TAKE ON ME [Survival LITRPG Apocalypse]

The adrenaline rush faded as quickly as it began.

The bark around Amber was painted in ichor. More Web Slinger carcasses were spread further down the branch, bearing scorch marks and pustules from Richard's [Fireballs] and Hana's [Sickness]. The last Spider screamed and collapsed from Chloe's [Migraine] spell.

Amber's muscles ached as she descended from the gnarled roots, her heart still galloping from the near-miss.

While she had been fighting overhead, the rest of the group had killed the Wolf Spiders on the ground. Hundreds of slender legs curled to the ceiling.

Kate the Bear was hunched and panting, with oozing red lumps on her face, paws, and stomach. Finn was already by her side. Tom's Iron armor was charred. Everyone else was grim but relatively unscathed—apart from the gore splattered across their faces and clothes.

Tess cleared her throat. "Shaky start, but the formations worked."

"Well done, everyone," said Tom. "Safety first."

Bo's eyes flashed. He rounded on Tom, and jabbed a finger at his chest. "What the hell was that with Amber? I thought we talked about this!"

Tom's jaw went slack for a moment. "She couldn't go up there alone! I was protecting my daughter!"

"Bullshit!" Bo exploded. "You nearly got her killed, along with this rest of us. And this isn't the first time!"

Amber flinched. She'd seen Bo get pissed and yell at people before, lots of times. Just never at her father.

"You saw what happened up there, she almost fucking died! Don't tell me you'd be fine with one of your kids up there!"

Great. He saw that.

Bo ran a hand over his bald head. "Look, man. Of course I get it. You're scared for the kids, and I don't want my kids in danger either. But, man, you're fucking this up. Of all these kids, Amber trains constantly for shit like this. You're not doing your part for the team."

Tom's jaw clenched. "I'm not doing my part?" His voice was low and quiet. "Fuck it, then. Once we get out of here, you can fucking tank, and you can hurt all the fucking time."

He turned away from Bo.

Bo sighed. "I'm not saying that." His voice lowered too. "You're a great tank, Tom. But it's your attitude. This whole situation . . . it's like we're all riding a motorcycle down a launch ramp, and we need to jump over ten helicopters. The rest of us are trying to hit the gas, but you keep slamming on the brakes."

Amber shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her father's eyes. This was the point she had been trying to make.

Tom looked around at the group. His shoulders sagged.

Tess cleared her throat again. "Webs are closing in. We need to keep moving. Loo, what are your cooldowns looking like?"

"[Mana Brook] has a long time still. [Mana Spring] is almost off cooldown."

"All right, [Mana Spring] will have to do. Everyone, formation. Let's go."

As they fell into position, Amber placed herself as far as possible from the webbing that was creeping toward them. She suppressed a shudder, and gripped her Daggers.

They pressed into the next dark tunnel. The air was thick and oppressive. Sticky tendrils reached for Amber; she cringed away from them, her skin crawling.

Richard reluctantly led the way, and steered them around hidden egg traps. He stopped with his arms out, and Amber's Dad almost collided with him in the gloom.

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"There." He pointed at the ground ahead of them, where a shadow seemed to lurk. "I almost fell in!"

Amber peered at the dark hole in the floor. Beyond it was a thick wall of webbing.

They had reached the end of the tunnel. There was nowhere to go but down.

Richard groaned. "Do we have to go down there?"

Amber peered back at the cobwebs growing up behind them.

"Yep." Tess said.

Her father lowered himself down first, and discovered a rope ladder made of webbing. He called to them from the bottom, and everyone inched down the webs toward the floor below. Bo went ahead of Finn and helped guide his feet to stable rungs. Amber gritted her teeth as she pulled her fingers off the sticky strands.

Amber stepped off the ladder, and examined the reddened skin on her palms. A sound drew her attention; she looked up and watched the webs slither over the top of the hole, sealing them inside.

The tiny passage opened into a vast, hollow chamber.

Amber's eyes widened as she took in the massive, trunk-like walls stretching impossibly high above them; at least twice as high as the Web Slinger room.

A low, menacing growl rumbled through the chamber. Eight glowing red eyes materialized in the darkness overhead.

"Yuuuckerrs," Amber whispered.

A monstrous form descended on a silvery strand. The [Level 6 Wolf Spider Matriarch: Dungeon Boss] was easily twice the size of the others they'd faced. Its bulbous abdomen was covered with webs and eggs. Its wolf head was larger than the others, with eight eyes instead of two.

It landed on the Dungeon floor with a heavy thud. It bit at the air and gnashed its teeth at them.

"Well," Bo said, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "That's horrific."

"Incoming!" Tess shouted, just as the creature surged forward.

Tom was there in an instant. His helmet grew and snapped into place around him like a second skin. He caught the Spider's fangs on his Shield, and grunted with the effort of holding it back.

Amber's muscles coiled. Her eyes darted between the massive Spider and Tess, waiting for the signal.

The clash of chitin on steel rang out as her father struggled against the beast's onslaught.

"C'mon, c'mon," Amber muttered, itching to join the fray.

A flash of blue caught her attention. She thought it was Bo summoning his guitar, but it turned out to be the front end of a glowing camera.

"Dad, play something!" Tess yelled.

Bo's singing cut through the Boss's howls, and the opening chords of [Holding out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler] filled the cavern.

His voice had a higher pitch than normal, with the [Autotune] spell being more noticeable than ever. It…wasn't his best.

"Amber, go!"

An attack pattern appeared in front of Amber, and she launched herself toward the Spider's hairy legs. The creature loomed over her, a nightmarish mountain of black armor, scuttling limbs, and bristling hair.

Amber slashed at the nearest leg, but it pulled away at the last second. She growled, and pivoted for another attack.

Amber ducked and weaved between the Boss's stabbing legs. Each time she thought she had a clear shot, the target leg would jolt away.

"How is it doing that?" she hissed.

A barbed limb lashed out, nearly catching Amber's face. She barely managed to backflip away. She paused beyond the legs' reach to catch her breath.

"Careful, Amber!" her father's strained voice called out.

"Gas pedal, Dad!" she shouted back.

Something wasn't right. The Spider seemed to know exactly where she was, even when its grotesque eyes weren't focused on her. Kate the Bear was also struggling to land teeth or claws on the swift arachnid.

Amber gritted her teeth. Her knives flashed in the dim light as she unleashed another flurry of attacks. [Slash][Slash][Slash]: each strike met nothing but air. The Spider's legs jerked away with preternatural speed, leaving Amber off-balance and cursing under her breath. She narrowly avoided a retaliatory swipe.

"Dammit!" she hissed. "Why can't I hit this thing?"

Tess called out instructions, and laid down well-rehearsed formations.

Hana's voice rang out, and a sickly green burst of energy slammed into the Spider's flank. Richard's [Fireballs] scorched its hairy legs.

Legit . . . that kindaaaa smells like crab legs.

The Spider's movements slowed a fraction.

Amber lunged forward, and finally connected with a satisfying 'thunk' as her blade bit deep into one of its joints.

"Yes!"

The Spider Boss roared. Her body seemed to swell, and her hairs stood on end. Her abdomen and thorax contracted.

Amber yelped and barely rolled away in time.

A pained roar and an agonized scream cut through the chaos.

"My eyes!" Her Dad screeched. "Get back!"

Kate the Bear pawed at the spear-like hairs in her face. Several hairs had found the eye slot in Tom's visor.

"Amber, Kate, fall back now!" Tess commanded. "Ranged attacks only, keep up the pressure! KATE! KATE! Over here, KATE!"

Amber bristled, and reluctantly backed away. "But I was just starting to—"

"No need to risk it, Amber!" Tess barked. "We're doing this as safe as possible."

Amber watched helplessly as her father—nearly blind —struggled to keep the Spider's attention while the others finished it off.

"This isn't fair," she muttered. "I barely got to do anything."

*****

The fight was slow and methodical.

The Matriarch shot more of her barbs at them, but everyone but Tom was out of range. She eventually keeled over and died.

"Good work, everyone!" Tess was beaming.

Amber sulked.

What a boring fight.

Her Dad slouched against the cavern wall, his swollen eyes clamped shut. Blood, sweat, and tears trickled down his face. Kate—back in human form—had her hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were bruised and puffy, but she had only been hit once with the spell and still had her sight. Her dad on the other hand, had been hit several times.

"Dad?" Amber knelt beside him, and was warmed by her mother's [Regeneration Aura]. "Are you . . . can you see anything?"

Tom gritted his teeth. "Not at the moment," he hissed. "I'll be all right. Are you good? Scared the hell out of me earlier."

Finn hobbled over. He had not complained once during the long hike and their trials in the Dungeon, but his face was pale and drawn, and his movements were slow and weary.

"I'm good, Dad." Amber paused. "I'm sorry you guys got into a fight over me."

Tom seemed to sag further down the trunk-wall. "I'm just . . . scared for everyone, Amber. It's hard to let go of that. You know, I—"

The ground shook and rumbled. A familiar crystal slowly emerged from the earth. Its facets caught what little light there was, and sent rainbow refractions dancing through the cavern.

Despite everything, a smile tugged Amber's lips. "We did it! Another Dungeon down. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm happy to be out of this place."

"We might be back next week," Tess reminded her.

The smile froze. Phantom sensations crawled across Amber's skin. Sticky, constricting webs clogged her throat. Acidic egg sacks corroded her flesh. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe.

"Amber?" Her mother's voice was far away. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Amber shook her head, trying to dispel the creeping dread. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Kate peered at her for a moment. "Do you want to touch the crystal? I'm sure you're excited to get the experience."

Amber jumped to her feet and moved to the central plinth. However, as she stared at the glittering crystal, all she could think about was being trapped.