Chapter 4: Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Walking was pleasant in a good day, when the noise of the city turned into background static and the chirping of birds, and rustle of leaves, and the warmth of the sun, comforted people in their meditative embrace. Your heart and your breath the set the tempo and your feet tapped along to it.

‘Now,’ Perseus thought to himself. ‘Take that noise out, the constant worry for cars or bikes, the chirp of birds a remembrance of something made of nightmares, and the silence of the city turned overbearing.’ People were sweating in the heat, the buildings hemmed them in, clogging up the sky, twisting over the tired mass of people. The mind roamed, it made its conclusions and sent hormones rocking through the bloodstream. Finally people understood the reality. Horrible as it was, it brought panic and fear, and anger. The crowd had been marching for nearly an hour now. A few hundred more had joined in on the original and their pace was slow, they weren’t far away now and they had not met any danger. Things were looking good.

If they could only last from breaking out into mass hysteria until they reached the cool darkness of the metro things would be good. Perseus hoped, he looked back to the twins, the rabbit people had, even Ilyne, had stopped their curious queries, and had dropped her jovial attitude. She looked both hopeful and cute, yet Perseus resisted. Just another 15 minutes.

Suddenly his gut sunk. Agon was not focused, he never really was. The young man was the fidgeting type. Even while he had given Perseus a present, a weapon he had traded Perseus’ share of the monster, as he had helped in killing it, from an elder of his clan. A sword it was, not made in any way or with any materials he knew off but he had some ideas. Perseus was thankful despite not being consulted previously, the kid had been nervous and looking away, nearly stuttering, even as he presented the Rose Sword. That was that. Perseus could tell, this time around something entirely different was happening. Ears twitching incessantly, his curved nose, which was very pink at the end sniffed in little short bursts. Sweat gathered on his brow and as he looked at Perseus worry grew on his face. He walked up close, and spoke in the softest of whispers.

“Can’t we rush? We need to rush. Can’t they be quiet? You should make them all stop speaking. The less sound they make the better.” He spoke lightning fast in Perseus’ ear. Who was not happy to hear this. They were already being incredibly quiet, no one was shouting yet, only whispers grew more and more full of fright as time went by, yet for now no screams or fights had broken out and Perseus saw that as a success. Apparently not.

“You think we’re being loud eh, four ears? If you don’t like it then you’re welcome to leave!” Perseus was shocked to learn that others nearby had heard Agon’s words. It took one braindead idiot to speak to get the wave going.

“Get away from us, rabbit man, I don’t trust you anyway.”

“Yeah, if you don’t like us, leave, and put on some clothes, it’s very discomforting having to look at your sister all the time. She’s an animal after all.” Perseus turned to the last man, others did as well. The more woke amongst the people in the crowd, interns and coffee drinkers that had been out and about would not quite let this stand. They rose to defend Ilyne. ‘She wears whatever she likes, it’s not her fault you can’t keep your eyes to yourself! If she’s an animal you should go to jail for bestiality and animal abuse! That’s sexual harassment you know.’

Perseus slapped his face, right or wrong did not matter, the voices grew and tension shot to the skies, and Agon grabbed onto Perseus and made him look his way, his fidget was gone. “Perseus. Now or never. Otherwise they’ll all die.” Not even a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. Something was coming, it had heard them, they couldn’t defeat it without massive casualties.

“Everyone! Listen up-!” Perseus called out, his voice washed over the crowd. And another, with a baritone tremble, oh so detested by Perseus called back. The crowd parted like the red sea in front of Moses and Nicholas trundled through. “Do not induce panic with your little games, Perseus. Let these people walk in silence. You think it’s easy!?” He grabbed a hold of the old people’s heat stricken brains with his soft smile, hidden beneath his rolls of fat. “What were you going to say anyway? If the people are afraid of these foreign beings. These aliens, they have every right to do so!” He grabbed a hold of the smooth brained population in the crowd with only a sentence as well.

Perseus looked up at the man, massive in any way you put it, and spoke over him, his voice less shrill, controlled, cold. “These ‘foreigners’ saved your lives, and want to do so again, but xenophobia runs deep I guess. I have just been warned off incoming danger. Instead of dillydallying, arguing amongst ourselves, I suggest we pick up the pace and head straight to Omonoia, ignoring our earlier strategy of staying in the smaller alleys.”

“And who are you! To suggest anything! This plan was voted on by the people, you’re no king. You think the apocalypse is going to be your chance to hold authority over others? Why because you wanna get in the skimpy pants of some rabbit-human hybrid skank!?” Nicholas was making no sense, he was simply attacking Perseus with logical fallacies, clearly a politician to the core. But as he voice reached out to the people, it found the hearts of many. The fat man, standing at 2 meters tall, bald and shiny with the luster of sweat was oozing with charisma.

You are reading story World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse at novel35.com

Perseus could do nothing but shake his head as he exchanged looks with Agon. “Sorry about this guys. Did not expect to have problems with idiots so early into the apocalypse. I know we’re in danger and you’re trying to help. You’ve been kind. But if you want to go now, that is fair. We haven’t treated you with the respect you deserve anyway.” He spoke the last part to Ilyne, who had a smile on her face and a glint in her eyes. On second thought, they seemed moist. Almost as if she was going to cry.

“I can’t just leave. I promised I’d help. I have to see that promise through.” She said in all seriousness, hands over her breasts, as if covering them in shame, she was conflicted, embarrassed, out of her depth, yet she would still help them out. That, was the image she successfully passed. And people found themselves wanting to fight with her.

“They’re here.” She continued, her ears brought back, in silent anticipation. She stared behind them, and to the side, her eyes not staying in one place. That made Perseus worry. “We’re too late.” Agon said. “Everyone! Brace!” Perseus shouted. “How dare you!” Nicholas argued but Gabriel pushed past him. Diora and Bisir came as well. “People, move! Don’t gawk! We’re not at our destination yet! Come on!” She commanded with authority she pulled out of nowhere and people followed. Not all but a god chunk split off.

Perseus could hear it now. The mass clatter, the cacophony of mouth noises, slimy and full of hatred, the scratching of the asphalt and of steel and concrete. The ground trembled, something big was approaching. Others started noticing too. They inched backwards, too slow. Perseus brought out his sword. “Grab onto something! Defend yourselves!” He shouted over the growing noise, bubbling forth, screaming, shouting, gurgling.

As if a flood had come, the mass of spider like white fleshy balls of mouth and teeth, off white, and doused in saliva, ten meters tall. A wall of a hundred of the little monsters burst through the street in a writhing, living nightmare. Perseus felt a shiver travel up his spine, and then he looked to the side, where he saw another wave of monsters turn the corner, crashing into its own unstable weight as the monsters sped down in gluttonous rage.

‘Fuck.’ He mumbled. “RUN!” He screamed and a hundred people turned tail. “It was Gurglings after all.” Agon worried as he rushed to the end of the crowd. Claws spread out, arms wide, he snapped across the front of the wave, a clap of thunder overpowering the sickening squelch and broken gurgle of the ten thousands monsters as a hundred broke apart into pieces, blue blood flying across the sky as Agon delayed the inevitable. In moments he was back next to Perseus and his Sister, running along Gabriel. “How fucked are we?” Perseus said. “Depends on how many catch us. Even one of the Gurglings would be Eight-fucked.” Gabriel responded in all seriousness, looking back for a moment and gulping in fear.

“Fuck!” Perseus cursed. They were now catching up to the crowd ahead, they were staring back in shock, dead on their tracks. Shit was about to get inhumane. Perses clenched his jaws and dug in his heels. He twisted around and brought his sword forth, light and long, a transparent crystal with a pink hue, an edge so sharp it cut light. He faced the horde of cannibalizing, brainless Gurglings.

“For Scotland!” He brave-hearted past the ground as Human crashed into human, one stunned the other desperate, and the trampling begun. Tens of the Gurglings farthest ahead jumped at the chance. With a single thought power coursed through his veins, and pumped his muscled and Perseus copied Agon’s maneuver. He pushed with his ankle and cut across the charging mass, sword held out. The blade cut through meat and bone as they were clouds and Perseus wobbled to a stop a few meters later with not an injury on his self. He backpedaled, hurled himself aside and rolled away as from atop the wave many Gurglings fell like rain drops from some hellish nightmare.

Ilyne rushed in to help, cutting tens of the little terrors apart as they screamed through their round mouths of pink flesh and circle of rotting teeth. Perseus moved to the best of his abilities while running backwards, he cut one, two, three apart. “Agh!” He groaned as the claw at the edge of the many jointed leg of a Gurgling dug into his leg, he stumbled because of the pain but Gabriel was there, he slammed down with steel rebar and broke the leg in half. The Gurgling screamed as its fellows swallowed it with their mass, unthinking in their pursuit.

They retreated, swinging in wide arcs. “Watch your steps!” Agon warned and the pair jumped in reaction above a fallen elder. The man had been pushed down by his fellow humans. His eyes looked on with hope still in them, he stretched out his hand, Perseus bent down, his reaction unconscious. He was pulled back as their fingers touched. Perseus turned around and jumped over a human corpse, skull splattered on the ground, he cringed as he swam up the crowd of people too stunned or injured to save themselves. Their screams echoed behind him, their flesh tore apart and the Gurglings rejoiced with their sick little voices.

Hundreds of people left behind, mostly the elderly, or those with too much humanity in them to pushed their fellow man down to the ground. Up ahead many hundred more were scrambling, many entered buildings, others under cars, other kept on running and pushing and screaming as fear ate away at their minds. “Do not falter! RUN! Run with everything you’ve got! Escape! Reach OMONOIA station with all you’ve got left!” He shouted out in hope as he passed by, he felt himself die as he left all those behind, and heard them die in utter pain and fear, their faces warped as their skin tore off, their every part a delicacy for the starving mass of terror. This was the apocalypse, the end of the world, the entertainment show of the Galaxy. “FUCK!” Perseus shouted once more as the realization sunk into his bones. He turned the corner, he saw Nicholas out of breath, next to Bisir and Diora, Kirey and Fiora, rushing down the stairs to the Metro station. The Last stand would happen there. He pushed on.

You can find story with these keywords: World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse, Read World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse, World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse novel, World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse book, World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse story, World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse full, World Gauntlet – A LitRPG Apocalypse Latest Chapter