“Do you think it’s strange?” Lance said.

“The mixture of monsters, their movements and mixture?” Yanesh spoke up. “Yes.”

“Guesses?” Lance asked. He paused a second, frowning as he eyed the trio and called out. “Right.”

“Left,” Matt called back, already pulling and firing.

Arrows arced and fell in short order, plunging deep into the dog-centipede creatures and piercing their bodies. One killed, the other two injured. Not that it mattered since two more arrows soon after, killing the creatures and adding their bodies to the on-going tally.

Beneath, on the car-littered streets, more people were coming out; some armed with broomsticks, hammers, pipes and other makeshift weaponry. Many edged along the walls towards their parking lot, as they realized that there was some degree of safety there under the trio’s watchful eyes.

“My guess? I’m thinking dungeon break,” Yanesh said.

Matt frowned. Of them all, he had been the least interested in that kind of literature, preferring his more traditional fantasy and science fiction. “What’s that?”

“What it sounds like – dungeons are meant to hold monsters. Dungeon breaks are when the monsters escape,” Lance replied coolly, relaxing and rotating his arms. He looked down, counting the number of arrows left before pursing his lips.

A quick mental command had the Shop interface come up again as he searched.

Quiver of Broadhead Arrows (Regular) * 20

5 coins

Unending Quiver of Broadhead Arrows (Regular)

100 coins

+20 for modifiable version

Yup. Nothing had changed. 120 coins was a lot, especially considering he only had twenty three right now. A half-dozen arrows left in his quiver which meant he really needed another quiver. Sighing to himself, he put the five coins into the Shop, watching as it added the arrows directly to the quiver on his hip.

“I should get a refund… it doesn’t even give me another quiver,” Lance grumbled.

“Totally, man. We’ll just get the help line on the phone and bitch to our interplanetary overlords about them cheating us.” Matt said, nodding quickly. “Let me just get my phone out…”

“Smartass.”

“Yup.”

Before the two could continue bickering, noise from behind had all three of them pivot about. The staircase entrance to the areas below opened, revealing the young lady and her office mate, the pair looking a little worse for wear from the climb but otherwise uninjured.

“She’s cute…” Yanesh muttered absently.

“Seriously man, you need to get laid,” Matt muttered, even as he pivoted back around to keep an eye on the street. Spotting another monster, he drew and fired.

“Yanesh, on watch with those two. Don’t let them get too close,” Lance said. “Let me know when they’re close enough to talk.” Then he turned back to watching the street.

“Why am I always not getting coins…” grumbled Yanesh, though he kept an arrow strung on his bow and his eyes on the pair as they came closer.

“Because you’re the worst shot among us. We told you, you needed to practice distant shooting more,” Matt said. “Trick shots are great for likes, but it ain’t the real thing.”

“Yeah, yeah. No need to rub it in…” Yanesh said, then took his hand off the string long enough to hold it upwards as the two newcomers arrived. “That’s close enough.”

“What?” the man stutter stopped, feet frozen as he stared at the group. “Why are you pointing your weapons at us?” He sounded quite incensed.

“Apocalypse rules,” Yanesh replied.

“What?” the man said, surprised.

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It was the woman who put a hand on the man’s arm, calming him as she continued. “Don’t trust anyone, because in a crisis situation, you never know how people will react. But we don’t mean you harm. We actually… well, we just want to know if you know what is going on. Because you do.”

“Why do you think that?” Lance asked, as he turned around after loosing another arrow. He didn’t even bother looking, knowing it would land correctly. He had felt it, the moment he released the string.

“Your bows. You’re killing the monsters, right when they come out. It’s like… you’re prepared,” she said. The man nodded, though his eyes were filled with suspicion.

“Ah. Coincidence,” Lance said. Seeing the suspicion bloom even further, Lance waved at the bows and his car a short distance away. “Really. We just finished our training session and were putting everything away when, well, we saw the monsters.” Lance paused, then added absently. “I will admit, we’ve read a bunch of LitRPG apocalypses before, so this isn’t, you know, new.”

“Lit-what?” the man said.

“LitRPG. Literature Role-playing games fiction. Basically, status screens. Like what we have now, sort of. Except, there doesn’t seem to be much in terms of superior healing or actual status screens – just the Shop,” Yanesh said, raising his hand to stare at a small cut on the back of it that had yet to heal. He’d gotten that days ago, brushing up against a table too hard.

“Exactly. It’s fiction, that seems to have come real,” Lance said. “Solo Leveling, the System Apocalypse, you know, all that stuff.”

“I don’t know. You’re saying we’re in a book?” the woman’s voice grew higher, incredulous.

“Or something close to that.” Lance shrugged. “Anyway, kill monsters, loot them and get coins. I think you figured that out already, no?”

The woman nodded a little. “I knew you were looting them… but I didn’t realise you were getting coins.” She paused, then drew a deep breath. “How did you do that? Do you have an extra bow we could use?”

Yanesh quickly explained the loot functions, while Lance turned away as the other man talked. In the short time he had looked away, even more monsters had arrived. He drew and fired, whittling them down as the other office workers and civilians either hid back in their stores or offices or ran away. Where, he had no idea, nor did he particularly care.

“So, you’re what? Grinding for coins now?” the woman – Sarah who’d introduced herself and her officemate Neil – asked. She looked a little put out, that they hadn’t been willing to give her a bow, but considering the distances and crowd below, she’d be more of a danger than not.

“Yes,” Yanesh said. “I’m going for a healer-mage build once I get enough coins.” He tapped his bow against his leg, adding. “Since I can use this too, I can do DPS and heal from the back.”

“DPS?” Neil frowned, puzzled.

“Damage per second. In this, DPS role means someone who does damage to monsters. It’s a gaming term,” Yanesh explained.

Lance loosed another arrow, frowning as he drew and fired again almost immediately. He watched as the first one hit, glancing off the armour but causing the chitinous monster to look upwards, just in time to receive the arrow in its face.

“Right. We need to close that dungeon,” Lance said. “Matt, you in?”

“What?” Matt blinked, then shook his head. “I got to wait for Amy. If I was gone…”

“I got it. No worries man,” Lance replied, looking at Yanesh who stared back. “You should stay too. It’s a few hundred coins to hit Healer and you just aren’t good enough, man. If you can get the coins safely, you’d be more useful when I get back.”

“I’m willing to go!” Yanesh protested.

“I know. But you’re slow,” Lance said. That was the truth. After all, he’d only started a few months ago. As good as he’d gotten, there was still quite a distance from being an actual expert.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? We don’t even know if it’s a real dungeon or just an opening to another plane or…”

Lance shrugged. “Only one way to find out. And if this is anything like the games, first clear advantages are huge.”

Sarah’s lips thinned as she listened, then she stepped forward, ignoring the sudden twitch in Yanesh’s hands. She leaned forward, eyes fixed on the two. “You’re sure this is like a game?”

“Sure? No. But I’m going to act like it because that’s all I got,” Lance replied. “Why?”

“Because if that’s the case, you’re going to need a tank. Buy me a shield and sword and I’ll tank for you.”

“Are you insane, Sarah?” Neil protested. “You’ll get yourself killed.”

“No, he’s right. If this is a game, then we need coins. We need to fight and kill, and if there’s a dungeon, we need to clear it.” Sarah replied, grimly.

Neil shuddered, looking out the alley before he nodded after a second. “Fine. I’ll come to. I’ll… tank?”

“Standing in front, killing monsters while I shoot them from behind you,” Lance replied.

“You should go with a spear. And armour. Both of you,” Matt spoke up, turning around to look them both over. “Maybe a mace and shield for him, if you want more versatility.”

“What? No, a sword…” Neil replied.

“Nah, Neil-mate. You don’t want a sword,” Matt said. “Not unless you’re one of those HEMA folks who know how to use it. Spears are best because it’s stupid easy to learn and keeps the monsters far away from you, which considering you ain’t got armour, is a good thing. Maces are good too – blunt damage against chitin is probably better, but it’ll mean you’re much closer. So shield to keep them away.”

“Oh.” He frowned, as he watched as Lance, after interrogating Sarah a bit more purchased a boar spear and some basic breastplate and an armoured skirt for her.

“A skirt?” Sarah frowned, glaring at Lance. “Because I’m a girl?”

“Because it’s easy to put on, it’s cheap and it’ll cover the important bits while not hindering movements. Also, the Romans all wore stuff like that,” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “Now, come on. Both of you. Get dressed and let’s get going.”

Having said his bit, the man turned back to the streets, searching for monsters. Armed and armoured minimally, Lance looked back at the two and then at his friends. He drew a breath, settling the minor nerves that thrummed through him.

“Let’s go. The sooner we get this done, the better. You two – cover fire, will you? And stay safe.”

Once the pair nodded, Lance purchased another sheaf of arrows and stuck it into his mobile quiver before heading for the exit, followed soon after by the pair, barely hearing the goodbye’s his friends had called out to him.