Levi's feminine shriek echoed through the corpse-filled crypt as a rotting zombie breathed death into his nostrils. William pushed with all his might, wrestling off the pile of wiggling bones. The sun, along with all its light, seemed to flee over the horizon leaving them in a tangled dark mess. Freeing himself from the zombie hoard, William unleashed the servant's sword. Levi twisted around, breaking away from the clutches of the undead while William brought down his sword on the head of the zombie, crying aloud, "Holy Slash!" Taking a deep breath, Levi closed his eyes. Focusing his energy, he unleashed a barrage of fists, striking down three of the ghoulish creatures. Placing his palms against each other he threw his head back and shouted into the night sky, "God, I love being a turtle!"
William had learned long ago to ignore 50% of the things that came from Levi's mouth. With one swipe, he split a walking corpse in two.
"That appears to be all of them," William said as he sheathed the servant's blade. The last bit of sunlight was disappearing over the horizon; the torches of the wooden palisades were already lit. A deathly chill rolled in with the evening fog of the Fellfalls woods. Levi crouched, poking at a dead corpse as William pulled a torch from the wall of the crypt. "Levi, leave that thing alone," William said, entering into the house of the now undead. The crypt stood wide enough for the two young men to stand shoulder to shoulder. The shelves that held the bodies of the Matthews family were now barren. Dust and webs draped the small room in shadows that danced on the wall from the flame of the torch. On the far side of the room lay a small stairwell. Levi unhesitatingly jumped down the stairs, swinging and kicking his feet in the air. William followed cautiously behind. The graves down here seemed undisturbed. There was a cold dampness in the air as William progressed into the lower levels. The shadows cast from the torch swayed back and forth, bringing a haunting life to the room. Levi made out the image of a large figure on the far side of the room. It was impossible to say for sure whether it was a figure or just shadows; a large hulking shape that seemed to sway from side to side. William and Levi paused for a moment to let their eyes adjust. They could hear the howl of wind escaping the entrance of the crypt above with the occasional drip, drip, dripping of water that seeped through the seams of marble. A soft growl could be heard echoing through the chamber.
"Who's here?! Someone's here," William said, looking around the room.
Suddenly the lids of the coffins tumbled open and the deceased arose from their slumber. Surrounded on all sides, Levi and William moved back to back.
"Here we go again," Levi said, rolling his head back, and jumped into the fray. William drew the servant's sword once more from its scabbard and with torch in hand began to cut down his foes. Stepping out from the shadows' edge came a large hulking zombie that struck William, knocking him to the ground.The stirring undead on the ground reached for him. The torch fell to the ground, casting the shadow of this beastly undead creature upward. The room seemed to fill with his presence; the light glistened on his damp skin. His shoulders stood as broad as a bale of hay, spoiled entrails oozed from his abdomen, wrinkled flesh clung to his jowls. He raised his arms into the air and with a rank roar he swung wide at Levi. Levi was too quick for this mindless mammoth, however, and he whirled to the side and countered the attack in a fury of strikes to the torso. The sound of flesh beating flesh and the cracking of bones echoed through the air. William broke free of the zombie that held him, crushing his head with the heel of his boot, and looked dead on at his large opponent.
William declared with all enmity, "by the honor of our God and King, you will not avail me." The horrid ghoul focused his attention on the young man with his drawn sword and stomped across the room. With a large backhanded swing, the beast attempted to hurl William against the wall. William stepped back just enough to deflect the attack to the side as Levi's foot pushed off the wall and struck the beast with a mighty kick. William seized the opportunity to cleave his blade into the skull of the hulk. The beast threw its head back and beat its chest with a roar as more of its rotting anatomy dropped to the ground. It hunched over and charged forward, plowing William into the wall. The foundations of the building shook beneath their feet as William felt the wind pressed out of him. He could hear the internal grind of bones and joints as he dropped down to the floor. The hulk twisted around, striking Levi with the back of his hand. Levi flew to the back of the room, crashing into the marble wall. William clutched his sword in both hands and thrust it deep into the belly of the beast. The remainder of the Zombie Hulk's entrails spewed in a rancid slime onto William. Levi dove through the air like a torpedo, busting though the large zombie as it once again fell lifeless to the ground. They stood for a brief moment, covered in bile and ooze reeking of rancid death, amid the pile of rotten corpses. They looked at each other and leaped into the air, trading a high five, shouting to the heavens an archaic joyous phrase of, "YEAH!"
Lord Matthias ii stood before his wooden throne in the modest hall of his home. Above his chair in the wooden hall hung the family sigil of the conifer. A man of 35, dressed in his finest black garments and a sackcloth black robe with neatly kept auburn hair and beard stood, regal in his own way. His eyes were bloodshot from the days of mourning.
"William and Levi, approach." Lord Matthews nodded his head ever so slightly. William and Levi moved before the Lord and his wooden throne, each dropping to one knee. "Our town may not be of the greatest repute or have much to offer, but what we possess above all else is gratitude. Even I myself may not have the riches to grant you, but in all of the Zephlanore region you may always consider Fellfalls your haven. Kyle, if you will." Lord Matthews gestured to his servant, who brought to each Levi and William a sack of five gold pieces.
Kyle placed a hand on the shoulder of William and said softly, "I am honored my sword was able to serve you well."
Once again, peace and harmony were restored to the humble town of Fellfalls.
YOU ARE READING
Adventures in Zephlanore
FantasiA young swordsman, an odd monk, and a drunk toad find themselves on the adventure of a life time. This ragtag gang become the greatest of friends through the trials and tribulations of their small town of Fellfall when they are tossed into a perilou...
