In a devastated field, The Covetous Queen paused. She snapped her head towards a nearby plateau, and her eyes warily scanned the area.
A subtle shift in the forest's energy caught her attention.
Suddenly, dozens of elemental weapons emerged from the plateau and flew through the air. They surrounded the zombie queen and her daughter and aimed towards them.
The Covetous Queen held her baby closer and looked around. "Elemental weapons," she muttered with a hint of annoyance. Her calm demeanor finally cracked.
In an instant, the elemental weapons launched themselves at the targets. There were multiple sharp weapons, from axes, swords, arrows, lances, and daggers.
Princess Bera whimpered and buried her face in her mother's chest.
The Covetous Queen hugged her tightly and protected her.
The elemental weapons swirled like a whirlwind and slashed.
Covered in cuts, The Covetous Queen gritted her teeth in pain. She roared with fury.
Just then, a barrier of energy materialized around her and deflected the remaining attacks.
The Covetous Queen looked at the plateau and identified the attacker. Her eyes narrowed in recognition. "You," she seethed.
From the plateau, Old Man Marcus stood tall and alone with a stern expression. He lowered his diamond-plated sword, and the floating elemental weapons settled into a hovering formation around him. "Even though you're undead, your reactions are still good," he commented. He took a step forward and addressed her with a formal tone, "Julia, it's been a long time. Sorry, but I won't let you kill my apprentices."
Queen Julia froze at the mention of her old name. "Marcus, one of the three legendary heroes of Stribora. No wonder we've had a hard time conquering this forest," she whispered in disbelief. She glared at his foe and clenched her teeth. She took a hesitant step back. With a chuckle of regaining composure, she pointed out, "You... You've aged."
"I have since the Striboran War for Unification. I never expected you to come back alive," Old Man Marcus admitted. He furrowed his eyebrows and questioned, "What happened to you? How are you the Zombie Queen?"
Queen Julia sneered and answered, "I'm no longer the same Julia. The love of my life revived me. He has given me a second chance at life. A chance to create a new world where our family can be together forever. We will rule Stribora together."
Old Man Marcus gasped in realization. He clenched his fists and groaned in frustration. "Is that so? He did that," he inquired and lowered his head in disappointment. "That fool," he murmured. He looked up and declared, "Julia, your 'zombie family' is a threat to humanity. I won't let you or your king get away with this." He raised his elemental sword again and prepared to launch another attack.
In an instant, Queen Julia's eyes opened slightly and glowed red. Her energy barrier became visible and pulsed with power. She smirked and challenged, "Let me show you something significant about my bloodline." She raised her free hand and pointed at the floating weapons around him with a single, mysterious thought.
The elemental weapons shook and slowly turned on Old Man Marcus. They eerily pointed their blades at him with an unnerving loyalty.
Old Man Marcus's eyes widened in shock. He quickly dodged and rolled away as the elemental weapons fired upon him.
Fireballs, laser beams, lightning bolts, and rocks flew through the air and collided with the ground where he had just stood. The earth erupted in a symphony of destruction, and a cloud of dust and debris filled the air. The cliff became devastated.
Old Man Marcus scrambled back as a drop of sweat trickled down his temple. His breathing quickened as he processed what had just happened. He hid behind a giant boulder.
Queen Julia, with a triumphant laugh, urged, "Join me, Marcus, and I'll spare your precious apprentices. I'll even spare this forest. Our dream is yet to be realized." She smiled and beckoned to the floating elemental weapons.
Old Man Marcus jumped over the boulder and raised his diamond-plated sword. "Never," he proclaimed and tightly gripped his weapon. With a focused look, he commanded the weapons back.
A bright energy radiated from his elemental sword.
The other elemental weapons trembled and slowly turned back towards Queen Julia.
Queen Julia's smile faltered for a moment, but she regained her composure. "Impressive, for a human," she remarked.
With his army of weapons, Old Man Marcus confidently sought to know, "Tell me, Julia. Why did you declare war on humanity? Why do you seek to rule over humankind? For what? In your past life, you never cared for such a thing." His grip tightened on the hilt of the sword. His unwavering gaze pierced through the field.
Queen Julia shifted uncomfortably and growled in frustration. "You dare ask me why," she retorted. Her dead eyes glinted with a strange light, and she elaborated, "Because humans are corrupt. In addition, my old race is a disease. None of them deserves to rule. Only I do."
Princess Bera giggled and clapped her hands. "Mommy will make them all go away," she cheered. She looked up at her mother with adoration. "Then, we can be together forever, right," she inquired with a hopeful tone.
Queen Julia's expression softened into a loving smile. She kissed her daughter's forehead and promised, "Yes, my dear. We will be together forever."
"Just for that, you'll bring human extinction? Your motives are childlike and horrifying," Old Man Marcus insulted with a scoff. He raised his sword and aimed at them. "I will end the war by killing you now," he threatened.
The elemental weapons charged. Fireballs, lightning bolts, and shards of ice shot through the air.
Princess Bera gasped in terror.
Queen Julia glared. She held her baby close and deflected attacks with her cloak. "I will create a world of zombies where we can live happily, together, and forever. Even if it does mean human extinction," she affirmed.
Old Man Marcus sighed with disappointment. He looked at her with sadness and lamented, "You and your beloved were good people, Julia. I respected the kindness and compassion you showed others."
Queen Julia raised a brow and queried, "What do-?"
"You should look at yourself in the mirror and realize what you've become... I should have helped him to let go. Sorry. I have failed both of you," Old Man Marcus apologized and stared with a look of regret. He shook his head. He pointed the sword at her and commanded, "Enough talk. Prepare to die again."
The elemental weapons flew forward and surrounded Queen Julia once more. They created a vortex of destruction that threatened to consume everything in its path.
Queen Julia's face contorted with fury. "You will regret this," she warned. She held Princess Bera tighter and summoned her barrier.
The attacks collided with it, and the barrier shimmered and strained under the impact.
Queen Julia grunted and struggled to maintain the barrier. She knew she couldn't hold it for long.
"Mommy," Princess Bera whimpered and covered her eyes.
A few of the elemental weapons flew around the sky, circling them. Just then, they broke through the barrier and hit Princess Bera.
Princess Bera screamed in agony.
Queen Julia's eyes widened in horror, and she nervously stepped back. "All zombies in The Sacred Forest! Kill Old Man Marcus, right there," She roared furiously and pointed.
A simultaneous rustling commenced throughout the forest.
Old Man Marcus turned around, and his eyes widened.
The remaining zombies, who had been hiding in the shadows, emerged and charged towards him. Dozens of them trampled through the bushes and groaned collectively.
Facing the looming zombie army, Old Man Marcus pointed the diamond-plated sword at the horde. "I have faced worse than you," he declared with a determined look.
The floating elemental weapons turned their attention to the zombies and struck through their ranks.
A lot of zombies fell before more replaced them in an uncomfortable gait. They were an endless tide of undead, driven by a singular purpose: to serve their queen.
Old Man Marcus fought with the skill and experience of a seasoned warrior. In a whirlwind of destruction, he cut down zombies left and right.
Just then, a familiar face to many appeared among them. The former Ms. Lily, now a female zombie with tattered clothing, shambled forward, and her vacant eyes locked on Old Man Marcus.
A wave of fire luckily missed her by inches. It consumed the zombies beside her, and their ashes drifted onto her messy hair.
Ms. Lily didn't even flinch. Instead, her purple eyes shimmered with a strange light. Her jaw hung open as she lunged towards her target and punched him with surprising speed.
Old Man Marcus grunted as he barely blocked her punch with a swift movement. He stepped back hastily. He thrust the hilt of his diamond-plated sword and threw her back. "Killing them all is going to be difficult," he noted while panting.
Ms. Lily crashed through a line of zombies and tumbled to the ground. Her bones twitched and cracked back into place as she rose to her feet. She snarled and charged again.
Just then, a vine shot out from the ground and coiled around her waist. It pulled her down to the dirt and pinned her in place.
Pepe arrived with a resolute purpose. "I'm here to help, Master," he alerted. He had Ursa's red scarf tied firmly around his neck as a freezing blizzard blew, following him into the battlefield.
Anhanga had also arrived and fired shards of ice at a cluster of zombies.
The zombie cluster were hit, and their pierced bodies froze in place.
"Pepe. Anhanga," Old Man Marcus grunted in acknowledgement. He dodged a zombie's clumsy swing and sliced it in half.
As the battle raged, Queen Julia seized the opportunity to escape. She held Princess Bera tightly and ran. Her giant feet crushed anything in their way. Telepathically, she ordered, "My dear zombies, retreat with us. We'll rethink our strategy. We'll leave The Sacred Forest alone for now."
With the zombie army withdrawing in response to their queen's command, Ms. Lily and the remaining zombies peeled away from the fight.
Old Man Marcus noticed their escape and gritted his teeth. He dispatched a couple of them with a final, devastating attack.
A jet of flames washed over them.
The zombies shrieked in agony and burned to ashes.
Old Man Marcus quickly scanned the area, but Queen Julia was nowhere to be found. "She got away. I failed to stop her," he murmured and slammed his fist into the ground in frustration. He took a deep breath and clarified in thought, "No, I wouldn't have stopped her. We would have lost." His chest heaved, and blood escaped his mouth with a harsh cough.
His elemental weapons immediately dropped and clattered against the ground.
"Are you alright," Pepe asked.
Breathing heavily, Old Man Marcus nodded in assurance. He rested by a fallen tree and remarked, "She was right. My age is getting to me. For now, my legendary status saved the forest from any further harm." He turned to Pepe and suggested, "Check on your brothers."
Pepe headed to them in agreement and gazed at the unconscious Hafen, Matteo, and Stark in the distance.
On the other hand, Anhanga trotted beside him and raised his head to the sky.
A loud sound whirred through the forest.
Pepe's eyes finally rolled up and opened wide. He signaled with a stammer, "There's a giant, flying monster above them. Old man!"
Old Man Marcus's head snapped up, and his expression filled with worry. "That's not a monster, boy. That's something worse," he informed and struggled to his feet.
Pepe turned to him for an explanation.
From the sky, a massive military helicopter descended upon the battlefield, and its powerful rotors kicked up a whirlwind of dust and leaves. The striboran insignia, a stylized eagle with outstretched wings, was emblazoned on its side. The air vibrated with its mechanical whir, and it gracefully landed on the ground. A ramp lowered with a hydraulic hiss.
A sleek group of five soldiers in black, silver armor jumped from the helicopter and secured the perimeter. They looked down at Hafen, Matteo, and Stark with an unnerving indifference, as if they were mere objects. With an unnerving, practiced efficiency, they moved and picked them up.
"Hafen, Matteo, and Stark," Pepe gasped and rushed to them.
Old Man Marcus followed him.
One of the soldiers checked their pulses. "They're alive, but badly injured," he reported with a serious tone.
"They will recover," another soldier reassured him. He looked at the defeated zombies and the destruction left in their wake. "They will serve mankind well," he commented. Then, he turned to the others and commanded, "Hurry! Load them up! Take their weapons, too!"
The soldiers lifted the boys onto stretchers and carried them into the helicopter.
The ramp began to close.
"No," Pepe cried out and rushed towards the helicopter.
"Soldiers, wait," Old Man Marcus demanded.
Unfortunately, Pepe and Old Man Marcus were too late.
The ramp shut with a final, metallic clang, sealing Hafen, Matteo, and Stark inside. The military helicopter's rotors whirred to life, and it lifted into the air. It flew away, only leaving a trail of dust and swirling leaves in its wake.
Pepe stopped his pursuit and stared at the sky with a look of helplessness and despair. He watched until the helicopter became a speck in the distance and disappeared behind the dense canopy of The Sacred Forest.
Old Man Marcus placed a comforting hand on Pepe's shoulder. "We may not be able to help them now, but we will go get them back," he promised, but his words offered little solace.
Pepe sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook with silent sobs.
In the helicopter, a sterile light illuminated the interior.
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark lay on stretchers with their bodies bruised and broken.
The soldiers sat across from them and monitored their vitals on monitors.
"We have the boys," one of them muttered into a radio.
The helicopter soared through the sky, leaving The Sacred Forest behind and going beyond, to the outside world.
Hafen, Matteo, and Stark have finally left The Sacred Forest, but what awaits them outside? What's the outside world like? How will the Striboran Military treat them? What is the relationship between the zombie rulers and Old Man Marcus? Who are Princess Bera's older siblings, and how will they influence the Zombie War?