Scorching Ascension - [Progression Litrpg Apocalypse]

A couple of hundred feet above the group of survivors, Ethan floated, eyes roaming, watching for ambushes and threats. Below, the survivors of group #12, all 168 of those who had been in the mushroom caves along with him were carefully making their way north, with the best fighters surrounding the core group as they made their way between the abandoned cars that littered the street. While most were not as good in a fight as Ethan was, many of them were very capable though considering the caliber of creatures infesting the ghost city, one couldn't be careful enough and so he had to keep watch.

"[Why near the water, though?]"

Ethan's eyes flicked up at the cat lounging atop of his horns. "Freshwater. Less buildings for monsters to hide in, and enough space for us to settle in and activate the pylon. Plus, it's high enough that we could have a good view of the area and if the mansions over there are deserted, we could use them. Maybe figure out a way to reinforce them so they wouldn't crumble if a level 30 rat sneezes on them," he added as his eyes roamed the area, before they settled on the group below him. Most were fearfully looking at their surroundings, expecting more monsters to surge out of the decrepit, abandoned stores of downtown Charlestown at any time, while a few kept stealing glances upward, eyes hopeful.

It made his chest feel warm. But it also gave birth to a gnawing, uncomfortable feeling in his guts.

"[They're looking up to you. How are you enjoying being their protector?]"

Ethan glared up at the cat as she licked her paw. "They're going to take care of themselves. Like I told them. As much as I want them to be safe, I can't just sit around and play bodyguard to 160 people. I have things to do."

Between looking for Luther, checking out the rift token he'd earned from accessing the Zenith state, looking for monsters to crack through level 70, and preparing for the eventual meet-up with other groups, Ethan had plenty to do.

The cat stretched its limbs, its claw peeking through. "[If you say so.]"

Ethan tilted his head to the side, but the cat managed the grip on the horns before she could slide down, giving him a smug victorious look.

With a sigh, Ethan brought up his menu. "Well. Keep an eye out. I'm gonna do some quick upgrading. It's time I got the new Arcanum up to date."

He had been about to start the upgrades earlier, but they got interrupted by a swarm of disgusting, mottled rats. None had been above level 40, thankfully, but the mess and the stench had forced all of them to head out of the mall.

It's not as if any of the food survived. Even the conserved stuff went bad.

Ethan wasn't sure how that was possible. One possibility was that they'd actually spent years in the tutorial, but that felt unlikely. After all, they'd been in there for barely a week. Sure, there were no electronics to keep track of the time, but it couldn't have that long.

The second possibility was more likely, in his opinion. And it went back to the cause of all of this mayhem that befell the world: Mana.

Was exposure to mana affecting everything this much?

Well, we'll figure it out, I guess. For now, it's time to get some upgrading done. Though I don't have that many fragments, he thought as he began confirming the upgrades.

Tertiary Arcanum: [Upgrade from tier-0 to tier-1 - 25 fragments]

Tertiary Arcanum: [Upgrade from tier-1 to tier-2 - 100 fragments]

Tertiary Arcanum: [Upgrade from tier-2 to tier-3 - 500 fragments]

A wave of electrifying energy spread out of the ring of symbols around his wrists as the fragments left the shardpurse before sinking in his chest. They pulsed a first time, then a second, and when it was done, he confirmed the new tier of the Arcanum.

First part is done. And while I can't afford the next tier upgrade, I can get a few more things here.

Tertiary Arcanum: [Spellform (Tier-1): Increase Spellform slots by 1 - 25 fragments]

Tertiary Arcanum: [Spellform (Tier-2): Increase Spellform slots by 1 - 150 fragments]

Tertiary Arcanum: [Mana Regeneration (Tier-1) - 20 fragments]

Tertiary Arcanum: [Mana Regeneration (Tier-2) - 100 fragments]

Tertiary Arcanum: [Capacity (Tier-1): Increase wand capacity by 1 - 20 fragments]

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Aaand I'm broke. But good enough.

Next, he brought up the spell menu, eyed for a moment, then began planning out his loadout and after a quick check on the group, he landed on one roof. He dispelled the wings and the bronze scales, then slotted everything in its new place.

Now I'm ready, he thought with a smile that quickly morphed in a grimace when a good portion of his mana was drained away. He had decent capacity, but the new Arcanum was definitely a bit behind when it came to regeneration.

Jumping back in the air, he loaded up the setup and eyed it for a moment.

Prime Arcanum of the Juggernaut:

Spells: [Arc of Force],[Whisper]

Spell Forms: [Mana Heart],[[Extending][Draconic Claws]]

Echo: [Overloading Fireball]

Secondary Arcanum of the Fire Elemental:

Spells: [Elemental Crown] of [Homing][Overloading Fireball], [Water Jet]

Spell Forms: [Scorching][Scales of the Bronze Dragon], [Breath Gland]

Tertiary Arcanum of Forms:

Spells: [Detect Life]

Spell Forms: [Draconic Wings],[Draconic Skeleton]

Looking good, he thought. Glancing back down to the others, he saw them take the first few steps in an overgrown park, which meant they were only a half-hour or so from their destination.

But that was when more trouble showed up.

Frowning, Ethan noticed the creeping forms as they slowly surrounded the group, so he flew lower, ready to act. After all, he had a few more spells he wanted to test, and he was definitely not in a position to pass on free fragments. Targeting Liz with a claw, he cast [Whisper].

"Liz, something's surrounding you. Close ranks."

Liz, with her crossbow in hand, stilled for a fraction of a second before she raised a hand and closed her fist. Instantly, everyone else stopped and scanned their surroundings. From his point of view, Ethan saw the shadowy forms stop for a moment, then continue advancing.

"Anytime now," he whispered. "They're coming from the flanks", he added and saw her nod. Then finally, the first beast came out of the clearing, and Ethan paused.

Oh.

The first one had a dark, luscious coat that made it look like it was drinking the light around it. Its tail was still, its ears perked, and it seemed that as soon as it realized what it was that it had been stalking, it was surprised. More forms finally crept out of the brush. Some had brown coats. Some had clearer colors, and there was even one with a curly, fawn and white coat. Though all were massive.

Dogs. Or whatever happened to them.

The smallest of them was nearly six feet long and nearly four feet high, and the largest was taller and seemed heavier than an adult bull. Curiously though, they weren't attacking. But their tails weren't wagging either, so Ethan refrained from dropping down too brusquely.

Would they be friendly?

He hoped so. If domestication was still on the table, this pack of ten or so dogs could give the group's martial potential a good boost. Focusing on the leader of the pack, the dark-coated one, Ethan whistled.

[Direhound (I) - Level 63]

The dog approached the crowd slowly, sniffing at them, and Ethan saw a few raise their weapons.

Shit. If they shoot, this will get messy.

He was confident he could win, but if the dogs worked with them, then he'd rather have them. Closing the wings, he floated down to the ground—right after he chucked a protesting Ember atop of a tree—and slowly landed in front of the leader.

The dog growled, and the shadows around it roiled. Instantly, the other direhounds barked and bared their teeth.

"Easy," Ethan said, dismissing the wing.

The dog's ear twitched and it grew quiet for a moment before its eyes looked down at his scales, at which point the growl came back up. It was an ominous sound, resonating over his scales and bones, and Ethan quickly realized it wasn't just noise. There was some sort of magic at play, but it wasn't enough to intimidate him. Slowly, he raised his hands, dismissing the claws. "Not a monster," he added as he dispelled the scales covering his upper body next. "See? I'd give you some treats but I haven't gotten any." Stealing a glance to the side, he whispered to the others. "Any of you got some dried meat or something?"

At the sound of "meat" the dog's ears perked up again, and Ethan was almost sure he saw a small wag. But before things could develop further, the direhound barked, and briskly, the dogs stepped back into the brush disappearing in the wilderness. Only their leader was last, and before it left, it gave the humans another glance, then it leapt away.

A sigh of relief escaped from behind him, while Ethan continued staring toward where the leader had disappeared.

At least not all the animals went insane, he thought. And as he saw the annoyed Ember make her way back toward him, ears flat, he wondered what happened to cats. He hoped they'd be as friendly as dogs. But for some reason, he wasn't willing to bet on that.