บท 9: The dead shall walk
Part of the world was slowly being covered in complete darkness due to a solar eclipse. It looked beautiful. One cannot truly appreciate a solar eclipse unless if they had seen it in person.
But that wasn't the case in this world. What many would call this 'an extraordinary event' the people of this world would call is 'a horrifying moment.'
Many were unprepared for this. Wandering merchants were in the middle of their travels and were confused, scared, and panicking.
Those who were in a safe location locked themselves in their homes, or in a secret room underground. It depends.
There is one man and one organic creature digging a hole as fast as they could. Will and Adaline quickly dug a hole big enough for Adaline to fit.
It was easy at first, but then it started to prove challenging. Aside from the fact that they had to mine stone, it got darker so therefore it got harder to see.
*Rumble*
There were signs on an incoming storm.
"Almost there Adaline, just a bit more."
"Hiss."
Adaline used her beak to dig down. Her progress was faster than Will's. Will naturally used his steel pickaxe, but even then Adaline had superior speed, strength, and stamina compared to him.
The hole was 15 meters deep and 10 meters wide. It almost looked like a perfect cut out hole using machines.
After finishing. Will collected all the stone on the ground, crafted it all into building blocks, and was about to seal themselves inside. It reminded him of when he first played Minecraft, how he hid himself underneath the ground to protect himself from mobs.
But, he couldn't help but be dazed by the eclipse. He has never seen one in person. The moon has almost covered the entire sun, only a part of the sun was exposed.
Then he noticed he got a debuff.
{HP 55/50}
{Debuff: Eyesight damage I}
"Eyesight damage? The eclipse can hurt my eyes?" Will was utterly confused. His eyes did ache a little.
He did not know this fact because of his idiocy, but the fact that he was malinformed. His classmates from school, before quarantine, who were supposedly his 'friends' were purposefully giving him false and horrible information.
When they were talking about Terraria's solar eclipse, someone mentioned how they would like to see a solar eclipse in real life. At one point, they told Will that an eclipse is harmless, and that he should look at it using a telescope.
Those classmates were basically his first 'friends' and he trusted him. Thank goodness that he actually never saw an eclipse or bought a telescope, otherwise he would have been blind.
Of course at one point they stopped talking to Will and treated him like an outsider. After that Will never easily trusted people again, unless if he was sure that they were good friends, like Jack or his ex-girlfriend.
However, he did have ONE REAL friend, but he died on February 14 2019 during a store robbery.
Will stopped looking at the solar eclipse, but he heard something, like a buzzing noise. Sounded like thousands of flies going off at once.
The birds began flying in groups as far away as they could.
And then the moon finally covered the entire sun. It did look like a black sun. Usually when a solar eclipse happens a little bit of sunlight peers through the sides of the moon, but this wasn't an ordinary eclipse.
There was zero light coming from the sun. Only the shining stars illuminated the world.
"Adaline! Into the hole."
They both entered the hole. Will started placing stone on top of them to seal off the hole. Naturally he couldn't reach the top because it was far out of his reach. So he hopped on Adaline's back and started blocking the entrance to the hole.
*Rumble*
He once again heard signs of thunder, but did see any thunderclouds. The bright stars could still be seen in the sky.
"Hiss!" Adaline started to act scared and shivered like a kid.
"What's wrong, girl?"
Through the hole, Will saw lightning. It wasn't natural at all.
It came from the mountains far ahead. It was covered in a thick white fog. It appeared that there were many giant dark figures fighting in the fog.
No one could see it because it was dark. But Will could, not because he could see in the dark, but because there were flashes of light that illuminated the fog.
Lightning, and bright red fire appeared on the fog, and many giant silhouettes were seen. 1 looked like a dragon, the others appeared humanoid but with 3 horns sticking out their forehead.
The humanoid figures were buffed and strong. They were also the ones who produced lightning from the palms of their hands and threw it at the dragon.
But the dragon flew and breathed fire at those humanoid figures.
Will was not good at math. But they were so tall that they almost looked like mini mountains. Their size was at least 80 meters tall, while the humanoid figures were 70-75 meters tall.
(In comparison, the colossal titan from 'Attack on Titan' is 60 meters}
His legs turned to jelly. HIs eyes widened. His breathing became heavy. Can such titans actually exist? It's not like the time with the Dragon, because now he knows that this is real life, not a hallucination.
If he were Kratos he would kill them without hesitating, but last time he checked he wasn't a God of War, just merely a normal guy who liked video games.
*ZZZZZ*
What sounded like a swarm of flies started to swarm the area, appearing like a dark cloud growing in size every second with no end.
They appeared to be like locusts. But their appearance was vastly different and more terrifying. These locusts have large, sharp mouths, covered entirely in black, red eyes, and large atenas like an ant.
Upon closer look, he saw floating words above them.
{Bloody locusts}
{HP 1/1}
They were by far the weakest creatures he has ever seen. But their numbers were astronomical.
"ROAR!!!"
Will heard something else. Above the skies he saw a dragon flying around spitting fire everywhere, or more specifically at the locusts.
{Dragon}
{HP 1,000,000}/1,000,000}
Will could not compare that dragon with the one he saw before, as he didn't see the other dragon's HP. But 1 million HP seems way too much.
When the dragon above him breathed fire, Will could make out the figure. But the locusts kept swarming the dragon making it difficult to see it.
The dragon roared and roared like thunder, and then screeched as it was struggling. And ultimately it was silent. The sounds of the swarm of locusts were all that he could hear.
*shatter*
Will heard something drop from the ground, then it sounded like bones hitting each other.
Although he couldn't see what it was, he was sure that what he heard was the bones of the dragon. The fact that the dragon stopped roaring and spitting fire proved that he was correct.
Those locusts had somehow managed to eat an entire dragon, eat all of its flesh, leaving only the bones and scales. They managed to do this before the dragon plopped to the ground, which would only take seconds.
"Hiss!" Adaline shooked Will to get him to wake up from his thoughts.
After Will had gathered his thoughts, he quickly finished blocking the hole. The swarm of locusts could smell him and were going to eat him, just like how they did it to the dragon.
After blocking the hole, him and Adaline were safe underneath the ground. Once the locusts couldn't see him anymore, they gave up and continued eating whatever else they could find.
"That was scary." Will said.
Now that they were safe, there was only one problem, it was pitch black. Adaline wasn't bothered because it was blind. But Will couldn't see a thing. He could place his hand right in front of his face and he still wouldn't be able to see it.
He could hear the faint rumbles, one could feel the ground vibrating as the earth shooked.
But being in the dark was still better than being outside.
"Ah!" Will felt a snake around his hips, but realized that it was Adaline's vines coiling around him, as if she were protecting him from harm.
He could feel her shaking, she was acting like a scared kid. She laid on his lap like a dog.
Will placed his hands on her head and calmed her down. He too was afraid. He hasn't been this afraid ever since he played subnautica.
"What the hell is this place?"
This event made him rethink everything. First dragons, cyclops, 80 meter tall giants with horns, murder locusts, sea monsters. What else roamed this world that would make anyone shit their pants?
"Haha, we are so screwed." Will laughed at himself for his stupidity. He honestly thought that he could protect himself using the steel armor and tools he currently has.
But this proved him that he was still too far from being able to create kingdoms, underground cities, something that he has always wanted to do in games but has never accomplished. That was basically his dream.
"Before I can accomplish my dream, I first need to be able to protect myself. Isn't that right? But making a well protected base will also ensure our protection, right?"
"Hiss!"
"You're right, Adaline. After I become a blacksmith, I'll build my own kingdom. But first I need to be able to craft better building materials."
As much as he would love to build a kingdom, he needed more than just wood, stone, and dirt.
Will kept stroking Adaline's head. It felt like petting silk.
Meanwhile…
Back in another village, Radix and Rias were hiding in a hole that was made beforehand by humans. With them there were several humans all shivering and hugging each other.
There were at least 200-300 people in the large hole. It might seem like a lot but this was the entire village population. It is a small village indeed.
Radix hates humans, and there was no way that he would be so close to humans. But now he didn't have a choice but to suck it up.
Rias is the only one who is happy about such a situation.
Both disguised elves were the only ones isolated in a corner away from other humans. They wanted this because there is a possibility that a human was infected. It would be much safer to keep their distance.
Radix also carried a large enchanted bow, which made anyone near them feel threatened.
They could all hear the buzzing and monster noises going off outside. But the monsters would soon become silent.
In the corner of the room, was a child and her mother. They were hugging each other and shivering in fear.
"Mommy, this is like the time when we would hide in our basement, whenever uncle would come home drunk and beat us up."
"Yes, it is."
"..."
"Why are you so happy?" Asked Radix. Rias couldn't control her smile.
"Why shouldn't I be happy? The black sun happens every hundred years. It's amazing." Rias whispered.
"What's so amazing about man-eating locusts? I hate this day. Why did it have to come early?" Radix was displaying a hint of sadness in his eyes, like he was regretting something.
RIas noticed his mood. She grabbed his hand to comfort him.
"I'm sorry. I forgot that your family died on the day of the black sun. It's wrong to be this happy on such a disastrous day."
Radix for a moment felt sad inside of him. But once he turned to face the humans, his emotions were replaced by anger, and hatred.
"They were the ones who killed them. Those humans took everything from me."
"The ones who took everything from you have been dead for over 300 years." Rias said.
"Not everyone. There is one man who is still alive, because of him my family died… the Great sage."
Radix wiped out a single tear that formed in his eye.
Rias looked down and let go of his hand.
The Great sage is the oldest living hero, the wisest, and the strongest in all the lands. There isn't anyone who doesn't know his name.
"It is said that when the Great Sage and Samuel Brophy managed to defeat the Witch, it was that moment when the Witch cursed the world, that every hundred years humanity will be reminded of how cruel and powerful she is."
"I've killed heroes before. But I don't think any one of them has ever come close to being as strong as the original 3 heroes."
"There is that one hero who is over a hundred years old, and yet he still looks like he is in his mid-thirties. I think his name is Shaun Quincy? I believe he's the next successor to the throne."
"Yeah, I've heard of him. He's not that great if he lets the Princess be kidnapped right under his nose. What an idiot."
Heroes are stronger than humans, blessed with strength, speed, regeneration, but they're not immortal. And the average lifespan of a hero is the same as a human. They're really not that different from humans.
All the other previous heroes that have been summoned hundreds of years ago, have all died. Only Shaun Quincy and the Great Sage have lived over 100 years and are still powerful. Some heroes have indeed lived passed the age of 100, but by then they're just weak, old and fragile.
There was once a case where a hundred year old hero died from a single goblin. Not because he was attacked by the goblin, but because he had a heart attack from seeing a goblin.
"Ah yes, the Princess, Harmony. It's a shame, really. She's the Princess of the strongest human kingdom, and yet she was still kidnapped by the rebel, Clement. I got to admit he is smart and bold."
"Stupid humans." Radix laughed to himself. Whenever misfortune falls on humans, he finds pleasure in it.
They still kept their eye on everybody. One of them could possibly be infected with the disease. The both of them were smart enough to be near the door, just in case they needed to get out.
"Everyone, here are your rations."
Three soldiers dressed in chainmail started handing out food and water to the villagers. The rations contained meat, vegetable soup, crackers, and half a liter of water.
The two elves did not take the meat, but the rest was fine. Elves could not eat meat, unless they wanted to lose their connection with the forest.
They secretly inspected their food to see if it was poisoned. After checking, Rias began to eat.
Radix looked at his food. It was prepared by humans, the species he hates most in the world.
"I cannot eat this." Radix placed the food by his side.
"Don't be stupid. The black sun lasts at most a week. And the rations we brought will only last us 4-5 days."
They brought more food with them, but Arbor and Grace took the other half in case they didn't come back.
"I am not eating something that humans prepared. You can have it for all I care."
"Your loss." Rias began eating the food quickly.
Radix continued observing the room.
It wasn't just simply an underground room. On the side of the wall was a door, that door led to more rooms. The other rooms contained beds, smooth floors, and a better design.
The room that they were in had no beds. All they had was thin sheets that could barely cover a man, and the floors were lumpy and hard.
The other side was the one who was in charge of the village, the village chief.
The village chief was a slim, tall, old guy. He has a white mustache, a glass monocle, a fancy cane, and a black suit and dress pants. He was the exact copy of the monopoly guy but in real life.
"Mr. Chief. We are done. The villagers are now fed." A soldier said.
Ironically, the Chief's name was also 'Chief' it is what inspired him to become a chief of a small village. He recently created this village years ago, which explains the lack of population and poor village design.
"Good work. Hm. Make sure to keep guard for the rest of the night. Mhm." He started to clear his throat violently.
The Chief sweat a lot, almost as if he had taken a shower and didn't dry himself. He was also red, and started to scratch his right hand and arm.
"You okay, Chief?" Asked the guard.
"I'm fine. I'll just… you know. Go." He waved his hand at the guard, it was covered in bandages.
The guard heeded his request and continued to keep guard in case any monsters were to try and break in.
"Cough! COUGH!"
Chief began coughing violently. His mouth felt extremely dry and closed. His vision became blurry. On his hand that he used to cover his cough, was covered in black blood.
He practically ran to his bathroom to grab some pills. He drank it down with some wine that he had on his sink.
"Gah! Nonono, this can't be."
He refused to believe that he's sick. Chief took the bandages off his arm. He dropped the bottle of wine once he saw the state of his arm.
One could see his veins were bulging and in a purple and red color. His skin started to turn brown. The last time he saw the state of his arm it wasn't that bad. He honestly thought that all he needed was some medicine, a good night's sleep and he would be okay.
But he was wrong. Maybe part of him didn't want to believe that he was infected by a zombie.
He ripped his expensive shirt, and he saw that the infection had spread to his shoulders, almost to his neck.
There were no noticeable bite marks on his arm. In this world, the only way to be infected by a zombie, is if it bites, scratches you, or if some zombie blood were to enter your mouth, eyes, ears, and whatnot.
3 days ago at night, he was very drunk. As the chief of the village, he was richer than most of the other villagers, but he spent most of it on drinks for himself or his buddies.
He had this weird habit of pissing on the trees after drinking 5 bottles of wine. Drinking can lead people to make the worst decisions of their lives.
Chief remembered that he had trouble keeping his balance. A bottle of fine wine was in his hands, barely full.
Then he tripped on something. It felt soft and smelled like rotten eggs.
He remembered seeing a man on the ground, with a 2 inch hole in his head. His face was rotten. This was the zombie that Will had killed that night.
Anyone who saw this would immediately run. But not the Chief. He was too drunk to tell that this was a zombie.
"Hay budddddyy, are ya'v sleeping on te graund?" He kicked the zombie repeatedly, but there was no reaction. His words were slurring that could barely make sense.
After confirming that he was 'asleep' he had an idea once he saw the bottle in his hand. He jammed the entire bottle on his mouth with great force. It even chipped off some of it's teeth.
"Wak up. Wak up." Chief kept jamming the bottle into the zombie's mouth.
The tip of the bottle was now infected with the zombie's blood, teeth, and saliva. Part of the bottle was cracked.
But the zombie did not wake up at all.
"Ha! Gotcha! Ow!"
The chief saw that a broken glass of the bottle scratched the tip of his finger, causing it to bleed. It was the same spot that he used to jam the bottle into the zombie's mouth.
"ThIs SuIt CoSt MuAh EiGhTeEn DoLlArS." He kicked the zombie out of anger, and went back into the village. He also threw the bottle as far as he could until it was smashed to pieces.
The next day the Chief woke up on his bed. His finger on the other hand changed colors. It was purple and red. After confirming that it was infected with some disease, he went to the doctor to get some drugs, and bandages. Any memories from last night were fuzzy at first.
But as time went on, his disease began to get worse. His entire hand was infected, then his arm, and it did not stop there.
Now he realized what happened to him. He was turning into a zombie, a dark, undead creature that should not exist. This was confirmed after a doctor did some tests on him. After the doctor realized this, he intended to call the sorcerers and the kingdom, but he was shot in the back of the head by the mayor and staged it to look like an accident.
When he remembered what happened that night, he searched for the zombie corpse, but it was gone.
Knowing what would happen to him if he were to reveal this, he hid it very well, making people think he broke his arm which explained why he covered it up in bandages.
Chief honestly thought that with enough medicine, and if he were to pray for his god, maybe it could make the disease go away. But praying and simple medicine are not going to cure a zombie disease.
By the third day, which is right now, he started to crave for the flesh of human meat. Any other food that he used to like now tasted stale, gross, inedible.
Resisting such temptations did not work. It was simply too much.
"I don't want to die. I don't want to die." Chief kept mumbling to himself, tears forming in his eyes.
"Please, god, I want to live."
He felt weak, his vision began turning black. The disease spread to his neck, and finally his brain. Chief dropped on the ground and also all the medicine with him, and the bottle of wine. The guards heard the commotion and ran towards the bathroom.
"Chief, did something happen?" Two of the guards waited for an answer, but all they heard was mumbling noises, and broken glass being kicked around.
"Stand back, Chief."
One of the soldiers kicked the bathroom door. They saw the Chief suffering seizures as white foam formed in his mouth.
The youngest soldier aided the Chief by picking up his head and doing whatever he could think of.
"Chief! Call the doctor!"
"But, the doctor died in an accident yesterday."
"Then find someone else. Hurry!"
The other soldier left to inform the other villagers if they're doctors, or potion-makers. Potion-makers can also cure some illnesses.
The Chief's eyes turned white completely, and he stopped convulsing violently.
"Chief, are you okay?"
"GAH!"
The zombie bit the soldier right on his neck and tore most of it off, the neck is one of the few parts of the soldier's body which the armor didn't protect him.
The soldier yelled for help, but his vocal chords were torn off. He died shortly after.
"Chief, I brought you some- WHAT THE FUCK!" The other soldier brought him some medicine and towels, but was shocked to see what had happened.
"NUM!"
The Chief pounced on the other soldier like a hungry lion. Meanwhile the other soldier began convulsing violently.
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