We Can Be Heroes ...?

40

The swarm of zombies appeared to have no end. Instead of one, enormous boss monster, they had to contend with wave after wave of zombies that broke through the ground at odd intervals. At no point did they face any less than twenty of the creatures and they were like the proverbial hydra. As though cutting down one of them caused another two to take their place.

It was exacerbated by the weakening of their weapons that, not only failed to cause as much damage as they once did, but had become equally weak at replenishing their precious resources. Shion did her best, casting her 'Field of succour' as soon as the ability had charged up, but it seemed all hope was lost. After everything they had come through, all the creatures they had faced, they were to fall to a thousand tiny scratches, not one strike of finality.

Shion covered Mila with her shield healing spell, and the zombies pressed against the translucent, hard shell, but, even with Shion's growing abilities in healing, Mila had still not recovered enough health before Dave required healing and, to the other side, Jova began to fall dangerously low on health. They were falling to the onslaught.

Mila summoned her colony of Bobs, now numbering almost two dozen little blue creatures, and used them to lure away as many zombies as possible, but that wouldn't keep them away for long. In that tiny, momentary respite, Shion fired the rippling energy of her staff as she ran toward Dave as his health bar began to blink. Pressing her hand upon him, she filled his health almost to half before racing away again, firing her staff's energy as she moved.

Again, she laid her hand on her companion, healing Jova, but now Mila had fallen low in health again. They couldn't continue like this. Shion had received more than her share of luck during the battle, only taking a few, relatively minor, hits, but that wouldn't last. Couldn't last. They were spaced too far apart which, with other boss monsters, was probably the best strategy. Against this terrifying swarm of zombies, it worked far less well.

The hissing and the growling from the zombies filled Shion's ears as she tripped, tumbling and rolling back to Mila. The twin dragged her to her feet even while summoning another wave of Bobs, the others dead and dissipated, sending the zombies scurrying after the little creatures that could do little damage. Shion touch-healed Mila, but she knew her magical reserves had almost emptied. She needed time to use her staff to refill the pool of energy or she would have no magic left to heal anybody.

"We're too far apart! This isn't working!" She shouted into Mila's ear over the noise of the zombies. "You have to think of something!"

"We have to stay apart, otherwise the mobs will basically only have one target. We have to be able to move. That's how we stay alive." The Bobs disappeared as Mila summoned Trevor and the insane honey badger tore apart three zombies before Mila had to summon the Bobs again. "If we stay in one place, they've got us."

"Not necessarily. Look, Dave has an attack that hits many in one go, so does Jova. You have the Bobs. And I ..." She didn't want to say it. The very thought disgusted her, but things were desperate. "And my 'life support' spell can now tether a number of targets. It'll damage them and heal us at the same time. That's four attacks, if we ..."

She had to stop, run to Dave, firing her staff along the way and dug her fingers into his shoulder as she poured health back into him. The 'Field of succour' ability had almost charged, how she knew, she couldn't say, but she did. Once she could cast that spell, they could have at least a short time where no-one bordered on death. Even without looking, she knew Jova would need her help and began to run toward the twin, only for zombies to fall upon her and swamp her.

Of a sudden, it felt as though all the air in the world had disappeared. The slimy, rotting bodies of the zombies smothered her, their fetid fluids dripping onto her and she had no way to fight back. She didn't have enough magic to cast her healing shield, every time she tried to fire a long, heavy attack from her staff to drain the precious magical energy she needed, a zombie would lash out and stop the attack. She could do no more.