This Hero is Sleeping!

With the swings of the strings came the gnarls of the dead. Over the dark streets lit ablaze with only the scarce lamps, the sound attracted dozens and dozens of zombies.

Crashes and screams spread hand in hand as the zombies fell into the traps one after the other.

The barricades and the spikes held the approaching numbers back while the especially laid-out blocks narrowed their way inside. Knives stuck on sticks handled the majority of the zombies while the occasional swords and spears stabbed to their heads and dropped them to the ground

"Fight! They are not people! They are just monsters!"

"For the ones that have gone to go in peace! These monsters resurrect our dead like puppets! Kill them!"

"Don\'t panic! They are all monsters and not humans."

"If you don\'t fight now, the ones that are remaining will be gone too!"

eαglesnᴏνel Hope and strength pierced the battlefield thanks to Elric and Erika\'s pre-written motivational words that stabbed right into the hearts of the fighters. Quinton and Puzo felt a slight sense of shame for using it at first but quickly realized that nothing written in it was wrong.

Of course, it was all taken from zombie movies and shows as well.

With the music as their pillar, the sounds as the thing that pushed up their backs, all the citizens fought and fought against the zombies.

The numbers were great.

But the spirit was greater yet.

"Jamie… it won\'t last long."

Regardless of spirit, the truth was unchanged. Just how long could citizens fight? Just how much of a difference could people, that never swung a blade at an animal, let alone a monster that resembled their loved ones, could make?

The seasoned adventurers knew that the problems didn\'t end there. Stamina, panic, anything could happen. Quinton had his arrows nocked at all times as he readied himself to face any problems, but it was just a matter of time before the citizens collapsed.

Before then.

"We just have to hope that Claude and Elric find the vampire."

Jamie shook his head.

"I hope they live."

Before saving others, adventurers had to save themselves. In a sense, Kone was the least fit to be an adventurer. 

Quinton chuckled and nodded his head.

"I hope they win," he said.

Victory, over survival.

Optimism. Maybe that was what they needed.

"Yeah… they will."

***

"I lose. I give up."

Elric splayed on the ground, and spoke out loud.

"Shut up! Get here."

"I haven\'t slept in hours, Claude! Hours!"

Even though they were passing through the single lane they had left empty for them to leave through, Elric was already down halfway through.

But he held a fair point, who could resist sleep whether they were about to be eaten alive or not? Game over. Zombies win.

"Don\'t just write us off like that, stupid Elric," said Erika. 

"If you\'re going to be like this I\'ll just go ahead and fight the vampire myself."

"Hey, you can\'t." Elric said. "You\'ll die."

Erika didn\'t think Elric was wrong. Not anymore

"Then get up and get moving. Now."

At Claude\'s cold announcement, Elric had no choice but to stand up and walk along. The other two shook their heads in disappointment A great start they had taken up for sure.

With Claude in the lead, they started pacing through the streets. The sound of the orchestra behind rich.

It was then, the sound hit a drop.

Elric stopped in his tracks.

And then, a piano solo played. 

With renewed vigor, Elric started hopping on the ground.

"Now, Claude, move right now. That old man didn\'t let down! I can\'t miss this amazing bgm playing for me and just slacking off. I have to kill the vampire at the guitar bit!"

Who was to tell the poor child there was no guitar bit coming around?

The route ahead narrowed down and the buildings around them started to change shape. They could see far away on the other streets, the few zombies making their way over to the hall, to their deaths.

And then, right up ahead, the few stragglers remained. 

"That\'s… about forty?" Erika muttered, readying herself to fight.

"Leave it to me," said Claude. With a small grin, he tapped the amulet hanging from his neck and brought out the sword of the shadow lord. The mist spread further and brought out his cape as well. Just these items were enough. "Keep dashing straight ahead, actually, Elric, learn the path."

Erika confusedly tilted her head while Elric pressed both his fingers against his head and gazed at the road ahead. "Got it, go wild."

Claude smiled and stepped ahead. At that time, Elrtic reached out and grabbed Erika\'s hand.

"What?"

"Just shut up. I know it\'s a dream come true for you, but don\'t get any ideas."

Erika was grandly pissed by this bastard.,

"[Activate: Mist of Underworld]"

Claude muttered and brandished his blade. The numbers of the zombies around him kept increasing, almost blocking the entire path ahead. All of them led on by the sound of the music.

And from around Claude, spread a faint mist all over the streets. Slow at first, the mist danced into the wind and swirled around every corner and nook of the streets, further ahead or closer behind, all of it started being covered by the mist.

Erika\'s eyes widened.

"Mystic… forest…"

"Heh." 

Smirking, Elric offered her no explanation. instead, he took a step ahead and dived straight into the mist.

"Ah! Hey!"

"Don\'t bother looking back, let\'s go!"

With Elric\'s command, she had no choice but to be pushed along. Erika\'s feet tapped against the streets and in moments, the mist that was thicker than fog and denser than stones covered her sight.

The gnarls of the zombies came from afar. The deeper she went the greater her fear rose. She couldn\'t see Elric, and eventually, she couldn\'t even see her own hands or her body.

"No matter what, don\'t let go."

"What! What is happening?"

The gnarls grew louder. One right next to her.

Erika flinched as she heard the sound of the zombie, and in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

The attack that she thought would reach her never did, and instead, a few drops of blood splattered on her face. Fear overtook her every breath as she was carried along by Elric mercilessly through the streets. The turns he made and the twists he followed were out of her control and out of her understanding. It was getting harder to breathe in the place that reminded her of a white hell.

And after a few more grueling minutes and run-ins. She was finally out of the mist.

Her hand was left mercilessly as she stumbled ahead. Standing there was Elric looking at her as if she was pathetic, and behind the mist continued, the sound of the zombies not ending.

"W-what was this?"

"Cool, right?"

Erika tilted her head again. "Do you not feel affected at all?"

"Hm? From the mist?" Elric asked. "It was there every second hour back in the mystic forest. We faced it for two entire years actually."

"Two years?"

"Yup, every two hours for two years straight. It feels like a second home."

"And Claude…?"

Elric started sweating profusely. He totally forgot he was supposed to keep the lord of shadows a secret since that being had a feud with the gods. Sticking his tongue out, Elric looked the other way and cackled.

"Hah! Hahaha! It\'s just that he farted really bad. Flatulence, you see."

"WHAT?"

"Hahaah… ha… weird guy right? Cool what he can do with gas."

"Ew! Shut up!"

Elric grabbed Erika again and dragged her along. "Let\'s leave this place to him, we have a vampire to catch."

"Oh?" Erika got on her feet and kept glancing back at the mist. "A-are you sure? We can\'t just leave him!"

"He\'s not a child anymore."

"He never was!"

"Well, the vampire comes first, he can come catch up."

Erika mumbled something but Elric didn\'t hear. In the end, she brought up the second matter of her concern. "And how are you planning to find the vampire? Sire, Elric?"

"Hm, good question. We should probably be free to run around now that al;l the zombies are gone."

And ran he did. Erlci shot off the ground and dashed away from the mist.

"Hey!? Where\'s the vampire? What\'s the point of running?"

"VAMPYYYY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"That\'s your plan genius!?"

"VAMPY! COME AND SEE ME! LOOK, IT\'S YOUR FAVORITE!"

Running along the canals, Elric kept shouting his words out loud but the vampire showed no sign of coming around.

In the end, a different thought entered his mind. As the two of them neared the center of Soleda, near the fountain, Elric took out a small dagger and nicked his finger.

"Elric?"

"Shush."

A drop of blood spilled from it. And slowly, ever so slowly, it fell down to the ground.

He had seen Claude\'s blood spill over and over in front of the vampire, but she didn\'t blink an eye at that.

"Then… she must be a real pervert."

She liked Elric\'s blood.

"KRAA!"