Chapter 2.2.2: A Test Of Engagement (2/2)

Ando's POV

After separating myself with Loki on the rooftop, I just found myself surrounded with zombies and are chasing after me.

I can't just let myself be the midnight snack in a dark spot so I sprinted off into the trail of torches.

And once I made it, I can fight these enemies without any worries.

I step foot on the trail of torches and waited for those walking corpses to come close in the beaming glow of light.

"Come on, sick creatures. Step into the light for me."

Soon after, the luminescence caught the horde of zombies.

"Oh wow.. what a hoard.."

The scenery when the zombies walked into the light was somewhat ominous and intense. It's like being greeted with a death sentence.

"And here I thought I don't have anything to worry. They look threatening!"

While they're on the move, I hold my copper shortsword pointing towards the aggravating zombies

One zombie wailed its whole body at me, I stepped to the side while I swung my shortsword grazing the zombie. The zombie tumbled its feet upon sticking the landing behind me.

Another zombie lashes its disgusting face into my face trying to grapple me.

"Eat shit!"

I stabbed its glass jaw while pushing it to the ground, forcing that zombie to lie down face up.

And there's another zombie that was about to strike me up close. I pulled my shortsword out of the lying zombie's jaw to repel the lashing zombie.

By reflex, I swung my shortsword and the slashing point didn't reached the lashing zombie. The zombie then pounced me, pushing me to the ground and I suffered 70 health points.

"Shit! I swung too early!"

Because of the copper shortsword's short length, I needlessly didn't adjust the correct distance to attack.

Before I could gather my thoughts and make a move, the zombie that tackled me was about to bite me in the arm. Still lying down, I stabbed the zombie's side of the face and I backed off to a nearby tree after I pulled out my shortsword out of the zombie's disgusting face.

"Great.. what a heavy loss. I'm down to 30 HP left, great! To think that sword fighting needs adjusted distances.."

No time to be standing still, the horde of zombies are still rushing after me. Gotta repel them somehow, fast.

"Would you guys slow the fuck down!! You sick psychos just keep on running after me at every turn!!"

As I said that, more zombies started rolling around for an assault. I, on the other hand, started resorting in other means by switching my shortsword to the stacked 277 throwing knives.

I threw a few throwing knives at one zombie, as the zombie staggers in place, I slowly approach the zombie while switching back to my shortsword and slash it a few times to wear off its enormous health points.

The zombie pulled itself back to restore its foothold. After pummeling that zombie with these lethal weapons, it looked almost demolished with stuck knives and scratches all over its body. Then I just threw another throwing knife for a finisher.

After the knife struck in it's face, the zombie's feet collapsed and falls down.

The core of this strategy is to conserve the throwing knives while decreasing the mobs' health points when staggered.

Well, this strategy is solid but I can't just waste all of the throwing knives just to keep them at bay.

It's the only strategy I could come up that doesn't involve risks. It's all so I could fight in a safe distance.

Yet, there are still problems..

Not a moment spared for me and the relentless zombies continued to pursue so I just ran in the trail of torches to catch a breathe.

While running, I contemplated.

"Sticking to just one selection slot won't do. Switching takes too long to load. I need a leeway. Is there a way to make two selection slots?!"

When one selection box was marked with a tool, a ball of light will pop out of one of the hands and slowly forms into that tool. However, when switching that one tool to another tool, that one tool will just be replaced with light sparkles and back to the light ball forming to another selected tool in a slow process.

Evidently, the process of switching weapons took 3 seconds to load. Too long of a process when engaged in a high paced fight.

And in the hotbar, there's only one selection box that can select. To turn the tides around, I'm in a desperate need of the second selection box to simultaneously wield the throwing knives and my copper shortsword.

I was still holding the throwing knife in my left hand. Is there a way to do a dual wield?

While thinking, a comment of someone echoes in my head.

"Dude, maybe you should use your imagination on that one."

Use your imagination.

That comment sounded absurd when I heard him, but it more or less worked. I didn't think it was possible but I made it work with just that brief explanation.

"Elma.. just who, in their right mind, would fiddle their inventories like that?"

Imagination..

I looked at my right hand, which was empty, without much thought. Then I started imagining my copper shortsword being held in the palm of my hand.

After a while, it didn't work out. But I kept trying.

I imagined the shortsword harder, clearer. A copper shortsword in the palm of my hand.

Just then, a tiny ball of light pops out and faded. The shortsword didn't show up, but it was a clear sign that it can be done.

I didn't stop imagining. A telltale sign that it was possible sparked my intrigue.

Just keep thinking..

Don't stop..

Imagine it..

Feel it..

A small ball of light appears out of thin air in my hand but it's still not changing form.

Just a little bit..

A little bit more...

The small ball of light then flashed a beam in my palm and soon after unveils a copper shortsword.

"IT WORKED!!"

When the dual wielding finally worked, an achievement popped up in front of me.

[You Don't Need Your Hands, Do You?!]

A pixel image of a golden sword and pickaxe crossed together with hands holding the tools along with a name tag on the side of the image that says; "You don't need your hands, do you?!"

I was about to press on the pop-up but then a shriek of a zombie behind me snapped me back to reality.

I forgot that I was still running away from them.

Well, no more running.

I stopped on my tracks and faced the zombie's.

"Alright, walking corpses. Wanna piece of this?!!"

With the throwing knives on my left hand and a copper shortsword on my right hand, I began retaliating.

One zombie was approaching and I just threw a few throwing knives in its way before walking up to it and marking it with sword scratches until it faltered.

Next zombie was on the run on its way towards me and I redo the same thing.

With an effective strategy, I don't see myself getting killed in the process while doing this.

All I gotta do is to keep on getting them occupied and pick all of their drops until dawn arrives.

"Come on, rotheads!! We're just getting started!!"

***

Loki's POV

I was still on the field of darkness and zombies and demon eyes are about to prep an assault against me.

The wooden bow Ando gave me was a piece of shit that deals minimal damage on any mob that struck with it.

And with really limited ammo, I can only engage with my shortsword for now.

"Hyaaa!!"

I rushed at the walking zombie and swing my shortsword in a downward motion with both hands held on the sword's hilt

It hit the zombie's shoulder and I tried pushing it down to cut the zombie in half.

But then my sword got stuck in place and I couldn't cut it through. While there was damage taken, I couldn't push the zombie back.

"The HELL?!! How thick is your skin?!!"

And then the zombie swung its arms and it hit me in the face.

I let go of my shortsword and pushed myself back while staggering, I suffered 85 health points in the process.

Now at the temporary safe distance, I braced my legs again ready for another run but then I noticed that I was disarmed. My copper shortsword was just gone from my hotbar.

"What the.. where is my shortswo..."

I then looked at the zombie that I tried cutting through, I saw my copper shortsword stuck at the zombie's shoulder.

"HUH?!! Is this a thing now?! Players getting disarmed?!!"

The zombie kept moving despite having a sword stuck in its shoulder and I continued backing away from them.

I was at a loss because I don't have a weapon that can push them back.

I can only rely on my last used weapon, the wooden bow.

I pulled my wooden bow out, take aim and shoot at that zombie. As expected, it did not pushed them back. But convincingly, it took some damage.

So I continued firing, I took aim and fire arrows at the zombie in consecutive shots.

And then the zombie collapsed on its feet due to accumulated damage.

Perhaps it doesn't matter if the arrows don't push them back, if it took significant damage, they'll fall down like any mob would do.

But the problem now is the ammo.

I already have more than enough wood and the only missing ingredient left is the stones to make 5 wooden arrows per craft.

I have looked around the base already and I couldn't spot any rocky surface nearby. But even if I did found a rocky surface, all the zombies and demon eyes will keep me occupied so I wouldn't have enough time to mine those stones blocks.

"If only I have bombs with me... Wait.."

There was a way to drop bombs.

There's a minimal chance that trees can drop triggered bombs. When I was chopping down trees back then, the moment the treetop shook, it drops the bomb that was seconds away to explode and I just back off to safety whenever that happens.

It's a bit of a stretch but I can only rely on luck right now.

I get to the nearby tree and just kick it with my foot. The tree at the top shook violently before it dropped nothing but leaves.

I spotted another tree, went to it and kicked it. The treetop sways before birds comes flying out of the grouped leaves.

Went to another nearby tree before a demon eye confronted me and dives in.

I fired an arrow and it missed. Now I'm down to 23 arrows left. I can't keep wasting shots like this.

I jumped and rolled on the side to steer clear of the demon eye's tackle.

I can't risk it if I'm accompanied so I changed direction and went to another untouched tree and kicked it, it still dropped nothing.

I started sprinting towards the next untouched tree but then there's a few zombies standing in my way.

One zombie at the front lashes out while I stepped forward and dodges it, I pulled the bowstring in the process and take aim at the next zombie in front of me and shoot.

After the arrow hit, I sprinted forward bypassing the arrow-marked zombie and continued kicking the trees down.

For a long while, there's no luck ever dropping bombs and I just keep getting attacks from the mobs in all directions and I barely confronted them but I still shoot arrows at them regardless.

Now I'm down to my last 10 arrows.

"Shit! There's no luck at all!"

I kept getting farther away from the base trying to get one littered bomb. But I didn't stop poking trees.

As I was approaching another untouched tree, I noticed a rocky surface next to that tree, with the dark atmosphere all around, it was visibly subtle but I was sure there was rocks around that area.

Distracted, I encountered 4 zombies closing in on my current position. These zombies were blocking my path towards that rocky surface.

Before all the zombies behind me barricaded my surroundings, I need to get those blocking zombies out of my way. I'll have to use all of my remaining arrows to do so.

I briefly looked at my hotbar and took out an apple, I quickly ate it to get some speed buff.

And I took a deep breath..

"Let's hope that one tree will have the thing I need."

I took aim at that one zombie up ahead, and I stepped forward before letting go of the bowstring.

The arrow hit and pierced target's foot and that zombie got stuck in place, I went to the side to pick out my next target and take aim at the new target's eye.

Upon letting go of the bowstring, I pulled the string again and shoot at the target's other eye to fully blind the zombie. It can still chase me around instinctively but it won't know what obstacle the zombie's foot will catch.

I sprinted back to a different side to view the next zombie and shoot its head and shoulders of both side, the zombie staggers backward upon contact.

And down to the last zombie blocking the way with only 4 more arrows remaining.

I took aim at the zombie's head and fired. The arrow hit the forehead. I pulled the string again and let go, it hit the zombie's chin.

A little bit off the mark.

I just took out the last arrow and grabbed it with my hand. Then I rushed the zombie.

"Haaah!!"

I used the arrow's pointy tip and stabbed the zombie's face into the ground.

When I forced it to lie down, I immediately sprinted towards the untouched tree and kicked it.

And it finally dropped a bomb.

The bomb's fuse was already lit and I quickly made a tiny little crater of the rocky surface right next to the tree for the placeholder of the bomb, mining 3 stone blocks in the process.

Just then I saw one demon eye flying across the dark sky before it dives down towards me.

I stepped back for a bit before I braced my foothold and raised my wooden bow.

With one arrow left, I can't screw this up.

The demon eye was coming in fast and I pulled the bowstring while pointing the tip of the arrow at the eyeball.

I don't have to panic, just gotta make the shot count. The demon eye's iris became a shooting target circle in my eyes.

Right when the demon eye comes into my full view, I eased my grip on the string until the arrow flew off my hands.

At that moment, I heard the bomb explodes but I didn't take my eyes off at the arrow.

The arrow's trajectory flew towards the center dot of the eye and the eyeball's flight path got distorted and forcefully changed direction.

"Haa!! Shots fired!! You floating creep!!"

I quickly went to the littered pickups and snatched the wood and stone blocks.

I picked up 17 stones and 24 wood.

I crafted the work bench in a hurry and placed it down then I crafted the wooden arrow using all of the stone blocks I collected, I now got 100 wooden arrows in my ammo slot.

With my ammo slot refilled, I stood up to the zombie horde that's coming up in the distance.

I fired 1 arrow and hit one in the head, I fired the next arrow and it hit a different target.

I continuesly fired more shots at the impending horde and still hitting the targets.

Once the hordes' march got disrupted by the fallen corpses, I went back to the rocky surface near the crater to manually mine those stone blocks before stepping right above the work bench and craft more ammo.

Then the demon eyes starts turning up to the battlefield. They don't look that much of a threat to me now that I can just stand here in the rocky surface.

I don't have to worry about the ammo capacity, if I stood my ground right here by keeping them stalled in the distance, then I can stay alive until dawn arrives.

Thinking back, I could've just died on the spot back then or just return home but I didn't.

I guess I just didn't want to back down on a fight.

"Alright, you disgusting creeps!! Come into my shooting range!!"

***

Elma's POV

I'm on a standoff.

It was now time for me to put my sword fighting to the test.

I was facing an oblivious zombie holding a zombie arm. That was a weird explanation.

I'll have to watch out for that long zombie arm poking in on my flanks.

A cold wind breeze through me and I braced my legs. The zombie is just standing leisurely in place.

Then I rushed at the armed zombie.

When stepping into each other's close range, the zombie swings its weapon wildly, I started dodging the attacks with full focus.

Every time I was dodging each swing lies every bit of lethality of the zombie's swinging weapon and I was starting to get the feel of a thrilling fight.

Right when the zombie swung the weapon, I set my arm in motion to stop the arm from swinging, and at that split-second moment I immediately felt the sudden urgency to not block its attack.

I took action by evading the attack and backing off to a safe distance.

I glanced at the zombie's full picture, it's just one zombie holding an arm but in a way it looks menacing to me.

I did not think I'd feel threatened by just an armed zombie but I did.

"An 'armed' zombie... Why do you look so deadly..? Dead-ly??"

After carelessly uttering the worst pun I ever made, i went for another rush.

The zombie let out a grim growl before making another swing, the swing made the long extensive weapon reach for my body and I sway back my upper body to evade it.

I can't seem to close up the distance.

Well if blocking makes me shiver to back off, how about parrying it.

Surely, parrying would be less riskier, right?

In the proper close distance, I swing my copper shortsword towards the zombie's weapon with the same momentum as my opposing counterpart.

Upon our weapon's contact, I immediately understood why the sudden urge told me to not block it. My copper shortsword was quickly being pushed back without much hinder.

When our weapons clashed, I could feel the heavy blow pushing my arm and weapon back forcefully.

"What the..."

And when my whole arm got blown to the left side of the zombie's swinging motion, the zombie was then ready to pull its weapon to my neck.

I forcefully pushed my foot to the ground and stepped back quickly, narrowly avoiding another fatal attack.

To think that this very zombie was more powerful in terms of strength compared to me who is a living being.

I can't back down now after going this far.

It's a perfect opportunity to understand how to approach when engaged in a firefight.

I'll see it for myself on how I deal with a mob that's beyond compare.

Once my head has cleared up, the armed zombie relentlessly rushed this time and I awkwardly put up a defensive stance by sticking my shortsword pointed at the undead.

The zombie swung its weapon hard and reached out my sword while steadily stepping back to at least not hit me with it.

My arm again blew to the side as I couldn't handle the heavy strength the zombie has.

The zombie did not stop and I continued pointing my sword at the zombie's weapon.

While I was occupied defending my vitals, I also paid close attention to the zombie's attack patterns.

It may seem like it was swinging randomly but I could sense a few holes of openings when it swings hard.

I might start retaliating against this strong mob if not for its long wretched weapon.

As I had that thought, the blows of the attacks I've been deflecting starts weakening. Not to the point that it was obvious by sight but by feel.

Perhaps, I'll have to prolong this sword-crossing session to see if I could fight back. I still have to be careful not to get hit because its damage output might not have changed.

Overtime, the zombie was noticeably immobilized.

Time to fight back.

I stepped forward for a push.

The zombie's swings are still as obvious as ever but with a more aggressiveness to its attacks.

I first deflects a few of its attacks before coming in closer to the zombie's field of vulnerability.

I then starts blocking all of the attacks with complete care as one hit of these would be fatal.

When I finally got close enough for my shortsword to reach, I quickly poke the zombie with stabs and scratches as I continue blocking its wild strikes.

After pummeling the zombie for a while, the zombie then starts pushing itself back.

I continued poking the zombie with weak strikes until the zombie is in its last bit of health.

I stepped back to a good amount of distance then I held my sword with both hands tightly. Then I lash out at the staggering zombie before I made a very hard swing at its neck, slicing it in half in the process.

The zombie collapsed on its feet and its body crippled into separated parts, then comes out flying copper and silver coins out of its body.

I did not bother celebrating for doing such, I only fought a zombie holding an uncanny zombie arm. Plus it's still in the middle of night.

"For how long this night is going to last?!"

I looked up at the night sky revealing a ridiculous answer for all of my pointless struggles.

"MIDNIGHT!! WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG?!!"

The moon is staying idle at the center of all the dark clouds.

The night is still far from over.