Hemmed in by bulky bull centaurs, their dried lava skins illuminated by the colors of the rainbow as various spells zipped in the air was the only thing I could see. That and the endless earth above that was the ceiling of the tunnel. I could only guess what was happening from the sounds.

The beating of heavy hooves on the rough ground weren’t in sync, grating on my nerves. Random war cries and heroic slogans of the Hunter-Warriors mixed with incessant complaints of Miners about dangerous work conditions. The growls and screeches of various Blighted monsters welled up as another wave of attacks came, only to be silenced by explosions, the Hunter-Warriors doing hunting and warrioring as they saw fit.

It was total pandemonium!

“Youngling, a fork coming up ahead,” called out the strong voice of the senior Hunter-Warrior who accompanied us. He must be some bigshot, given the trio of spears on his back as Sharulrath also had. “Tell us the correct path to take!”

“Infernal intercourse, I can’t see shit!” I yelled. “Can’t even see you. Where in blazing meatballs are we?” The [Tattered Map] showed that our mini-horde wasn’t far from our intended destination. Surprisingly, we didn’t stray from the correct way. “Left! Go left!”

“What did you say?” Three-Spears said. The noise of battle and the bodies of the Mardukryons surrounding me buried my voice. “Repeat yourself, youngling! Make haste!”

I tried to force my way to the front, like blood pumping through an artery clogged by fat. This whole affair was about to give me hypertension. If everyone could calm the fuck down, then we could smoothly progress through this stupid tunnel.

“Dammit, I can’t get through.” I placed the tips of my shields together, forming a wedge, and dove into the masses of muscled charcoal. But a youngling like me couldn’t hope to budge the adults. “Left!” I shouted again. “Tell the guys at the front to head left!”

“Go left!” A Miner picked up the call.

“We go left, brothers!” Another Mardukryon said. “That is the way.” Then everyone else chimed in.

“Left is an excellent direction.”

“Left is the opposite of right.”

“Right is also a good direction.”

“Are we heading right?”

“That doesn’t sound right.”

“Right?”

“Go right! The youngling said go right!”

“I said go left!” I yelled while jostling the Miners. Incompetence like this was the bane of society. This was the sort of thing you would expect from people that wasn’t me. If only this world were filled with people like the Great Herald Stone.

Merely joking, of course. That sort of world couldn’t possibly exist because all that awesomeness would tear the fabric of space and time.

Thankfully, Three-Spears picked the right direction, and we entered a much wider tunnel. Our herd spread out, and I could finally breathe and see the path ahead through the gaps between the NPCs.

“We’re nearly there!” I egged them on. “Just continue onward!”

“The youngling says to hurry forward!” boomed the Miner beside me. “What’s happening over there?”

A Hunter-Warrior answered from the front. “Halt, my brothers. Danger is near!”

Armored Maggroths afflicted by the Blight, each worm as thick as my humanoid torso drilled out the walls, floors, and ceiling with their hardened beaks. From the holes they made, out came more Blighted monsters to join the festivities, a convenient means of transportation. As the numbers of the zombified monsters swelled, the green glow from their chemical excretions filled their end of the tunnel.

“Prepare battle formations!” Three-Spears cast a skill that coated all of us with golden light. Layers of thin gold film wrapped our bodies, solidifying into armor plating before fading into minute sparkles. All my stats were boosted sky-high.

The Hunter-Warriors formed two rows, Three-Spears flanked by his comrades with swords and boards in front, the rest long pokey wielders behind them. Even the Miners took out their tools, ready to bash some monsters with their pickaxes and hammers enveloped by crackling red lightning. Everyone cast buffs as the Blighted monsters approached, turning the dim and bland tunnel into a party rave of lights.

Not wanting to be left out due to peer pressure, I also powered up.

Gold team vs. Green team! This was the final battle before reaching our target.

Prediction—the team with Herald Stone will win!

“Charge!” I commanded. No one moved. “Oh, okay. I guess you don’t—”

“Charge, my brothers!” Three-Spears bellowed, brandishing his sword at the diseased rabble. “The ancestors bless us!”

The roar from a thousand fans watching their team score a goal shook the earth, surprising that it came from only a handful of Mardukryons. Our party surged forward, the enormous Mardukryons carried me along like a raging river current. It was impossible to go against the flow. Covering my body with shields, I galloped with the herd and prayed for the best.

Carnage and destruction befell the Blighted that had the misfortune of being on the frontline. The Mardukryon onslaught didn’t slow down, destroying everything in our path. Blue and purple lights burst like snow swept aside by a snowplow. The holes made by the Armored Maggroths fed more and more monsters to the killing machine that was the Mardukryon horde.

I threw poison bottles and spread [Gnawing Rot], filling the caves with dangerous clouds like an absolute fart machine. Then I used [Penitent Fortune Healing] and spammed [Healing Touch] on the Hunter-Warriors bearing the brunt of the body slams from the Armored Maggroths. The Miners surrounding me spread out, whacking the smaller monsters.

Fighting alongside this many Mardukryons made my adrenaline rise. These NPCs were very enthusiastic about killing those who invaded their tunnels. This was more enjoyable than any fantasy movie with environ-surround holo-projection. The generic lines they constantly spewed, though sounding cheesy, added to the immersion and tension of the battle.

“Steel your hearts!” Three-Spears shouted. “Don’t falter!”

“Courage! Our enemies will fall!”

“In death, the ancestors welcome us with open arms!”

“No one’s going to die on Herald Stone’s watch!” I cast [Healing Touch] on the Hunter-Warrior with the lowest health, then cursed the Armored Maggroth he fought with [Withering Brand] so he could retreat to our formation.

Meter by meter, the herd pushed to the part of the tunnel blocked by a wall of boulders, leaving clouds of Essence and Gli in our wake that flowed to all of us. Soon, we were on top of the holes, monsters emerging in our midst. Various Blighted clawed and punched me, bringing my health low despite my tankiness because they were at a much higher level. The Miners came to my rescue.

“Protect the youngling,” my Miner buddy said, clubbing a Blighted Frost Imp gnawing my hoof.

“Thanks for the help,” I said, healing him in return.

The monsters thinned as we pressed on, and eventually, they all retreated after every Armored Maggroth died, scurrying back into their holes. Everything was calm when we reached the problematic portion of the tunnel. The ground was still; no more rumbling from digging bastards. Puddles of green slime and an acrid stench of rotting bananas were all that remained of our glorious battle.

I’d prefer if the aftermath were instead red blood and corpses.

“The natural movements of the earth didn’t cause this.” A Miner with a glowing crystal strapped on his forehead ran his palm over one of the boulders. “These marks and dents… something powerful moved them.”

“Over there.” Another Miner pointed at streaks of dried green slime running from the ceiling down some of the rocks. “The cursed creatures may have a part in this.”

“Not so sure about that,” I muttered. “The Blighted aren’t supposed to be in this quest.”

“The answers we seek are perhaps on the other side,” said Three-Spears. “Tear down these rocks so we might know. Worry not of danger. My brethren will protect you as you toil.”

The rhythmic clinking of metal against rocks was the background music for the smaller fights that followed. Stray Blighted monsters wandered into the tunnel or climbed out of the holes, arriving late to the party and missing the memo that their main force was already wiped out.

Chasing the high from our penetrating charge that tore the monsters a new one, I blasted orchestral music from my WeeCee as I ran back and forth in front of the line of Miners, drawing the Blighted to me with [Enraging Call]. My Totems also helped delay those far from me until I could reach them.

The weaker ones, I could kill on my own. As for the stronger monsters, I led them to the Hunter-Warriors.

The same unanswered question returned to the front of my mind during the lull that set in.

What’s going on here?

The story adjusted depending on what the player did was what Kezo said. This was my own story; the zombie outbreak was my problem. I was in the middle of the Healer Gula and Mad Brewer Bawu plot. Like pulling Kezo into Yusa’s quest and fighting Frost Macaques upon joining my party, I was dragging these NPCs into the story that was the remarkable life of Herald Stone, the most promising Mardukryon youngling.

Just like meeting Mehubanarath affected my interactions with Gula, just like becoming Bawu’s student—a rarity among Mardukryon players—led to gathering Peely Fruits, a popular quest that seemingly many had done, things shouldn’t be taken in isolation.

Scanning through my pending quests, my mind raced. Could it be…?

[ Quest: Clearing Operations II ]

Mad Brewer Bawu is beginning to recognize the value of your help. For your next task, eliminate the Blighted along the tunnels leading to the main paths used by the villagers. Make haste before innocent Mardukryons fall prey to them.

[ Quest: Scraping for Samples I ]

Assist Mad Brewer Bawu in progressing her experiments by collecting the materials she requires. Collect two hundred (200) [Toxic Goop] and bring them to her as soon as possible. Take care of the Blight when gathering dangerous samples.

The two quests Bawu had entrusted me required the Blighted to be present, otherwise, I couldn’t complete them. And these sickly guys would probably be here for quite some time until I resolved the zombie outbreak issue. With them here, my other quests involving the tunnels were also affected. For example, the Miners had heard of the weird creatures and requested the Hunter-Warriors to go with us even if this wasn’t supposed to happen.

[ Quest: Dangerous Return of the Dangerous ]

Brave the tunnels while carrying dangerous chemicals. Safely transport them to Mad Brewer Bawu for great rewards. Monsters may be attracted to the enticing scent of the potions you carry. Be swift on your hooves, be wary of any threats, and quickly do your task.

This was one of my two pending quests from Healer Gula. The [Large Fragile Bundle] in my inventory, full of Bawu’s old concoctions, attracted monsters to our party—to me. In tandem with the zombie outbreak, I was a Blighted monster magnet!

My Hunter-Warrior buddies and I held the line from the gradually increasing waves of Blighted monsters, each batch more numerous and comprised of stronger monsters. Too bad there was a level gap penalty, or this would be another good setup to exploit for fast leveling.

Nah, not really. The Essence and Gli were divided among all of us, including the Miners not doing any killing. And this quest was going to end when the Miners finished their work. Though the Toxic Goop they were helping me collect was appreciated.

“We have broken through!” the Miners announced.

“At fucking last!” I threw up my hands in celebration. They had carved a hole that was probably large enough for me to squeeze through but not big enough for adult Mardukyrons, more so the enormous Hunter-Warriors.

However, the Miners didn’t expand it, choosing to retreat a safe distance, clutching their tools in apprehension. Instead of darkness, an eerie green glow emanated from the hole.

This was the time to say, “That’s not supposed to happen…”

The Blighted crawled out of the hole and attacked us.