[Zealous Zombie]
Vikram rolled as a wooden cross smashed into where he was previously. Vikram quickly stood up put himself in a stance and slashed his axe vertically into the body of the zombie-like being.
Both axes lodged inside the skull of the zombie. The zombie didn't care and lunged at Vikram. Vikram took out the axe, and the zombie staggered back. Vikram saw that there was a red bar declining on top of the zombie.
Vikram again lunged at the zombie and attacked the zombie with a back-to-back axe attack. The red bar was completely depleted, and the zombie gave a final hurrah swing of the cross which hit Vikram on the ribs.
The zombie vanished in dust and a blue mote of light came and disappeared into Vikram's chest.
[+5 Soul Fragment]
Vikram winced as he was sure that he had broken a rib, but he could feel that it was healing rapidly, unlike his previous body. Vikram slowly stood up as he moved forward.
He saw one more [Zealous Zombie], but he had some information from the previous fight, and he utilized it in this battle, which ended with some difficulty.
[+5 Soul Fragment]
Vikram moved forward but soon came to a halt at an intersection where the path split to the left and right. He chose the left path with some hesitation and walked down the narrow road.
As he was walking, he saw that there was a small extension of the road where barrels and decayed food were gathered. There were also zombies hanging there, two of them.
Vikram gripped his axe, and he felt the black pelt of the wolf comforting him in the breezing cold. He moved fast as he stuck his axe into the skull of the zombie that was closer to him.
He slashed the blade into the skull of the zombie further, and making sure that the red bar was depleted, he moved towards the next target. But things were never that easy.
Vikram suddenly felt pain shoot up in his brain, and he fell face flat into the ground. He felt extreme pain in his legs, and he saw that vines with thorns had randomly popped up and bound his legs.
His momentum had damaged his legs further, mangling the ligaments and tearing apart muscles. Vikram saw that the zombie was homing in on him, and at his final sight, he caught a hunched-back, voodoo black magician-looking guy jumping up and down pointing his wand at him.
The wooden cross slammed into his head, and it turned his brain into mush.
[You have been slain.]
[Restart]
[Exit Game]
Vikram eased up as he saw that he could quit the game anytime, but now was not the time because he wanted to check something. So, he willed to restart the Game.
Vikram's vision blacked out again, he felt an aura wash over his body, and he was again at the cave. Vikram willed the status panel to open up, and he sighed.
[Souls: 0]
Vikram knew that this was going to be rage-inducing.
Vikram looked at his body and eased up when he saw that his wolf pelt and the weapons were on him. Vikram made his way through the intersection and took a right.
He continued the road, and he saw that the road ended with a gigantic metal gate. Vikram touched the gate, and a notification popped up.
[You are missing the key.]
Vikram nodded and backtracked. He chose the left road and ended in the barrel region. Vikram followed the previous attempt at killing the closer zombie and moved back as he looked for the voodoo magician.
The barrels broke off as the magician came into view. Vikram moved forward, but the other zombie had caught up. Vikram wasted 10 seconds, and that was all the magician needed.
Vikram tried to dodge the vines but it was like the vines had life. It strangled and grinded Vikram's leg like a chainsaw. Pain blinded Vikram, and the hammer came and smashed into Vikram's head.
[You have been slain.]
[Restart]
[Exit Game]
Vikram spawned in the cave and willed the status panel to appear.
[Souls: 0]
Vikram sighed, and again did the same run, reached the barrel region, and again eliminated the zombie that was closer to him and moved back. He created distance from the mage and the zombie and looked at the mage carefully.
The barrel broke, and the mage came into view. Vikram looked carefully at the mage and kept the zombie at a certain distance.
[You have been slain.]
Vikram noted that at the end of the 'spell', the mage would point his finger at him.
[You have been slain.]
Vikram also noted that there was a range on the mage, but the zombie would also lose interest in him after he went back a certain distance.
[You have been slain.]
Vikram bleakly saw that he had less than a percent probability to win this match. The mage's cast time was short, and the zombie was hella annoying.
Vikram saw that there was only one thing he could do.
[Weapon Arts]
[Double Axe Arts: Level 1]
Vikram tried to cultivate his weapon arts. Vikram didn't have a direction, but he tried different things. Fanciful cutting, slashing on opposite sides. One time, he had died stumbling and dying by his own blade.
[You have been slain.]
Vikram was frustrated, and he was so angry that he threw the axe in his hand at the mage... and the mage died.
Vikram dumbly looked at the corpse of the mage turn into dust and the blue mote of light disappear into his chest.
[+110 Soul Fragment]
Vikram felt the impact of the hammer on the back of his head, and only then did he realize that there was a zombie left.
[You have been slain.]
Vikram felt a familiar excitement course through his body. He could move forward!
[Weapon Arts]
[Double Axe Arts: Level 1-->Level 2]
Vikram felt as though he had an ethereal connection with the axes. He felt as though he had multiple ways to use the axe that he had.
Vikram moved hurriedly...
[You have been slain.]