The Zombie Tournament

Act 39 : Ofta

Zeno Gunnar and his company sprints away from Militistaro after their hit-and-run assault to Valentino Rosta’s carriage. They have to be careful on choosing which one to roam around. A transit to Ofta is their only choice for the runaway. Sanza’s main district has never been in tumultuous situation against many other cities of Minopia. In history, Ofta was esteemed as the sole kingdom to offer themselves for Minopia’s establishment. Their council of traders were keen to assimilate their authority under the wings of larger communities, hence Ofta’s association to Minopia as the second country to be merged without any forms of m******e.

They have no enemies beyond the city’s borders. Ofta’s line of defense were instituted in rather weak formation than any other cities of Minopia. A dry ten-meters iron fence are too fragile against a high-end military skirmish, but their government has them installed for millenia. Indeed, no military armaments in hindsight to protect them towards any forthcoming invaders, but there is nothing to be afraid of as they have something different in surveillance.

Minopia has a safeguard for them under the capital city’s unlimited defense. By the signature of King Taur Minosa himself, Ofta has been shielded away from harm within a seal of pact. The capital city will defend their dignity with their utmost arsenal whenever a city deemed a bad blood to the trader’s tiny fortress. As a result, never in a second that anyone had the audacity to call for war against Ofta, because Minopia will be their top-on-the-list enemies to fight up against.

“Humph, we have to take a break.” Frank Terino muttered,”What about you, Kamara?”

Her short tomboy-ish brunette hair shivered as Kamara turned sideways. She wears a plain blue mantle from Tanya Rushdi’s emergency wardrobe. On both of her arms, Tonado’s group plastered it with a roll of bandage to wrap a few herbs for faster healing methods to work out.

She answered with a slight shook,”No....” Her eyes furled down to see their carriage moving away in rapid motion to the south. Kamara’s entire figure was trembling heavily against the course of wind to opposite direction of their road. It feels cold to the warmth that Frank Terino and his teammates has given. Zeno Gunnar does this along the way, as well, because being emotionless could get them nowhere against her fear.

“Alright, time for us to take a swift rest for fifteen minutes.” Zeno Gunnar commanded from the rein. Their automated wagon gradually slowing down in each meters elapsed, before stopping on the roadside to hide under the forest’s shade,”After all, we need to feed our zombie, too, and you need something to fill, Kamara.”

(munch-munch)

Southern regions of Militistaro were flooded in many forms of foliage and hardwood trees. At this moment, Their carriage unwinds below one of the tallest frame of tree trunks around. A massive number of coast redwood tree has been developed in-between borders of Militistaro and Ofta by the decree of Minopia Kingdom itself. Due to its own desire of bloodbath, Ofta would be a petty aim to come against, hence their enactment of shrubs to the grounds at the center of its proximity.

“Here, your mashed potatoes. I hope you’ll like it.” Frank Terino handed a plate to Kamara’s lap. She accepts it without applying a word, seemed still in shock of drastic measures that happened awhile before,”And for you, Damon, a non-flavored minced thigh.” He continued, dressing Damon’s appetite with a slight odor of formaldehyde.

“Well done, Frank. You’re always a great chef to me.” Damon complimented. He rushes in one spoonful of the tender meat and spurted rejoice by a slight hum under the throat. For Kamara, however, the young lady felt incapable to use her spoon in proper manner. At times, the spoon itself crumbles because of her shivering palms, brought her to demise of being incapable to eat.

Tanya Rushdi saw Kamara’s trouble, and offering to help by pushing her own spoon to the front,”Here, you’ll have to eat something, Kamara.” She said,”I’ll do this for you, don’t worry.”

“Thank you...” She writhed.

(gulp)

A tear of joy flows out from her eyes. The potatoes hitting the walls of her mouth in sluggish motion, but it was still grinding down below her teeth. Kamara gulped it down, slightly having a hardship to swallow sometimes.

“So, how’s your teammates doing?” Zeno Gunnar asked. In his own perception, Kamara is one of the contestants of the game. For her to be alone means an awful circumstances has happened. Either all of them were dead, or she was the only one to be kidnapped.

In any other way, the young knight has to lay down a question by himself, or else no answers will be given afterwards. However, all she does was neglecting Zeno Gunnar’s query. Kamara is in jubilation and more absorbed to the metal spoon of Tanya Rushdi. Usually, the young knight will be erupted by the tone of ignorance, but their new teammates’ condition is too frail to have a burst.

There is no other method than to run as far as they can, since there would be many squads formed to pursue them along the way.

(munch-munch)

The victim has slowly regained her stamina. For now, Kamara could do herself a spoonful of potatoes independently. She is now on the second plate and seemingly voracious to the squad of Tonado before her. Zeno Gunnar stirred a shook against Kamara’s lavished appetite, but having said none to show her leeways for recovery.

(beep-beep)

Zeno Gunnar peeked into his wristwatch and turned off the alarm at once,“Ah, fifteen minutes. We have to go!” He said, leading their team to pack up and venture once more.

---

No rustle of engine followed their track. Zeno Gunnar dispatched his lion-zombie to ensure there is none of them inbound awhile ago. In twenty minutes after, Roman the lion returned with a few number of human limbs in his mouth, means nobody is on the par to their group for the time being. Militistaro has given them a small horde to shadow, yet the closest one to them has no energy or power that would be sufficient to lay a hurdle.

“Good one, Roman.” The young knight scrubbed his mane as a token of appreciation. The lion-zombie said nothing but a growling buzz of its purr.

“Really? It could purr?” Frank Terino raised both of his eyebrows, peeking at Zeno Gunnar’s beast in utmost interest,”I thought only a living one could do that.”

Zeno Gunnar rubbed the lion’s neck and patted him down over the top a few times,”Yeah, It’s for their automatic healing. I have to initiate it manually.” He answered,”It’s a modification from Jan Liwacz. Sounds pretty neat, right?”

“Ah, that man is awesome. I’ve been his fan for years and counting.” Frank Terino said in return.

The group of Tonado’s casual walk brought them to the vast amenities of Sanza’s domain. Ofta city mainly has similar pattern of quadrant to the other cities under Minopia’s custody. They have their own office quadrant for companies to reside, with housing areas on its right that primarily become Sanza’s market to establish. The company’s expertise in home appliances brought them to rise up exceptionally well in their own city state. Of course, rather than having a military quadrant on the top right, Ofta has an expanded housing region for their citizen.

The primary difference between them are the location of zombie storage and main gate’s configuration, as each local government have had liberation to put it anywhere they wanted.

As they approached the city’s main gate, the sight of feeble structure could be seen from the local government’s way to furnish their main gateway into the city. It has much lesser frame dimension than their own defensive wall, reigning in about 5 meters to the pointy tip above.

“A sliding gate? For sure, they have been too lazy for guarding themselves out from trouble.” Zeno Gunnar commented towards Ofta’s choice of design in mockery. Tanya Rushdi is in the same opinion with him, as her head bobbed slightly to confirm,”What do they think of Militistaro’s cannon? It would obliterate them within a minute!” He continued, raised his eyebrows in a little bit of astonishment intact.

“Nobody will have the guts to fight against Minopia, Zeno. Maybe that’s why.” Damon uttered. Frank Terino sticks on his zombie partner’s side as he followed with a nod, before putting his own mouth to speak.

“To add Damon’s perspective, Zeno, most of surviving contestants of this competition will be living here after the survival game has ended.” He said, putting the right palm onto the chin for rubbing his neck at the same time,”Actually, I’m the one that choose to live here. Most of our team’s remaining contestants stayed at Gastamo. It’s too chilly for me taste, if you ask of the reason.”

“Yeah, his fat could no longer provide heat to the body, he said. That Frank always use that for a reason, but he’s actually wanted to stay close with Sanza’s discounts.” Tanya Rushdi giggled. Against his female teammates’ ridicule, Frank Terino retorted,”You’re having a bad mouth up there, aren’t you?” He answered, a little bit fumed.

Kamara stood still, tongue-tied and quietly listening to their conversation. A spark of grin emanated in obscurity, but her own fear shuttered it all off to the world by an immediate exchange of neutral lips soon after.

(beep-beep)

‘Welcome to Ofta, house of housing district of Minopia.’

In contrary to regular scanner that was available across Minopia’s many cities, Ofta’s local government have none of such ideas to come off against their visitor’s upcoming. Ofta will never put a mistrust towards any citizen’s purpose over the city’s avenue. They said so by the written quote upon the gate, written in Minopia’s local tongue of Esperanto. The solid iron of their gate opened as soon as a flash of camera snapped a picture of the current group that arrived.

“Yeah, nothing much. They have none other than people’s residence in this place.” Frank Terino explained. The curvy man dismissed himself to stay ahead and becoming their tour guide for their travel across the city,”Y’know, that golden monument in the middle is the only attraction here. Other than Sanza Department store, obviously.”

To his own description, Frank Terino goes along to draw their attention across the end points of the main street before them. Ofta’s government has made their own city to be compacted and align in terms of building placement, so that any visitor-customer would have a good look to their 60 meters tall torch-like monument at the center. It is the vision of Ofta and Minopia’s treaty of protection to commemmorate their establishment into the federation’s supervision and a perpetual reminder of the other cities’ to avoid them as a target to attack.

“Oh, it is quite remarkable for me. Plainly better than the golden temple at certain point.” Zeno Gunnar mumbled,”I wonder, though, how’s those gold alloy be found? I see nothing but mine-less mountain across the country so far.”

Frank Terino answered it by pointing to the north,”It is Altagrada, if it’s what you want to hear. We can take a sneak peek to their mine later on.” He said. To the young knight’s sudden question, Tanya Rushdi leaps to her partner’s back and whispered.

“Do you say that for me? You wanna buy me a golden bracelet of Altagrada, you say?” She whispered.

Zeno Gunnar smile in bitter expression to her tease,“No, I just interested in its history. Why do I have to purchase one for you?” He replied.

“You’re too cruel, Zeno. I held so much hope, but you...” She released her clutch immediately,”Are you for real?”

The young knight tried to hold up, but failed to omit his own chuckle due to Tanya Rushdi’s glare,”Alright, I’ll buy one for you when we get there.”He said,”But we have to find where’s the better place to put our nest for a day, I think.”

“Or finding my medal holder’s position. It would be great for our main objective, Zeno.” Damon suddenly interrupted their amorous conversation and gazing at Zeno Gunnar in stern manner. The young knight digested his suggestion for a bit, then patting the half-zombie’s shoulder afterwards.

“Yeah, that would be better. Let’s start off tonight.” He muttered.