The Adventurers of Dan and Other Stories: A LitRPG Apocalypse Collection

by Wolfe Locke

  I stepped outside and closed the door. The other recruits were hard at work hauling plywood toward the temporary wall. The Undead had scattered everything all over the subdivision.

  Ashley waved when she saw me. “Are you heading out?” she asked curiously. “Is it just you?”

  “Guess so,” I responded, not seeing anything else.

  “Cool!” Eric said, chiming in as he walked over. “Do you think we can come with you? Or can we help in any way? You’re going out into the real world, and that’s so exciting. We’ve been stuck here.”

  Ah. My escort. “This is the real world, be glad you don’t have to be out there,” I replied. “At least more real than whatever is out there waiting for us.”

  Eric reddened. “You know what I mean. It’s crowded here, and I’d like to see what’s happening to the world. You get it right?”

  He basically repeated himself, but no, I didn’t.

  “I think we need to stay here,” Bjorn said, changing the subject. “We have our orders. We work on the wall. Dan gets materials so we can take this one down and build a better wall.”

  “Efficient,” Ashley said with a nod, wanting to keep things good with Bjorn.

  I shrugged. It wasn’t my problem if they got along well or not. As if on cue, Edgar ran over, and the look he gave me wasn’t exactly one of appreciation.

  “Recruits, let’s go!” he hollered, clapping his hands. The others then dragged the plywood away.

  Once they were gone, he turned to me, face serious. “Are you ready?”

  “To go on my quest? Find materials? Go out into the proverbial apocalyptic wilderness?” I replied, my lips pursing.

  Edgar bit back some less than nice words he was holding in and calmed himself before responding. “No, not the quest, not yet. To see the house.”

  “Oh.” It didn’t ring any bells to me. Napoleon looked excited at the word “house”. I assumed he remembered the giant spiders he’d eaten in my living room, back when I’d still had a living room.

  He led the way, and in less than a minute, we were stepping onto the property of the house in question. Edgar looked grim as he pushed a door open.

  “This is what we’re up against,” he said, stepping aside so I could see what he meant. “It’s the same in most of the buildings beyond the sphere of your influence with the Republic. They take over every building they get into.”

  I peered into what was basically my worst nightmare. The entire house was full of spiderwebs, just like mine had been. A spider tried to crawl across the ceiling, and Napoleon gleefully immobilized it in his bear form, allowing the mimic to quickly eat it.

  “Is this unusual?” I asked, ducking under a thick web as we moved inside to check it out further.

  “Very. We haven’t seen anything like this before in a claimed area. Spontaneous dungeon creation is one thing, as are monster spawn points, but this is different. There’s something about your subdivision that’s attracting them. We’re not sure what it is yet. We’ve tried to clear them out, but we keep missing the last of them. Apparently, we need to get all of them in one clear. If we miss even one, they just grow back.”

  Hm. That sounded ominous. Napoleon abruptly waddled forward and lunged. His true form partially revealed underneath the image of the meat bear. Huge teeth appeared in a dislodged jaw. Napoleon bit down and ate another spider, crunching its hard exoskeleton between his teeth.

  Edgar grimaced; I could tell he wasn’t a fan of my bet. “We removed most of the bodies, but as you can see, it’s still a mess.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Aside from the spider webs, the walls were covered in dirt, mud and other unpleasant-looking stains, and dried blood was caked to the floor. There were a few white things under the dining room table that looked suspiciously like teeth. I wasn’t sure what the Crusaders were used to, but I’d be seriously creeped out if I tried to sleep in a house that had once looked like a bunch of people were murdered by monsters in it.

  Then again, I couldn’t be too judgemental. I’d passed out in my own filth once or twice after a rough night at the bar. So, in this one case, I wasn’t really the one to judge.

  “We don’t need to go upstairs,” Edgar said, grimacing. “But I assure you, it’s even worse up there. It looks like a giant blender went off without a lid on. But I wanted you to see it anyway. We’ve got problems here we need to take care of.. you need to step up more.”

  All was not well in the Republic of Dan. I got the picture. Message read, loud and clear. So maybe I could be doing more. I thought extremely briefly of all the work the Crusaders had been doing while I rested in my room.

  “That’s enough, just know this is what we’ve been trying to work out,” Edgar told me, and I felt something close to guilt. I do need to step up.

  We headed back outside. Napoleon looked disappointed that he didn’t get to kill the rest of the spiders, but I told him we’d come back for them later. He seemed fine with that plan, especially after I told him we were heading out into the wild. After all, who knew what he’d get to eat on our quest?

  “Don’t forget while you’re out there, we need wood, stone, and concrete to finish the work on the walls,” Edgar said, staring deep into my eyes. When did he get so serious? “Also, whatever you can find to hold things together— nails, screws, anything. As for the spiders, see if you can find a flamethrower.”

  “A flamethrower? Really?” I asked, it seemed a bit of overkill. Wasn’t the whole point to reclaim territory? Not burn them down.

  It was badass, but it seemed like that it ran the risk of burning the neighborhood down in addition to killing the spiders. Also, I didn’t think they sold flamethrowers at Live, Laugh, Love Home Goods.

  “Yeah,” Edgar said, clenching his jaw. It seemed he had more he wanted to say, but he schooled his face and continued. “It’s the most efficient option. If it destroys the house, it destroys the house. If you can’t find a flamethrower, a can full of gas and a handful of matches might do the trick.”

  “Hey,” I protested. “These houses all belonged to me. You can’t just burn them down.”

  But he wasn’t listening. “I’m not sure where you’re going, as you like to say, this is your neighborhood. This is where you're from, but see if you can make it back before dark. We have a lot of work to do before the next big attack. I can’t say exactly when it’ll come, but I think it’ll be soon.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” I responded. “ ButI’m not exactly sure where I’m going either.”

  I had a vague notion of some of the stuff and quietly cursed myself for not paying more attention. I mean, I’d been to Live, Laugh, Love before on occasion. I’m not ashamed to admit it. They have nice throw pillows. I bought some for my brother once and a change of sheets when he was in college. But something told me it had probably changed a little bit since the last time I’d seen it.

  “Good luck out there,” Edgar said. “I think you’ll need it. Try not to die. Rumor is you’ve only 2 respawns left.”

  And with that, I set off beyond the wall with Napoleon on my shoulder. My trusty pet was the only companionship I needed. Whatever came our way, we were ready to face it. Apparently alone, as Eric and the others waved to me from the wall. No escort after all.

  Chapter Nine: Rowe's Building Supplies

  * * *

  “Alright, buddy,” I said, turning towards my mimic companion as we moved. “First stop, Rowe’s Building Supplies.”

  Napoleon growled next to my ear, and I shuddered. I half expected him to lurch out and attack. Thankfully, he didn’t. Although I had other complaints, he was surprisingly heavy for a teddy bear made of meat. Still, I was glad to have him along. It was good to have someone to talk to, even if he couldn’t talk back.

  I chose Rowe’s first because I figured it would have what we needed. One-stop shopping was the way to go. I still didn’t know why Lirai wanted me to go to the Hamburger King or Live, Laugh, Love, but I’d learned to stop questioning what the AI
had to say. Still, it didn’t seem like I had all that much control over my life these days, and if there were stops I could avoid, I wanted to skip them.

  “Nice day,” I said absentmindedly, trying to make small conversation with the mimic.

  Napoleon didn’t respond, not that I thought he would, but if the mimic could magic itself into a bear's body, I figured it could magic itself up a mouth too. And honestly? It wasn’t that nice a day. I was just trying to make conversation… with a meat puppet. That said a lot about me and the boredom I faced already. But hey, I was trying.

  I’m just rehashing what’s already been established. Focusing on the outside world was a better use of time spent rather than idling away with random thought trains.

  The weather was weird. The sky was always a fiery, post-apocalyptic red, like there was a fire in the distance or something. It reminded me of that movie— you know the one, with the giant evil eye on the tower, and the little guys trying to save the world. Just like that, but real. Karon and the necklaces? That doesn’t seem right.

  “Napoleon,” I said, looking at the bear-terror. “Where do you even come from? Should I be worried about running into others of your kind? Or will you be watching out for me?”

  He turned and growled in my ear. Is he threatening me? I guess being bonded only goes so far. Must not be much of a conversationalist.

  I hadn’t really been outside of my neighborhood, except for my short attempts at wider exploration and whatever you’d call my time in the Decimation Series. I was surprised at how much the neighborhood had changed. The pavement was cracked and pitted, as if it had been years since the world had ended, rather than a couple of days. The houses all looked creepy and haunted, and I could see strange shapes moving inside them. Not like the zombies from before. These things, whatever they were, had too many limbs, and they scuttled around like insects. I wasn’t exactly eager to face them head on.

  Nothing attacked me, not yet, but I could feel that something was coming. I just knew it.

  “How are you feeling, buddy?” I asked, eyeing the strange things cautiously. “Are you ready to take something on? You know… just in case?”

  The mimic turned to me with a satisfied and eager growl. Good boy. “I’m lucky to have you, I really am. You’re a good dog.”

  With all the changes to the neighborhood, it was difficult to tell where I was going, and I might have gotten lost on my way to Rowe’s if not for the glowing green arrow overlaid on my vision. Lirai’s doing, I’m sure. At least that’s what I guessed, it kept adjusting itself as I moved.

  I followed the arrow. It took us to the right, down another weird suburban street, and onto the big road that led toward the center of town. I always hated those kinds of roads. You can probably picture it. Gas stations, strip malls, six different iterations of the China Express, and a sketchy place promising massages and happy endings.

  It was ugly.

  A blight.

  Every time I drove down it, I wished they’d tear the whole thing up and start over.

  Only this time, the area was actually blighted. Thick spiderwebs covered many of the buildings, and those that were clear were covered in a layer of gray ash. It felt like a fallout zone, or rather if I had to guess, it felt like how I’d always imagined traveling to Chernobyl would be like. I knew, just by looking at the place, that something was about to go down. A mental image of a two flashed before my eyes, reminding me I was running out of respawns before getting kicked from the Crusaders.

  I was halfway sure I could hear the sound of music on the air, and then that vague music sound abruptly changed to something more hardened, faster, almost metallic.

  “Get ready, buddy,” I said. “I bet we’re going to have to fight soon.”

  Right on cue, something howled, something big from behind the Kiku Sushi building. I got my trusty bat ready, and was ready to pull out the Katana too if needed. I’d been putting it off on account of not having a lot of work with the blade. Napoleon jumped off my shoulder to stand at my side. He left a little bit of meat slime on my shirt, and I tried to wipe it off discreetly. After all, I didn’t want to offend him. That mimic is the only friend I had in this place.

  Whatever manner of monster it was howled again, closer this time, and another howl answered it. More? At least two. I raised my bat high as three hideous creatures came bounding around the corner of the strip mall building. My only saving grace was knowing my strength stat was through the roof, and I had a few abilities I could count on.

  Chapter Ten: What’s Out There

  * * *

  I was pretty positive I was in for a world of hurt as soon as they moved around the corner. They were kind of like werewolves, but not quite. Like, if werewolves walked on two legs and had way, way too many teeth. Like, six rows deep.

  Their claws were about six inches long, and their proportions were all off in a way that was really unsettling. Their arms were too big, and their legs were too small, and it didn’t make sense that they could move as fast as they were, but somehow, they were doing it. The largest one seemed to be the leader, and he turned his pig-like face back and forth, sniffing the air.

  Looking for prey. Looking for me... What are they?

  Notification – Enemy – Balverines

  Details: Balverines are wolf-like, aggressive creatures that possess exceptional strength and viciousness. They are highly dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Once on the hunt, they attack relentlessly until they either kill their enemy or are destroyed. They can infect others with their bite, turning their prey into Balverines as well, if the target survives their attack.

  Suggestion: Players are advised to carry silver if they are going into an area frequented by these creatures.

  “Thanks, Lirai,” I whispered, afraid they might hear me but still wanting to show my appreciation. “Balverines, like in that one game.”

  I turned and looked over at Napoleon. “Hey, buddy, you think you can help me out and take one on?”

  Napoleon made a gurgling noise low in his throat that I hoped was a yes. At least I thought it was a yes since it sounded kind of happy.

  “Good,” I muttered, eyeing him. “Because we sure don’t have any silver bullets.”

  I was pretty sure Napoleon nodded his head to let me know he was ready. As soon as the Balverines turned the corner, the leader hopped up on a car and started sniffing the air, as if it couldn’t see we were basically right in front of it.

  The head Balverine howled, and the whole group split in two. One group started racing toward us, while the other passed us in a lumbering sprint.

  I wished I’d taken the time to learn some useful magic. Maeybe archer archery too or some kind of ability... really, any ranged attack would have been good so I wouldn’t be stuck beating these things with a baseball bat at close range. But in life, you have to work with what you’ve got.

  And this was all I had.

  Like the skeletons I’d fought back in the Republic of Dan, the Balverines had green bars floating above their heads, just instead of one bar, it was two. Alright, so maybe I’ll have to swing twice. Not an issue.

  One of the smaller, quicker Balverines got to me first, and it swung a burly arm at me, trying to completely rip me open with its sharp claws. I jumped out of the way as fast as I could, and those claws slashed through empty air.

  Somehow, I lost Napoleon.

  The Balverine looked at me in shock, and I have to admit, I was a little shocked too. I’d gone from dying during calisthenics to dodging death blows. I was in way better shape than I’d been when this whole thing started. The difference between living and dying was a few power ups and stat allocation.

  The Balverine roared in my face, spittle flying from its mouth. It was furious that it had missed me. I got the sense that it wasn’t used to its prey surviving the first attack. Well, that was its problem, not mine. It roared as it came toward me, and its breath was hot and foul, like an egg sandwich you forgot in the car. It
was pretty gross. I tried my best to breathe through my mouth as the creature advanced on me while keeping my eyes on the others as they moved around me.

  Once it got within range, I swung out with my bat, expecting the frost attack to kick in like it usually did. And while my bat definitely had a certain iciness to it, it wasn’t really performing at the level I needed it to. My trusty weapon thudded against the Balverines muscular chest. It grunted in pain and a third of its health bar disappeared, but otherwise, the attack hadn’t done quite what I needed it to do.

  The Balverine looked down at the bat, then up at me, snarling. Red foam dripped from its mouth and onto the asphalt. It might have been blood, I wasn’t sure, but I was a little hopeful I’d done some internal damage.