Chef in the Apocalypse

Following the same pattern, the Hydra was writhing in pain once again, allowing the party to regroup. Jayce opened up his status window, checking the remaining time on Dinner Rush.

[Time remaining 10:00 minutes]

"It should be enough." Jayce muttered under his breath.

"Same plan as last time, as long as nothing drastic happens it’ll be the end of this long battle." Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jayce sent some directions to his teammates. His voice still sounded hoarse and broken from the night’s events.

Everyone with the exception of Ben who was doubled over and sucking in deep breaths, responded in turn. Colin let out a little chuckle, and was about to tell his friend that he needed to work on building his muscles so he wouldn’t lack stamina.

However, when he thought about muscles, he was suddenly reminded about his "condition". Seeing the arms and legs that he worked so hard to increase in size looking deflated, caused him to almost cry real tears. It also didn’t help that his wife Jackie seemed to be avoiding him a little.

In actuality, Colin’s muscles were in peak condition, containing over double his usual might within their smaller vessels. Yet it seemed that was not enough to offset the change in aesthetics for him.

Soon enough, the Hydra once again looked in their direction, meaning it was time to execute their well-proven plan. Thankfully Ben had restored some of his stamina during the short interlude and was ready to rock and roll.

He turned to Amber briefly and asked nicely, "Hey, do you think maybe you can run by yourself this time? I’m not a horsey ride."

Amber raised her eyebrow slightly, her face turning up in a smirk. "Oh? And here I was gonna hop on your "horsey ride" when we returned to Bastion a little later."

"Ah..." Ben froze for a moment, his mind and body having a lengthy discussion. His mind was screaming no, but his little brother seemed the most vehement in the argument, stating his case stiffly.

’Shit!’ he cursed inwardly, already resolving himself to carrying Amber once again.

Seeing the conflict in Ben’s eyes, before the eventual acceptance of the matter, Amber chuckled in delight. She loved seeing him flustered, it brought out the cute side that she had fallen for.

What originally started out as a convenient fling, began to eventuate into something more. Their shared interests and similar temperament became the catalyst for their budding relationship. Ben’s thoughtfulness and willingness to please slowly broke through the walls of her heart.

Colin’s bellow interrupted her reverie, as he called out and performed his taunt once more, signifying the beginning of the fight. She rushed after Ben, her thoughts still a little out of whack. Yet in the next moment her eyes filled with resolve, ’Only 4 more heads to go.’ she commented inwardly.

The group continued to fight on, every attempt becoming easier with each head they destroyed. Before long, the behemoth Hydra was left with one head remaining, the others merely stumps which had fallen to the ground limply.

[Time remaining 03:20 minutes]

Jayce stared at the numbers floating in front of him, satisfied with their progress. He wasn’t exactly sure what would happen when the timer reached zero, but he definitely wouldn’t make the mistake of leaving the Hydra alive before it ran out.

With that, Jayce melded into the shadows once again and made his way forward. His eyes were locked onto the final remaining head, the weariness he felt being held back by his burning desire to put an end to this Beast Tide.

[6x Critical strike has been activated]

Jayce sent his Bloodfang Dagger deep into the neck of the final head, once again being showered with blood and flesh. His once pure white chef’s outfit was already coated in monster blood, therefore any additional blood merely blended in or ran off.

This time Amber stepped up and cauterized the final wound, pouring her remaining mana into flames. The familiar sound of flesh sizzling rang out, however it was not jarring, it actually brought a sense of ease and comfort to the group.

After the final head had been successfully removed, the once indomitable Hydra swayed gently for a moment before toppling over into an unmoving heap.

[You have slain - Ancient Hydra %$@??]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up!]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up!]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up!]

[Congratulations...]

[...]

A mass of notifications popped up in front of everyone’s faces, letting them know that the monster was indeed finally dead. The party dropped down to the ground in exhaustion, except for Jayce who was still vigilant.

While the fight with the Hydra had not been too difficult, the siege had been long and arduous. They had to defend the city walls against waves and waves of monsters, constantly towing the line between life and death. It was no wonder why they were so exhausted.

Ignoring the notifications that just kept popping up in front of him, Jayce walked around the giant corpse of the Hydra. Eight distinct serpent heads were lying unmoving on the ground, yet they still seemed as if they could come alive at any moment.

However after seeing the lack of danger, Jayce began to relax a little, weariness creeping into his bones. "It’s finally over..." he said meekly.

Yet as soon as his body relaxed The fabric of space itself began to tear open, causing the very reality that bound them to twist and flex unnaturally.

Colin and the party who were sitting on the ground exhausted quickly turned their heads in unison to witness this surreal spectacle. They felt as insignificant as mere ants compared to the incomprehensible force that was being displayed before their eyes.

Within the rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality, Jayce could glimpse a starry expanse that seemed to stretch on infinitely, as if it were a gate to the very universe itself. The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying, as the boundaries between their world and the cosmic unknown blurred.

Then, in a moment of sheer awe, two colossal skeletal hands emerged on either side of the tear in space. These ethereal appendages, constructed of ghastly bones and seemingly forged from the very essence of the cosmos, gripped the rift and with an immense, effortless force, tore it open even wider.

Reality itself seemed to quiver in response to this display of raw power. The tear now gaped wide, revealing a vast expanse of stars and galaxies beyond.