Apocalypse command a dun.., p.9
Apocalypse Command: A Dungeon Crawler LitRPG Adventure (Gravity And Divinity System 2), page 9
“He was like this the whole time during our crawl,” Frank said. “I tossed him off a small cliff.”
“You what?” Brit gasped.
“I know,” Frank said. “I should’ve tossed him off a bigger one. Won’t stick, sadly. He got that gravity thing.”
“Was he like a sore toothache and the nearest dentist is hundreds of miles away?” Brit asked.
“You have,” Frank said, “the best phrases.”
“Comes with the southern charm,” Brit said.
And just like that, Frank’s emotional gravity lightened some. Jay wondered if Brit could be the girl to help the Dragon [Fighter] chill out. Or maybe she could be that for everybody– except the [Freak].
She might act harder with Jay since he was already one of the most chill people around. Which was unfair. He already had Frank on his case. Now Brit? Geez, if Casey started harping on him, too, Jay might flee to North Florida. And that was a last-ditch plan if North Florida was involved.
“Lunch!” Jay cheered, arms spread wide.
Central High had two cafeterias since it was that outrageously huge. The seniors got one cafeteria to themselves so they could all congregate together at the same time before the fifth or sixth period. All the other students had to go to lunch at different blocks during those periods.
And, yes, the senior-only cafeteria was drop-dead fantastical.
Greenery hung from the alabaster rafters supporting the ceiling window panes where natural sunlight beamed through. The greenery crawled down fluted columns on the sides, tucking behind a bunch of lush plants stationed all around the spacious atrium. Black, white, and gold banners with a roaring lion imprinted on the face adorned the perimeter walls, and the walls of the second-floor dining area propped up in the middle of the cafeteria on steel mezzanines. A dozen food stations offering local and foreign cuisine became gathering hubs at the start of lunch before everyone separated to their tables where their normal cliques waited.
It was mythical. It was ostentation (thanks, 30 Intellect). It was high school heaven. Jay was pretty sure nobody had it like Central High students in a public school setting.
Frank whistled.
“Ninth grade me was just gaping the whole time at the luxury of it all when I got a tour through here,” Brit said, “but this is a lot, ain’t it? How much did YoAnna pour into her queendom?”
“A lot. A lot, a lot,” Frank said. “Where did she get the money? We believe she challenged the global market exchanges and won every time she played. There are rumors that world leaders with ties to the biggest banks had to call and beg her to stop.”
Brit opened and closed her mouth, gobsmacked. She came from the ghetto. She probably couldn’t dream of the amount of money YoAnna had.
“All of this for us, too,” Jay said.
“Not for me,” Frank muttered.
Jay smiled at him, his heterochromatic eyes twinkling. “Now it is.”
“Bah humbug.”
Despite his outwardly bad attitude, Frank’s mood was easing up. He even had an excited twinkle in his dark, smoldering eyes. Jay chuckled, happy to see Frank relax a little. Brit broke into laughter, which was one of the sweetest sounds you could hear.
It had a touch of the Holy Affinity, but Jay didn’t blame her for that. Brit didn’t come across as crazily manipulative, unlike a certain godling who Jay held the biggest crush on.
“Band Lead! Yo, Band Lead!” called a girl standing with a clique of senior band geeks. She broke the levity for Jay, Frank, and especially Brit.
Brit’s emotional gravity flared. Jay had been getting better at reading them. His higher Intellect matched the gravity wavelengths with the emotional pulses he could feel.
Jay was as empathetic as someone could get. He felt Brit’s anxiety, uncertainty, and something a little harder to figure out lying underneath.
It was solid. Dense. Jay could only imagine it was Brit’s Conviction… but she was holding it back.
She was afraid of letting her Conviction rise as it should.
“I gotta go,” Brit said.
“But–” Jay started before she cut him off.
“They’re like children,” Brit said. “Even if you think they’re grown, they still need mothering. They won’t let me abandon them.”
Frank swiped his hand in front of Jay’s face before the [Freak] could argue. The two let Brit drag her feet for a couple of steps before she perked up and got into character.
The Holy [Medium] disappeared.
Brit the Band Lead, the Central High Crusader, came up to the forefront.
She cheered, palled around, and pretended she was still all about the band. Her bandmates ate it up.
“Why did you stop me?” Jay glared at Frank.
“Trust me,” Frank said. “You can’t convince people when they’re already in the bottle. She has to set that bottle down first. And walk towards you. Then you can support her along the way.”
“But, but, but,” Jay stammered, feeling for the gravity of the situation. It felt muddled. Confused. Something was supposed to happen, but things got redirected. “We’re supposed to do something.”
Frank gave Jay a hard look. “And what will happen if we don’t do the thing?”
“It’ll be a missed opportunity,” Jay muttered, feeling sad.
“Then keep your head on a swivel and look for the next opportunity to fix it,” Frank said, pointing past Jay. “Look. Mike, Lilith, and the other knuckleheads are waving at us.”
The other knuckleheads were Rick and Tim, the Central High Junker Twins.
***
Jay got Caribbean food– mainly jerk chicken. Frank picked up something Asian– with lots of spice. Lots and lots of spice.
As portions of Team FAAHI and Team Booty Bandits came together, Jay spied on Mike, Rick, and Tim’s profiles. His left eye glimmered in bright silver-gold for each.
Mike:
…
Name: Michael Zhou, Rank 2
Class: [Initiate Mage, Level 12]
Statuses: [Health: 430/430], [Stamina: 280/280 SP], [Mana: 820/820 MP], [Chance: x3/x4 CM].
Noteworthy Info: This human shares an allegiance with you under the same Godling and Pantheon. No Affinity. His highest Attribute is 57 Intellect. His most signature item is Amulet of Wise Kumat, Good. His most pivotal Skill is [Mana Hype]. His most particular Talent is [Owl Boon]. His most unique Title is [Scholar of Magic].
…
Hm?
Jay didn’t think [Mana Hype] would be the most pivotal Skill. But he supposed when paired with [Owl Boon], a Talent that made Spells and magical Skills more efficient for Mike and allies subjected to his magic, [Mana Hype] could do a lot of good. And the new title [Scholar of Magic] was probably great for Mike, serving as a de facto Champion wizard.
As for Rick:
…
Name: Richard O’Kelly, Rank 1
Class: [Starter Fighter, Level 10]
Statuses: [Health: 850/850 HP], [Stamina: 360/360 SP], [Mana: 200/200 MP], [Chance: x3/x3 CM].
Noteworthy Info: This human shares an allegiance with you under the same Godling and Pantheon. No Affinity. His highest Attribute is 60 Resilience. His most signature item is Big Pest Chopping Axe, Good. His most pivotal Skill is [Hit Me]. His most particular Talent is [Rooster Boon]. No unique Title.
…
And Tim:
…
Name: Timothy O’Kelly, Rank 1
Class: [Starter Fighter, Level 10]
Statuses: [Health: 310/310 HP], [Stamina: 510/510 SP], [Mana: 600/600 MP], [Chance: x3/x3 CM]
Noteworthy Info: This human shares an allegiance with you under the same Godling and Pantheon. No Affinity. His highest Attribute is 50 Perception. His most signature item is Plague Hunter’s Bow, Good. His most pivotal Skill is [Swift and Slick]. His most particular Talent is [Dog Boon]. No unique Title.
…
Looking at the Junker Twins nearly shocked Jay as much as looking at Brit. Team Booty Bandits weren’t kidding about putting their eggs in Brit’s basket. Tim and Rick might be among the weakest out of all the Champions. At least for now.
Ranking up to Level 11 would grant them 24 AP overall, which was good for the Attributes. But they would be far behind Brit.
Jay figured that was okay with them. Other than Frank, the Junker Twins might be the only teens actually familiar with violence before [Omen Bearer of the Apocalypse] became such a big help in that area. Anyone that tried to pick on the ginger-haired, rough-and-tumble, and springy boys would have to see the dentist later.
And it showed in their Talents.
Nobody would think much of Rick’s [Rooster Boon] Talent until they connected it with cockfights. The bloodier, more brutal, and more boisterous Rick got in a fight, the more his Resilience, Strength, and Conviction got boosted.
Then there was Tim with the [Dog Boon] Talent– ambushing targets, tracking down targets, and/or attacking fleeing targets would boost his Agility, Perception, and Discovery. Like a supernatural hunting dog, Tim would be a hard guy to escape from.
Those talents complimented their [Fighter] builds greatly– Rick serving as the Champion berserker, and Tim serving as the Champion archer.
Jay held back a smile as Mike and the Junker Twins flinched from the [Freak’s] divine gaze. Maybe Jay should’ve given them a heads-up just like he did with Frank, but it was also fun to freak them out a little.
“Rooftop Weirdo!” called the grating voice of a bully Jay had put out of his mind. “Come on over here. We gotta finish our chat.”
Jay paused in front of the table with half of the Champions. He could easily sit down and ignore the basketball captain. The bully wouldn’t be brave enough to try a stunt with First Nerd and the Junker Twins at Jay’s table.
Lilith had helped tutor a lot of students, including a good amount of the football team. The Junker Twins were Junkside gangster royalty.
Jay could sit and feel protected with all of that. Frank being the smoldering, one-armed transfer student– Spook– was a bonus.
And Mike was Mike. Not much of a high school threat, but his connection with Lilith extended protection around him.
But sitting and ignoring the basketball captain wouldn’t be the best use of lunch. The gravity of the situation– the narrative– felt like it had a clear pulse here. Jay could feel that. It was rippling against his back, originating from the basketball captain.
But what for? Jay was unsure. He had to find out.
“I’ll be back,” Jay said, setting his tray down.
“Want us to tag along and show him a thing or two?” Rick asked jovially, leering at the basketball goons. Fuming silently, Tim tensed like a rottweiler ready to attack.
Frank, Mike, and Lilith looked at Jay questioningly. It was surprising to see Frank would step in if called upon. Jay appreciated that.
“Hm.” Jay stroked his chin. He had a sudden urge for rum, but none of that was around. “Wait here for a bit. I’ll see how this plays out. There’s gravity to this.”
Mike and Frank nodded knowingly. The others were curious to see the outcome.
Jay walked over to the basketball captain and his dozen male and female basketball goons. They were the tallest kids around, so they all looked down at him.
The [Freak] smiled.
10. Call and Gather
Once upon a time, Jay was just a background guy at Central High. If he ever got any limelight or attention, that was because of being around Second Nerd Mike or First Nerd Lilith. Those two crushed an all-grade academic competition, embarrassing some seniors to receive their nicknames and get known as top tier special kids at Central High.
Jay wasn’t an academic genius. He wasn’t a part of any clubs. When he pursued his extracurriculars, he mostly practiced by himself. He’d gotten bullied out of his last parkour group– the leader didn’t like Jay’s smart mouth. And Jay did street dancing by himself unless Mike or his Mom were involved to help.
The status quo maintained itself until the tenth-grade year. The school nearly erupted with YoAnna Sainte-Rhythms’s arrival. She became the instant Queen overnight. Seeing his childhood friend’s magnified prominence for the first time after such a long time rocked Jay’s world.
They’d never talked at Central High. They’d rarely cross paths. But when they had moved near each other, Jay swore she was still that girl he knew from daycare– but way taller and prettier. Like, ridiculously taller and prettier.
Jay figured she’d forgotten him. He was easy to overlook. It put Jay in a mood as he talked with Mike about it.
Mike felt wary about approaching the Queen since YoAnna was different and above them. Even Lilith was uncertain if YoAnna remembered them or was purposely ignoring them. She seemed so untouchable and distant even to the First Nerd.
YoAnna had her own private classes and other absurd special treatments. She literally existed as Central High royalty. If she requested for faculty and students to fall on their knees, they would. It felt like looking at a Disney Princess with YoAnna.
So, Jay and YoAnna stayed in their separate worlds in the same school. The campus was big enough for these mini-realms of isolation. But not big enough for Jay to ignore YoAnna’s presence and the uncomfortable feelings growing inside him.
Feelings that drove him up the wall.
Literally.
He noticed a groundskeeper shed with a low ceiling next to a dumpster. It started from there. Once he reached the top of the shed, he scaled up a series of ridges on the corner of the performance art building that was three stories tall.
With no harness. No safety net.
Jay climbed.
One kid on the ground floor looked up and pointed. Another student shouted. It was the start of lunch, so everyone was out and about. Word spread fast around the school, reaching from one corner to the next regardless of the distance.
Jay’s climb overlooked the big courtyard in the middle, so a congregation like no other came together. Students and teachers hollered in excitement and fear. The principal pulled out his bullhorn and shouted at Jay to stay put until the authorities arrived.
Jay climbed.
Getting up to the math and science buildings and laboratories was a little tougher. The laboratory had the shape of a huge dome. It even had a fancy telescope sticking out. He crossed over its slippery surface and picked up speed to bound from one side of the dome to the next building. His hands reached for the rain gutter drain.
He struck, slipped, and fell a few feet. The screams and shouts from below were scarier than the actual slip. Jay caught himself in the end.
Jay climbed.
By the time he reached the roof of the tallest building, some faculty members were waiting for him. They had gotten the staircase keys for the ceiling door, the only other way here.
Jay stood at the corner between the roof and space. He felt there was one last piece to this performance before it closed out. One slip-up could spell doom for him. But he was already here. Might as well commit the whole way.
Jay cartwheeled, turned it into a teetering spin, and danced out of the reaching hands of the faculty until he concluded his show with one last move. He landed on his hands and held himself upside down in the corner.
By then, the faculty stopped trying to grab him and waited for him to finish. When he was finally done, and in the faculty’s hands, the roar he heard behind him was the loudest the school had ever experienced yet.
Not even the football games or pep rallies could compare.
His mom got called in, which to the faculty’s frustration only led to Jay and Jhara treating it lightly. He got a week of suspension, forced community hours, and lots of other punishments. But when he walked the halls of Central High, the students, and even some teachers, treated Jay like a hero.
The recognition was intoxicating.
But it failed to draw Queen YoAnna from her lofty heights. His stunt didn’t bridge the distance between him and her. And the luster from his fame didn’t last for long.
The envy of others tainted it.
A few jerks spun his moment of greatness around to highlight Jay’s minor moments of weirdness. Leading the attack was the basketball captain, some guy Jay had never known before until the bully started hounding him.
For the next two years, at least once or twice a month, the basketball captain came around to remind Jay he wasn’t a Rooftop Hero. Jay put it out of his mind, since it wasn’t every day. The basketball captain had others to pick on. Jay also kept it to himself to not bother Mike or Lilith or get his extra-crazy mom involved.
She would hack the guy to pieces.
And serve it to other bullies in soup.
Jay endured it and kept doing his thing. Having fun.
But the past weekend’s craziness with dungeons and assassins had changed things for Jay. It would be easy to smack the basketball captain and become a hero again. Jay could keep the rumor mill running with him on top. If it dipped again, he could find another stunt to raise him into a positive light.
His ego demanded it.
People had bruised his ego for too long at Central High.
“What’s with that look, Weirdo?” the basketball captain asked, throwing another punch to Jay’s gut. The [Freak] suffered -3 damage. He was down about -7 Health. He’d regenerated 8 HP while the basketball captain tried to pummel his torso.
All around them, the basketball team stood like a wall to conceal the assault. Two of the biggest players held Jay by the shoulder even though the [Freak] wasn’t going anywhere.
He was deep in thought, wondering about his purpose here. The narrative here touched the gravity ripples he felt. He could feel something important lodged in this exact place. But now it was up to him to do something about it.
Jay figured it had something to do with the distorted ripples surrounding l u n c h from earlier. But it didn’t feel right. It was wrong.
“Lunch isn’t the right word,” Jay said, speaking for the first time since he’d gotten here.
The basketball captain huffed, his face tomato-red. “What crazy weirdo stuff are you saying now?”
