TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

Tom trudged up the hill toward the cooking pits, the last of his shrinking Iron armor catching the midday sun as it absorbed back into his body. He was starving. Only two hours remained before the team met up to clear the Headless Dungeon. Tom hoped to stretch those two hours into several hours of time-dilated training, or maybe some profession work. He still needed to pick a profession specialization, after all.

The camp was humming. Cookfire pits drew lines of dirty, exhausted people, each waiting for their turn at food. They looked worn out, but Tom noticed more than a few tapping their feet. One guy even glanced at his wrist, looking for a watch. The whole line seemed anxious, eager to get back to work.

Training it is then.

He wasn't going to bother the cooks as busy as they were. Instead, he joined the line and accepted a bowl of something oatmeal-ish, with diced roots and a drizzle of honey for sweetness.

Where the hell did they find bees in winter?

The buff it gave was good though, [Oats of the Busy Bee]. The honey and the oats together provided a long lasting stamina increase. Tom stood off to the side, eating fast and scanning the tree line below for Headless. With the patrols active he wouldn't see any, but...he couldn't help it, better safe than sorry.

Heather popped up in front of him. "Hey, Tom. You want seconds?"

With a full mouth Tom grunted a "Yes please" and held out his bowl. When he finally managed to get the food down he said "Everything good here?"

Heather ladled him another scoop, then shrugged. "Yeah I guess, many of us have a lot of grieving to work through but I think the work is a helpful distraction. Combine that with the Dusty news, I think a lot of people are happy to just to focus on work and that's not just the cooks, I get that feeling from most everyone right now."

Tom nodded and said "How are we on food."

"We don't have much extra if that's what your asking, but we're ahead on prepared meals and have begun to store water rations in the new potters jugs, our [Crappy] cooking equipment is barely holding up but were making do."

"Alright, thanks. Let me know if you need anything." Tom gave a quick smile. "You're doing a great job. I really appreciate you, Heather."

Heather's gaze lingered on him. "We appreciate you too Lord Thomas. How are you doing? I can't imagine what it feels like knowing you have to stand toe to toe with a giant soon."

I am freaking the fuck out.

Tom took a deep breath then said "Well it's not my first choice for a Sunday afternoon but it's not me verses a giant, it's all of us verse a giant, and…we'll be fine."

Heather stared at him for a moment, then scoffed and said "Bullshit, I bet your ready to poop your pants."

Tom laughed. Heather patted his shoulder, then moved away to hand out more food.

He headed down to the new training area, still shoveling in mouthfuls of half-eaten oatmeal. Several of the old lumber zones had been cleared, stripped of as much debris as possible. There were six new training zones, marked by muddy-colored flags. Right now, it was training time for the individual groups. In each zone, teams ran through drills in time dilation. The effect was still bizarre to him. Inside, people zipped around like insects, and when sound managed to escape, it was high and squeaky. Gathered around the outside of the zones, other teams waited for their turn.

The closest zone had a wooden plaque stuck in the ground with a large number eight on it. Tess was running formation training with what must be Group 8. Her hair was tied back with a strip of leather, her face streaked with dirt and sweat. She was barking orders and slamming her shield into the "monster", which was really a torn up sleeping bag stuffed full of heavy snow. Tess stepped aside and pulled a wiry pale young man, probably in his early twenties, over to the dummy. He had an oversized [Crappy] helmet that he had to keep adjusting as he slammed into the dummy several times before Tess called a halt.

The rest of the group filed out of the training area, but Tess lingered inside with the 'Tank'. She guided him through a few stances, then thumped her shield against his side. She must have made a joke; the young man's arms folded, but then he smiled, and laughed with her.

Tess had a knack for command.

"Hey!" A high, sharp voice shouted out behind him. Tom turned. A knot of children stood there, clutching sticks, all of them wide-eyed and staring.

"Holy crap! Guys, it's him! Lord Thomas the Tank!" said the smallest one, a muddy-faced girl in a coat several sizes too big.

Another kid raised his arm and went "choo choo", the rest of them laughed.

Choo Choo? Oh Thomas the Tank Engine. Got it.

Tom blinked, then forced a smile. "Yeap that's me."

A different boy, this one on the chubbier side with a round face and freckles, waved his hands around as he spoke. "Did you go into the Deep Woods today? Did you fight any monsters? I heard my parents talking about it. Do you know them? They signed up to fight you know. They haven't told anyone but they are really scared. Should they be? Are we all going to be okay?".

Tom nodded along as the kid spoke. He was probably the oldest in the group, and seemed a little more clued in on the incoming danger than the others. He reminded Tom a little of Loo.

"That's, uh, quite a bit." Tom scratched his head. "Let's see… Yes, we did go into the Deep Woods, and, yeah, we squished a bunch of big bug monsters. Flat." He said as he acted like he was stepping on something, grinding his heel into the floor.

"Eeewww," several of the kids said, giggling.

"That reminds me. I want you all to stay away from the Deep Woods, okay?" The kids nodded, but Tom made sure to follow up with these kids, just like he had with his own girls. When it came to staying safe, he didn't mess around. "Everyone say, 'I understand."

Only the girl in the oversized coat agreed at first. The others took longer to come around, which left Tom uneasy, but in the end, all the kids looked him in the eye and said and said "I understand."

Ignoring for now the bad poker faces of some of the kids, Tom looked at the boy who had asked the question. "To finish your questions, I get scared too," he said. "And that is very brave of your parents to volunteer. Most importantly, yes—I think we're all going to be okay."

A boy with missing front teeth said. "Is it true you can't be hurt or die?"

Tom laughed. "Oh, I wish, little buddy. But no, I get hurt all the time, and I can die." He paused, realizing that probably wasn't the most reassuring thing to say to a group of kids. He cleared his throat. "But don't worry. Even though I can be hurt, I know I'll be okay, because I have the rest of the town behind me, supporting me. Like his parents." Tom pointed at the freckled boy.

The boy puffed up, grinning, and that seemed to do the trick. The other kids nodded to each other.

They exchanged whispers, then the girl said, "Can you tell us about some of your adventures?"

"What do you mean? Uh Like a story?"

The kids nodded, and the boy with the missing teeth said, "Not like a baby story, but we haven't had TV for weeks. Please?"

So, for a few minutes, Tom told stories. PG-rated, cleaned up, age-appropriate versions, of course. He told the kids about the time Kate the Bear had saved Loo from the Headless Dungeon, or how Chloe was so powerful she could make monsters run away just by looking at them. He ran through amazing feats of all his teammates. The kids ooh'd and ahh'd.

It wasn't long before Tess walked out of the training zone, drenched in sweat. Her arms and legs were streaked with blue and purple bruises.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, squinting at Tom. "That was a good round of training. I ran through a bunch of scenarios with the new Group 8. What have you been up to?"

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Tom shrugged. "Ate breakfast. Talked to some kids."

Tess grinned. "Oh right. Man time dilation is weird, I've been in there for hours already."

"Is our team going to run some drills?" Tom asked.

"The Deep Woods was our practice." Tess took a drink from a clay jug. "You want to help me run more drills? I'm going to keep popping in on the teams until we have to leave for the dungeon."

"Have you eaten yet? You need a break at some point, you know," Tom said.

Tess shrugged, took a long pull from her jug. Swallowed. "I will later. You want to help?"

Tom raised an eyebrow at Tess but then nodded. "Sure. Just a second." He turned back to the kids. "I meant it: stay away from the Deep Woods. Don't mess with the regular woods, either, or the dungeon. Safety first, or expect the worst."

The kids groaned together, but the girl in the oversized coat said, "We understand Lord Thomas! Woo woo."

The kids laughed and took off. Before running off with his friends, the boy with all the questions stopped, gave him a salute, and then dashed away, making train noises as he went.

Hope that doesn't catch on.

Tom shook his head, and followed Tess into the next zone. Amber was already there, training. She was sparring with a tan, broad-shouldered man, maybe just a little younger than Tom himself. The man wielded twin long wooden stick swords. They were both moving fast. Really fast.

Amber ducked beneath a slashing swing, then jabbed her wooden daggers in quick succession at the guy's chest and thigh. He grunted, sweeping his swords across his body at her, but she hopped back.

Tom winced as the man lunged again, this time coming within an inch of Amber's face. The blow would have probably knocked her out, but Amber ducked at the last second, rolled forward, and sprang to her feet. She jabbed the man in the ribs, did a sort of side flip past him, then kicked him in the back of his knee. The man collapsed and yelled, "Okay, okay, you win."

Amber reached down and helped the man to his feet. When she turned and saw Tom, her whole face lit up.

That always feels good.

"Dad!" She bounded over, still catching her breath. "Did you see that?" She looked over her shoulder and said loudly. "He almost got me!"

Amber turned back to Tom and whispered, "No he didn't. Not even close. I totally baited his last swing."

Tom chuckled. "I saw. Just be careful." He leaned in, voice lower. "That was pretty badass."

Amber smiled, wiped the sweat from her brow, and nodded at Tess. "You want to go a round?"

Tess smiled back. "I'll pass for now. Tom and I are going to run some formations with Group Six. I plan for your dad to substitute in for the training dummy. They'll get better training out of an actual moving target. What are you going to do?"

Tom tilted his head. He hadn't exactly signed up to be everyone's punching bag.

"I'm going to hop around the zones and help people with the one-on-one stuff."

"Alright, don't get too tired before the headless dungeon, and get something to eat! Don't be late to meet up," Tess said.

Tom gave Tess a look. "That does sound like good advice."

Amber grinned. "Yeah, I'll grab something. I won't be late. I bet this is gonna be fun!" She gave Tom a thumbs up. "Don't let them beat you up too much, old man."

****

Tom closed the dungeon prompt and shut his eyes. He tried to exhale the jitters. Behind him, the boulders sealed off the entrance to the Headless Dungeon with a loud, permanent-sounding thunk.

Even though he knew, rationally, that these were only level ones and the dungeon should be easy, he couldn't shake the memory of Chloe limp and cold in his arms, or the way the boss had nearly broken Kate's back. He was trying, but those memories didn't just disappear because he wanted them to.

He forced the thoughts away, and shook his head.

I'm not "hit-the-brakes, hold-the-team-back" Tom anymore. Now I'm... full-steam-ahead Tom.

He winced at his analogy.

The torch was right where he remembered it: wedged in the wall, just inside the tunnel mouth.

Behind them, the walls began to move. At first, it was a faint grinding, like gravel sliding around in the bottom of a bucket. Then it grew louder. Stalactites and stalagmites pushed out from the stone. The tunnel was closing in, squeezing them forward.

Tom grunted, set his jaw, and moved forward. The tunnel was shorter than he remembered.

His plate boots echoed on the stone. Torchlight bobbed. He ducked beneath a low-hanging formation, and stepped out of the tunnel into the first cavern.

Group two had said there would still be ten waves, just all level ones. No problem. Just keep the waves spaced out, just like the Deep Woods.

Tom flinched as Bo hissed in his ear.

"Look! Up there, on the wall!"

Tom followed Bo's finger. There, a blue, ghostly glow: a magic camera lens, poked through the rock.

"Caretaker Epic is here. We gotta do something big to get another reward," Bo whispered, hands twitching. "We fucked up the Spider dungeon and—"

"We did NOT mess up the Spider Dungeon," Tess cut in. "It was strategic. Sorry he didn't think us fighting a giant spider monster was epic enough."

Bo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay, but we need something bigger this time. He's not gonna keep showing up if we're boring."

Chloe's forehead creased under the glow of the torchlight. "How do we make a fight at level one epic?"

Bo spread his hands. "I don't know, we need to kick some ass. Be memorable."

For half a heartbeat, a spectral blue hand poked through the cavern wall and gave them a thumbs-up.

"See!" Bo said pointing.

"Tess, you said that Group 2 triggered the waves by pushing deeper in?" Chloe asked.

Tess nodded, her voice trailing. "Yeah…" Then her eyes widened. "Oh. Right. Okay. We push forward together, fast pace, mow these things down as fast as they spawn. We don't stop moving until the boss is dead."

"Like a speed run. We're going to spank this place," Amber said, smiling.

Tess nodded again. "Exactly. No slowing down. Tom, you're going to be way, way ahead. Don't forget the spear traps in the tunnels. Kate, you're after him, and… go wild. I'll go next. Finn, hands on my back, you push me forward as fast as you can, you set the pace. Loo, you're right behind Finn. Drop a mana spring in room two, and a mana brook in the boss room. Chloe, you're after Loo. Then Mom, Richard, then Dad. Amber, you cover the rear."

Everyone nodded.

Tess looked at her father. "Dad, you got something good to play?"

Bo nodded. "Good to go."

Tess turned to Tom. "How about you, Tom?"

Tom felt the old urge to argue, to suggest a safer plan, but he swallowed it.

"Ready," he said, and touched the [Tank's Sacrifice] spell in his mind, just to be sure it was ready.

Tess lined them up. "All right. Tom and Kate, get us started. Everyone else, ten seconds behind. We're counting on the ranged area of effect damage to do the heavy lifting. Go hard, team."

As Tess spoke, Hana reached into her backpack and swapped out bone arms. The green orb of [Radon Light] formed over her head, casting her face in a witchy glow. The spell seemed larger, more powerful than before.

"Okay, Tom, let's go," Tess said.

Tom took a breath, then stepped into the room.

A prompt appeared at once: [Room 1 of 3: Wave 1 of 10 approaching.]. The screeches of headless pygmy monsters started up, echoing in the darkness, but Tom didn't slow. He barreled forward.

Prompts flashed in his vision: wave two, wave three, wave four, all the way to seven, as he plowed through the center of the cavern. Behind him, Kate must have already shifted; her growl was a deep, guttural rumble that bounced off the cavern walls.

The first wave reached him. Tom swung his flail in a wide arc, the heavy ball pulverizing three pygmies at once. They shrieked and folded, limbs snapping at wrong angles. He raised his shield and absorbed wild, clawed swings. They barely registered. The Headless were so low-level compared to him that they were basically gnats.

Kate roared again, this time right behind him. The force of it made Tom's ears ring. He risked a look back. Massive and angry, she was tearing through the pygmies. Tess and Finn had emerged from the tunnel, and Hana's [Radon Light] floated high, painting the whole battlefield in radioactive green.

At the end of the line, Bo emerged and started singing. Not just singing, but performing. He gave a spin, a leg kick, and swung his hips as the opening notes of [Another One Bites the Dust by Queen] bounced off the cavern walls, drowning out the shrieks.

A dozen of the pygmies to Tom's right suddenly sprouted flashing red icons over their heads as Hana's [Contagion] spread [Sickness] and [Infection] in an uncontrollable biological blaze. The monsters started hacking and coughing. Some collapsed outright.

On his left, [Paranoia] swept through the ranks. The Headless screamed in terror, clawing at their own bodies, many convulsing and flopping to the ground, suffering from [Heart Palpitations] and [Tachycardia] damage.

Richard hurled fireballs deep into their ranks, like a quarterback throwing a desperate Hail Mary football pass. Each one exploded in a tight burst, sending up buckets of monster blood and roasted pygmy bits.

The Headless didn't stand a chance.

"Keep pushing forward, Tom!" Tess shouted.

Wave after wave collapsed against them, but the party's health bars barely budged. The only real danger was running out of targets.

Tom smiled. They were dominating.

By the time the tenth wave popped, Tom was most of the way across the room. He just kept pushing forward, knocking aside four monsters at a time with his shield, trampling them underfoot as he made for the exit tunnel.

Behind him, Bo continued to rock, but he had shifted to a sort of high-step marching dance, belting out the chorus as he spun and kicked at the air.

Amber, clearly bored in the back, laughed and joined in Bo's dance, doing her best to mimic it.

A lone pygmy screamed and broke through the chaos.

The magical camera pushed farther out of the wall, leaning out as it tracked the pygmy.

It sprinted for the group. Amber let out a delighted whoop, triggered her [Show Off] spell, and launched into a string of backsprings. Flipping up and over the monster, moving so fast Tom's eyes could barely track it, she delivered a [slice], [slice], [slice], [stab], [slaughter].

It was definitely overkill. The thing managed a single, multi-mouthed, pitiful whine before its body just…fell apart, pieces scattering everywhere.

When Bo hit the chorus, he made a finger gun and pointed at a pygmy that burst into flames, then at another that clutched its chest and dropped from a heart attack, and finally at a third that simply withered and collapsed under a sickness spell.

Bo blew imaginary smoke from his finger as he spun and danced.

Tom snorted. It was gory as hell, but—for the first time in forever—he let himself feel…enjoyment? Well, he wouldn't go that far. Maybe just a little less freaked out.

He pressed into the next tunnel, making a point to stomp on every inch of floor he could reach, triggering the spear traps. They sprang out at him, but the iron tips barely scratched his armor.

It was so scary here last time…

But now, at level five, compared to this place, Tom and the team were an unstoppable force.

They reached the second room. Another wave of pygmies spawned. This time, Tom didn't even bother to slow down. He just waded through them, screaming, swinging his flail, drawing their attention. He kept pushing forward, leaving the rest of the team to mop up the mess.

Kate barreled through, crushing anything in her path. Tom wasn't sure if a bear could laugh, but he was pretty sure she was; she made a loud chuffing sound between attacks.

Three or four pygmies tried to ambush the casters. Tess intercepted, slapping away their strikes with [Riposte] and [Parry]. She cut down two, then deflected the others toward Amber, who finished them off.

Since they were in room two. Tom paused for just a moment as Loo danced in place, blue and silver motes of light swirling around her and the rest of the team.

She looked tranquil, eyes closed, as if meditating in the center of a hurricane.

The team's buffs shimmered above their heads like Christmas lights strung in a tight knot.

Tom glanced over the status bars. For once, not a single injury. Not even on himself.

Alright fine, this is kind of fun.

They barreled down the last tunnel. Tom stomped on every section of floor, setting off every trap in their path. Bo's music thundered behind them, echoing down the passage. The camera in the ceiling glowed brighter as they entered the boss chamber.

The boss was a slightly larger version of the other level one pygmies, hunched and drooling from its many mouths.

It was nothing compared to the level four they'd fought the first time.

Tom didn't hesitate. He charged, shield up, and slammed into the creature with everything he had. The boss flew backward at least ten feet, screeching and flailing its arms.

"Knock it over here, Dad!" Loo shouted, her ability icons flickering above her head. She sent her [Mana Tributary] to merge with the [Mana Spring] from room two, weaving it together with her fresh [Mana Brook]. A heartbeat later, the entrance erupted in a spray of red jellyfish.

Tom hauled the boss upright, dragged it into position, and hammered it again with his shield, aiming for the opening.

The monster tumbled backwards, straight into Loo's spell. The Jellies engulfed it instantly. The boss lasted maybe five seconds before collapsing into a twitching, shrieking heap.

"YES!" Loo shouted, pumping her fist.

The boss vanished. Two loot chests crashed to the ground: one banded in copper, from the level one boss; the other in iron.

Bo whooped and ran forward. "God, I hope one has Upgrade tokens. We need those so fucking bad."

But as he reached for the iron chest, it shimmered and downgraded to bronze. The lid opened, revealing a pile of Upgrade tokens.

"No…wait…I take it back! What was in it when it was Iron? Something [Standard]?!" Bo shouted at the ceiling, but Caretaker Epic had already vanished.

Tom let out a long breath. He looked at his family: Kate, who had shifted back to human and was laughing as Loo picked monster bits out of her hair; Chloe, already dissecting the run with Tess, plotting how they could be even faster next time; Amber, still laughing and dancing with Finn, even though Bo had long ago stopped the song.

Laughter and smiles. It had been a while.

He closed his eyes, and let the feeling soak in.

"Told you it'd be fun," Amber said to him.

Tom didn't totally disagree.