Chapter 206: Tentacles
The screams of the innocent citizens resounded across Metropolis-H while their panicked footsteps were heard. This was a nightmare, with monsters spreading all across the city like a swarm.
How could such a thing have happened?! Who was evil enough to cause such disaster?! The monsters came out of nowhere and were still streaming out at that very moment in seemingly endless waves.
The night was dark and full of terror… but also tentacles?!
Drones hovered in the air, humming slightly and filming the carnage. Abominations ran or galloped on all four out of the 'Forty Millenniums of Carnival' while screaming distorted guttural sounds.
They all appeared in monstrous semi-human shapes with animal characteristics: rats, lizards, frogs, dogs, wolves, etc. It was a goddamn freak show! If that wasn't enough, distorted and disgusting fleshy appendages were coming out of their bodies.
It seemed as if some devious chaotic god had decided to mix humans, animals, and eldritch abominations together in one value package. Some of these were bloodthirsty, while others just stood there licking their balls.
It was a huge mess! Many humans died in the first minutes with blood painting the pavement a deep red. Then, it became a free-for-all with everyone trying to save their own skin. At this point, the guilds and the MTA were barely just organizing a rescue.
The entire world was watching the happenings while holding their breath as some crusty news anchor's voice announced an important message:
"We believe these creatures to be the results of failed experimentations by the Gene Corp criminal organization. We had been hunting them for so long. It seems they had been hiding under the Metropolis all this while!"
"To all the civilians, please remain inside. These 'things' seem driven by their pure maddening instincts. Do not let them see you, do not make any noise. Help is on the way. Stay safe, for too many have already died!"
"To all the Climbers that want to help us survive the night, please assemble at the MTA. There will be a crusade to eradicate them all. This is Metropolis-H, and we will survive!"
The in-real-time footage was horrific:
A young lady could be seen valiantly fighting atop a toppled statue until a barbed tentacle pierced her skull, dragging her lifeless body backward.
A man could be seen dashing into a building and closing the door in the face of his friend while apologizing loudly. But that didn't help the man left behind, that got devoured in seconds.
An old man began swearing as he was getting encircled. It didn't take long for him to be torn from limb to limb, with the monsters even playfully fighting for the blood dripping pieces.
A valiant youngster was defending a little girl from the creatures. He was missing an arm, but he kept swinging a spear while screaming his lungs out. His sheer energy kept the monsters at bay as they attacked the weaker targets.
A mother could be seen fighting an abomination with her sandals as she defended her son. The kid was holding back his tears and trying to help the best he could.
But all these were bound to die for the help they expected was busy regrouping. There would be no salvation for them. They despaired and understood it, but they kept struggling. Their lives were nothing more than small flickering flames that would be snuffed out soon.
Josh stared at the screen, his eyes shaking for once. This was all his fault. He had been the one leaving these creatures unattended in there. He had been convinced that they would devour each other with barely any escaping.
He had been wrong, and these poor souls were paying the price. How many would lose their loved ones to this mistake of his? His good mood instantly soured. Everything had been going so well, but perhaps that had all been an illusion.
He could hear the various discussions around:
"This is horrible."
Yes, it was.
"Isn't it ironic? It's an open secret that the MTA of Metropolis-H is protecting Gene Corp. Now they are paying the price!"
No, they weren't. It was these people dying that would pay the true price. The MTA likely wouldn't care nor be affected that much.
"I wish I could help them. But, by the time we can even get there, it will all be over for sure. It's already too late."
Yes, in retrospect, Josh should have warned the MTA about it so they could assemble a strike force. He hadn't because it would have brought unwanted attention to him, but also because he didn't think it would escalate that much.
"Eh, this is funny. Look at that mother using flip-flops! Dumb Bitch!"
Josh turned toward the man that had uttered that sentence. "You, show a little respect." He growled akin to a wild beast.
"You want me to show respect to that useless broad? Why should I care? I'm not one of your brainless fans, and I don't believe in your bullshit good persona. You don't care about them one bit. and this dumb bitch is going to—"
Josh couldn't tolerate it anymore and dashed toward the asshole. He punched his face with all his strength making him fall, hard, with his teeth scattering all over.
Instantly, security U-Bots encircled Josh and were ready to restrain him. But that's when a bystander said aloud: "I'll be a witness. It was self-defense!". Then another and another chimed in corroborating.
"Humph, Humph, Humph! (You motherfucker I'll bring you to justice and—!)." The victim began screaming, but then Josh showed clear killing intent, and the man froze before running away at full speed.
Josh wasn't too worried about him. Getting his teeth back would be easy with a decent healing item. But he couldn't help but sigh at his own overreaction. As much as he hated it, the man had been right.
He didn't care about them one bit. An infinite number of innocents could die that he wouldn't bat an eye, for the world was a cruel place. But these guys were dying because of him. He had involuntarily perpetuated the same pain he had felt back then.
He forced himself to watch the footage: it was his sin to bear. He would engrave their dying expression in his memory as a reminder for the future. He wouldn't dwell in guilt, far from it, but he would at least learn from it.
"Holy shit! Look at that side. That has to be a Boss for sure!" A bystander exclaimed with shock.
There was a newcomer on the scene. It was a monster with countless tentacles coming out of its back and a slim build. All the other creatures were making way for it, bowing their heads politely.
There was also something very different about it: it was wearing clothing! It had some kind of white garment over its body. Josh couldn't help but stare in shock: this was a lab coat. The creature slowly approached the struggling people.
That is when it grabbed them with its tentacles as if giant whips. They screamed in fear and distress, but it didn't bother with their reactions. It kept grabbing each, all until the few dozen humans still alive were all in his grasp.
That is when the other creatures finally approached, seemingly wanting it to share some of its food with them. It mercilessly slapped them with its tentacles: sending them flying away and drawing blood. They could only whimper in defeat.
That is when the creature raised its head up, staring straight at the cameras. That is when Josh saw the creature's eyes, no, the man's eyes. He was still lucid! He still had a human mind!
There was visible affection in the way his eyes twinkled, watching his captives. He slowly left the area, bringing them to God knows where. He had managed to waltz in and save them from its mindless brethren!
Sometimes life truly was strange. Josh had been regretting his action that would cause so many irrelevant victims, but then the Doctor had stepped in. Josh had left the man in there expecting him to die, for he had been unsure of his intentions.
Yet, even as a monster, he still found the time to save lives. It seemed like Josh had clearly misunderstood the poor man.
That's when the cameras went dark. Apparently, one of these abominations had begun throwing rocks at them for fun. Josh didn't have the mood to listen to the rest as it would probably be speculation and reassuring lies.
"It seems monsters are coming out in all Metropolises! I thought we were unlucky to be attacked by sloths, but they're 100X better than those disgusting things!"A bystander was patting his chest in relief.
"Ah, that's because we were lucky! We had a brave hero to take care of them before they could cause any important damage!" A man was putting him on a pedestal.
"No, this won't work. You guys have seen it: those monsters were so numerous and fast! I'm going back to the Tower to train, and when the time comes, I'll be able to save people too." A Climber declared valiantly.
"Do you see that? You inspire people. They want to be just like you. Also, don't listen to the people screaming that you're a fraud. We believe in you!" A reporter winked at him.
Little did they know both incidents had been caused by his fight with Gene Corp, not that it was just about him either. Perhaps this tragedy could serve as a warning for some and inspire others to become stronger.
Josh's new Climber school would become even more popular thanks to it, wouldn't it? Perhaps it was time for him to change his plan a little bit. He couldn't just train a private force anymore. He had to ensure the world didn't go completely to shit.
Why? Because that would be an inconvenience. Well, he'd start with the famous farm and meet his wannabe recruiter Frank...
Creator's Thought
Many 'luckily' got rescued by The Doctor and the creatures were subsequently properly annihilated. Perhaps it was because of my pensive mood, but I had missed an important detail. Why would a monster suddenly start destroying the cameras? Was it only instinct?
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