TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

Bo pushed through the group and led the way to the hill.

"Dad!" said Finn. "I think I can heal some of these people."

Bo turned to Tess. "Keep watch on your map for any incoming creatures."

Finn stumbled as they climbed the hill. Bo grabbed his son's arm to steady him. The plastic in Finn's leg braces was starting to fracture.

Holy shit. They won't last long with this punishment.

They reached the top of the hill.

Some people looked their way, but most stared at the ground. Few of them seemed completely unharmed. Bo wasn't sure he wanted to get involved, but they had to try and help.

Bo cleared his throat. "Hey, everyone!" His voice rang out across the clearing. "Does anyone require medical attention?"

A few hands went up. A few voices answered. Finn limped in their direction, and Bo placed himself protectively beside his son, using his hand to guide him. The onlookers gasped in amazement as bright green light emanated from Finn's hands. Kate trailed after them, her own aura aiding in the healing process. A small, pale girl emerged from the growing crowd, examining the restored skin on her leg.

Bo, Finn, and Kate moved through the horde, tending the wounded. Finn often had to take breaks in order for his mana to regenerate. As they waited, Bo mentally mapped out the empty clearing, and its central hill.

There isn't going to be any police station.

Bo caught snatches of the conversations around him. The people on the hill had been attacked in their homes as well, and—just like his family—had made their way here. Many had been injured. Many had missing or dead family members. There were even rumors of living people being dragged away into the woods.

A White woman wandered around, asking for help to go and look for her family—she had been out jogging when the earthquake struck.

Bo almost staggered beneath a wave of gratitude that his family was together. The alternative was unimaginable.

Once the major injuries had been tended to, and Bo, Finn, and Kate had returned to their group, a circle of strangers started bombarding them with questions and demanding answers.

Bo raised his hands. "Hey! Hold up."

The people around them only got louder.

Bo waved his hands in the air, signaling for quiet.

Blake's voice yelled above the rest. "None of these questions matter. We should leave right now and keep heading to the police station!"

Bo almost barked at the group. "You ALL need to shut the hell up before you bring those things down on us." He pointed at each of the loudest people in the crowd, including Blake. "Shut. Your. Mouths. I'll tell you everything we know, but you need to let me speak."

Bo glared at individuals in the crowd, until gradually they all fell silent. "Great."

Bo continued in a normal tone. "First, does anyone know what I'm talking about when I ask if anyone can access information panels, or see things in their vision?"

Most of them looked confused, but three people sheepishly raised their hands.

Bo nodded. "All right. I'm about to show the majority of you something pretty shocking. Don't freak out, and don't get loud."

Bo brought up and shared the tutorial panel for everyone to see.

Most people stumbled back from the floating prompt. Some of them shouted despite being told not to. Others whispered to each other as they read the ominous message hovering in the air above them.

[Currently Available Public Information: Earth has entered an apocalyptic era of monsters and magic. Survive to be one of the last 100 million individuals and obtain immortality! Survivors are permitted to bring two people back to life. Explore and utilize your new classes and abilities. Caretaker System.]

[I enjoyed meeting all of you. Best of Luck! Caretaker Balance.]

"It seems like in this new . . . " Bo waved his hands around, looking for the words. "Era? We now have spells and abilities to help us survive. Raise your hands, Robinson family."

Hana, Tess, and Finn raised their hands.

"And the Damascus family, raise your hands."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Tom and his family all raised their hands.

"Right. Now, my family and the Damascus family will do our best to help you figure out how to access your info sheet and your ability list. Kate and my son Finn can heal if anyone is hurt. Please spread the word."

Bo looked at the other adults. "Anything else to add?"

They shook their heads.

The people on the hillside pushed forward, pleading for assistance.

After Bo snapped at a few people to back up and chill out, the families began to spread out and assist their neighbors. A group of children already seemed to be having some success, and moments later were high-fiving with Amber.

The first person Bo and Tom helped was Helen, a gray haired older White woman who lived alone. She had two young White children with her, who were both bundled in hats, scarves and gloves; they had been playing in the snow when the earthquake struck. Helen had continued to look after them, unsure if their families were even alive.

"I couldn't just leave those poor girls outside alone after the earthquake. I called to them to come inside, so they left their snowman and ran in. We went down in the basement when we saw the monsters outside. We've been lucky so far."

Helen radiated kindness, and Bo instantly warmed to her. When he explained how to access the info sheet, it didn't take her long to figure it out. The glowing words revealed that she was a Level 1 [Weather Wizard].

Bo turned to leave. "Helen, let me know if you need anything, and I'll try to help."

"Same here," said Tom. "Good job with those girls."

They left Helen to teach the children in her care how to access their own info pages.

Evening settled in as Bo and Tom continued to help others.

They met Richard, a single White man in his forties. He sat apart from everyone, his eyes watching the woods warily. Bo knew of this guy from his kids, who described him as the local grouch; always yelling or complaining about something.

"And so, I just had this feeling before the earthquakes even hit, that something was just trying to ruin my day. So, the second I heard the first scream, I ran to the hallway, locked myself in the closet, and stayed there all night. Then, today, the house started to shake. I grabbed some of my stuff and got out." His words tumbled over each other. "I was out in the woods, and I saw some of those things attack someone, and then they . . . " Richard took a second to pause, his eyes scanning the treeline. "I think there are too many of us here, and we're going to attract them."

Richard jumped to his feet, catching Bo and Tom off-guard..

"I'm going to leave and look for help," Richard said.

"Hey, listen man," said Tom gently. "I don't know that running out there is the best idea, especially with night coming." He placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "Hang out by the fire. We'll figure out a better plan soon."

"Y-yeah?" Richard peered into the dark woods again, his eyes fearful. "What if those things come back here tonight?" he challenged.

People were drifting around the campsite with shocked expressions, but there was no sign of the Headless. Bo turned back to Richard.

"What if you run off, and those things catch you in the dark, all alone?" Bo countered.

Richards eyes seemed to bulge at the thought.

"Just hang out here tonight," said Bo. "Do your best to stay warm. Tomorrow, maybe we'll know more. You can't lose your shit, man."

Richard nodded.

"Come sit by the fire," said Bo, indicating the direction. "We'll teach you how to access your ability profile, just like everyone else."

With their guidance, Richard found his profile. He was a Level 1 Wizard with a specialization in Divination his first spell was [Detect Harm].

"It's a passive ability," Richard mumbled.

"I bet that saved your ass in the earthquake," said Bo.

More useful than fucking singing.

"Speak up if you sense anything coming!" Bo urged.

To Bo's surprise, a slow smile spread across Richard's face as he continued reading. "I also have [Fireball]!"

Over the next few hours, Bo, Tom, and the others patiently helped people understand their information sheets and unlock their unique abilities. Bo had met many people with interesting classes and abilities. There weren't many who could heal, though. And there weren't many [Bards].

Probably because [Bards] are fucking useless. Why would anyone choose it?

I would. Apparently.

The dead people were gone. According to witnesses, they had vanished from the clearing simultaneously.

"Like the monsters," Bo said. He didn't voice his next thought; that at least they didn't have to deal with THAT problem.

The crowd gradually dispersed, most staying close but maintaining a polite distance from the Robinson and Damascus families, clearly afraid to venture too far away.

Further up the hill, Blake and Bridget seemed to be fine. Blake had his hand on another man's shoulder, and he was pointing into the woods.

Bo glanced around, before turning to their group. "All right. Let's discuss our new spells. But keep it quiet, in case some of these people go sideways. I don't think we need everyone knowing all of our abilities."

"What does that mean?" Chloe asked.

Tom brushed it away. "Just that we don't know these people, honey."

Chloe looked at her Dad and narrowed her eyes, but thankfully she let it drop. Bo didn't feel like explaining that, once these people realized no help was coming, things could potentially get bad. Real bad. Especially with no food, shelter, or law enforcement.

One by one, they quietly listed off their newly acquired Level 2 spells.

Hana gained [Radon Light], which caused radiation poisoning in enemies, but also provided some illumination. In addition, she received an ability called [Bone Graft]; a passive spell that gave Hana bonus ability power while holding a bone.

Tess learned [Counter Strike] and [Militia], which was a group buff raising everyone's martial skill.

Finn received [Wooden Plateweave], which was a wooden armor that he could apparently grow; and [Calendula Officinalis Vine], which was a type of healing vine.

It's going to freak me the fuck out if he starts growing plants.

Bo himself obtained a passive boost called [Instrumental skill], and a toggle ability called [Autotune], which he just grumbled about.

Loo had [Summon Silver Mana Zooplankton] and [Mana Irrigation].

"I still can't figure out how to cast anything," Loo said. "Can I go practice?"

"Not now," said Kate. "We'll figure it out later."

Amber acquired [Shiv]; designed to deliver injuries which hampered mobility or drained vitality. She also received [Dodge] as a toggle ability.

Chloe received [Intracranial Hypertension] and [Heart Palpitations]. They were both damage-over-time spells, but [Intracranial Hypertension] semi-blinded the target and physically slowed their movements.

Kate received [Wildstrike Prowess]—a group buff for critical strike—and an ability called [Mother Bear].

"Mother Bear." Kate frowned and shook her head. "It says I actually turn into a bear, but it severely hinders higher thought capability. I'll never use that. I won't, I might hurt someone, especially one of the kids. Since this all started happening, my anger has been . . . off the charts. I won't use it."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Tom reassured her, his hand on her back. "But... you probably have that ability for a reason. Maybe we can go off alone and try it so no one will get hurt."

"No!" Kate pulled away from Tom and crossed her arms. "I'm not going to do it!"

Tom sighed, and nodded.

The winter sun had set hours earlier, but a steady trickle of people visited Bo, bombarding him with questions about plans, next steps, abilities, and what the hell mana was.

Why is everyone coming to me with this?

In between visits, the parents encouraged the kids to rest, or maybe even try to doze off by the fire.

The darkness deepened, the wind picked up, and the children covered up with the blankets that they had brought.

Bonfires were stoked high, casting flickering shadows across the faces of the frightened people huddled on the hill.

Helen joined Bo and the others with the two young girls.

"Anyone got any food?" a White man asked, his stomach audibly rumbling. "I'm starving."

"Same here."

"I didn't think to grab anything when we left."

Bo frowned. He wished everyone, himself included, had been better prepared for the situation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out several beef jerky sticks he had grabbed the previous evening. He handed some out to the Robinson and Damascus children.

"Here," he said to Helen, handing her some jerky. "Give this to the kids, all right?"

"Thank you, Bo," Helen replied gratefully, breaking the sticks into smaller pieces and giving them to the girls.

The man who had asked for food at the start watched the exchange. He didn't say anything, but his eyes lingered on their backpacks.

Bo leaned over to Tom. "Food is going to be a problem soon," he whispered.

"Looks like real soon."