A Zombie's Path to Power

Panic surged through Azel as the creature pinned him with its weight. He struggled, clawing at its thick fur, but the yeti's grip was just too much for him to handle. His body screamed for mana, his reserves dangerously low after hours of climbing and regenerating.

Then he remembered the books—specifically, a note about the yeti's thick fur protecting it from both cold and most attacks. But its face, especially around the eyes, was far less armoured.

Acting on instinct, Azel clawed at the snow around him, his fingers closing around a sharp fragment of ice. As the yeti lowered its head, jaws wide to finish him off, Azel jammed the makeshift weapon into its eye with all the strength he could muster.

The creature howled in agony, rearing back and clutching at its face. Azel scrambled out from under it, mana flooding into his limbs as adrenaline—or something close to it—pushed him to his feet.

After scrambling back for a moment, the yeti stared at Azel with its one good eye. The yeti hesitated, its good eye narrowing as it watched Azel rise again. Prey wasn't supposed to get back up after a blow like that. Should it run? No, the yeti still thought it had the advantage. After all, Azel and the beast had heard his ribs crack under the force from when it pushed him into the ground.

"So a stand-off, then." Said Azel, feeling his ribs already stitching themselves back together. He no longer cared about preserving mana, after all if he held back now the zombie would no doubt die. "But you haven't got the jump on me anymore... And guess what?"

The yeti didn't answer but instead lowered its body closer to the snowy ground. Azel remembered from the earlier scuffle, it was getting ready to charge.

Summoning another dagger, Azel allow mana to pour through his body. "You're a lot slower than Colwyn."

The yeti lunged, its hulking form moving with terrifying strength despite its injury. But Azel was ready this time. Mana surged through his veins, sharpening his senses and strengthening his movements. With a burst of energy, he sidestepped the beast's charge, snow spraying into the air as the yeti's claws raked the ground where he had stood.

Azel spun, aiming for the beasts exposed flank. The zombie however missed, not that he complained, as the dagger found the yetis exposed neck. The yeti howled, its roar shaking the very mountainside, but Azel didn't retreat. He twisted the blade and yanked it out in one fluid motion, leaving a dark, steaming gash.

The yeti spun, swiping at him with both arms in a wild frenzy. Azel ducked under one claw, but the second grazed his shoulder, sending him staggering. Pain blossomed as mana surged to heal the wound. The zombie cursed, his already limited reserves dwindling faster than he'd like.

The yeti pressed its advantage, charging again with reckless abandon. This time, Azel dove to the side, letting the creature's momentum carry it forward. It crashed into a rocky outcrop with a deafening crack, dislodging chunks of stone and snow.

Rolling his injured shoulder, Azel nodded to himself. His healing factor was doing a good job, but his mana was quickly dwindling. Azel gripped his dagger tighter, his mind racing. The yeti was bleeding like a fountain, so Azel should probably wait it out until the beast inevitably collapsed.

But looking at the monsters hateful gaze, Azel doubted it would go that easily. Chuckling to himself Azel mumbled in a vile tone, "This whole fighting thing is a lot more fun when you're winning, huh?"

This time Azel took the initiative. Bounding towards the towering beast Azel threw his dagger forward while simultaneously creating a new one. Unsurprisingly, the beast swatted the blade away.

But that was fine, because Azel was now a lot closer to his target.

He landed low, knees skidding on the snow, and slashed at its inner thigh. The yeti bellowed as another hot wound opened, steam curling upward into the frozen air. Its massive frame staggered, the damage piling up as its movements grew sluggish.

Azel didn't stop. He couldn't afford to. His mana reserves were a breath away from empty, and his body—undead or not—was reaching its limit. His breathing turned ragged as he circled the yeti, its growls now a mix of anger and pain.

It's wearing down.

He saw it in the creature's lumbering steps and the way its arms hung just a little lower, its monstrous strength now dimmed by injury and blood loss.

The yeti swiped at him again, slower this time, and Azel ducked, his body a blur as he closed in once more.

He struck again—this time going for its exposed knee. Bone cracked under his blade, and the yeti let out a guttural roar, its weight collapsing partially onto one side.

Azel jumped back, panting.

The yeti's single eye burned with desperation, its breaths now loud and ragged as it crouched lower, still refusing to collapse completely. Even now, the creature's instincts screamed to fight, to finish what it had started.

Azel, too, felt the pull. The maddening urge to keep going, to rend and destroy the creature in front of him. It clawed at his mind—a quiet voice that grew louder the longer the battle dragged on.

But the zombie ignored it, because he knew that if he kept going he'd collapse from exhaustion, besides... The yeti had finally collapsed from blood loss.

Slowly approaching the beast, Azel prodded it with the dagger, and after making sure that it wasn't responding he plunged the dagger into the beasts chest. Earlier, he had to increase his strength with mana just to pierce its hide, but now the zombie found the knife passing through the beasts flesh like butter.

That was until Azel felt a very soft clink. Smiling, the zombie begun using the knife to try and anchor the solid object out, after a few seconds of frustration a blue marble popped out with a satisfying pop.

Swallowing it in one one bite Azel felt a wave of cool energy flow over him. Brilliant, Azel had just secured another weeks worth of mana.