They did make it in the nick of time, because the moment the last person dived in, the stampede of a thousand beasts was already here.
DIN-DIN-DIN-DIN--
Without knowing it, everyone hugged each other, not even minding the hundreds and hundreds of maggots swimming around the floors and walls.
"Everyone, hold on and close your mouths!"
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The tree wobbled crazily, slamming them into the maggot-infested walls. This was its main attack, which was why it was one of the weakest trees.
It was a womping tree that could only wobble and smash its head side to side, like the Hulk smashing Loki.
Now, they understood why Bassona advised them to close their mouths. Jenny felt several maggots crawling on her hair, and wanted to cry.
She had never been one to be afraid of bugs. But this was too much, right?
What's more, the maggots, ants and other disgusting beings were not only rotting and foul in stench, but also left trails of sticky green slim wherever they passed.
They were only lucky that these maggots weren't the silver-coloured type.
Those types loved to bore their way into human skin after contact. By guiding them to a certain body part and amputating it, one could escape them.
Of course, the longer the bugs stay with their victims, the faster the victim's body decays.
Chris and everyone else felt their scalps grow numb, again understanding the cruelty of this new world. But this wasn't all they had to worry about.
Outside the tree, several running creatures suddenly paused and tilted their heads unnaturally.
Hiss!
Everyone sucked their breaths, not daring to blink or even breathe.
Were they discovered? The creatures turned their attention away, causing everyone to breathe out sighs of relief.
Hah! They wish!
Gharr!~
Their disturbing smiles remained on their faces as the creatures slammed the tree.
What to do? What to do?
"Everyone, we can only buy our time for another 5 minutes. After the safe tree gets injured, it won't be able to open its mouth until then."
It's been 1 minute and 30 seconds since they entered, meaning they had barely 3 more minutes left.
Everyone's shoulders fell, as they watched the many creatures desperately try to break into the tree.
The tree's attack power might be the lowest, but it had one of the strongest mechanisms, as it couldn't bulge until the time was up. This was why it was chosen as a safe tree. But how was any of this beneficial to them now?
They did evade the stampede, but still caught the attention of a few.
The safe tree kept the crooked, emaciated beings at bay. But this also meant they were trapped here, with no way out.
Suddenly, being with the maggots didn't seem so terrible anymore. But were they willing to give up just like that? Impossible!
They wanted to live. They wanted to return back to the base and jump on their beds with glee. They were not going to go down without a fight!
"A Palington... A beast with a snake's bottom and a dog's head. We discovered that we could buy more time for ourselves if we attacked its eyes. But we only have 10 minutes left before its eyes regenerate again.
**Mortal weapons can't kill any creatures. They will regenerate if they lose a limb or another body part. The weaker the creature, the longer the regeneration time.
One by one, Bassano and his team began talking about the creatures surrounding them.
Can they do it? Do they stand a chance? No one was optimistic, but they dared not dwell on it further.
The stampede had passed. So for now, all they had to do was defend themselves and flee. That was the assignment.
Rudolf kept his eyes fixed on the clock for a moment. "30 seconds more."
The gang clenched their weapons tightly, as they created a defensive wall against each other from all sides. In the center were the injured.
Everyone, get ready!
Rudolf counted down with a cold voice. "10 seconds more."
8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Aooooorrr~
The tree was stabbed by creatures outside and began opening its many mouths slowly.
The mouths weren't fully opened, yet both sides had already garnished their claws and weapons at each other.
"Take this!"
Bang!
Rudolf swung his 2 short spear-like rods, smacking the claws that reached for his neck.
This was it. This was it!"
His muscles swelled and his veins popped with adrenaline, as he moved his rods valiantly in all directions.
Die! Die! Die!
Chris cursed loudly, as he swung his weapon with all his might.
"Die you pieces of sh**! How dare you want this daddy?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Ahhhhh!!!~"
It had only been a few seconds since their battle began, yet the creatures had already gotten to almost all of them.
There was no helping it. Their speed was too fast for humans to handle.
Perhaps if it was 1 or 2 creatures versus all of them, then Bassano's team, who have the most experience, would be able to assist in victory.
Sadly, this wasn't the case. Over 15 creatures surrounded the tree.
Rudolf felt a warm but rough sensation of a tongue licking its way up his neck after being grabbed by his opponent's giant dog hands.
Rudolf struggled to break free but found all his efforts for naught. As he watched everyone else get captured by their beastly enemies, things seemed to be happening in slow motion.
His heart shook in fear and his mind spiraled with countless thoughts, as his life had now flashed before his very eyes.
His regrets... His secret love for Jenny... His dreams... His family... His fans... His passions... His former world.
With silent tears, Rudolf who has always been strong, now found himself laid back on top of a spongy darkish cushion, staring at the roofed mouth above his head.
Was this the end?
Rudolf was caught on its spiral tongue watching darkness engulf his surroundings as the beast began closing its mouth.
'Goodbye, world.'
~Slash!
A chilling noise bellowed, as Rudolf tightly closed his eyes waiting for death. But why was death not so painful?
(?~?)
Jenny and the rest also wanted to know the reason why. And when they opened their eyes, they couldn't help staying frozen in disbelief.
..."Dad?"
"Jenny!!!!"
Read 𝓁atest chapters at fr(e)ewebnov𝒆l.com Only