TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

[You have ascended to Level 3!]

"New spells again!" Loo yelled.

A ghostly overlay of Tom's own skeleton was flicking before his eyes. It looked like some type of medical HUD, with flashes of red pulsing ominously at his skull, neck, and spine. It had been there since the Troll had clubbed him.

[Rubber bone modification cooldown on affected areas: 23hrs 26 mins.]

The air was thick with the scent of blood and the anguished cries of the wounded.

"Tess, are we clear for a second?" Bo asked.

Her eyes unfocused as she checked her map. "Yes, be quick."

"Check your new abilities, but be fast."

Tom rubbed his throbbing neck and pulled up his new skills. [Taunt] would prove invaluable in protecting his family and friends. The other spell [Gains] would have to remain a mystery for now.

He waited a few moments. "Hurry, guys!"

"We good?" Bo asked. He looked at Hana, who gave a resolute nod. "We good!"

"Let's go!" Tess commanded.

Tom grimaced against the pain that pulsed through his body, and charged back into the fray.

The battlefield was covered in red snow.

Tess directed them to their next targets.

Tom tested out his new [Taunt] ability, forcing an attacking creature to turn its attention toward him, and away from a curly-haired child who was huddled down and trying to make himself as small as possible. The beast snarled and lunged at Tom, but he met its onslaught with a powerful blow that sent it reeling.

The Pygmy was then pulverized by a crushing blow from Kate. A new ability flashed over her head; [Feral Slam].

The group ran along the hill, keeping the children safely tucked in the middle. They fought fiercely, cutting through at least a dozen more Level 1 Pygmies, rescuing as many people as they could.

Blood and guts splattered the ground, mixing with the mud and snow beneath Tom's feet. His heart raced as he searched for the next guiding arrow from Tess that would tell him where to go.

There!

The arrow indicator popped up, driving the group up the hill and toward the monstrous squealing Boar with a Pygmy riding its back. As Tom neared the [Level 3 Boar Rider: Dungeon Born], there was an East Asian man who was covered in blood and barely able to stand. Behind him, a tanned White woman screamed profanities at the creature and jabbed her finger at it. Blake was there too, pulling Bridget away from the fight and trying to blend in with some small bushes.

The man fighting the Boar met Tom's eyes with his bloodshot ones.

The families charged toward the beast, their weapons held high.

Tom used [Taunt] and pulled the threat away from the other man.

The enraged pig turned, its beady eyes trained on Tom as it surged forward on its powerful haunches, its sharp tusks aimed directly at Tom's chest.

Tom had no intention of standing toe-to-toe with the thing; he ducked aside, sidestepping the attack. As the pig moved past him, he brought his bat down hard on its snout.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

A shrill squeal erupted from the creature as it stumbled back. Its Pygmy rider screamed from its many mouths while kicking the beast, urging it forward.

Damage indicators showed Chloe and Hana's spells taking hold on both the Pygmy and the Boar. The Pygmy swayed, its grip weakening on its mount.

An arrow appeared at Tom's feet, leading him away from the group. Tom kept the Boar's attention on himself as he weaved backward, away from the others.

The Boar surprised him and rushed in close.

Tom dropped the bat and caught the tusks in his gauntlets. He slid backward as the Boar's immense strength pushed against him. He dug his feet into the ground and pushed back, doing his best to keep it from trampling him. His face screwed up tight and his muscles burned.

A countdown appeared in his peripheral vision. Kate, Tess, and Amber rushed in, each attacking a different red-marked area on the Boar's body.

The coordinated explosion of damage proved too much, and the Boar collapsed under their combined assault. The Pygmy on its back was already almost dead from Chloe and Hana's spells, and it only took a single blow from Tess to finish it off.

Tom leaned over and caught his breath.

Headless creatures retreated into the woods on all sides. Some were carrying people.

At the base of the hill, an aged Black man was on his knees and screaming someone's name. A teenage girl staggered through the clearing, her hand pressed against her raven hair, which was not enough to staunch the flow of blood from the side of her head. A skinny White woman a short distance away sobbed into a dirt-streaked blanket, which was wrapped around a girl who looked to be around Loo's age. The girl was not moving.

Tom shut his eyes. He took deeper breaths, which flooded his nose with more of the coppery scent.

He opened his eyes. He was standing in a puddle of congealing blood.

The man who had originally faced the Boar Rider was gasping on the ground. He had a giant hole in his stomach from being gored, but Finn's glowing green hands were already working their magic. He was alive.

"Loo, I need mana please," said Finn.

Loo worked through the Mountain pose and summoned her [Mana Spring].

"Thank you," whispered the woman who had been hurling insults at the pig, tear tracks drying on her face. "You saved our lives."

"Not everyone's, though," Tess said.

Tom could trace the path the Boar Rider had taken, through the clearing and around the hill, by the bodies scattered along its route. There were distant screams and shouts in the woods; from people who had fled, from those who were searching for loved ones, and from those being carried away.

Tom's heart ached.

"Do we go into the woods and try to help those people?" Tess asked.

"No. It's too risky." Bo's voice was firm.

When Finn had patched up Mike—the man who had faced down the Boar—he and Kate made their way around the hillside and clearing, healing whoever they could.

Later, Tom and Bo trod carefully along the edge of the woods, searching for firewood. They needed to keep the fires burning; the cold could kill everyone as easily as the creatures.

Tom reached down to pick up a log. He grunted as a sharp pain pulsed down his back and into his leg.

"Tom, sit down man. I've got this." Bo's voice was strained with exhaustion.

Tom nodded and crashed down into the churned-up mud beside one of the fires. Bo piled more wood onto the flames.

The night crawled onward toward dawn. The longest night of Tom's life.

Some families huddled together, clinging to each other for comfort; others sat alone, staring into the flames, or with tears streaming down their faces. Helen embraced a third trembling child, a small Black boy wearing glasses, and moved him closer to their little group.

Blake moved from grieving family to grieving family, trying to drum up support for his campaign to flee through the woods and get 'help'. Tom frowned.

There was a collective murmur from the crowd; the monster and human corpses vanished, leaving piles of loot all over the campsite.

Curious and confused, many people wandered over and tried to pick up or kick at the items. Most found them immovable. The people who had chosen to fight, such as Mike and his wife Jill, picked up several rewards. The Damascus and Robinson families, however, received the lion's share of the loot.

Amber pulled on a pair of Simple Leather Gloves with an XS critical strike damage boost. She flexed her hands with a satisfied smile, then performed a few stabbing motions with an imaginary knife. Her smile faltered when she noticed Tom watching.

Hana added more Copper Coins to the bag she carried, and now donned a Simple Circlet that boosted her malady magic.

Chloe, on the other hand, frowned at the Simple Wooden Staff she received, mumbling about having to carry such a stupidly cumbersome object around. Tom didn't hear the rest, but it related to her already limited social life.

Tom received a large Wooden Shield, also of Simple quality.

There were more items scattered near the edge of the dark woods, but under no circumstance would Tom let anyone go and collect it. As if on cue, several Headless screeched and called from the woods.

"See! No loot is worth being carried away. Everyone can just wait till morning, when we can actually see if there are monsters coming. Safety first or expect the worst."

Amber groaned.

Finn shifted from his spot near the fire to sit by Tom, his voice low and strained. "Hey, Tom. Can I talk to you a minute?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Finn explained that so far he had only been able to activate his healing [Floral Surge] spell. When he tried to activate his other spells, a prompt flashed saying that he currently had 0% plant material available. "I was hoping that, since you grow the Iron gloves, it would be like me trying to grow the wood armor or vines."

"Well, I also get a flashing prompt warning me about my available resources, and I only have enough Iron to grow the gloves, so I guess that's similar. So far I've had to absorb the Iron, but I don't know how I did it. Maybe you have to absorb or eat some plant stuff?"

Finn gave Tom a dubious look.

Tom shrugged. "I dunno, bud. Worth a try. There is a lot stranger shit than that going on."

"I'm just getting frustrated being stuck on the useless clean-up crew. I just really want my other spells to work. I NEED my other spells to work." He indicated his legs. "My braces are beyond cracked. I don't know how much longer they're going to last."

"Listen, Finn," Tom said softly. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I get what you're saying, and I'd be frustrated too. But you will figure it out. We're only on our second day."

Finn sagged under Tom's palm.

"Even if you want to assume the worst-case scenario, and pretend you never learn to use them . . . without your healing, your Dad would be dead. I would be dead. I'm not sure what to say about the braces, but we'll figure out something. I know none of this is really helpful, but you are going to figure it out, and we'll all do whatever we can to support you."

Finn didn't move.

"No matter what, though, the most important thing is getting everyone through this alive. In that, you are far from useless, buddy."

Finn stared at the ground. "I guess."

Finn stood and rummaged on the ground for some twigs. He returned to his seat and squeezed the sticks in his hands.

The campfire cast flickering shadows across the grieving faces around Tom.

Holy shit. It's barely been one day, and so many people are dead.

The apocalypse was violent and brutal. His heart almost faltered as he thought of his children.

"What are we going to do?" Hana's voice was barely audible above the crackling fire. It was almost as though she was reading Tom's thoughts.

"We will be smart, and work hard, and take care of each other," Bo said. He put his arm around Hana. "Tomorrow, we start winning."