Pathbreakers: Multiclassing For Fun And Profit

6/21

Washington D.C.

12:05 PM

“The first five floors are one giant, tiered swamp,” Chief Hyland pulls us into a tent where there's a map laid out on two large tables. The map looks to have been expertly hand drawn. Overhead a projector shines down real-time troop locations onto the map. This dungeon is definitely bigger on the inside. Just this swamp area seems to cover about 20 square miles. “This is our map, though the digital ones have notes on various locations. You can see here, here, here and here are the edges of each floor. The drop from one floor to another is just about ten feet. Not a problem getting down, but you don't want to climb moss-slick rocks when getting chased by Toxigators.”

Toxigators are one of the enemy types from the 3rd floor. Poison spitting alligators. As nasty as you'd expect. The first five floors have regular swamp animals and plants, but Dracosys-amped up. So Snow-mosquitos, Stone Lizards, Whirlpool Snakes and Venus Fly Traps (giant sized).

Hyland continues. “We clear these floors out every day and have planks connecting the bits of land. At this point you can probably walk through to the 6th floor without even getting your boots wet.”

Madeline asks, “do you spread out the kills so all your troops get levels?” She's been more of a stickler for everyone getting stronger than I have. I usually just kill stuff without thinking about who's gaining what levels.

I think James Hyland is smiling but it's hard to tell what's going on behind his walrus whiskers. “Yeah, we have a system. We make sure each squad has at least one newbie and at least one veteran. We've started cycling in DC police and National Guard too, just to give us as many Leveled as possible.”

People like Hyland are why the world's not entirely in flames right now. It seems like a lot of the litRPGs that alter the Earth just send everything into the shitter and have humanity collapse instantly. But that's not the only story humanity has to offer. Sure, some places are worse than others, but there are also plenty of humans who are willing to work together for the greater good.

Doctor Who is right. Humanity is worth saving.

“Beyond the 5th floor?” I ask, hoping there's equally detailed maps.

Hyland scowls. “The 6th through 9th floors shift. They're cave tunnels run by a variety of reptile people.”

“Any luck with negotiating?” Mercy asks, hopeful that she won't have to kill sentient monsters again. Some dungeons have sentient monsters that are much more interested in survival than killing. In Germany they have some werewolves that seem to be getting along quite well with the surrounding small towns. Word is that translation on both sides is almost done.

... I wanna be friends with a werewolf. Maybe get one on my team? That would be sooo cool!

James Hyland keeps his scowl. “We've tried being nice and negotiating. It doesn't work with any of them.” He hands out some documents, a primer on the reptiles inside.

6th Floor - Reptoids. These can shape change into humans, and even our clothes, but they can't mimic our weapons. If you see someone without a belt full of ammo, they're a Reptoid. Alone they're not tough. They have sharp claws and are smart. Don't let them get a hold of your weapon.

7th Floor - Chameleonians. Invisible monsters. Use heat vision goggles and it's not a problem. They like to rush in packs. Form tight fighting units that can pump a lot of bullets out at once.

8th Floor - Lizard Men. Typical fantasy lizard humanoids, complete with fantasy equipment. They favor bows, spears and javelins. Do not underestimate these weapons as they're just as deadly as they were 500 years ago.

9th Floor - Dragonkin. Souped-up lizard men. They're fire breathing, well muscled and well armored. There are thankfully few of them in the 9th floor, but each is inordinately tough and strong. They also have magical attacks. Our most effective strategies use their slow speed to hit and run, wearing them down or luring them into traps.

10th Floor - The Green Dragon. Unknown weaknesses, if any. Spits acid and breathes out poison. Its chamber is foggy and it has some advanced techniques or magics that render it partly invisible to all senses. Do NOT fight it without authorization. This thing has killed more than the rest of the dungeon put together.

---

Other Threats

During dungeon break times we've come across several other creatures, which must come from the deeper floors.

Demons

Imps. Small tan demons that spit balls of fire. They attack in swarms.

Stone Stag. A centaur-like demon. Extremely fast and its horns are deadly.

Orcs

Raging Orc. The typical, axe-wielding Orc. 10 feet tall, incredibly strong, and doesn't go down easily, despite not wearing armor.

Orc Commander. These guys order other Orcs by shouting. Their shouts can cause status effects among us, so ear plugs are given out during dungeon breaks. If you can, kill them first.

Orc Shaman. A spell caster. It is IMPERATIVE that all efforts are taken to kill these as quickly as possible. They have curse magic that can cripple and kill.

---

We take a few minutes to absorb the information. We already have multi-band optics to see heat patterns. The little eyepieces attached to our helmets are really expensive, but can see basically anything you can think of, from heat to infrared to radiation waves. We also are equipped with gas masks, so we're ready for the poison dragon. I direct everyone to take cheap foam ear plugs from a big box of them, so we're Orc-proof too.

James Hyland and his magnificent mustache walk us through the rest of their operation for another 15 minutes before we're ready to roll out. I pull the Pathbreakers over to the first of the Capitol steps and address them, like a leader should.

“So, uh, anyone have anything else? Or are we ready to go kill lizards?” I've clearly come a long way in my leadership skills.

Henry Gallup clears his throat. “Yeah,” he says and steps over beside me. “Today we're clearing out the United States Capitol building. I want you to remember that. We're fighting for the very heart of our country in a way that few have or will. This isn't just another dungeon, this is a mission. We do this and we're not just fixing this city.” He gazes out to the National Mall and the Washington monument in the distance. “We're sending a message that America is back. That despite the Dracosys the United States of America will not break. Not now, not ever.”

Goddammit he's good.

I can see Quins whisper to Mercy and she giggles. Dang it, I bet that joke was good.

I try to get momentum back. “Okay, uh, let's break a dungeon then.”

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Three days ago

Carrollton, TX

Jose's house

9:45 PM

Jose and Amy put Sara and Mike to bed, respectively. Ernesto was “too old for baby stuff” and didn't need a story or a song.

Jose finished reading the chapter of Harry Potter to Sara, and she asked, “Daddy, does Harry and Hermie get married?”

Jose smirked. “We've got 5 more books to get through. Nobody is getting married to anyone until the end.” It was his first time reading the books too, although he always read ahead a little bit so he could practice his voices. If he did anything, including reading books to his daughter, he was going to do it well.

He kissed her on the head goodnight and she giggled. “Your beard feels funny!”

Jose stood and turned the lamp off. “And you're funny too, little girl. Good night.”

“Goodnight daddy.” Sara yawned and turned over.

He closed the door behind him and leaned against the door frame to Mike's room. He was making Amy sing “the ants go marching” again. It was his favorite. Amy couldn't carry a tune, but the kids always thought she was the only singer who mattered. Jose smiled at that thought. Ernesto was growing out of it, but that phase when your kids just think you're great at everything really was incredible. Jose just hoped he could live up to that.

Amy was finishing her second rendition of the marching ants when she trailed off, meaning that Mike had fallen asleep. She left the room quietly and closed the door. She found her husband right next to her.

Jose's hand slipped around her thin waist, and his thumb slipped inside her jeans. She felt his rough skin press against her soft hip and her heart raced. She loved this part. The little hints. The subtle moves that lead one thing to another. Jose's hand slid up under her shirt and-

“Gross!” came Ernesto's voice as he walked past them to the bathroom. “Not in the hallway.” He made sure to scratch his butt and belch on the way to really dampen the mood.

After he closed and locked the bathroom door Amy pulled Jose close and giggled into his ear. They'd been married for 15 years and still, still he had this effect on her. The roguish eyebrow raise. The slight tilt of his head to imply his impending kiss. The smell of his shampoo. His toned, tall body and firm grip. She stepped down the hall to their bedroom, holding his hand to her waist as she went. He followed. He was hers.