TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

Loo stared at the shimmering fire, lost in thought while she looked back at the terrifying fights they had lived through. So far she had just been along for the horrific ride; she had yet to cast a single spell, or fight, or help in any way.

Chloe was slumped beside her. Her face was pasty and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Chloe, can I get you anything?" Loo asked.

"No thanks, Loo," Chloe whispered. "I . . . I just cast too many spells, I think."

Loo looked at her sister with concern. She bit her lip. Her whole class was about managing mana, and she needed to find a solution to help. Now seemed like the perfect time to investigate her information sheet and spells more thoroughly. Perhaps there was something she'd missed. She had tried to cast spells like the others, but nothing had happened.

"I'm going to try and figure out my class," Loo said. She stood and clapped the dirt off her hands.

Chloe gave a small nod. "Don't go far, and don't go anywhere alone."

Just like Dad.

Loo nodded and walked away from the fire's warmth and comfort. She found an empty spot with only a shallow dusting of white, and sat down with her legs crossed on the ground, shivering a little. She closed her eyes and pulled up her information sheet, scanning through the details.

[Loren Damascus]

Age 12

Level 2 Conjurer Mana Inundationist

You have selected the Conjuration class, specialization Mana Inundationist. You have chosen a distinct conjuring technique that probes the complex tapestry of mana currents, manipulating the core of magical energy via the harmonious practice of yoga. This class has the unique ability to perceive and influence the ebb and flow of mana, granting them unparalleled power over the unseen currents of magic. While the Conjurer Mana Inundationist excels in summoning mana, they are limited to summoning entities that naturally reside within these magical currents.

1 Gold to upgrade; you cannot do that here.

Loo concentrated on her Mana Inundationist abilities first, since she couldn't summon Mana Plankton or Mana Zooplankton without a [Mana Spring].

[Mana Inundationist Abilities]

[Mana Spring 1]

Toggle ability.

When cast, this spell enables the Conjurer to summon a vibrant mana flow directly at their feet, creating a wellspring of magical energy. Specialized yoga pose required.

Ability Power: XS.01 (Extra Small - Power Rank 1 of 100).

Mana Usage: S.01 (Medium - Mana Drain Rank 1 of 100).

10 Copper to upgrade; you cannot do that here.

[Mana Irrigation 1]

Toggle ability.

When cast, Mana Irrigation harnesses the magical streams created by the Mana Spring, or taps into natural mana flows in the environment. The Conjurer gains the ability to control and shape these ethereal currents, directing them along the ground like a cascading river of magic. Specialized yoga pose required.

Ability Power: XS.01 (Extra Small - Power Rank 1 of 100).

Mana Usage: S.01 (Medium - Mana Drain Rank 1 of 100).

10 Copper to upgrade; you cannot do that here.

Loo's eyes widened.

Duh! The required poses! No wonder nothing was happening!

Loo pictured a floating astral spirit standing on a cloud, moving seamlessly through a series of graceful positions.

Maybe that's what I need to emulate.

If she could just learn and practice the right yoga poses, maybe she could unlock her abilities, and help Chloe and the others recover their mana.

I don't know any yoga poses.

Loo vaguely remembered something from gym class. She switched her position and lay on her stomach. She pushed her upper body off the ground while looking up at the dark sky. The cold ground and snow began to freeze her belly. She tried to activate several spells while holding the position.

"Uh . . . whatcha doing, dude?" Amber said. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

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Loo sighed. "Apparently nothing." She stood and knocked the snow off her gloves and jacket.

"Sus," Amber said. She continued on to sit next to the fire.

Loo took a deep breath. She scanned the people nearby, wondering whether there was someone who could teach her yoga poses.

Her Dad and Bo were talking with a group of guys one campfire over.

"Come on guys! There are kids all over the place," her Dad said to the biggest of the other men, a White man who towered over him. "Take a piss at the bottom of the hill from now on."

"Fuck that, those things are out there," the big man said.

"You want to start sleeping in everyone's piss and shit?" Bo said. "Look, I don't want to bust your balls man, but this could get real gross up here real fast." Bo patted him on the shoulder and began to lead him toward the base of the hill. "What if we set up a ditch system down there somewhere? I saw at least one person with a shovel. Maybe we could borrow it. Me and Tom will help out, we can set up some lookouts and . . . " Bo led the men away from the campfire.

Loo started to walk away too.

Kate appeared by her shoulder. "Where you going, Loo?"

"Oh, uh, I want to ask around for someone to teach me yoga."

Kate stared, her face deadpan.

"It's part of my class! It says yoga poses, and I don't know any, and I don't think you know any either, right?"

"No, I don't know any. Is this seriously something we need to do right now?"

"Mom, more of those things might come! As it is, I can't help at all."

Kate sighed. "All right, but we will not be bothering any people who are hurt or grieving. We'll walk around and meet some people together, and ask if they know any yoga."

A few minutes later, Loo approached a family sitting nearby, but they shook their heads apologetically. Another family looked at her like she was crazy. Undeterred, Loo continued her search, and received nothing but confused looks and headshakes.

"Excuse me," Loo said, as she approached someone sitting on a large log by a campfire. He was a bald and muscled Black man wearing a YMCA hoodie. "Do you happen to know any yoga poses?"

The man looked up. "I know some yoga but . . . why?"

"You do? Hi, I'm Loo." She plopped down beside the man, who looked a little stunned.

"That's my Mom." Loo pointed out Kate, who waved back and said hi.

"I need to learn some beginner yoga poses for my class. I can't do anything without them."

The man paused before answering. "All right. Hi, Loo. I just got here and I heard a few people talking about classes and abilities, but I don't know what they're talking about. I'll show you a few poses I know, and you can explain this class and ability stuff?"

"Of course! I'll show you how to access your information sheet and everything!"

"My . . . never mind. I'm Terry." He held his hand out and shook Loo's. "Do you, uh, want to learn them right now?"

Loo nodded enthusiastically.

Terry looked at Kate. "You good with this, Mom?"

"Yes, thank you Terry! My name is Kate."

Terry nodded and turned back to Loo. "I'll show you a few basic ones. Let's start with Warrior pose."

Loo eagerly followed Terry's instructions, mimicking his stance as she learned the Warrior, Tree, Mountain, and Upward-Facing Dog poses.

As they practiced, Loo noticed Terry squinting at something in the air.

"Are you trying to see your information sheet?" Loo asked.

Terry frowned. "I think maybe I can see something? Is that what you mean by Information Sheet?"

"For one, it looks like you're trying to see it like it's off in the distance or something. Stop doing that. It will appear right before you if it works. You'll know it right away when it happens." Loo explained how they all learned to access the info in the Robinsons' basement.

After several minutes, Terry blinked and his expression changed. "Got it! Thanks, Loo!"

"Happy to help!" Loo smiled. "Get anything good?"

"Damn straight, says I'm a [Monk], [Constriction] specialization. I used to wrestle so it sounds like a good fit for me." He smiled.

"Great! Thank you for teaching me these poses!"

As they finished their freezing-cold yoga session, Terry and Loo exchanged friendly goodbyes, promising to meet again to share more knowledge.

Loo and Kate returned to the fire. Loo was energized; she hoped her newfound yoga poses would let her start using her abilities.

Chloe was sitting on a log, her eyes closed and hands clasped together. Her color seemed even more faded; it was clear her mana was still low.

Her mana rejuvenation is excruciatingly slow. Is everyone's like that?

It seemed like Finn had to wait forever too, but not nearly as long as Chloe.

Loo stepped away from the fire, giving herself enough space to perform the poses she had just learned. She moved through the Warrior, Tree, and Upward-Facing Dog poses while trying to cast Mana Spring.

Nothing happened.

Loo ignored Amber's teasing snorts and snickers.

She focused all her energy on casting [Mana Spring] while she moved her feet together and ground them into the earth. She lengthened her spine, and took a deep breath. She then reached her arms overhead with palms facing each other.

A surge of power coursed through her body, connecting her to the earth beneath her feet. She activated her [Mana Spring] spell, and a brilliant blue energy burst forth from the ground before her, creating a small bubbling geyser of pure mana. Loo's hair whipped around her; it looked wet, but it was actually dripping with mana.

"Loo!" said Chloe. "I don't see anything? Did you do it, Loo?"

"Yep! It's Mountain pose! Now let's see if I can do something with it."

Excitement bubbled within her. The Forward Fold yoga pose followed the Mountain pose; going off a hunch, she hinged at the hips to bend forward. She kept her back straight and reached her hands to the floor. She concentrated on the flowing spring of mana she had just created and cast [Mana Irrigation], willing the mana to flow down the hill like a stream. There was an illuminated path on the ground beside her hands, indicating a potential route for the mana to flow. She adjusted her arms and hands until the irrigation channel flowed directly over where Chloe was sitting.

She released the ability.

To her delight, the blue energy stream responded, snaking its way down the incline.

Chloe stared at Loo oddly for a moment, before shrugging. "Nothing is happening."

"Wait for it . . . "

Chloe's feet touched the mana-infused flow. Her face broke into a large smile.

"Yes, Loo, I feel it!" Chloe's anxiety visibly dissipated. Her eyes unfocused. "My mana is filling up!"

Encouraged by her success, Loo grabbed Finn and Hana, and approached others who had mentioned suffering from low mana.

Word spread quickly. A small crowd gathered around the fire, each person taking turns stepping into the mana stream that was invisible to all but Loo.

Loo's [Mana Spring] slowly depleted itself. Her beautiful stream would fade away soon; in truth, she was somewhat surprised it lasted as long as it did. She was proud of her accomplishment and the assistance she had provided to others.

Now that the excitement of her [Mana Spring] had settled down, Loo still had her Conjurer abilities to test out. Loo pulled up her ability list again.

[Conjurer Abilities]

[Summon Blue Mana Plankton I]

On-use ability.

Summon and control billions of Blue Mana Plankton. Allies within the Mana Plankton cloud experience a heightened rate of mana regeneration. The Plankton absorb ambient magical energy, infusing those within their proximity with revitalizing mana currents. Can only be cast in a Mana Spring. Specialized yoga pose required.

Ability Power: XS.01 (Extra Small - Power Rank 1 of 100).

Mana Usage: S.01 (Small - Mana Drain Rank 1 of 100).

10 Copper to upgrade; you cannot do that here.

[Summon Silver Mana Zooplankton I]

The summoned Silver Mana Zooplankton seek out and consume Mana Phytoplankton to maintain their existence. In the absence of Mana Phytoplankton, the Silver Mana Zooplankton will perish. If the Silver Mana Zooplankton consume enough Mana Phytoplankton, they bloom into a glowing silver haze. Allies gain increased Ability Power for each member inside the swarm. Can only be cast in a Mana Flow. Specialized yoga pose required.

Ability Power: XS.01 (Extra Small - Power Rank 1 of 100)

Mana Usage: S.01 (Small - Mana Drain Rank 1 of 100).

10 Copper to upgrade; you cannot do that here.

The spell descriptions read like the beginnings of a food chain, and gave Loo the sense that she would have to manage a small ecosystem. It was incredibly nerdy, but exciting at the same time. Loo wanted to take her musings further and actually summon the Mana Phytoplankton. However, for that she needed to summon another Mana Spring, and that was currently on cooldown. She wrinkled her face at having to wait, and watched the cooldown on the Mana Spring ability slowly tick down.