Monarch of Solitude: Daily Quest System

Chapter 86 - Zombie Vs Shadows

The powerful voice that shook the swamp boosted the hobgoblin's confidence. The zombies faltered when they heard their king's voice, and morale for the shadow army was at an all-time high.

Mutt watched from the shadows and picked off zombies from a distance to aid the small number of goblin fighters. The old shaman stood in the centre of the battle and offered support to slow the massive horde of zombies. Already, the number of bodies started to pile like a wall around them. Yet, there was no end to the zombie wave.

Mutt noticed the issue and tried to think of a way to clear a path for the hobgoblins. If they continued fighting like this, they would trap themselves in, and the endless wave of zombies would eventually get to them.

His master told him to work with the hobgoblins, but Mutt did not know how to do that. He was no alpha even when he was in a pack. He thought he was strong, and honestly, Mutt knew that he was probably the strongest wolf monster there was in the forest. However, nobody respected him even though he won every fight and competition. In his life, Mutt never lost to anyone or anything until he met those goblins. If it wasn't for the shaman's tricks, he would not be blinded and have lost so miserably to these green creatures. As individuals, those goblins were weak. Before he died, Mut could not understand how weak creatures could best him.

After the hunting games, Mutt had some time to think about it again. The way the goblin chief worked with others gave him a kind of strength different from Mutt. When one goblin fell, another was there to help him take over his job until the fallen goblin could pick himself back up to continue his work and provide assistance to another goblin who fell. The reason why they were strong as a group was not because they had more people.

Watching these zombies, Mutt understood that they would never win this battle against the goblins, who were able to work together to cover each other's weaknesses and enhance each other's strengths. The warriors kept the zombies away from their shaman, and the shaman slowed the zombies in waves so that the outnumbered hobgoblins could take out the plodding zombie army.

Mutt watched as they were forced to fight in a smaller circle with so many zombies piling up. He quickly thought of a way that he could help them regain the ground that they needed to cut down the zombie numbers.

With his speed and keen senses, Mutt ran like the wind through the shadows of this swamp to look for a suitable location that the goblins needed to create a battle advantage. These zombies had no teamwork. They attacked the enemies as individuals and would climb over the bodies of their disabled comrades. 

The ground in the marsh was soft and unstable. Without experience walking through it, the speed would be incredibly slow. The zombies were clearly not experts in navigating through the swamp, and Mut noticed how the zombies further behind were way slower than their counterparts near the goblins who were able to walk on the bodies of their fallen comrades, serving as paths.

That's it!

"Follow me! I know a better place to fight these idiots, Mutt howled to the hobgoblins struggling to take down the new wave of zombies that managed to break through their defences.

The shaman goblin simply looked at the shadow wolf monster and nodded. He urged the hobgoblins to get on Mutt's back before he cast a huge spell to slow the zombies and got onto the large wolf's back.

Mutt ran and told the hobgoblins to hold on tight as he climbed up the tall swamp trees to run on the canopy as a shortcut. From above, the hobgoblins could finally see what they were dealing with. There was no end to the waves of zombies.

"Where are you going?" the shaman asked through the bond. "The king told us to take care of the zombies. If you leave now, the teleportation pad will be unguarded!"

Mutt howled and activated his taunting abilities to gather the zombies' attention on him as he ran to the perfect location.

"Don't worry," he told the goblin shaman. "They will not get past me at the teleportation pad. Besides, our king made a powerful spell to guard it."

The new ground that Mutt brought the zombies to was a dry spot in the marshes that looked like an island surrounded by murky water. Mutt landed and let the hobgoblins down. The zombies ordered to chase them changed their direction, and started marching over to the new location as the goblins prepared for battle.

Here, the swamp acted like a moat to slow the zombies down. It was also easier for the shaman goblin to use the natural swampy land to trap zombies. Even if these zombies died, they could not become solid paths for their other comrades because the swamp waters were rather deep.

The location was perfect for battling against a horde, and the goblin shaman praised Mutt for the great find.

"I will return to guard the teleportation pad and call reinforcements."

From above, they heard powerful blasts and their master's voice once more, more powerful this time. Some zombies who could not withstand the pressure collapsed as their brains exploded internally.

Mutt quickly hid in the shadows to run back to the temporary teleportation pad when he heard the bog master's reply. As a loyal servant, Mutt wanted to rip the arrogant magician to shreds. However, his master did not seem offended by the insult but was rather amused.

Without a proper way or place to vent his frustration, Mutt ripped the heads off a few zombies he passed by, leaving their bodies behind to stumble more of their zombie pals making their way to the swamp isle where his goblin friends would take care of them.

With the terrain advantage, the hobgoblins had no problems sinking bodies quite literally. The goblin shaman no longer hid behind the warriors and took charge in attacking from a range actively. The hobgoblins used long branches and even smaller tree trunks from uprooted trees to smash several zombies in a row, dropping their numbers faster than they could arrive.

The zombie defence game was strong and every zombie that was destroyed contributed to weakening the bog master's strength a little more.

This battle could not be drawn out for too long. With the shadow army chopping down the zombie army he built painstakingly over the years, the bog master could no longer afford to sit back and play the defence game. He had to strike before the ignorant lich did.