Ozania Odyssey

Chapter 30: The Laboratory Of Level 2! Plague Zombies Unleashed!

Seiju looks upon the zombie-like goblins with a furrowed brow, their grotesque form clicking with each movement. "What in the hell are these things?"

"Quick, someone attack these things to see if they have any weakness," says Jax.

"Got it," Juyon conjures Hard Terrain JōKai onto his fists and sends a right hook hurtling toward the gut of a goblin. "Bellowing Bison!" The punch from Juyon opens a hole in the goblin's stomach. "These things are fragile. They shouldn't be much of a challenge."

Despite the massive gash in its stomach, the goblin continues toward Juyon, and the wound heals. Juyon's brows shoot up, and his face contorts into a perplexed expression. "What the hell? I obliterated its stomach, and it can still move?" Juyon thinks to himself.

Navar unsheathes his blade, the sound of his steel ringing out as he races toward the goblins. "Let's see if cutting it in half works better!" Miri and Astran follow Navar, readying their weapons in anticipation of the zombie-like goblins.

Miri lunges, her daggers sharp and cold as she thrusts them toward the goblins. "Two Daggers: Pouncing Strike!" Miri's daggers burst through the goblin's gut, cleaving the goblin in two.

Astran swings her long blade in a mighty arc, halving the goblin with a single strike. "Astraeus Disturbance!"

Navar coats his body in JōKai Amplification and swings his blade, cleaving a goblin in half. "Okayasu Blade: Brave Man's Slash!" Navar leaps away from the swarming mass of goblins. "I think that should do it."

After their dismemberment, the goblins use the upper half of their bodies to crawl toward their lower half, forming themselves together. Navar's face turns to one of shock, his eyebrows arching up in surprise. "No way! Even when we separated their bodies, they still came back together!"

The number of these zombie-like goblins increases, leaving them surrounded by an overwhelming mass of scurrying, screeching creatures. Rojo gulps, his throat tightening as he takes in the scene of the looming zombie-like goblins. "Ok, does anyone amongst us have an idea on how to defeat these things?"

"..."

"Well, goddamn."

"What even are these things, Pikati?" asks Astran.

"I believe these things are Plague Goblins. They contain a deadly virus within them, which can be fatal to people if they bite you. For reasons beyond me, this experiment failed, so here they are."

"Well, we need to find some way to end these things. Otherwise, we're dead," says Miri.

Amidst the commotion, Jax allows himself to drift off into a world of contemplation. "I'm not sure if the anatomy for humans and goblins are the same, but if they were, hypothetically, The Brain, The Adam's Apple, and The Genitals are all areas that can cause someone to die upon contact with the right force," Jax thinks to himself. Jax yanks his Ion Blaster from its holster, and with precision, he shoots at each of the Plague Goblin's vulnerable areas, but they continue their pursuit. "Dammit."

"Damn, I'm running out of ideas," As Jax sees the plague goblins loom nearer, he feels an epiphany as he realizes there is one more vital spot. "Wait, what about the heart!?" Jax points his Ion Blaster at the goblin's heart, and with a single shot, the creature is engulfed in a cloud of dust. After defeating the Goblin, Jax's smile stretches from ear to ear. "Hey guys, aim for the heart. That's the weakness of these Goblins!"

"Right on, Jax!" says Navar. Now, gathering Intel on the weakness of these Plague Goblins, they dismantle the great horde of Plague Goblins. Navar roars with laughter as he celebrates their victory against the plague goblins. "Whew, I'm glad that's over!"

Pikati peers ahead with Farsight and hears the moans of the Plague Goblins getting closer. "Wait, Navar, don't let your guard down! There's an even bigger wave coming!"

"Wait, if they're coming from a distant area, that must mean there is a way out of here," says Juyon.

The Plague Goblins lumber forward, their eyes glazed over with hunger and their mouths dripping with drool. "It's a good thing we still know the weakness of these things," says Navar. The group attacks the heart only this time, it doesn't work. "No way! The heart isn't even a weakness for these things!"

"They must be another version of the ones we just defeated," says Miri

Rojo's fingers brush against the cold metal of a grenade as he removes it from his utility belt. "I got one more grenade on me. I can use that to buy us time. Hopefully, the explosion immobilizes them long enough for us to get away from them!"

Juyon punches a Goblin away from him and looks toward Rojo. "Good, there's no way we can take on this many Goblins. Give us a cue when you're going to throw that thing."

Out of nowhere, Pikati hears a snicker coming from a Plague Goblin that had survived the previous wave, and it approaches Navar's blindside. Pikati turns and taps Navar on his shoulder. "Navar, look out!"

Navar's heart races as he sees the goblin's sharp teeth and realizes he has no way to protect himself. "Oh shoot, I don't have time to do anything."

Miri amplifies her speed with JōKai Amplification, and then she races desperately toward Navar in an attempt to save him. "Dammit, if I don't get there, he'll get bit!" Miri thinks to herself.

Jax jumps between Navar and the plague goblin, pushing Navar away and feeling its sharp teeth sink into his skin. Navar's pupils dilate with fear as he watches Jax get bitten. "Jax!" Navar stabs The Plague Goblin in the head and grabs Jax away from it.

Rojo removes the pin from his grenade, cocking his arm back as he prepares to heave it. "Guys, I'm going to throw it! Move back!"

Rojo throws the grenade, which causes a colossal explosion to dismember most of the bodies of the Plague Goblins. "Make a run for it!"

They rush to the exit and run until the goblins' screeching dissipates. Once they stop, Jax's hands tremble, and his forehead breaks out into a cold sweat. "Can you let me down? I'm feelin' lightheaded?"

"Sure," Navar lets Jax down, allowing him to sink onto the ground.

Miri approaches Jax, feeling the heat radiating off his forehead as she places her hand on it. "He's running a fever. It seems the plague goblin that bit him gave him something."

"P-plague..." Denkei awakens from his slumber, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Navar runs over to Denkei, lowering him off the back of Juyon. "Good, you're awake! Can you help Jax!"

"Sure," Denkei removes a tube with green fluid within it and tips it into Jax's mouth, causing Jax to fall asleep. "He'll be out for a little while. This potion will fight off the virus for a good amount of time."

"Let's keep going. Those Plague Goblins are coming closer to us," says Juyon.

"What about Jax? We don't know if carrying him like that can be safe. Do we have anything he can lie on while two people carry it?" asks Miri.

Denkei takes out a miniature stretcher from his robe. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Size Alteration!" The stretcher grows to standard size with two handles on the front and two handles on the back, and then Juyon and Miri carry it.

The group explores the base, the air growing chillier until they come across a dark area. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Stick Illumination!" The Mage Stick illuminates their path, casting a yellowish hue around them as they continue. Later on, a bright yellow 3 with a yellow down arrow glows next to an elevator. "Seems that will take us to level 3," says Pikati.

The group steps into the elevator, the motor's hum starting as it descends to the third level.