Dragged into Another World's Apocalypse - A LitRPG Story

They finally returned home. Everyone was just so tired. It was only afternoon, but every single one of them wanted nothing more than to collapse.

When Arianna and Cassis stepped out of the car with his parents and the fox, a small welcome party was already waiting in front of the house: Liam, Camden, Matteo, and Felicia, along with the little fox cub.

Felicia and the cub bolted forward without hesitation, clinging to the fox with squeals and relieved sniffing, tails and arms alike wrapping around her. Matteo only gave a cool nod, playing the aloof teenager, though Arianna could see the spark of relief in his eyes. Liam hugged everyone in quick succession, Camden following with more restraint, patting shoulders but looking just as relieved.

Arianna wasn't about to let Matteo get overlooked. She swept him into a hug despite his awkward protest. She'd seen the way he looked, half-longing, when Liam went around embracing everyone. Teenagers were so often caught between wanting closeness and being too self-conscious to ask for it. Arianna wanted him to know he wasn't alone, that he was family. When he squeezed her back, she knew she had made the right decision.

Danielle, ever quick to notice, stepped right in once Arianna released him, hugging Matteo warmly before handing him over to Marcus. And when Cassis' turn came, he and Matteo shared that one-armed hug with a firm pat on the back, the kind men always seemed to prefer. Matteo lit up like the sun. Arianna had to fight to keep a grin from breaking across her face. Cassis had treated him like a man, but in his heart, he was still a boy. Thirteen going on fourteen was a delicate age.

Felicia finally let go of the fox and began her own round of hugs. Then finally they said bye for the day and went their own ways.

Plans were already set: tomorrow morning, they would meet at Danielle and Marcus' house, then split into groups to scout different dungeons.

The thought made Arianna's stomach twist. Tomorrow, she would be leading her own team. No Cassis to lean on, no one else to shoulder the responsibility. Just her. Yes, four other level 20s would accompany her, but alongside them would be five more. New, inexperienced, some barely level 5, some even lower. Keeping them safe, helping them grow stronger… it was all on her shoulders.

She was the strongest fighter and only healer. She had knowledge that the others didn't. She even had experience, though only second-hand, having watched Cassis in the other timeline.

She couldn't shake the nerves, even as they walked into the house.

When she and Cassis finally slipped into their own house, both too weary to even think of food, they collapsed straight into bed. It didn't matter that it was only afternoon. The only thing either of them wanted now was rest.

Some time later, Arianna woke up in her own bed, the familiar softness of her pillow cradling her head. Blinking against the morning light streaming through her window, she felt a wave of confusion settle over her.

She sat up slowly, scanning the room. Her bedroom. Her mirror reflected her disheveled form, pajamas wrinkled from sleep. Dread settled in her stomach. She'd been here before. She remembered the last time she had 'awoken' here.

With shaking hands, she got out of bed and padded into the kitchen. Her father stood by the coffee maker, the rich scent of freshly brewed coffee filling the air. He turned at the sound of her footsteps, offering her a warm smile.

The nightmare. The loop. It was happening again. Why? And why now?

Arianna started shaking. Her father looked at her worriedly.
"Ari, what's wrong?" He came closer.

She just shook her head, unable to say anything, consumed by pure terror. Her father's hands came to rest on her upper arms, rubbing gently as he asked if she was okay. Arianna could only silently shake her head.

"Good morning, my loves."

Her mother entered the kitchen, just like before. She took in the scene and came over, concern flickering across her face.
"What happened?" she asked.

Her father shrugged helplessly. "She isn't saying. But something isn't right. She's white as a sheet."

Her mother reached out. "Ari, love, wha—"

Her words broke off into a gurgle. Blood trickled from her lips.

Arianna's stomach dropped as the hobgoblin behind her mother pulled its arm free from her stomach. Her mother crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Her father, shocked, released Arianna only to shove her behind him, shielding her from the monster in their kitchen. But the hobgoblin swatted him aside. He slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch.

Arianna still hadn't moved. She only stared.

Why? Why? Why!

The hobgoblin grinned cruelly. Just as it had done to her before, it grabbed her by the throat.

Arianna couldn't breathe. Her lungs burned, just like in the oasis. But still, she couldn't move.

Then came pain. The hobgoblin drove its fist into her stomach, once, twice, three times.

The world blurred.

She gasped for breath, choking on the agony. Other than her mouth gasping for air futilely, not a single muscle obeyed her.

The world went black.

Arianna woke with a sharp gasp, heart hammering in her chest. Her breath came in ragged pants as she stared at the ceiling, disoriented. She didn't know where she was, until her eyes found the mirror across from her bed.

Her reflection stared back at her: tangled hair, frantic eyes, the familiar sight of her old pajamas.

Her bedroom.

It was happening again.

She forced herself to breathe deeply, though dread pressed down on her ribs. Why was this happening again? She'd thought it had only been a nightmare. She hadn't even thought about it for weeks. So why now?

"—ow."

Heat flared against her collarbones. She grabbed at the source and found her necklace burning hot against her skin. But as soon as she held it, the heat ebbed.

And with it came clarity.

She wasn't that helpless little cleric anymore, trembling before a hobgoblin's fists. She was a warpriest now. She'd cleared dungeons. She'd killed E-rank bosses. That hobgoblin was just a normal E-rank, not even level 40.

She had defeated stronger. She was stronger.

Her fingers tightened around the sapphire pendant. "Thanks," she whispered. Somehow, she knew the necklace understood.

There were no weapons in her room, so Arianna headed straight for the kitchen.

Her father looked up from the coffee maker, smiling. "Good morning."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Morning," Arianna replied, her voice steady. She strode to the drawer, pulled out the biggest kitchen knife, and tested its weight.

Her father blinked at her. "...Teenagers," he muttered with a shrug.

Arianna grinned grimly.

Then her mother entered.

Arianna surged forward, knife raised, placing herself between her parents and the space where she knew it would appear.

"What's going on?" her mother gasped.

The air shifted, then the hobgoblin materialised in their kitchen.

Her father shouted, "Ari, get back!"

But Arianna didn't retreat. She lunged.

The hobgoblin's cruel grin split wide as it batted aside her knife with its fists, striking in turn. Every blow hurt, sharp, real pain, but her blade bit flesh. Blood welled, and the monster's grin twisted into a snarl.

It stopped defending, throwing itself at her in a frenzy.

But Arianna had trained with Cassis. She hated sparring, yes, but his lessons had carved themselves into her body. She adapted, weaving between the hobgoblin's swings, answering with quick, desperate slashes.

Still, the knife was too small. It wasn't enough.

In a brief pause, Arianna dropped the knife, grabbed a dining chair, and swung it with every ounce of strength.

Something clicked.

The weight, the motion. Then the system responded, and mana flowed through her. Bludgeon.

Shock rippled through her, but there was no time to question it. She swung again. And again. Each blow landed with brutal force, breaking, bleeding, deforming. One of its arms hung limp and useless.

Pain raked through her, too. Her left leg screamed with every step, her ribs ached, her lungs burned. But she pressed on.

She would not stop.

She hammered the chair down until, finally, the hobgoblin collapsed. Still, she struck, again and again. There had been no system message. She didn't know if the hobgoblin was truly dead or if it was just playing dead. She continued Bludgeoning until her parents' voices broke through the haze.

"Ari, stop! Stop!"

Their shouts reached her at last. She let the chair drop from her shaking hands, realising that they'd been shouting the whole time, now that it was quiet.

Her parents rushed in, crowding her, voices overlapping. "Are you hurt?" "Are you okay?" "What was that thing?" "What's happening?"

Arianna swayed on her feet. She was bleeding, bruised, battered, but she smiled. She'd done it. She'd saved them.

And then another thought struck her.

If Bludgeon worked… then so should Heal.

Once she thought of it, she effortlessly moved the mana of the Heal spell through her body. Warmth spread. The pain ebbed away. Her breath came free and easy again. Her leg no longer screamed beneath her weight. The aches and cuts vanished, leaving only clean relief.

Her parents gaped, confused and babbling—"Ari! You're alright, thank God!" "What just happened? What was that monster?"

But before Arianna could answer, the kitchen floor rippled. Water seeped between the tiles, rising fast, pooling, spreading. Within seconds, the air grew damp, heavy.

The kitchen was filling with water.

Arianna stared, stunned. Her father seized her arm and hauled her out of her stupor. "We need to get out of here!" he cried.

That snapped her to action. Together they ran for the kitchen door, but it was closed. Arianna was sure her mother had left it open when she came in. The water was already up to her waist. She pushed at the door. It didn't budge. She threw herself at it again, harder. Nothing.

Panic lit her chest. "The window!" her mother shouted. Right. Their kitchen was overlooking the yard of their apartment complex. It was only the first floor. They'd survive the drop. They half-ran, half-swam toward it, slapping at the glass. It wouldn't open.

Her father grabbed a chair, heaved, and hurled it at the pane. A normal window would have shattered; this one held. Arianna grabbed another chair and used Bludgeon, battering the glass with everything she had. Still no crack. The water had risen to her chest and kept climbing. They lost their footing and began to tread water, pressed close to each other. The ceiling loomed nearer by the second.

"Mom, Dad… I'm sorry." The words slipped out before she could stop them. It felt like her fault. If she hadn't been here, none of this would be happening. Her parents looked puzzled at first, then gently smiled.

"There's no reason to apologise," her father said. "And even if there were… you're our daughter. We'd forgive you. For anything."

Tears ran down Arianna's face even as the water lapped over them, then swallowed her and her parents whole. She opened her eyes underwater. Her parents were holding hands, reaching for her. She took one hand in each of her own. For a moment, they floated like that, a small island of human warmth in the cold surge, until the air ran out.

Her mother was the first to go limp. Her father's face went hollow with grief; he fixed her with a look that tried to say everything. Arianna thought she understood what he was trying to tell her and tried to send the same feeling back. He forced a small smile, and a bubble escaped his lips.

Their hands slipped. He was no longer holding her, but she kept them in her grip.

Her lungs burned. She needed air. Cassis's voice echoed in her head. She could hold out without breathing for quite a few minutes. She could do it. But to look at her parents' lifeless bodies, drifting and cold, anchored only by her hands… she couldn't bear the thought of surviving when they would not.

So she opened her mouth.

Her next breath filled with water. Agony ripped through her: a hot, choking pain as her body convulsed and tried to expel the water it had inhaled. She gasped again, and more water flooded in. Each breath was worse than the last; she thought she might be crying, but tears were meaningless in that water prison. She watched her parents' faces, helpless and so close.

Why had their deaths been so quick? Why was this taking so long for her?

Her body betrayed her with reflex after reflex. Five more desperate intakes of water, and then, mercifully, the world closed to black.

Arianna sat up, gasping, lungs burning as if every breath were precious.
But nothing hurt. There was no water around her.

Blinking rapidly, she looked around, disoriented.
Was the nightmare starting its loop again?

No. This room was different.

A faint rustle came from her right. She turned and immediately relaxed.

Cassis.

It was their room. Their bed. His arm lay across the blanket, warm and solid, and she softly brushed her fingers over it just to be sure. He was warm. Real.

Her shoulders sagged with relief.
She was awake.

But then… what had that been?
She knew that nightmare. She'd had it once before, back during the first wave. She had dismissed it then as a vivid dream. But this time… this time she was certain.

She still remembered the pain.

People didn't feel pain in dreams. She'd read that was how lucid dreamers told the difference. But Arianna had felt every suffocating second. Too much pain for it to be a dream.

She shuddered. What was happening to her?

Her hand crept to her sapphire necklace.
"Do you know what's happening?" she whispered.

No answer. The gem lay cool and silent against her skin. She should have known better. The necklace only stirred when it chose to, which was usually when she was desperate.

She turned towards her bedside table. The clock read 1:47 a.m.

Normally, she would force herself back to sleep, but there was no chance of that now. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom. Cold water on her face helped steady her, though the echo of drowning still clung to her chest.

She tried to reason with herself. Maybe it was just her mind replaying every near-death experience she'd survived. A coping mechanism. Except… it hadn't felt like memory. It had been too real.

No! Enough! No more thinking about it.

She went downstairs, curled up on the couch, and settled into meditation. This time she didn't actively shape her mana into the pattern; she simply let it flow, watching the rhythm of her stream like the gentle rise and fall of waves. The water mana in her body was soft, protective, soothing. Not like the nightmare.

Until now, she'd leaned only on that aspect of water. But she needed more. The fight against the turtle had proved it, she couldn't rely solely on healing and defence. She needed attack magic, ways to strike back other than Bludgeon. She now had Water Lance, but she needed more. And maybe, if she learned enough water spells, her Water Manipulation would rank up, and she could even stop water from suffocating her.

She shook her head fiercely. No. She wasn't going to think about that again.

And as she intended, she meditated until morning, allowing herself to think of the nightmare only seven times. But each time she shoved it away, so it didn't count.

When Cassis came down for breakfast, she straightened quickly. He gave her a strange look, and she managed a small smile.

"I woke up early," she said, "and couldn't sleep. Too nervous about today." She burned to tell him about the nightmare. But what if he thought she was too unstable to go into a dungeon without him? She couldn't risk him blowing off their plans just because he was worried about her. He'd do it without remorse, without caring that a delay in their dungeon diving and clearing would mean more dungeon breaks.

He wasn't a bad man, but he also wasn't a good man. Arianna knew Cassis didn't have the same morals and values as her. He lived in that grey area where he wasn't a villain, but she also couldn't call him a hero.

Especially now that he had that crazy plan on how to kill Bryce, who hadn't even done anything evil in this timeline yet. No! This was another thing she didn't want to think about. She might need a mental box where she could shove all those thoughts. They were becoming more and more.

Cassis nodded, as if he had expected exactly that. "Don't worry. You'll do great. You're the full package, tank and healer both. Your class was made to protect a team."

Arianna nodded. She thought so, too.

"And you won't be alone. Helen, Luke, Nadine, and Dad will be with you. Helen knows what dangerous missions are like. She'll keep you steady."

Arianna hid a smile. He always trusted Helen first and foremost; the others were just the muscle in his eyes. She hugged him tightly, soaking in his warmth until the nightmare's last shadows ebbed away.

"You're right. It's like you having your mom, Elena, Benny, and Joseph. We're already strong. We just need to level our teammates. And you've got the healing potions for emergencies."

He patted her head. "And you have the fox."

She blinked up at him. "The fox?"

"Of course. I know dungeons better than anyone right now. This time, I won't take risks. Between Mom, Benny, and me, we've got three warriors. Joseph's a solid hunter. Elena can unleash devastation with fire. That leaves you the fox."

Arianna wanted to protest but stopped herself. She was grateful for any help she could get.