Night of the Shards
The night stretched over Safe Zone Delta like a shroud, the sky a starless void pierced only by the flickering torches along the wall. Alex stood watch, their silhouette stark against the glow, Steel Dagger in hand and machete at their back. The Overseer's Shards pulsed faintly in their pocket—two now, their combined rhythm a quiet drumbeat urging them onward.
**Status:**
- **Name:** Alex Carter
- **Level:** 10
- **Class:** Undetermined
- **Stats:**
- Strength: 13
- Agility: 11
- Endurance: 13
- Intelligence: 7
- Perception: 11
- **Virus Resistance:** 91%
- **Skills:** Vital Strike II (75% increased damage to weak points)
- **Inventory:** Overseer's Shards (2), Reinforced Gloves, Steel Dagger, Machete
- **EXP:** 800/1200
**Active Quest: Hunt the Sovereign's Lieutenants**
- **Objective:** Collect 5 Overseer's Shards (2/5)
- **Reward:** 5000 EXP, System Evolution
- **Penalty:** Sovereign's direct intervention**
The air was thick with the promise of danger—Alex's Perception 11 caught every rustle, every distant moan. The Sovereign loomed in their mind, a shadowy puppet master pulling strings they couldn't yet sever. The system's origin as Project Lazarus tied it all together—the virus, the Overseers, their own transformation. But answers meant more shards, and more shards meant more fights.
A guard nearby, a wiry man named Jace, glanced at Alex. "Quiet night so far. You really take out another Overseer solo?"
"Yeah," Alex said, keeping their tone neutral. "Got lucky."
Jace snorted. "Luck's running hot with you lately. Marcus ain't wrong to watch you."
Alex tensed but said nothing. Word was spreading—too fast. They needed to move before suspicion turned to action.
---
An hour into the watch, the silence shattered. A low growl rolled from the west, followed by the unmistakable thud of heavy footsteps. Alex activated the Overseer's Shard:
**Analysis: Threat Detected**
- **Location:** 200 meters west of Safe Zone
- **Composition:** 10 Grunts, 2 Brutes, 1 Overseer
- **Threat Level:** High**
"Jace, sound the alarm!" Alex shouted, gripping their dagger. "We've got incoming!"
Jace fumbled for the horn, blasting a sharp note that roused the safe zone. Guards scrambled to the wall, rifles raised, as survivors below grabbed weapons. Marcus burst from the armory, axe in hand, with Lena and Kai close behind.
"What's out there?" Marcus demanded, climbing up beside Alex.
"Brutes and an Overseer," Alex said, pointing. "West, closing fast."
Marcus cursed. "Another one? This is no coincidence."
The horde emerged from the shadows—Grunts shambling, Brutes lumbering, and the Overseer at the rear, its red eyes glowing like twin lanterns. The system pinged:
**Emergency Quest: Repel the Night Assault**
- **Objective:** Eliminate all hostiles (0/13)
- **Reward:** 800 EXP, Mystery Box
- **Penalty:** Wall breach**
"Hold the line!" Marcus roared, signaling the guards to fire. Bullets tore into the Grunts, dropping a few, but the Brutes shrugged off the shots, their thick hides absorbing the damage.
Alex leapt into action, dropping from the wall to meet the threat head-on. A Grunt lunged, and they sidestepped, Vital Strike II slicing its head clean off:
**Grunt defeated. +20 EXP**
- **Progress:** 1/13
- **EXP:** 820/1200**
A Brute charged, its fist swinging. Alex ducked, Agility 11 saving them, and stabbed its neck with the Steel Dagger:
**Critical Hit! +50 EXP**
- **Progress:** 2/13
- **EXP:** 870/1200**
- **Virus Resistance:** 90% (-1% from combat)**
Marcus joined them, axe cleaving a Grunt in half. "Focus the big ones!" he yelled.
Alex nodded, teaming up to take down the second Brute. Marcus distracted it while Alex climbed its back, plunging the machete into its skull:
**Brute defeated. +300 EXP**
- **Progress:** 3/13
- **Level Up! Level 11 Reached**
- **EXP:** 170/1400**
**Stats:**
- Strength: 14 (+1)
- Agility: 12 (+1)
- Endurance: 14 (+1)
- Intelligence: 7
- Perception: 11
The Overseer hissed, raising its claws. A psychic wave hit, and Alex staggered:
**Warning: Overseer Psychic Suppression**
- **Effect:** -2 to all stats (5 minutes)**
Their Strength dropped to 12, Agility to 10—still lethal, but the edge dulled. The Overseer directed the remaining Grunts with precision, overwhelming the guards. One fell, screaming, as a Grunt tore into him.
"Alex, the Overseer!" Lena shouted, fending off a Grunt with Kai's help. "It's controlling them!"
Alex pushed through the pain, dodging a Brute's swing. They reached the Overseer, its red eyes locking onto them. "You cannot stop the Sovereign," it rasped in their mind.
"We'll see," Alex growled, slashing with Vital Strike II. The dagger hit its chest, drawing black blood:
**Critical Hit! +50 EXP**
The Overseer retaliated, claws raking Alex's arm. Pain flared, and the system warned:
**Virus Resistance: 89% (-1% from direct contact)**
Marcus charged in, axe burying into its side. The Overseer screeched, psychic grip weakening. Alex seized the moment, driving the machete through its skull:
**Overseer defeated. +400 EXP**
- **Quest Update: Hunt the Sovereign's Lieutenants**
- **Progress:** 3/5 Shards
- **Reward:** Overseer's Shard**
**Emergency Quest Progress:** 13/13
- **Quest Complete**
- **Reward:** 800 EXP, Mystery Box**
- **Level Up! Level 12 Reached**
- **EXP:** 420/1600**
**Stats:**
- Strength: 15 (+1)
- Agility: 13 (+1)
- Endurance: 15 (+1)
- Intelligence: 7
- Perception: 12 (+1)
The horde collapsed, its coordination lost. The survivors finished off the stragglers, and the wall held—barely. Alex picked up the third shard, its glow syncing with the others. The Mystery Box yielded a **Compact Medkit**—three uses, each restoring minor wounds or 5% Virus Resistance.
Marcus approached, blood-streaked and furious. "Three Overseers in a week. You're at the center of this, Alex."
"I'm just fighting, same as you," Alex said, pocketing the shard.
"Bullshit," Marcus snapped. "You know more than you're letting on. Spill it, or I lock you up."
Lena stepped between them. "Marcus, ease up. Alex saved us—again."
"Saved us or brought this down on us?" Marcus glared. "I'm not blind. That bite, your strength—it's not normal."
Alex's heart raced. The truth was a grenade, and Marcus was tugging the pin. "Lock me up, and you lose a fighter. More are coming—Overseers, worse. I'm trying to stop it."
Marcus's fists clenched, but Kai intervened. "Boss, we're alive because of them. Give 'em a chance to prove it."
A tense silence hung. Finally, Marcus stepped back. "One chance. Next Overseer shows up, you're frontline—or in chains."
He stormed off, leaving Alex with Lena and Kai. "Thanks," Alex said.
"Don't thank me yet," Lena whispered. "He's not wrong to question you."
---
Back at the shack, Alex locked the door and pulled out the three shards. Riley was asleep, radio parts scattered around them. Alex merged the shards' Commune effect, bracing for the vision.
Images flooded in—a sprawling facility underground, scientists injecting subjects with a glowing serum, screams as they turned into Overseers. A voice, calm and commanding: "The Sovereign will unify them. Project Lazarus evolves." The final frame—a massive figure in a sealed chamber, red eyes blazing, whispering, "Three down, child of Lazarus."
Alex jolted awake, shards dim. The system updated:
**System Insight: Sovereign's Directive**
- **Data:** The Sovereign is the apex of Project Lazarus, a sentient entity controlling the undead. Each Overseer defeated weakens its network but draws its attention.
"Child of Lazarus," Alex muttered. The system wasn't just a tool—it marked them as part of this nightmare.
A new quest flared:
**Daily Quest: Strength Training**
- **Tasks:**
- Lift heavy objects: 0/30
- Strike a target: 0/60
- Kill 4 zombies: 0/4
- **Reward:** 50 EXP, +1 Strength
- **Penalty:** -5 Virus Resistance**
They'd tackle it tomorrow—rest was critical now. But as Alex lay down, a louder roar echoed outside, closer than before. The system warned:
**Alert: Sovereign Activity Detected**
- **Effect:** Increased zombie aggression within 5 miles**
Marcus's ultimatum, the Sovereign's gaze, and the shards' truth closed in. Alex gripped their dagger, resolve hardening. They'd fight—for Riley, for the safe zone, for answers.