Chef in the Apocalypse

The battle on the ramparts continued to rage on, an unceasing storm of chaos and violence beneath the eerie glow of the red moon. The city of Bastion was under siege, and its defenders fought with an unwavering determination. The clamor of metal against monstrous flesh, the anguished cries of wounded defenders, and the savage roars of the beasts blended into a symphony of carnage.

As the defenders clashed with the relentless wave of creatures, the air grew heavy with the unmistakable stench of blood. It hung in the atmosphere like a thick, suffocating fog, permeating everything. The metallic tang of spilled blood was so intense that even those not directly in the fray could taste it in their mouths.

Jayce, in the midst of the maelstrom, maintained a vigilant watch over the plains beyond the city walls. His eyes, sharp and unwavering, locked onto the next wave of monsters approaching the red flags that marked their target. He knew that the battle was far from over, and the true test of their mettle lay ahead.

The defenders on the ramparts fought valiantly, their resolve unyielding despite the odds stacked against them. Each clash of steel against monstrous hide, each spell cast, was a testament to their determination to protect their home and their lives.

Although things had gone relatively well for them up till now, Jayce couldn’t help but feel that things weren’t as they seemed. Despite the earlier reaction from the veiled boss monster which sent the monsters into a frenzy, they had not sent out a truly strong monster to the forefront.

This could mean that the boss monster was not truly enraged and just putting up a facade so they would let down their guard. Jayce’s frown deepened, the uneasy feeling still niggling at his heart.

’I need to focus on finishing my class upgrade quest while things are still manageable.’ Jayce thought inwardly.

Quickly bringing up his faction menu, he began to send out invites to those in his vicinity. However, a moment later he frowned.

[Average Archer891 is already in a faction]

[Fast Archer771 is already in a faction]

’Shit!’ He cursed under his breath. The first 10 players that he sent an invite to were already a part of Dion’s faction. His complexion darkened, he had not thought about this being an issue. After all, he had already asked for Dion’s permission to take some of his people into his faction.

That being said, he was not aware that he would be in this circumstance while searching for people to join his faction. If he was being honest, he envisioned the process to be more of an application and interview situation, so he could select the right people to join him.

However, he now had no choice but to take what he could get. With a sense of urgency, he scrolled down the list, sending out mass invites to everyone that appeared, regardless of if they were in a faction or not.

Thankfully, Dion’s faction was also only level 1, which meant that he could have a maximum of 50 people. After all, if he had reached level 2 then there would have been no reason for him to give up the information about the Dungeon to Flamecaster in exchange.

Yet things did not always go to plan, something he had learned very early into his foray into the Apocalypse. A notification popped up as he went to send out the next invitation.

[Please do not spam invitations]

[Cooldown 05:00 minutes]

Jayce blinked a few times, staring at the words in front of him incredulously. ’What in the actual f–’

Before Jayce could finish that thought, the structure beneath him began to shake wildly, causing him to almost fall to the ground. He quickly righted his footing, trying to find out the source of the disturbance.

"Leader! That tortoise is throwing huge stones!" A female voice cut through the sounds of battle, drawing his attention to where the ranged units were. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Jackie was standing atop the rampart, waving her hands in the air in his direction. He locked eyes with her, or at least as much as he could with the reduced visibility that the crimson moon provided. It was then that he saw her point to the back of the plains.

Turning his head, he squinted trying to make out something in the poor light. It was then that he saw it, at first it looked like the size of a fist, yet it began to grow in size steadily over time.

’Shit!’ Jayce cursed under his breath, finally realizing that it was a giant stone that was heading right in his direction. At a glance, Its size looked to be at least 4 meters tall with ragged edges. More than likely torn directly from the mountainside that outlined the plains.

Jayce was at a loss. The sheer size and weight of the stone would not crush him due to his tough body and high strength stat, however the same could not be said for the city wall that they were all standing on.

It was clear that their goal was twofold. To take down the city wall, while preventing the ranged attacks from taking out the next wave of beasts that were crossing the threshold.

As he saw the stone getting larger, his mind raced trying to come up with a solution. It was too late for him to prepare the ranged units to focus their fire onto the incoming stone, and even if he could, he couldn’t risk damaging the city walls with magical attacks.

It was then that he heard a mirthful laugh resonate atop the ramparts, causing his mind to blank.

Colin leaped onto the top of the city wall, the club in his hands growing larger and larger until it was 4 meters long. He raised the club with two hands, holding it as if he were in the batter’s box at a major league baseball game.

"Batter up you little shits!"