We'd reached the downtown area, but after only encountering Walkers a few number of times our convoy eventually had to come to a halt and when we did we came under attack by a new threat.
Stalkers.
A Tier II type of the undead, specialized in the tracking and hunting down of survivors, they dropped down from balconies and rooftops onto the waiting Egyptian forces still mounted on their Chariots.
"FORM UP! DEFENSIVE CIRCLE!"
Seto's voices boomed across the battlefield, as Carter and his warriors rushed to respond, obeying to the orders without hesitation.
The chariots themselves circled inward creating a defensive wall, while the horses turned inward to protect themselves from the undead, as the warriors mounted the wall while the ranged ones climbed atop the horses for a vantage point to combat against the new undead.
The Pharaoh's Guard raised their shields, forming a tight defensive line.
And above and in front of them, the Stalkers gathered, their numbers were not overwhelming but still their power as a second tier undead was a challenge for their ancient warriors.
They crawled over the sides of buildings, their inhuman screeches echoing through the hollow streets.
Then, as one, they leapt, dozens of Stalkers became airborne all at once.
The first wave crashed against the shields of the Pharaoh's Guard rocking the chariot carriages they stood upon, their claws scraping against bronze, their teeth snapping inches from flesh.
A spear impaled one mid-air, but two more took its place.
The warriors roared building their courage, swinging swords, axes, and axe-maces, shattering limbs and cracking skulls.
Carter himself moved like a shadow, his knife flashing as he weaved between the chaos, striking with deadly precision. with his spear through the gaps in their own defences against the enemy.
But the Stalkers were relentless.
But thankfully their numbers were not infinite, and being outnumbered by the warriors was their folly, with each Stalker slain the odds became more in their favor.
But even with the battle eventually won, a number of the chariots had become damaged, their frames having been shredded and torn into by the claws of the Stalkers trying to get at the unguarded flesh of the standing warriors.
Of the one hundred guards they had lost close to twenty just in this encounter, it was not enough to force them to retreat but, it was enough to force Carter to take temporary refuge in a parking structure, before his men created a basic tetsudo or shield wall, and then from that turtle shell, out came reinforcements.
More Medjay, armed the same as their fallen comrades, and once their arms, and ammunition had been fully restocked the convoy remounted and set forth once again, this time keeping an eye on not only the street but also the buildings above.
The scent of flesh, vicera and burning ruins of the old world clung to the lingering night air as Carter's convoy pressed forward, as the sun continued to rise in the east harkening the coming of dawn.
The downtown core was a silent tomb, a graveyard of steel and stone.
Once, these streets had been alive—filled with the chaos of traffic, the hum of conversation, the neon glow of storefronts.
Now, they were dead.
The only sounds were the echoing clatter of horse hooves, the creak of chariots, and the low, rumbling growls of the distant undead, mixed with the occasional grunt of a tossed spear, or twang of an unleashed bowstring.
Carter stood in his chariot at the center of the convoy, his grip tight on his spear, his eyes darting between the ruined high-rises, and passing buildings that loomed over them like the bones of a long-dead beast.
The Stalker ambush had cost them dearly.
Twenty warriors lost.
Chariots damaged beyond repair.
And worst of all, a stark reminder that this city was no longer theirs.
It belonged to them now.
To the things that lurked in the shadows.
Carter exhaled, steadying himself.
They couldn't afford another fight like that.
Not yet.
Not so far from the university.
"Stay alert," he ordered, his voice a low growl.
"We're not out of this yet."
The Medjay warriors nodded, their golden armor flickering in the dim torchlight, their weapons clenched tight.
The cavemen warriors at the rear remained watchful, their instincts honed to the primal dangers of the hunt, their clan markings smeared with fresh undead blood.
And above them, the archers stood atop the moving chariots, eyes scanning the rooftops, bows drawn and ready.
They would not be caught off guard again.
They moved on, going deeper into the downtown labyrinth, weaving through abandoned streets, burned-out and abandoned vehicles, and collapsed buildings.
Every few blocks, they would spot them—Walkers, shambling mindlessly, drawn by the sound of hooves but too slow to be a true threat.
The archers took careful aim.
One arrow, one kill.
Silent.
Efficient.
The less noise they made, the better.
Then—
The air shifted.
Carter felt it before he heard it.
A low, guttural sound—not a growl, not a groan.
A breath.
Like something was waiting.
Watching.
From the dark alleyways, the cracks between buildings, something moved.
Not Stalkers.
Something worse.
A new system notification blinked to life in Carter's vision.
🚨 WARNING: TIER III UNDEAD ENCOUNTERED 🚨
▶ Name: Devourer
▶ Type: Predator-Class Undead
▶ Threat Level: HIGH
▶ Traits: Extreme Durability, Enhanced Strength, Partial Regeneration
▶ Weakness: Unknown
Carter's breath hitched.
His knuckles went white around his spear.
Then—
CRASH.
A chariot at the rear of their formation exploded into splinters as something tore through it, sending two warriors flying.
A beast stepped into the torchlight.
Tall.
Hulking.
Monstrous.
Its flesh was layered in blackened bone, its mouth too wide, too filled with jagged fangs, its arms stretched unnaturally long, fingers ending in curved talons.
It had no eyes.
It didn't need them.
It could smell them.
The Devourerthrew its head back and roared, a deep, bone-rattling sound that sent chills through the entire convoy.
A call.
A signal.
From the shadows, more undead emerged.
twenty Stalkers began to appear from the shadows as if under the command of the Devourer.
And they were fast.
Faster than even the stalkers Carter had faced before.
"SHIELDS UP!"
Carter roared, his body moving before his mind caught up.
But the Medjay warriors did not listen to his order, even with the perfect loyalty they had given to them by the system, instead of forming a defensive wall, their shields slamming together, spears bristling outward, ten chariots at the rear of the formation stopped while the others carried on cracking their reins speeding away even faster.
The Medjay warriors dug their feet into the ground, gripping their khopesh and sharpened spears, their faces stern, disappearing into the distance.
Then the Devourer charged.
And the earth shook beneath its weight.
Crashing into the created shield wall, sending three Medjay warriors flying, as the Stalkers also joined in attacking the hastily made formation from all directions.
A second later, the massive zombie began tearing a horse in half mid-air, the guts spilling onto the pavement in a steaming mess.
Arrows rained down from the chariots even as they raced away, striking the beasts' skulls, their throats, their joints—but they didn't slow down.
The Devourer was regenerating.
Where flesh was pierced, it knitted itself back together.
Where bones were broken, they snapped back into place.
The twenty did not last long and before they were even out of sight the last of the valiant rearguard fell to the onslaught of this undead unit.
How do you kill something that doesn't stay dead?
Then—
His system flashed another message.
▶ Weakness Discovered: Brainstem
▶ Destroy the spinal cord at the base of the skull to prevent regeneration.
Carter gritted his teeth.
"STRIKE THE NECK, If we meet one of those again, the back of it's neck is the weakness!"
he bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The Medjay warriors adjusted themselves, absorbing the new information given to them by their leader.
Aiming for the base of the skull would be difficult if they were being chased, but if another unit was to stay behind then, they would go down with spears flashing, and swords swinging to end that unholy creature.
And almost as if it could hear their thoughts the undead unit started to give chase to the retreating chariots.
But this was a mistake, the Chariots slowed a little, as arrows and spears were shot through the air, ending the unlife of every remaining stalker, until only the devourer remained pursuing them.
Before the Medjay had disobeyed his orders but only because they would result in his death most likely, but this time when he called for the convoy to stop they did and as a coordinated unit they dismounted and formed up a shieldwall, with a formation of spear-launchers and archers on the wings.
Once more the charging devourer crashed into the battle line, but this time, the line held only being pushed back, and quickly the Medjay moved to encircle the lone creature.
Seto moved like a force of nature, his khopesh slicing through the Devourer's spine, the beast letting out a final, wailing shriek before collapsing into the dust.
Almost like a respawn, A second Devourer fell from the rooftop, arrows piercing its neck from multiple angles, its body twitching violently before it stopped moving entirely, after having it's head severed from it's body by another blade strike.
But two more remained, as another pair of Tier III's showed up almost like they were being called upon the deaths of their comrades.
One barreled toward Carter, its massive clawed hand swiping for his throat.
He ducked, rolling under the attack, his blade flashing in the torchlight of one of his men.
A clean strike—
Directly through the Devourer's neck.
The beast let out a strangled gasp—then fell limp, as a squad moved to surround their lord once more in case further high tiers appeared.
The final Devourer, seeing its pack slaughtered, let out a guttural snarl and turned to flee, its long limbs carrying it into the darkened streets.
Carter exhaled heavily.
The battle was over.
But the damage was done.
They had lost twelve more warriors in this second exchange with the devourers.
Several more were injured, their bodies torn and bleeding, despite the victory but luckily the system showed they were not infected.
More chariots were damaged—some beyond repair.
And worst of all?
The Devourers had been hunting them.
They weren't mindless like the Walkers.
They weren't feral like the Stalkers.
They were intelligent.
And that meant one thing.
They weren't just running from the undead anymore.
They were being hunted.
As Carter and his remaining warriors tended to the wounded, his thoughts turned dark.
They were still around two kilometers away from the university.
And if the Devourers had already found them here…
What was waiting for them out there?