In the meantime, don’t get distracted,” Cyrus urged.
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