It seems that when you want time to pass quickly, it insists on moving more slowly, and the opposite works the same way. The inevitable was approaching, and although I tried to stay calm, nerves devoured me. This time, at least, we had some warning in advance. Although it came late at night, while I was already asleep, it was enough to pull me from my dreams.
[Notice to all competitors: The second disaster of the initial stage will begin in 24 hours. Prepare yourselves, and good luck. Individual competitors are reminded to stay away to avoid becoming involved.]
That message forced me to react immediately. Although I already had a general plan, anxiety pushed me to review it over and over, as if something was slipping through my fingers. The notice came exactly at midnight, and after pacing around the room, I managed to fall back asleep... or at least I tried.
At dawn, I got up and gathered as many people as possible. I would inform them about how we would proceed. They, in turn, were to pass the message to the others to ensure no one was left uninformed. The day would go on as normal until there were 12 hours left until the disaster. At that point, everyone would take a rest until between 4 and 2 hours before it began. Once the critical moment arrived, everyone would be on high alert, divided into groups that would rotate to rest.
I didn't know what the disaster would be, only that, like the previous one, it would last up to 24 hours.
Although I tried to stay occupied, my nervousness didn't leave me alone the entire day. My dreams were intermittent and light, more nightmares than real rest. I did everything I could: I armed my people, organized our food reserves, prepared blankets in case of snow, and even reviewed all the reports that other participants had posted about the previous disaster. Still, I had no clue what was coming. I felt my heart in my throat as I looked at my stats, knowing they wouldn't change anything, regretting not having progressed more in my classes.
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Clase: [Slaughterer(1/100)], [Beggar (31/100)], [Mayor (9/100)], [Dark Master (12/100)]
- Minor Mayor (Copper): [Subjects: 62/100]
- Master of Shadows (Gold): [Slaves: 160/160], [Subjects: 80/80], [Supernatural: 0/20]
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...
[The disaster has begun. Good luck to the participants.]
The notice echoed in my head once again. I gripped the hilt of my sword, feeling the cold sweat run down my back. I walked towards the gates of the palisade, where the air felt denser, almost rotten, like an omen of imminent death.
The palisade didn't have proper doors, but it was blocked with logs and other improvised obstacles. Along it, at regular intervals, we had set up platforms with archers ready for any eventuality. The darkness was oppressive, but during the day we had made torches, distributing them both inside the village and in the areas near the palisade. This way, we could prevent anything from getting close without being seen.
We had also gathered enough wood to keep the bonfires burning for hours, though using those resources was a risk I'd prefer to avoid.
Those who knew how to ride were ready with horses at the entrances, and small groups patrolled the interior of the palisade to ensure any emergency would be communicated quickly.
I, unable to contain my anxiety, paced the palisade from side to side. I stopped at each gate for a few minutes, watching the outside and mentally reviewing our defenses. I knew I was wearing myself out unnecessarily, but I couldn't stay still. To my surprise, that unease ended up being useful.
About an hour after the disaster began, a man came running towards me, pale and agitated. "We've seen something!"
I had given strict orders: anything, no matter how small, had to be reported immediately. And there I was, ready to face the unknown.
Without hesitation, I ran with all my strength towards the indicated location. I climbed up one of the archer platforms for a better view. Although I could look through the gaps in the palisade, I needed to make sure I could clearly see what was happening.
Inside the area lit by torches, a humanoid figure appeared, staggering slowly. Just seeing it made my skin crawl. I didn't have good experiences with humanoid figures approaching during the disasters. However, this one was... different.
Its gait was slow and clumsy. Although it had an anthropomorphic shape, it was much more emaciated than a necrario. It was hard to distinguish in the shadows, its clothes torn, dirty, and its skin... was it skin? Perhaps due to the darkness of the night, it was hard to tell, but as it got closer to the light, its appearance became clearer. And much worse.
It wasn't skin. It was living, bloody flesh. It had no hair, and parts of its skull were exposed. It was missing one eye, and its teeth protruded grotesquely due to the partial absence of its lips. It stretched its arms forward, and in one of them, the flesh had given way, leaving the bone visible.
That wasn't a person. It couldn't be. No human being could move like that, let alone without screaming in pain with those injuries.
"Halt!" I shouted, straining to hear any response. But all it did was quicken its pace, its teeth bared in a gesture that seemed more animal than human. "You, shoot it!" I ordered the archer at my side, who seemed petrified with terror.
The archer swallowed hard, tensed his bow, and fired. The arrow struck the creature in the side of its stomach. It staggered slightly from the blow, but to our horror, it kept advancing as if nothing had happened. It didn't even bleed.
"Shoot it in the head! If it gets too close, use the spears, but don't get near it. Keep your distance!" The order burst from my lips as fear gripped my chest. I knew what that thing was. I had suspected it, and now it was confirmed: Zombies. I wasn't so afraid of the individual power of these creatures, but of the chaos their existence could unleash.
My men gripped their weapons tightly and obeyed. The archers fired, though aiming for the head wasn't easy, especially for those who weren't really archers. Some arrows struck the body, causing only momentary delays. Finally, one of them plunged deep into the creature's skull, piercing its brain. The living corpse collapsed to the ground, lifeless once more.
[1/50]
"Damn it!" I yelled, confirming the disaster.
The insignificant relief of having defeated one vanished immediately when, from the shadows of the forest, I saw more figures begin to emerge. Some were as slow as the first... but others were not.
"GET READY!" I bellowed. "QUICK! MESSENGERS, INFORM EVERYONE! WE'RE BEING ATTACKED BY THE LIVING DEAD! BOWS AND SPEARS FIRST, DON'T GET CLOSE. STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THEM AS POSSIBLE AND ATTACK FROM BEHIND THE PALISADE! AND ABOVE ALL, AIM FOR THE HEAD!"
I gave my orders while gripping my sword, watching as the zombies drew closer and closer. I knew this place was based on horror stories, and so far, my assumptions were proving correct. But something chilled my blood even further: How old were these stories? And how close were we to a real zombie apocalypse, like the ones depicted in modern tales?
I could see some zombies approaching, but not all of them were the same. There were those like the previous one: slow, decayed, clearly walking corpses. However, others moved with almost human speed, and their wounds weren't severe enough to give them away immediately. They seemed more like people on the brink of death rather than undead. Though they were few in number, these latter ones worried me much more.
The archers fired, but their attacks barely did any damage. Perhaps their bows lacked sufficient power, because only a few arrows managed to penetrate the rotting flesh of the zombies. And even if they struck their bodies, it was useless; even if their legs were rendered useless, the creatures kept advancing, dragging themselves along the ground with terrifying persistence.
When they reached the palisade, they began to strike it with animalistic ferocity, trying to reach us. I was thankful we had built it, even if its original purpose had been to keep wild animals at bay. Now it protected us from something much worse. Facing the zombies in hand-to-hand combat would have been suicide, especially seeing the monstrous strength with which they attacked.
My men, following my orders, attacked with spears from behind the palisade or from the archer platforms. However, damaging them from a distance was complicated. Piercing their skulls, the only effective way to kill them, required precision and strength.
The stench of decay filled the air, growing more intense with each passing moment. My men screamed as they tried to drive the tips of their spears into the zombies' eyes, but this only seemed to fuel the insatiable hunger of the undead. The palisade held, although the constant attacks were starting to deform it. Fortunately, it was serving its purpose: it was buying us time. None of them had managed to breach it.
With the position defended and the battle cries echoing around me, I decided to leave the area to inspect the other defenses. The zombies weren't attacking from a single direction, like the wolves had; they were surrounding us. Though with only 50 individuals, completely surrounding the camp was difficult.
Scattered along the palisade, men and women fought with determination. I felt relieved to see that they were following my orders to the letter. The precautions were slowing down the elimination of the zombies, but they were protecting our lives.
When I reached one of the gates, I found a large concentration of them. I grabbed a spear and joined the fight, although I knew my skill paled in comparison to that of my stronger men. Even they were having difficulty dealing with these creatures. My help was minimal, but I did the best I could.
Slowly, the number of zombies decreased. However, I noticed something alarming: some of the fallen were still moving. The tally didn't change.
"Make sure to pierce the brains of the corpses, even if they seem inert!" I quickly ordered. I also sent some messengers to spread the instruction.
Finally, the tally showed [50/50]. A sigh of relief swept through the camp, but the moment was abruptly interrupted when a new message appeared before my eyes:
[Some of the participant's actions have caused changes in the current disaster. Action taken: leaving many corpses exposed.]
[Lyricus disaster level increased to 2.]
My breath stopped. With horror, I watched as the previous tally disappeared and was replaced by another:
[0/100]
The moans of the zombies grew louder from the forest. More creatures began to emerge, many more than before. Some were difficult to see, as several torches had been knocked over or extinguished by the initial attack.
"Get ready, this is far from over!" I shouted in desperation as I saw the numbers of zombies increase, some of them faster and stronger than the previous ones.
I ordered the archers not to spare arrows. Now there were enough targets to empty their quivers without hesitation. At the same time, the sounds of battle in other directions grew more intense, indicating that danger was completely surrounding us. I knew we couldn't maintain this pace for much longer.
"Anyone who can't fight, take refuge in the houses! Lock yourselves in and don't come out under any circumstances!" I shouted to the civilians. Meanwhile, the undead continued attacking the palisade relentlessly. The structure trembled and creaked under the constant barrage of blows, slowly splintering. Despite our efforts to hold them off from the safety of the camp, we couldn't contain them completely.
Disaster struck when a nearby section of the palisade was breached, opening a small but deadly gap. I saw my men trying to hold back the zombies, but I knew it was dangerous to get too close.
"Get back!" I shouted as I ran toward them.
One of my soldiers, armed with a spear, tried to stop a particularly strong zombie. However, being too close, he lost control of his weapon. The undead creature lunged at him with inhuman strength, biting into his flesh and tearing a piece of skin off with ease. The monster's claws ripped into his arm, leaving deep wounds.
Another soldier, armed with a club, struck the zombie's head, managing to momentarily push it back, but more creatures were beginning to squeeze through the gap. When I arrived to help, I saw how the soldiers had formed a makeshift circle around the hole. They used their spears to keep the zombies at bay, plunging them into their bodies and shoving them back as the archers and melee fighters tried to destroy their heads with precise attacks.
It comforted me to see that my men were not useless. They had quickly learned to adapt to this threat and were improvising countermeasures. However, the noise of the fight seemed to attract more zombies from nearby areas still struggling to breach the palisade, guiding them directly toward our position.
With my sword in hand, I jumped into the center of the gap to join the fight. I could only hope that the other sections of the palisade hadn't fallen and that we wouldn't face any more serious problems.
Focusing on the enemies in front of me, I made a cut as I had practiced. My sword cut through the zombie's flesh with some resistance, but I managed to withdraw it quickly and continue my attack. I aimed for the neck and head, where I knew I could deal the most damage. The silver-level weapon I carried made a huge difference. A well-executed strike could destroy a zombie in a single blow, though my lack of strength limited the effectiveness of my attacks.
Even the man who had been bitten, bleeding profusely and clearly weakened, was still standing. With desperate courage, he tried to help us contain the undead, even though we all knew what awaited him. We kept fighting, but the pressure increased with every passing second.