Choose element: Gravity, Matter, Excitation, Vibration, Electromagnetism

Dale stared at the list. “Which is the best?” He pondered.

“Oh WISE and brilliant-.”

“Shaddup.” Dale shot back at the little terror.

Bobby was giggling. Dale looked down and in his hands he was holding a small unicorn with wings.

“What is that, Bobby?” Linda asked, fear growing in her eyes.

“Familiar!” Bobby crowed.

Dale’s eyes grew wide and he looked at the little Pegasus unicorn. Then he glanced at the imp he’d been ‘gifted’ and his lip curled a little.

“What can I-?” The imp began. Dale held up a finger to forestall any further useless comments.

“You chose Mage Initiate?” Dale asked the little boy who nodded, then laughed again at something the little unicorn had said. The voice was very high pitched and quiet; Dale’s hearing failing prevented him from hearing much around that pitch level.

“Can you ask which element yields the most early on?” Dale asked Bobby. Linda gave him a look that could strip paint. Dale shrugged. “My familiar sucks! I thought the hack writing this was gonna go with earth, air, water, fire, spirit. You know, normal fantasy stuff. This asshole ripped off tabletop and then makes his magic system physics based! What sense does that shit make?”

“Language.” The old woman that Linda had healed chastised.

Before Dale could say anything, Linda gave Dale a look. He held his tongue.

“Eggs!” Bobby called out. The familiar squeaked something. “Eggite-ishon.”

“Excitation.” Dale nodded and then selected that element.

Dale asked the old woman, “What happened to you?”

“Walmart.” She threw her hand in the general direction of the retail store. “There are two armies fighting it out. I barely escaped! Only reason they didn’t chase me was because they were too busy fighting each other.”

Dale looked up and stared at the double doors slid all the way open. “Armies?”

New Quest: Turn the tide! Turn the tide of battle to win a secret prize!

Dale’s instincts told him whatever it was had to be special. He now regretted not armoring up in Academy when he had the chance. His worry about making sure he was one of the first to raid Sam’s club had put him at a massive disadvantage here.

“Where are the armies?” Dale asked the woman.

“The bad ‘uns are near the doors, keeping the people trapped.” She waved her hand in the direction of the doors again. By the look of her eyes, she was close to passing out. Looks like faith healing took a lot of energy from the body to work its miracle. Dale was now a little glad

Dale half-jogged, half-walked over to the cart rack. His weight once again stifling any hope of athleticism. He pulled out a cart and began marching toward the doors of Walmart.

The closer he marched, the louder and harder his heartbeat. Blood was pounding in his skull. He knew the only way to change the tide of war. Someone had to do something big and wreckless. Not only that, but it had to be the RIGHT thing. At the RIGHT time. That what separated a whole lot of dead soldiers with dead medal of honor winners. If they did the RIGHT thing at the RIGHT time.

The darkened door yawned before him and grew as he stomped his way closer. He wouldn’t get a second shot at this.

He reached the door and slowed down to gain some clarity of the events.

A ragged line of orcs, gremlins, and a new monster crowded near the double doors. They were facing toward the checkout lanes and jeering, growling, and howling.

The new type of monster was a red scaled version of the gremlins, but they bore a longer snout.

“Kobolds.” Dale growled.

The doors into Walmart were wide open. Someone must have pried them open when the power first went out. The monsters weren’t even trying to close them back. They were just guarding this exit. Bobby desperately wanted to go check the other main door on the household goods side of the store. It didn’t take a genius to realize his brain was trying to talk him out of what he was about to do.

He took a massively deep breath and started to charge!

The monsters were too loud to hear the squeaking wheels of his cart or the rapid thud of his heavy footfalls.

The cart smashed into the line!

Monsters went tumbling, some yelped, others groaned, and a couple screamed. Dale yanked the cart back and smashed it into another gathered bunch of monsters. He was screaming now, yelling at the top of his lungs.

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A few of the monsters started running away.

Dale pulled back and slammed into a smaller group of monsters.

To the other humans in the store, he looked like a demented lawn mower, pushing the mower back and forth over stubbornly tall grass while screaming at the top of his lungs.

Dale heard their battle cry. Just before a massive shovel stabbed into his gut. The orc grunted and yanked the shovel to the side, tearing a massive gash in Dale’s stomach. The pain blacked him out before he could scream.

_________________________________________________

Dale’s eyes shot open. He tried to sit up.

Hands held him down. Dale looked over and possibly the biggest person Dale had ever seen in his life was looming over his head with a big grin. “Can’t let you up yet.”

“Damn straight. What kinda crazy fool does some shit like that?” Linda chastised from where she sat in a chair to the left.

“Language!” Bobby crowed, grinning at being able to chastise his mommy for once.

“Oh hush!” Linda grinned and tousled her son’s hair. Her face wasn’t smiling when she turned back. “You are lucky there was a nurse here. She gained a regular healing ability that don’t rely on god or anyone else but her.”

“Happy to use it, too.” Another, darker black woman walked in. She was officious and spare, her body lean and strong like a tight coiled whip ready to crack. “Sir, what you did saved our lives.”

“Damn straight!” An older Hispanic gentleman bellowed as he followed her in. “Great work, soldier! You gave us the opening we needed to break their lines. Once we overran the ones you ran into, we came around the outside of the store to take down the other group guarding the entrance over there.” He pointed. “Then, we were able to pincer the automotive group.” He plunged his fist into his other hand. “You got guts. I’ll give you that.”

“They were spilled all over the floor!” Linda cried out.

“Yes, oh wise and brave master. Here, let me show you!” The imp’s eyes twinkled with joy as it brought forth an alien memory. Dale couldn’t stop it in time and had to view his intestines in pieces on the floor next to him, lying in a pool of his blood.

“Damnit! Stop that!” Dale growled at the imp who offered a fake chastised expression and bowed towards him. Dale rolled his eyes.

“Thank you.” Dale told the nurse.

“No thanks needed, we owe you for rescuing us.” The nurse explained.

“If you were still in, I’d be putting you in for a medal.” The Hispanic gentleman remarked. “What branch were you in?”

“Navy. You?” Dale asked, although he believed the man was pure marine.

“Marine corps. Ten years active, now I’m a drilling reservist.” The man explained. “Major Hector Lopez.” He offered a hand to shake and Dale shook it.

“Dale Stevens, retired chief.” Dale shifted his eyes to the nurse. “How long was I out? I got kids waiting for me.”

“Bout a half hour.” The nurse explained. “You lost about ten pounds though.”

Dale looked down and saw his stomach was definitely shrunk. “What the hell?”

“This magic healing comes directly from the body’s reserves. Luckily you had enough, and your metabolism is quick. If not, you’d probably be snoring away for about a day.” She informed him. “I would say you need rest. But honestly, this magic stuff is telling me you’re right as rain.” She shrugged.

“You got enough experience for an ability?” Dale asked her.

Her face was tight with pain when she answered. “We’ve been fighting these things since this started. The orcs gathered up the rest and a huge thing that looked like a bugbear, I think. Whatever it was, it’s dead now. All of them are dead now.”

“You know tabletop?” Dale asked.

She nodded. “My husband and I used to play. Before he passed from cancer. He was a fanatic so me not playing wasn’t really an option.” She chuckled and sighed at some fond memory.

“Sorry for your loss.” Dale offered.

She smiled. “Thank you. He’s been gone for a while, so I’ve managed to turn my grief around quite a bit. I’m Lashawna Mellon.”

“Nice to meet you. And thank you again for saving me.” Dale was allowed to sit up at her nod to the big man that had kept him lying down.

He stood on wobbly legs and looked over at Linda.

“You’re leaving.” She stated without him having to tell her.

He nodded. “Gotta get to my son and daughter. Hoping I’m not too late.”

The Major piped up. “Your cart is waiting for you at the main door. I’ll take you to it.”

Dale was turning to leave when a little bundle of energy hit his legs, squeezing tight.

“You can’t go!” Bobby cried.

Dale extracted himself and squatted down. He looked Bobby in the eyes. “You know how your mommy is all alone out here?”

Bobby shot a glance at his mom and turned back to nod.

“Well, I’ve got a son and a daughter that are all alone too. I’ve gotta go get them and help them stay safe. What do you have to do?” Dale asked him.

Bobby looked around at all the adults, then at his mom. “I gotta help keep my mommy safe.”

“That’s right. Now give me a hug and I’ll see you in a few days maybe.” Dale said.

“You promise?” Bobby asked him, staring hard at Dale.

Dale nodded firmly. “I promise. If you’re here, I’ll see you in a few days.”

Bobby gave him a firm hug which Dale returned before heading out of the offices of Walmart. The Major walked alongside Dale.

“I could use you.” The Major stated.

“Not without my kids.” Dale responded. The Major nodded in understanding.

“We’ll keep the boy and his mother safe.” The Major stated, firm.

“Major Lopez, I’m assuming that this is only the beginning. If there are smart monsters that can gather the others into fighting units, it’s only a matter of time before this goes to shit. You know that, right?” Dale asked him.

The man shook his head. “Not with people like you out there and that godsend of a nurse back here.”

“At least you have a good attitude.” Dale commented as they arrived. He saw two people picking up and carrying away an orc body. “Wait, you guys don’t know about looting?!”

The Major brought Dale to the back area of the loading dock where they had left all the bodies. There was a large dumpster near. Dale began showing them how to loot and then get rid of the extra items that came with the Harvest skill that you received when you looted something. The five volunteers, Dale, and the Major made quick work of the pile of monster corpses while dumping the ‘materials’ into the dumpster.

When they finished, Dale came over to trade the coins to the Major.

Hector shook his head. “Keep ‘em. You earned it. I heard what that woman in there said. She couldn’t heal you and you knew that going in. You sacrificed yourself for a bunch of people you didn’t even know. While you have two kids waiting for you.”

“They are grown. One’s a sixteen-year-old and the other is twenty-one.” Dale argued.

The Major snorted. “Keep your money, Chief Stevens. That’s an order.”

Dale finally remembered he had a quest to turn in.

You have gained the ability: Breacher – The fourth wall is no longer an obstacle. Tier 1 gives the ability to know when an audience vote is coming.

Dale grinned. “The tables are turning, you petty…” Dale kept himself from speaking aloud any of the nasty things he felt like saying to the writer.

It didn’t take long until Dale was on his way, pulling his cart and carrying his spear. The little terror from hell lazily flying around his head, clogging his nose with stench. At least he had an extra fifteen silver in his pocket for his trouble.