What.

Is her life turning into a LitRPG?

<Yes, love, it certainly looks like one,> replies Maya's familiar mental voice.

Okay, her headmates see this too. Well. Either the world is getting turned on its head or she's hallucinating. Either way she's calling in. A quick email to her boss skips her out of work today, then she grabs her phone and hops on both Discord and the company Slack, sending the same message to her friends on both:

Y'all, is it just me, or is this a particularly weird morning?

She swiftly gets dressed while she waits for replies: leggings, skirt, blouse, jacket, purse, socks, boots.

From Discord:

Spooky blue boxen?

Ominous countdown ahoy.

I wasn't expecting an apocalypse this morning.

From work:

I'm calling in sick.

Who left an RPG running?

Does the apocalypse count against our PTO?

Everyone is seeing these. Prepare for the worst. I'm walking out of work and going to get my bugout bag, then a hardware store. Maybe fort up at churches and schools and other big brick buildings.

That squares it. Not hallucinating. She takes two knives rather than one, and her collapsible baton too. Off to the ATM she jogs.

<Non-integrated machinery probably includes computers,> adds Hailey. <Print the disaster ebooks out, stockpile food and gear, get physical locations to meet up with people.>

Sable nods to herself, paying attention to the world around her as she jogs ten minutes to the ATM. When she gets to a traffic light, she pauses briefly to reply to the currently-awake one of her local friends:

Not going to count on comms staying functional. I'm grabbing food&gear and printing out reference materials that might still be valid after LitRPG mode finishes activating. Where do you wanna meet up, team up?

Cars too

IDK, the game store?

There's a few more people than usual for this hour on the streets, but people seem confused more than urgent or panicky. Only a few standouts are driving recklessly, or running, like her. Though there is a short line at the ATM, one that's getting longer.

Bys knows she doesn't have a car, so that probably refers to cars failing too.

Sounds good, see you there.

Given the risk of things going down, she sends Teddy an actual SMS, since that will still be waiting in his phone even if Discord goes down.

Yes, the blue box is real. When you get up, gather gear, non-perishables, and apoc prep. Call me. Meet at game store.

<Does this thing take questions?>, Hailey wonders. <Hey System, can you receive and answer mental questions?>

She takes out as much cash as she can, when it's her turn at the ATM.

System Inquiry Detected

Interface is limited before the Tutorial begins. Please wait for Initialization. Time remaining: 3 hours, 36 minutes.

The ATM permits this without fuss.

Her next planned stop, the print shop, contains a guy who seems sure that this will all blow over in a few hours and is some kind of viral marketing ploy. Credit cards are still working, so he'll take some print jobs not in any particular hurry, sure, whatever.

Great. That doesn't deplete her limited cash. She pays up front, with a card, to have a few ebooks printed out.

"I'm going to head over to the grocery store. Should be back within an hour, at the most. Think you'll have 'em by then?"

Meanwhile, Hailey is continuing to poke at the System in idle moments. <Hey System, is multiclassing a thing? What about upgraded or evolved classes?>

System Inquiry Detected

Classes can be evolved with Perk Points. Exceptional achievements can earn Cross-Class Powers!

"Yeah, sure, nothing else in the queue this early. Want to buy our professional binding service for an additional nineteen ninety nine?"

"Sounds great. Gotta get that commission, right? And I'm sure I'll be glad for the durability."

<Will guns still work, System?>, Maya asks.

System Inquiry Detected

Chemical firearms are a great early-game weapon!

He rings up the total. It'd be a bit wincingly high if that was going to matter tomorrow.

Good thing it won't! Can't take the money with her, so might as well spend it all. She waves cheerfully at the print shop guy and heads across the shopping center to the Fred Meyer. Starts loading up a cart with a bit of everything: canned food, rice, spices, OTC meds and supplements, toothbrushes and toothpaste, bandages, antibiotics, and more. She queues up an uber while she's getting into the checkout line.

Neo pushes an abstract question about whether there will be monsters and where they'll come from.

System Inquiry Detected

No answer, this time. Uber's app is acting glitchy with blank screens and such but she seems to have successfully called... Someone. Her credit card still works. On the third attempt. 

Well. Guess it took a LitRPGpocalypse to actually break the internet and make it stick. Don't count on that going forward. She finishes checking out, paying with card if at all possible, and then hauls her bags out front to watch for the Uber driver.

<Can machinery be crafted within the System?>, asks Maya.

System Inquiry Detected

Crafting will be unlocked during the Tutorial.

Her Uber arrives quickly! The guy seems nervous, antsy. He keeps adjusting the mirrors and looking around.

"Hey there. Thanks for picking me up. I know things are scary right now."

She starts loading things into the trunk.

"I have a couple stops. First, the print shop across the way, for a quick pickup. My order should already be finished. After that, my apartment, a few blocks from here, for an already-packed bag. And finally, a game shop in South End."

<Does the System have a Notes feature?>, Sable asks.

Once everything's in, she hops into the back seat.

System Inquiry Detected

Interface is limited before the Tutorial begins. Please wait for Initialization. Time remaining: 3 hours, 12 minutes.

"Yeah, I know it said not to drive, but I'm hoping I get, like, a car power. Or something. Internet going down might still be a massive hoax but this shit is in my head, man. Driving is the best idea I've got. You sound like you've got a plan, so good on you. Name's Mike."

He helps with the loading, moving fast.

"More like a bunch of pieces that I can recombine with whatever's handy to make a new plan. But yeah. And I have people I'm meeting. Party up and don't split, y'know? Your idea is pretty decent too, though. I hope you land a nice Driver class or something."

She keeps her eyes on the surroundings once they get moving, watching for useful places to stop.

<Can existing machinery be integrated into the System?>, asks Maya.

<Concerned about driver dude?>

<Yes, Hailey. I hope there's a way for him to put his preferred skillset to use,> she replies warmly.

System Inquiry Detected

Interface is limited before the Tutorial begins. Please wait for Initialization. Time remaining: 3 hours, 12 minutes.

Mike drives fairly aggressively. Not to the point of outright ignoring traffic signals, but it's definitely noticeable. Here's the print shop.

Sable steps out of the car with a warm smile to Mike, "Be back in a jiff."

She steps inside, greets the print shop clerk cheerfully, inspects the books, thanks him, and strolls out with three books in a bag.

"Useful reconstruction knowledge," she says to Mike by way of explanation.

Mike pulls out aggressively once she's belted in, making another driver honk at him. A controlled acceleration, dashing across the streets towards the apartment block without asking for the address again.

"Yeah, good stuff. Fuck. I used to street race in the mountains, you know. This car might not look like much- It's shit compared to the high-end ones- But it's got a supercharger, got nitro. System, give me something good, I'm preparing just like you said." He snorts. "Where after this?"

"It really feels like you've put a lot of love into your car. I hope the System lets you keep her," she replies with a smile, and a quiet mindspace kiss to Maya's cheek.

"As for the eventual destination, we're heading to Howard's Games in South End." She rattles off an address from memory.

He fusses with his phone once he pulls up to the apartment building.

This is about when the Uber app crashes.

He pulls up Google Maps instead. Passive GPS is still working. "Go on, I'll try to plot a route while you get your stuff. Pay me in canned food or something."

She nods. "Deal."

She hurries in, sweeps the food into a duffel bag, grabs her own go-bag, and is back out in two minutes.

Then they'll be driving off to the game store pretty quickly.

... There are a lot more people confused, concerned, wandering the streets, now.

They pass a Bass Pro Shop with a hastily painted big white cloth banner strung on the roof.

APOCALYPSE SALE

"Ooh, that looks useful. Mind stopping here?"

He pulls a cheeky u-turn and speeds into the lot.

The place is in the process of having its windows boarded up. There are guys filling sandbags with the dirt and mulch from the planters. There's a cop car near the entrance, and a guy with a megaphone proclaiming "Fort Bass".

She walks up, impressed at the preparation. "Hell of a start on a fort y'all have here. Who should I talk to about the apocalypse sale?"

"Just walk right inside, miss! We're expecting monsters out the wazoo, and any human with a weapon's a win unless they're the worst of the worst. And if you want to join Fort Bass for the party, we'll sort you with deep discounts or free gear." He nods at her driver Mike, who's come up behind her. "If your friend is willing to make some quick runs, even better!"

"Thank you," Sable exclaims!

She turns to Mike, "Up to you. I'm going to be a few, at least. I'd encourage it, honestly. Keeping as much focus as you can on your car as the System activates feels intuitively like the way to get to keep it, if it's possible at all."

<This is exactly what we were planning to set up with Bettrys,> Maya interjects. <This is worth considering.>

Neo nods vigorously.

Sable nods thoughtfully. "I'm very interested. My bestie and I were planning to find someplace and fortify, along with our other friend if he wakes up in time for the phones to still be working, but... this might well be exactly the sort of thing we were aiming to build up to. Mind if I call her and invite her over too?"

"The more the merrier!"

"Yeah, let's go in and see what they want me to run for," Mike agrees. "Fam's on a military base- If anywhere's safe, that is, so I got a full tank and nowhere to be."

Mike heads inside. The center of the shop, near all the shelves that have been moved around, has a sort of command center where a guy in a manager's uniform is pacing around tables covered in papers with some aides of some sort around them. They're making a map and tallying up supplies on a big whiteboard.

She looks around thoughtfully.

<Looks like they're well-organized. This is worth joining,> Maya confirms.

Sable nods, pulls out her phone, and dials Bys.

Bettrys, or Bys to her friends, is breathing hard when she answers.

"Sable! I have- A U-haul full of construction shit. How are your preparations going?"

"Doing great, Bys. I've got canned foods, supplements, spices, rice, assorted hygiene stuff, and while I was on my way to you I found a Bass Pro Shop that's making a fort. They're stockpiling supplies and offering freebies and discounts for people who stay for the changeover."

"Kinda sounds like I should go there instead of the game store. I think I know the place, just by the highway? Oh, I've got a couple of- I've got a passenger, tagging along because I have half a plan, I guess. Have you heard from Theo?" (Bys just can't bring herself to call him Teddy. That's kind of a Sable thing.)

"Agreed, and no I haven't. I texted him, since that'll be waiting for him as long as his phone holds power, but he hasn't called yet. I accidentally recruited my Uber driver, he's going to be making runs for the crew here through the countdown. If we're switching our meeting location here, I'll send Teddy an update. Might just call him and wake him up, at this point."

"Okay. I'm gonna focus on driving. See you soon. God, this is gonna be a mess."

System Initializing

3 hours remaining.

Notice: You are near the edge of the Settlement of Tacoma. Monsters and Critters may spawn in your area when the Tutorial begins.

"Shit, do you see that one? Monsters, confirmed."

"Ink and Salt. Yep, confirmation 'cause we're near the edge of Tacoma. Drive safe, see you soon."

She hangs up.

Mike jogs past Sable with a grimace and a wave. "Pickin' up a doctor!"

"Good luck, Mike. Stay safe, see you when you get back."

She turns to the organizers. "My friend is coming with a truckload of construction supplies. We're changing our meetup to here. I'll inventory my supplies for y'all once I finish calling people."

And with that, she dials Teddy.

They're glad to hear it! Good initiative!

"I am awake, yes." Is the first thing he says after picking up. "Ugh. Why. Pain. Have you got it to say anything useful."

Her girls point out everything they've learned quickly, reminding her.

"Classes can be evolved with perk points, cross-class powers can be awarded for exceptional achievements, guns will still work, monsters are confirmed, and two questions got what looks like a 'this question is too complicated to answer while things are still booting up' if I'm reading its behavior correctly. Tech is failing. New meetup location, write it down now in case the phones go out," and she waits for him to get a pen and paper and then rattles off the address of the shop.

He yawns. Writes down the address. "I'm packing what I can and going to try to drive there. As soon as possible. ...Classes will be available depending on your personal experiences and aptitudes. Hmm."

"Useful. Looking forward to seeing you here. I was on my way to the game store and spotted this place, a Bass Pro Shop forting up and having an apocalypse sale, and decided to check it out. Anyway, take notes, learn what you can, drive safe. See you soon."

"Wait wait wait! Google Maps isn't working. Can you give me street directions, where is the place-"

"It's just off the five, in that little bitty shopping center where eightieth meets the five."

"The five? Okay, I remember it, I remember that little watchtower, yeah. Okay, see you soon."

There's a clatter in the background.

"Teddy. Pause, breathe. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. It's more important to me that you get here safe than fast."

"I want to be safe too! Okay, yes, I'll be careful. Pack just essentials. Clothes and food. I have a kitchen knife. Okay, we're going to do this. Just be cool."

"Good. You've got this. See you when you get here."

He hangs up.

The manager waves her over, seeing that she's done. "First thing's first, do you know how to shoot?"

She steps over and nods. "Haven't made enough time for practice as I'd like, not quite as accurate as I'd like, but I'm decent." She chuckles to herself. "Decent enough to have a preference for simple, reliable guns over anything else, at least."

"Well, we can get you armed if you'll just step over that way and demonstrate some basic competency to Mr. Willis. I want everyone in this building armed if they can handle it. Come back and talk supplies after that, yeah? The construction stuff will be good, we're trying to decide just how to reinforce everything. But that's talk for later."

She nods firmly. "Point me toward Mr. Willis, then?"

He's thataway. In the outdoor lot.

The place is really busy. There are people hammering and moving things around. Someone is running a self defense class in the fishing section. People trying to organize supplies. Sitting in the aisles talking and worrying. There is a cop who has some guy in handcuffs and is trying to talk on his radio but having a hard time.

She looks around and finds the most "shooting range"-looking area, and walks up to whomever looks most In Charge™ of it.

"Hi! Are you Mr. Willis?"

It's kind of makeshift, as a range, but they seem to have made an improvised backstop out of bricks, rubber mats, and wood, next to the outer wall of the store.

"Yes ma'am, I presume you're here for a weapon? Tell me the three basic rules of gun safety."

She nods and lists off, "Assume it's loaded, finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire, don't point at anything you don't want a hole in. Expanding further, always know what's behind your target (including through walls in some cases), know how to holster your gun safely, and remember that semi-automatic pistols can have a round in the chamber even after you pull the mag."

He gives her a couple more tests and has her demonstrate handling and safeing an old M1911 for a bit, but is pretty clearly already favorable.

"So are you walking out or sticking around? I'll have someone run to confirm your contribution first if the latter, otherwise I hope you've got cash or kind."

"Sticking around," she replies with a smile and a nod. "I've got some supplies to go list off still — the manager wanted me to come see you first — and I have the rest of my friends coming as well. One's driving just himself and some essentials, though he's reasonably skilled at a good few things, and the other is bringing what she described as 'a u-haul full of construction shit' along with someone she recruited along the way."

Then she tilts her head and grins charmingly, patting her purse. "I do have cash, though, if it's needed."

"Arright, well come back with a Fort Bass badge and I'll issue you a weapon. Good luck in... Two and a half hours, now."

Sable nods, smiles, and heads back to the manager. "All approved of by Mr. Willis. He's ready to equip me as soon as I come back with a badge."

"Yeah, I know. We're gonna have to do runners to keep everyone coordinated as soon as the walkie-talkies stop working. So! Why don't you tell me what supplies you're bringing- Got anything beyond 'construction shit' for that truck you mentioned? And I want as many heads as possible to take a look at this to see if we're missing something stupid."

He waves her over to the big drafting table with fort diagrams. Current plans seem to indicate walling off parts of the parking lot with sandbags, reinforcing the gimmicky lookout tower to an actual lookout tower, and building shooting positions on the roof of the Bass Pro Shop and neighboring Floor & Decor, along with various retractable ladders to the other businesses close to the highway (they've got buy-in, at least from the employees who showed up today). They're adding more roof access points from inside.

"I'm mostly worried about these houses and stuff behind us - I want to see them coming. If monsters come through the maze of suburbs and apartments back there, we'll have almost no warning. I want to clear the trees at least, for better sightlines, but folks are still in there, so... All we can do is wall up the back side really well. And I don't know how much we can get done in another two hours- Rome wasn't built in a day, let alone an hour, and a single U-haul full of materials will help but isn't going to turn us into JBLM..."

"I've got a good few bags of canned food and spices and rice and other staples, a few more of OTC meds and supplements and essentials like toothbrushes and toothpaste, basic first aid stuff, an air mattress for myself, and best of all these."

She pulls the three books out of a bag and sets them on the table. "I had ebooks of these, since I wasn't counting on the apocalypse taking exception to existing technology on a metaphysical level. Got them printed out while I was shopping. I figure these can help fill any important knowledge gaps, and help us reconstruct whatever technology the System will let us build."

A thought occurs to her. <Hey System, how does the activation health reset handle things like my hormone therapy?>

Meanwhile she looks over his map and plans. "Hmmm. You've got a good foundation here. I agree with you about that residential mess. I think we should prioritize checking the nearby homes for residents once or twice a day, and anything that's empty two days in a row gets torn down for clearer sightlines and raw materials. Also, we can try making a run out to the hardware stores for rolls of wire mesh fencing, especially once Bys gets here with the truck. I'll gladly dump some of my cash into that. We'd have to fortify it better over time, but it would help us better bridge the gaps between our heavier sections of wall as we build up."

System Inquiry Detected

All sapients are being restored to a minimum baseline level of health for the Tutorial.

Some Classes come with cosmetic changes!

"Well, if you're willing to throw them into the pot we'll get 'em tallied. Lisa here is our logistics queen."

Lisa holds up a middle finger towards their general direction while continuing to write on graph paper.

"Keep something back for yourself too." He opens a small bag and holds out a small metal badge that says BASS PRO SHOP, with 'FORT' added in sharpie. "I'm cutting off sending people out for runs further than a block or two at two hours. If I can, it's kind of the wild west right now. We've already seen some modern cars stop working. Computer fuel injectors. I'll make a note about the houses, but we have no idea what's coming- Better to plan for that when it happens."

She nods, pins the badge to her jacket, bags back up her books, and steps over to Lisa, shuffling the content of her bags around a bit. She winds up handing off about half the canned goods and spices, keeping at least one jar of each spice for herself for sure. She also contributes two thirds of the toothpaste and toothbrushes, and half the medical supplies.

Lisa rattles off shelf locations without looking, while adding tally marks for her stuff. "Deposit only unless you tell me, I've got someone watching the shit."

She loads it all into place. "Makes sense. I'll talk to you if I need anything from your stocks."

Then she finds somewhere out of the way to stash her bags, and heads back out to Mr. Willis.

Who is happy to issue her a gun and some ammo! They're not going to do range practice until closer to zero-hour, though.

This is about the time that Abyssia's rented U-haul truck shows up. She has people unloading bags of cement, units of lumber, fence kits, cinderblocks and bricks, and the like even before looking around for who's in charge.

She looks over the selection, first frowning at all the Glocks, then spots a lovely set of SIG Sauer pistols left.

And then she spots it. A SIG Sauer P365 chambered in 9mm with a few tasteful matte rose gold accents. One of her favorite models of pistol, from one of her favorite manufacturers, with pretty detailing. She claims it immediately, along with a holster, a box of ammo, and two spare magazines, and immediately settles in to carefully inspect it before loading it, making sure it's safe, and holstering it carefully.

<Ink and Salt, Sable, you are such a girl,> Hailey teases.

When Bys rolls in with her truck, Sable is just finishing up and holstering her new pistol. She dashes across the lot and greets her with a cheerful hug.

"Bys! You made it!"

She hugs back, black fingernails and hair and the spike-laden coat she loves so much still in place. Tough-looking cargo pants and a thick black hoodie too.

"Sable! Welcome to the end of the world. I hope somebody's in charge here..."

She looks around doubtfully. The big parking lot seems to be getting more crowded as things get more and more glitchy and people gravitate towards the bustling activity.

"There's not much time, I need to know what to go fetch and I need some volunteers in case someone doesn't want it to move."

"Yep, come with me."

She leads Bys inside to where the manager is coordinating things. "My friend is here, sir. Don't think I got your name, actually. This is Bettrys. Bys, meet the boss."

"Welcome to Fort Bass! Have you got a weapon?"

"I have a knife. I do not, actually, know how to shoot very well. Not since I was a kid."

"Now is a good time to fix that."

"No no, first, the truck engine is still running - for now. I'm sure you have half a dozen people doing runs-" A nod. "One more can't hurt. Where to?"

"We've half cleared out the home depot across the 5, they're forting themselves up too - I think. It's messy. But there's a lumberyard a bit further away I don't think anybody here has gone to yet, sevenish miles down in Spanaway, if you want to take a big wad of cash and Lisa's shopping list..."

She frowns, but nods. "Sounds like a plan. I'm not sure how much longer the truck will run, but it's probably worth the risk. I can hoof it back, worst case."

She nods. "Sounds like a good plan. Want me along to sweet-talk people at the destination, or am I more useful here?"

"Y'all know each other, so I want to say you stick together, but up to you."

"I want you along," Bys says. "High hopes for Fort Bass here."

"I would hope so!"

And then he gives Bys a badge and has Lisa hand over a list and a big wad of bills.

"Shiny. Let's roll."

She notes the approximate location for navigation, checks the truck over, and hops into the passenger seat, grinning at Bys.

As soon as they pull out, she looks over at Bys, her expression shifting subtly, just a bit more serenity in the grin, a little less manic pixie.

"It really is good to see you, Bys," Maya says, her smooth serenity audible in her tone of voice.

"...Whatever happens, better with friends. That's humanity's strength, you know. Spears in a line."

She cuts right across the highway lane markers. Goes well under the speed limit - there's stopped cars and walking people on the road.

"Damned right," Maya says with a firm nod. "It's good to have someone safe to switch around. Plus, there's no one we'd rather at our side while society crumbles."

"Mm.

I want to strategize... But it won't tell us anything. It sucks. Is this gonna be Final Fantasy? Warframe? The Wandering Inn? Ugh."

"We've gotten a little out of it so far," Hailey says, her slightly chirpier tone slipping in. "Classes can be evolved with perk points, cross-class powers can be awarded for exceptional achievements, guns will still work, monsters are confirmed as you saw, some classes have cosmetic adjustments, and Teddy got it to admit that people will be offered different classes based on experience and aptitudes."

She hums thoughtfully. "The distinction it made between monsters and critters suggests that there's some difference between the two. Maybe critters aren't universally hostile, or maybe they're sentient or sapient, or maybe something else."

She huffs. "But you're right. It's being very tight with info. I wish we knew more. And we wouldn't say no to some warframes, no matter what kind of game it is," she finishes with a rueful chuckle.

"I don't-"

Bys swerves to avoid a man who ran out in front of the truck, waving his arms.

"Fuck!"

"What the fuck."

She looks out at the guy, catching her breath a bit. "Wanna investigate the obvious sidequest hook?", she asks Bys quietly.

One hand slips to the window crank, the other rests on her holster, ready to draw quickly.

"No, maybe on the way back. We got no time for that shit. Yell at him to get to the Bass at most!"

She takes a deep breath, then hits the gas again. The engine makes a slightly pained sound as it revs up.

She rolls down the window and calls out at him as they drive on, "try to head to the Bass Pro Shop off the five, or we'll check on you on the way back!"

Then she rolls the window back up.

Bys is trying to stay calm, but obviously not doing great at it. Deeeeep breaths. Look at the road.

"Hey, you did the right thing, and we've got this. No matter what happens, we'll face it together and handle it. You're doing great," warm certainty fills her words.

"Yeah. It's just- I'm trying not to process that this is real yet."

Oops, here's the turn off the 5 she needs to take.

"Understandable. Let's get off the highway and find this place. There'll be plenty of time to reel once we're back."

She helps with navigation, making sure they get to the lumber yard smoothly, and looks around.

It's just off a main road. Looks like it's a building supply store. There's a car wreck in the parking lot and signs that people have been here for supplies already. Empty pallets and debris. There's a man with a pistol standing out front. He waves as they climb down out of the truck.

"Hey folks! I just want to let you know, we're not accepting cash right now! Not at very good rates at least!"

Well, that makes plenty of sense. Easy as breathing, the perspective slips in and a warm grin slides onto her face as she hops out. "Absolutely understandable. Given the whole 'complete societal infrastructure collapse' thing going on out there, I'd be surprised if you were. Let's talk about what you are accepting, then."

"Guns, food, ammo, guns, pills, bottled water..."

She giggles delightedly. "We're fortifying a hunting shop, so you're in luck. Boss'll probably be willing to trade." Then her grin turns a bit sharper.

"Let's haggle."

She grabs the list and rattles things off in order of priority, figuring out what he's still got on hand. "Name a starting price, friend."

"We deal mostly in bulk material, not so much the fasteners and such. Doesn't seem like we've got a lot of time left for round trips, friend. And loading all that will take a few, too. The Bass Pro Shop?"

"That's the one. I figure you help us load, ride with us out there, and collect trade on site. Guns, ammo, or other supplies will be easier for you to carry back here even if the truck gives out."

He glances at the store office behind him and taps his leg. "Is it crowded around there? You got someone at the place I can talk to?"

"Moderately busy but not really crowded, and I can call the boss right now if you'd like, presuming the phones hold out."

She keys the number into her phone, ready to dial. "You looking to relocate?"

"That depends on what I'll find there and what kind of reception I'll get, hon. Since I've heard from people getting turned away by the Army and I haven't seen a cop yet this morning, it seems like I'm gonna have to rely on myself."

"The welcome is warm and the people are organized. We're looking for anyone capable and sensible, especially if they're tolerably competent with gun safety. We have a detailed plan for how we're fortifying, and we're ongoingly refining it. I literally just joined an hour ago, roped my bestie in as well, and things just keep getting better at Fort Bass."

She gives him a daring grin. "So, you in, or d'you wanna hear the boss say the same things over a rickety phone line first?"

"Second thing, no offense. I sort of know the guy if it's who I'm thinking of, I'll recognize his voice."

She hits dial, and says "None taken" while it rings.

The building supply guy has a quick chat, a rapid exchange of gossip, and a subtle probing of mutual acquaintances and shared history.

"...Arright fine, but my family's coming along and 'Fort Bass' had damn well better protect them, buddy. I want a guaranteed spot in whatever bunking situation you end up with."

"Deal."

"Great."

He hands the phone back to Sable. "Hey, come on, pallet jack's over here and time's wasting. Go back up the truck to the loading dock!"

Sable stows the phone, then jogs ahead while Bys hops back into the truck. She helps to guide her as she backs into place, then snaps the back of the truck open and starts loading things in smoothly and quickly.

He has a teenage guy and a woman about his age come out and help too! The nine year old watches, hugging his giant stuffed panda. Everyone listens for the ominous engine noises that Bys tentatively identifies as failed cylinder ignitions, and are slowly getting more common.

They rig up some improvised harnesses with cargo straps and boxes full of Styrofoam pellets and clothes. It looks unsafe, but probably safer than the extra passengers literally just standing in the back next to all the bricks and wood and stuff.

"Kid rides up front in the middle seat, belted into a proper seat. Let's roll. If it gives out on us I'll push if I have to."

The kid, Benjamin, wants to be with his parents but is argued into it because 'those seatbelts don't fit you'.

The trip up the highway again is a long one, with slow slow acceleration as Bys tries to feel for when the engine makes the worst noises of complaint. There's hardly any cars on the road now. They pass a strip mall that's getting a similar fortification treatment to Fort Bass, if much more haphazard and limited.

Both ramps to the 512 are completely clogged with stopped cars, this time. The number of working vehicles is precipitously dropping as they approach the 1 hour 30 minute mark.

"Ink and Salt," she mutters to herself. "Keep going up the seven to eighty-fourth," she says aloud to Bys.

"Uh... Right." She cracks her neck, then starts moving the truck forward again. "Okay, you know this area better than I do. Watch out for signs of trouble. People might be kind of panicky."

"You just went past a red light," comments Benjamin.

Sable giggles warmly and nods. "That we did, Benjamin. There are rare times when rules like traffic lights hurt more than they help, and in those times it's okay to ignore them. This is one of them. Good on you for pointing it out, though."

She nods at Bys and keeps her eyes on the surroundings, watching for trouble.

She drives, steadily, hands gripping the wheel tightly and using both lanes and a sidewalk to avoid stopped traffic - and people walking around - as best she can. They're coming up on 84...

This is approximately the time that there's a bright flash from somewhere off to the left, and a few moments later a very loud fzztCRACK.

The stoplights go dark.

"That was a transformer. The power grid is going."

She offers a hand to Benjamin to hold. "How're you holding up, kiddo?"

"I'm okay. You're taking us to the fort store, so everything will be okay."

There's the distant sound of another transformer failure. The grid goes all at once, it seems.

Bys turns left onto '84, trying to ignore the decidedly unhealthy noises the truck is making.

"Exactly and precisely. My friend Bys is doing a great job driving us, too, even though the truck is barely still going. We're gonna get there safe, whatever it takes."

She keeps her eyes on the surroundings. "Bys, we've got about a mile ahead, then we're turning on Alaska."

The truck finally breaks down right at the edge of the parking lot, unable to make the short ramp into the store, right next to a growing line of sandbags.

She jumps out and raps on the trailer wall. "We're here!"

Sable heads into the store, tapping a few people she passes who aren't already tasked to start unloading the truck. When she gets inside, she nods at the boss. "We're back, truck made it to the driveway, already got people unloading."

The place is considerably more crowded now. Especially with the grid failure, people are tricking in from the highway and the suburbs. They've appointed a few officers. Someone has made a big notice board.

Please give all perishable food to the Quartermaster for efficient use.

Stay out of the walkways!

Do not pick a Class immediately unless it's urgent. Take the time to read your options and learn more.

She takes a quick look through the lot, spots Teddy, and marches over to give him a hug.

"You made it. I'm glad to see you, Teddy."

His eyes widen when he notices her approaching and he tries, and fails, to fend off the hug.

"Well, uh, same, I guess... I swear I must be dreaming, or having a nightmare, though... I had to walk two miles."

"Oh no! Good on you for making it anyway, and I suppose you got a head start on getting used to the new transit method we'll all be stuck with at least."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just griping because I'm probably going to be useless. My car's somewhere on the five. Just enough momentum to roll into the dirt." Sigh. "I'm glad you and Bys have a plan though. Of course you do, she's intense and you're active all the time."

Un-hug now? Or no?

She nods, unhugs, steps back.

She gives him a critical look for a long moment.

"Bet you get an interesting class option."

He shakes his head. "If anything, I'm gonna try to be the munchkin. I know I'm pretty into the roleplay normally, but this is a time for munchkinry."

"Damned right it's time for munchkinry. If ever there was a time for munchkinry, the end of the world is it," she replies with a giggle.

Sigh.

"I suppose I should try to be useful somehow. Maybe babysitting. Or reading those books you mentioned printing."

"Good idea. You can grab 'em from my bags." She describes the out-of-the-way stash spot. "I'm gonna channel my inner girlboss."

"Twice as much girl to boss with," he says distractedly. "Not worried about someone finding it? I can be a bag guard for you two, at least."

He stands up with a grunt and starts walking. "Well, see you soon. Go and contribute massively more than I can."

<Little bro still needs more self-confidence,> Hailey notes.

Sable nods, and grabs the first group of able-bodied folk she finds. "Y'all are coming with me. We've a wall to build."

She sweeps them up in her wake and leads them to grab a load of materials, then shows them the residential-side wall. "We have the worst sightlines on this section, what with the trees and houses. This side is our top priority for a better wall, and thus for a safer fort for your families. Get to it."

She walks them through how to reinforce things reliably, how to add on to the wall, and then leaves them to it. First construction-savvy person she sees gets asked to check on them when there's an opportunity.

Next group she finds she leads off in search of axes and shows to the treeline. "These fuckers are blocking our sightlines for a major approach. You'll do us all a service knocking them down, both in improved visibility and resource gain besides."

Next she grabs shovels and sets people digging up abandoned yards for soil to fill sandbags.

The most organized-looking ones get brought to Lisa and told that helping her as she manages logistics is of vital importance to keeping the place running long-term.

Everyone gets a heartfelt explanation of why their task is desperately important, even if it's boring. Because it is. Everything is necessary to keep the fort running, especially the boring things.

Periodically she checks on the construction map and the task list for more ideas to put people to use.

When she first needs a break, she switches, letting Maya keep going to corral more people into work.

The second time she runs low, she switches for Hailey. There's less left to draw from, switching doesn't get her as much mileage, but they keep going.

Finally Sable just sits down in a quiet corner and disassembles her gun, cleaning it carefully before reassembling, drawing peace from the meditative activity.

The whole area is a scene of tightly contained mania. Abyssia has joined the self-defense class, which is next to an arts and crafts class, which is trying to outfit everybody with makeshift blunt weapons or spears and armor, even if that armor is just cut up and sewn together patches of coats made into boots and arm and leg guards, which is next to a big cookout setup with tons of grills all working on all the meat and ice cream and other perishables before they go bad. Fresh food only, today.

Theodore seems to have gravitated into a theory crafting group near the central planners, writing down everything known about the System and lots of different predictions about what happens next. Is there going to be mana? Healing magic? If it works in this way, it has this implication, which they can test like that... Not so much a decision tree, too many unknowns, as a bunch of things to check once the System finishes starting up.

Speaking of which:

Integration is almost complete!

30 minutes remaining. Full tutorial will be available after Integration.

Notice: There will be a 15 minute grace period during which no monsters or critters will spawn. Use this time to learn about your available Classes and read any important notices.

"Okay, people! I want as much prep as possible done before zero so we can take that grace period to actually read things, so that means move!"

She's a whirlwind, a fusion of a manic pixie dream girl with a drill sergeant, as much as she'd love to just relax into cooking the perishables with Hailey there just aren't enough managers to keep things moving as it is. She does as credible an impression of being in multiple places at once.as she can manage, flitting across the fort in short sprints, at the east wall one moment, giving a pep talk to a sandbag team the next, and wait wasn't she just on the roof!?

The longest she stays in one place is when a team is hoisting a heavy section of materials, and she gets right in there with them, cheering them on while she pulls with them. Then it's up and in place, and she congratulates them before whirling off to someone else she can help.

At one point she flits past Teddy, giving him a warm smile and a shoulder squeeze, visibly proud.

When Bys is on a break in the self-defence class, Sable whirls by there too, giving her a proud hug and a playful kiss to the cheek.

But most of all, she just keeps doing what she can to give everyone in the fort a little more cheer and motivation and hope, help them all move just that little bit faster and more effectively.

There's certainly a few cases of arguments of what to do, or who's in charge, or people working to cross purposes- Disassembling a barricade for use elsewhere, for example- It's chaos, and the urgency and lack of connection between random people doesn't help much. There's a few incidents of trouble too. Some reckless idiot was playing with their gun and shot themselves, and was relieved of it. There's a great huge screaming match between one of the neighbors and the tree-cutting crew. Someone's dog, a big German Shepard, gets loose and nearly causes a stampede as he runs around the parking lot barking. A section of barricade collapses, badly built. Everyone's trying to do something useful, but the organization is... Lacking.

The steady and increasing stream of people on foot from the south isn't helping matters. Apparently the System is telling people where the nearest Safe Zone is, and Fort Bass is right up close to the edge of Tacoma's- People are walking in from Lakewood and Parkland, and thousands are walking straight along highway 5, having been turned away from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which apparently already has at least ten thousand people sheltering in it and a massive field of abandoned vehicles all around, the first place everyone tried to drive to.

Abyssia is having people practice moving around in formations in small groups, holding their makeshift weapons. There are mostly enough guns to go around, but she's worried about close range. Most people are bad marksmen and should avoid shooting if possible. She's not super deep into SCA, and someone who is is helping more, but this seems like a reasonable way to contribute.

The theorycrafting group has created a series of large posters explaining some basic gaming concepts. They've managed to worm out of the System that there will be magic, and HP, and MP, and friendly fire is very much on. The poster for 'Crowd Control' has some cartoon wolves being brutally murdered on it.

Sable keeps darting around, focusing on hotspots of chaos. Whenever an argument breaks out, she's there: sweeping in, smoothing ruffled feathers, helping people channel their frustration into something productive. Everyone's frustration is heard, understood, felt, shared, and then she helps them put it to use.

Tree-complaining neighbor gets her personal attention for a whole minute or two. She totally gets how frustrating this is: his nice, orderly life has been sent into disarray, and so little of it is in his control, even though yes, he did fight in 'nam, did his country proud. Y'know, since he fought in 'nam, he probably remembers what the jungle did to the sightlines, yeah? Well, they're facing that again, except now it's all these cute little undefended houses with their pretty trees messing up sightlines from her fort. Hey, he'd probably be pretty good at reviewing sightlines, wouldn't he? He should totally go talk to the boss, Noah, in the main planning area. They've got a whole new crisis on their hands, and he's got a whole new chance to save lives.

The barricade collapse gets that team a stern, disappointed talking-to. She knows it's hard to keep track of everything, everyone's doing things they're not used to, but she knows they can do better. Everyone's counting on them to do better.

As far as the tide of refugees, she grabs someone cheerful who's not better put to some other use and talks them through an explanation of "find shelter closer to city center, we're a border fort" that doesn't sound like "go be someone else's problem" (even though to some extent it is). She sits that person at the gate closest to wherever the refugees are coming from and sets them to redirecting refugees further inward. Then she finds three more similar people and sends them to the first for coaching, to sit at other gates.

...She's just not getting her range time until the first wave of monsters shows up to volunteer for target practice, is she?

Possibly not. For that matter, Abyssia and Theodore also don't have a gun, and don't seem to be thinking to acquire one.

5 minutes remaining! Good luck humanity!

Melee is valid? And Teddy just isn't a front-line fighter at all. He'll be best getting some kind of "squishy caster" build and getting his combat capability that way. Something that really rewards his intellect.

And that "good luck humanity" message is just fucking cheeky.

She finds Bys in the last couple minutes, when everything's as settled as she can make it.

"Hey. Mind spending the last minute or so just chilling together? I think I stopped moving maybe once in the past hour and a half. Could probably use a hug."

The correct answer is to hug her. Zero hesitation, once she's decided, just like Bys usually is.

This is a hug. Arms tight and leaning in. "Everything is going to be fine. We'll make it fine if it's not."

4 minutes remaining!

"Oh, fuck off."

She hugs back just as tightly, pressing close, smiling warmly, sighing happily. "Damned fucking right we will. This game can't beat the Pirates and the most badass goth on the western seaboard. No ma'am."

"Our nerd friend too."

Pat, pat.

"The world is bullshit, but at least this dose comes with magic powers."

"Our nerd friend is making himself useful, too, what with the confirmation of the magic powers and all the theory team managed."

She shakes her head and grins. "The world is bullshit, soon to be magic bullshit, but there's no one I'd rather team up against it with."

"I dunno, I think an Army general or something would be good to have on our side. Then again, they'd try to boss us around."

Sigh.

"I'm thinking tank. I'm a tanky kind of person. But depends on what we get offered. We should go find Theo, and strategize."

She nods. "We should, yeah."

They unhug and head inside to find Teddy.

He's staring at the brand new metal staircase up to the brand new roof access door in the quickly chilling without central heat store, thinking that it cannot possibly be safe.

"...Hey B, hey S. I'm scared, and not too macho to admit it. It's terrifying that tabletop makes us some of the most qualified people here."

She nods. "Yeah, that's valid. It would be really great if more people had any relevant expertise. Y'know what we're gonna do, though, Teddy?"

"My prediction engine says 'We're gonna murder this game and turn its guts into awesome powers'."

She grins sharply at him. "Damned right. We'll ascend to godhood atop its corpse if we have to. It sure as fuck won't stop us from thriving, or from saving as many people as we can."

"Easy to say..."

1 minute remaining!

"But more of a fight to do, yeah. Still won't let that stop us, though."

She takes both their hands and grins defiantly. "Here we go."

Initialization Complete

Welcome to the Tutorial!

You are now Level 0. Select a Class to advance to Level 1!

You are within the Settlement of Tacoma. Monsters will not spawn inside the Settlement, and Residents may gain other benefits.

The Settlement of Tacoma is unclaimed. Approach the control pillar at [Pierce County Superior Court] to claim it!

You have participated in the construction of a Guildhouse: [Fort Bass]. 500 Experience awarded.

Fort Bass is unclaimed. Approach the control pillar to claim it!

A Guildhouse must be successfully defended for 24 hours before becoming fully activated.

New Quest gained: Defend Fort Bass! Experience and Loot will be awarded based on contribution.

"Hah. Fort Bass is officially recognized by the game. Cursed."

"No, no, it's probably good for us. For everyone. It'll have upgrades or buffs or something. I got 50 Experience out of it too... How much to level up? It won't tell me, just says select a class."

"Really? It gave me 250."

Sable blushes. "Um. I got 500."

<Hey Syyyystem~, tell us what classes we have!>, Hailey exclaims internally.

Classes Available:

Uncommon:
Multimind
Engineer

Common:
Boss
Clerk
Tinkerer
Technician
Marksman
Rogue
Sorcerer

"Well, let's all check out our classes for a bit..."

She nods. "We've got two uncommons: Engineer and something called Multimind."

<Explain Multimind, please?>, Maya asks.

"Engineer, and... Model Master? And a bunch of Commons. System, are these all the classes I possibly qualify for... Not all the Commons. Commons are displayed based on what might appeal."

"Goth. Survivalist. Bunch of commons, including 'Thug'- I resent that remark. Reading the details now. We should write these down."

Everyone is now staring at the screens and discussing quietly with each other.

Multimind

Possession? Soul magic? Transmigrator? Or just an accident of neural mirroring and biochemistry? Whatever the source, you seem to in fact not be 'you', but rather 'y'all'. Embrace the multiplicity of this highly unusual path with the Multimind class! Your Class Powers will focus on allowing all facets of your selves to contribute and grow.

Requirements:
Experience multiple personalities to a sufficient degree
Accept multiple personalities and not be in inner conflict

Body per Level: 1
Mind per Level: 3
Spirit per Level: 2

Note: A key decision will have to be made regarding this Class at level 10.

"It appears that we have been offered a class that explicitly recognizes and supports our plurality," Maya explains as she writes the details of their choices down. "This is quite possibly our most interesting offering."

"Engineer is a Crafting class, it says, a specialized form of Technician focused on discovering and improving Crafting methods... And Model Master is, uh, weird."

"I'm gonna be a Goth."

"Well, there's no need to be too hasty, what other options do you have?"

"Survivalist is about living in the wild, tracking and avoiding monsters, but we're in a city and that sounds... Boring. Aside from that there's Thug, Servant, Driver, Sailor- I'd be tempted if going on the water wasn't the stupidest possible move- Sorceress, and Warrior. Plus it's common sense that Uncommon is better than Common."

"Well, not necessarily..."

"Model Master reminds us of your minis," Hailey teases with a smirk.

Maya tilts her head thoughtfully, "It's true, none of those sound particularly compelling. What does Goth offer you?"

"System, just show them."

Goth(+)

The new Goth is nothing like the old Goth. Rather than simply being a European subculture, the new Goth is an amalgamation of several modern attitudes and ideas- But it all comes back to Metal in the end. You might call upon the darkest powers of the hells, or simply be really into thrash metal. Some might call your actions concerning, but you would call them awesome! Either way, you have opened the path to a flexible and domineering Class, one that is just at home chopping heads on the front lines as it is calling forth dark energy to plague the foe from afar.

Body per Level: 3
Mind per Level: 1
Spirit per Level: 2

Requirements:
Habitually wear black clothes, spikes, demonic-inspired symbols, etc.
Carry a bladed weapon that regularly takes lives.
Listen to or create Metal, Rock, or Goth music.
Have attempted a ritual intended to call upon demonic powers.
Bonus: Have planned and executed a successful raid that took plunder and prisoners. 20% increase in effectiveness of Class Powers relating to stealth, speed, and surprise.

"......I used to be in the Society for Creative Anachronism. We did a town defense thing. And I gut fish."

"That is extremely you, Bys."

"Feeling a little left out about the ritual though," Hailey teases.

"Yes. My apologies. It was... A while ago."

She averts her eyes and tries to keep a straight face.

Lisa Summers has claimed Fort Bass!

She has the System display the full notes on Multimind to Bys and Teddy as well.

"We're seriously considering Multimind. What about you, Teddy? Tell us or show us more about Model Master?"

"-I wonder what the Guildhouse options are, that seems important. Uh, right." He makes a flicking motion to show:

Model Master

Whether it's just a hobby or a serious dedication to an art, you have painstakingly crafted and created miniatures, models, dioramas, etc. There is a power in the care and attention that goes into the work- A Model Master uses this to great effect, keeping in mind their models' history, capabilities, and intent. Your Class Powers will allow you to transform toys, models, dioramas, etc, that you have personally created, assembled, or painted, into phantasmal forms that serve you. Just be aware that they can still be damaged or destroyed, even in their enhanced forms.

Requirements:
Spend over 2000 hours crafting models, toys, dioramas, etc.
Specifically study and practice methods to accurately build or paint your models.
Considerable amount of consideration and thought put into models' specific details and world building.
Qualify for the Wizard Class.

Body per Level: 1
Mind per Level: 2
Spirit per Level: 3

"The problem is, the only 'model' I actually have on me is my keychain samurai, and I don't know if that'd count. My usual game set is still in my car trunk, but... It's somewhere along the side of the highway, not here."

Sable grins and looks at the others. "Fetch quest?"

"We should not go now. We need to wait for monsters to start spawning, so we have some idea what we're facing, and a plan.

I know people are saying not to pick your class right away if you can help it, but the sooner we do, the sooner we have powers to do things with, so..."

Justice Sherwin Hampton has claimed the Settlement of Tacoma!

She nods. "Agreed, we shouldn't go yet, but I'm just saying that we at least are down to help with the fetching. And... yeah, we're inclined to pick Multimind shortly unless y'all have a reason why we shouldn't."

"Someone in the fort should probably pick Engineer. We- Collective we- Probably need a good balance of Classes, and if everyone just picks the option that appeals most, like we're about to do, that won't happen. That's all I got as a counterargument. Let's finish writing down the requirements for all these at least. If we want to share them, for common knowledge. Someone might not want to. Like if they have a Class that does mind control."

She nods and finishes writing down all the data on the classes available to her.

"I think... we probably need to have someone go around and find out what classes are available to everyone, get the list together, encourage someone to take important roles like Engineer and such. I suppose that's my job, and as many social-friendly runners I can recruit?"

"I'll help. I bet that Lisa lady is doing this already too."

"The theorycrafting group should sit next to her and try to make sense of it all. I guess that's where I'll be for the next... Ten minutes? More?"

She nods. "Meet you there."

And then she heads off to find Lisa, check on the status of data collection, and run around to collect class data.

Bys goes around loudly commanding people to write down their Class Requirements and send someone to run the information to the Intelligence Department.

Teddy joins said department, which is already arguing over explore-vs-exploit.

There's a general current of tension surrounding everyone. Refugees are still proceeding along the streets, if in fewer numbers. Men and women with pistols and shotguns and the occasional actual rifle are standing in improvised firing positions along the improvised wall. Men and women with kitchen-knife-duct-taped-to-broom-handle type spears and wood board shields stand in lines inside the fort, several already having picked a simple Class, for fear they won't have time later.

There's another box.

Tacoma Settlement Announcement:

Citizens and non-citizens, I am a judge on the Pierce County Court Circuit, appointed by the Governor and not an elected official. While I have 'claimed' the city of Tacoma according to the System, I intend to administrate it in a fair and democratic manner, in cooperation with civil officials and the public. I am in contact with members of the United States Military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and will be coordinating with them as we learn more about this unprecedented crisis. For now I urge you all to come together in this time of crisis. I have no reason to believe that the threat of monsters is not real and urgent. Help and defend each other like good neighbors. Form militias and defend your homes, but not against your fellow man, but from this System that has disrupted all our lives. Share information and resources with each other. Now is the time for Humanity to come together and prove itself worthy. Thank you, and God bless America.

Sable dispatches people for more yelling similar to Bys as she goes, but makes her way to the Intelligence Department, where she interrupts whoever is handy while grabbing a big posterboard and a big marker. "Teddy made an excellent point earlier that there are some classes we should prioritize getting people in," she says while writing Priority Classes at the top in huge letters. "For every priority class y'all hear about, stick it on this sign like this." She writes Engineer in merely big letters, and draws a box around it with room for five or so names in normal handwriting. She ties string to some pens, tapes them to the sign with enough slack for people to write in arbitrary locations on the sign.

"I'm going to post this somewhere central, and then make sure everyone hears about it. Y'all figure out what's priority aside from Engineer and send someone to add those Classes."

"We really don't have enough time to get through all this. Maybe we should just each pick one."

"Mechanic. That's definitely needed. It can get cars working again!"

"Messenger. It's great for running away, and easy to unlock."

"I don't know man, I don't know."

"Healer- First aid classes are about enough to unlock it, and we're going to need lots of healers."

"We don't know how the loot works yet, or all the thousands of common classes, if there's something munchkinable we're not going to find it fast-"

"There's a Builder class, and a Mason, I'm not sure what the difference cashes out to-"

"Uncommons seem to be pretty universally more powerful."

"Someone has Poison Bomber, what the fuck?"

"Probably made chlorine gas by accident at home, you can do that."

"I don't have anything else to go immediately on the list."

"What about Scout? It says something about marking enemies. That could be a crit multiplier."

"And more information is probably good. Scout it is."

"Okay so, Engineer, Mechanic, Messenger, Healer, Scout."

"Wait, shit. We need to think about the long term too. Hydromancer, Farmer, Druid- Food and water!"

"-Hey, someone has 'Electrician'. That's promising."

......The debate will be going on for a while.

She adds boxes for the other four suggested classes, tapes up the sign in a central location, and then dispatches several runners to tell everyone to consult the sign before picking classes, and to write their names down if they pick a class from the sign. She runs around telling people herself, taking several repeat passes by the sign to see what priority classes get picked.

They pick a few more Uncommons that sound like strong combos- Surgeon, Firefighter, Stalwart Guard, Stunt Actor, Sniper, Foreman- And one more Common, Farmer, before finalizing the sign. Some people are putting their names down near the suggestions.

That Uber driver from earlier is still here! He revs his now electric-sounding engine to get the crowd to clear him a way. The Toyota 86 looks shiny and new, and has tough-looking tires. It seems to slide right through the milling crowds to make its way in the now-crowded parking lot.

"Hey!" Mike the newly minted Racer is shouting, "I need someone really strong! Guys trapped in a wreck! Firefighters! Barbarians!"

The grace period expires in 5 minutes.

As soon as she sees a second name under Engineer, they all mentally say in unison, <System, we select Multimind.>

"Hell yeah, Mike! Good shit on getting to keep your car," she says with a grin when she sees him. She grabs two runners and sends them running off for the two strongest-seeming people each can find in a minute or less.

There's a massive rush as everything becomes clearer and sharper. The world just feels so much more real. The cold air on her breath no longer feeling quite so cold. The slight twinges of discomfort from moving and walking since early morning pushed away into dull aches. The murmur and clatter of the milling crowd becoming sharper, clearer, louder, overwhelming if not for the fact that there's suddenly so much more room to think. Who's doing what and where, where the shelves are, how the tree clearing was going, how many guns are on the wall, the instinctual tracking of movement and mood in the back of her head- It's all so much easier now. Things are suddenly blindingly obvious. The perimeter is honestly weakest on the south, when if anything the opposite should be true. The watchtower needs to be a bit taller, or the apartment building just south needs to come down, for it to have truly commanding sight lines. And so on.

Multimind Selected!

You are now Level 1!

Level: 1
HP: 60/60
MP: 90/90
Experience: 500/1000
Body: 6
Mind: 10
Spirit: 9

Conditions: None

Class Powers: None

5 points available to assign. Assign points to earn Class Powers and Class Upgrades.

The runner comes back with a guy that's extremely built, like ultra-bodybuilder, and... Abyssia.

She looks totally different now. A bit taller, a bit broader, somehow- Maybe that's all in the pose, or maybe not. The most salient difference is that her skin is now a deep blue, eyes gold, and her black dyed hair is shot through with silvery streaks. Oh, and she's carrying a bright red fire axe in addition to her usual knife, and has kitted herself out with those improvised arm and leg guards.

"Sable! Are we going on a rescue mission?"

When the runner gets back, Maya fixes them with an intent gaze, warm steel in her voice. "Good job. Now we need you to talk to the construction teams about reinforcing the southern perimeter and raising the watchtower higher. Go."

Then Sable turns to smile at Bys. "Hell yes we are. Ink and Salt, girl, that class upgrade made you even hotter."

She hops into the shotgun seat, where she can put her perception and speed and command to use.

"Get in, bitches. We're going rescuing."

<How long have you been waiting for an excuse to use that line?>, Neo asks.

<Long enough,> Sable replies with an internal blush.

"I resemble that remark," the buff guy mutters, chuckling.

Bys's eyes go wide and she rears back. "I- This is no time for that! We've got work to do. I'm not sure about my powers, we can review while we're driving-"

The pair clamber into the sports car's back seat, with a bit of difficulty. Mike taps his foot rapidly, impatient. As soon as they're mostly seated he pulls a tidy three-point turn and heads back for the fortress entrance, trundling over the concrete dividers and grass in places with soft thumps. "So the sitch is that there's a fucking school bus full of kids, and a couple cars with people still in 'em too, in some kind of incredibly fucked up giant pile-up right near JBLM. It's such a mess. Bus on its side, field of cars three deep around it, cars on top, cars blocking the back... The teacher turned into a Healer so they're all stable - but the only two people who weren't absolute fuckwads and stayed to try and get 'em free instead of running for Tacoma, can't do it by themselves, not in time."

He hits relatively open ground and pushes the throttle open, peeling rubber down the clear part of the 5.

Even before everyone's in, Neo prods the System for a list of available class powers.

"Sounds like a mess," Sable says in response to the briefing. "Everyone review class powers and get talking, w—I have the bandwidth for all of it."

<That's fair, now isn't the time to explain us to new people,> Hailey agrees.

Maya gives Sable a mental hug. It feels more vivid than ever.

"I'm a Racer, already spent all my points on '86. It's powered by magic, I got a repair spell, it's got offroad tires, and three points in something called 'slip driving' that makes me real nimble."

"I'm a Bodybuilder. Potential powers, Leverage, Brute Force, Endure, Roid Rage. I think Leverage sounds like what we want."

You have 5 Points available.

Available Class Powers:

Parallel Processing 0/5 - Each level of this Power reduces the additional mental load caused by multiple active minds of thought by 10%.

Many Voices One Body 0/5 - Allows seamless coordination and task switching in combat between personalities I.E. A mind for footwork, a mind for spells, a mind for aiming. Efficiency increases with number of points invested. Costs [N-1] MP/second where N is the number of minds coordinated.

Absolute Focus 0/1 - Allows shunting of all minds except one to an inactive state in exchange for a 100% increase in speed of thought and 50% decrease in reaction time, for up to one objective minute. Costs 10 MP.

Strong Will 0/5 - Increases effective willpower for contested Mind and Spirit checks I.E. against charm, fear, confusion, blindness, or suppression Afflictions, by 20% per level.

"I have- Baleful Strike, Bloody Work, uh is lifesteal, Dark Power- That's a channeled aura thing- And Sudden Charge, which can affect a group, speed and first strike boost."

They immediately sink a point into Parallel Processing.

"Okay. Sebastian," Sable points at the Bodybuilder, "you're definitely taking Leverage. Bys, you want Sudden Charge and anything that can throw enough damage to blast a car to chunks or knock it out of the way, if any of those do that. Sketch of a plan is Bys hits us with Sudden Charge when we start, Sebastian goes straight for the bus and heaves cars out of the way of the back, and everyone else gets other people out of cars, breaking windows as needed. Whenever monsters show up, Bys hits us with another Sudden Charge if needed, and one or both of us switch focus to keeping them off the party while everyone else focuses on liberating people. Once everyone's out, fighting retreat to JBLM, civvies stay there until a secure corridor exists. Once the civvies are dropped off, we all pile back into '86 and Mike drives back to Fort Bass. Any monsters show up along the way, I lean out the window and shoot 'em. If Bys has ranged powers, she can optionally hit with those. Once home, we contribute to defense there. Feedback?"

"I don't wanna sit still, and I don't really wanna try fucking ramming monsters either. And I'm a terrible shot. Transport only," Mike snarls, jerking the wheel to drift around an 18-wheeler on its side in the middle of the highway.

"Leverage talks about- getting around simple physics. I think I also need a Brute Force, I'm strong but not that strong," Sebastian says. "Oh, shit, taking a point in a power unlocks upgrades for it, that's something new to think about too. Leverage upgrades: Ground Pressure, World of Cardboard, Precise Break."

"Baleful Strike is a ranged magic bolt attack. Does damage based on my Spirit, costs 2 MP. Maybe we should save some of our points for emergencies, or for later analysis- I think things are going to start happening very fast in, uh, less than three minutes. Sudden Charge upgrades- Shock and Awe, Speed Boost, Disengage."

<Upgrades? System, tell us about the upgrades,> Hailey asks.

Parallel Processing (1/5)
-Back of Your Head (0/1) - Creates a set of phantasmal eyes that can move up to Sqrt(Spirit) meters from you. 5 MP/minute.
-Parallel Pain Tolerance (0/1) - Allows differential loading of sensory or pain overload among minds.
-Psychic Scream (0/5) - Single target mental attack with a range of Mind meters. Causes confusion, disorientation, pain, and light damage increasing based on upgrade level. Cooldown: 1 minute.

<Are the phantasmal eyes visible to others?>

System Inquiry Detected

Remaining Tutorial Duration: 6 days, 23 hours, 47 minutes

Phantasmal eyes appear as translucent, slightly glowing spheres that look like eyes. Certain skills and powers can detect and track phantasmal links.

<A point of Many Voices One Body, please, and list upgrades.>

Many Voices One Body 1/5
-Acclimation (0/5) - Reduces ongoing cost of maintaining MVOB after the first 2 seconds, by 10% per level.
-Wired Nerves (0/5) - Reduces effective neuron transmission delay by 10% per level when MVOB is active.
-Many Voices One Mouth (0/1) - Allows you to speak in two voices simultaneously while MVOB is active. Both will be heard clearly.

"Everything I'm looking at upgrades focus, attention, fluid multitasking, and so on. Mike, no worries, just drop us off. Maybe come get us later, or maybe we'll just fight our way back if we have to. That's up to the group. You stick to your strengths and keep yourself and '86 safe," Sable replies.

She nods at Bys. "Yeah, we shouldn't spend everything." Then to Sebastian, she says, "Makes sense about Brute Force. Probably pick that up too. Do any of those upgrades look useful?"

<System, show Bys our character sheet and purchased/available powers. Is there a way to relay private messages?>

System Inquiry Detected

Private messages require an appropriate Class Power or Settlement/Location upgrade.

"I might need more time to look at it all. World of cardboard and ground pressure so I can move cars without just tearing bumpers off..."

Bys says, "I am taking Baleful Strike and Sudden Charge and holding the rest of my points for now.

"Yeah, I'm limiting my purchases as well. Just a few things I think will be useful here."

<Back of Your Head, please.>

One minute until Monsters begin spawning.

"Okay, we're halfway there but I'm going in the grass. The wrecks get bad up here," Mike says.

"Makes sense. Good thing you've got those off-road tires. I should be able to keep up situational awareness even while we work, so I should probably be on the perimeter working in, ideally on the side furthest from JBLM. Really it just depends on monster quantities when we get there. If there are enough, I stand atop the bus and shoot them while everyone else rescues people, since I've got a cheap ranged option."

"How much ammo you carrying? Not worried about the soldiers?"

"Eighty-one rounds total: one chambered, three mags of ten, and a box. The soldiers can handle themselves and may help keep that side clearer, if anything. I expect they know how to tell people from monsters, if they bother approaching. If I run out of ammo, I switch to baton and knife, and dance."

As the sportscar rolls over the grass, bumping around, she takes a centering breath. "System, what monsters are going to spawn around here? -Classified." She rubs her hands together. "Okay, we'll do this, we got this. How much further, uh, Mike?"

"See the airfield off to the left? That's the base. They're not defending the runway, just the buildings. Pileup's a bit past it, by the highway exits."

Sebastian looks around uncertainly, but he's not gonna be the coward in the group, no sir. He just wishes he'd thought to bring something other than a sledgehammer.

Monster spawns are now enabled.

You are outside of a safe zone.

New Quest Available: Safe Passage

Assist in establishing a safe route between Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Tacoma by killing monsters, providing intelligence, or coordinating with other Players.

Reward: 200-2000 Experience.

"Alright, we're here! Get to it, heroes!"

"Mike, I'd love a big box of nine mil for when I inevitably run out, if you have a spare trip in between everything else. Try to come back and get us in half an hour if you can. Maybe swing by JBLM and ask if I can stash these civvies with them until there's a corridor to Tacoma. Otherwise get the fuck out of here and keep doing your thing."

She gives him a daring grin and jumps out, assessing the situation, and giving Maya the Phantasmal Eyes to help survey by circling at the three meter max range. Which cars look like they have people in them, how far away is the bus, and have any monsters spawned yet?

There are thousands of abandoned cars around here, to the point where it's almost easier to run from roof to roof. The problem, it is immediately clear, is that the pile-up isn't just on level ground. No, the bus is on its side in a ditch, almost like a small valley between the road and the town, and more and more cars are abandoned around it, sticking out of the ditch, stacked on top of each other, sideways or on their ends several having wrecked into it, twisting doors and body panels creating a huge mess of metal over everything.. The bus itself seems mostly intact aside from the windows, like an old sturdy steel frame. It's honestly lucky nothing is on fire, with the stench of gasoline in the air like this.

Bys and Sebastian head for the bus, shoving their way past the debris as best they can. "Anybody alive, shout out! We're here to help!"

The kids in the bus all make a huge racket. There's a few cars with trapped people, mostly the ones on the bottom of the pile.

There... Seem to be a few bodies around too. She tries not to acknowledge that.

-And there, and there, in the distance, coalescing from a white glow, is the shape of what looks like - a quivering transparent blob about two and a half feet across. It appears on top of a car hood, and proceeds to slowly move around, leaving a trail clean of ash and grime as it goes. There's another off in the distance. And another. Maybe a dozen in the vicinity, not concentrated on them, and not seeming to be aware of them yet.

Neo jumps up onto the nearest car, then car-hops to the nearest people-containing car that's got an exposed window, her movements light and springy and swingy.

Maya, meanwhile, keeps the phantasmal eyes on a swivel, checking all angles, and especially watching for when the slimes start to pay attention to either the team or the civilians and come closer.

"Okay, folks. We'll have you out of here in a jiff. Do me a favor and lean as far away from this window as you can, and cover your faces with clothes."

The passenger in the car - a young woman in a business suit, bloodstains on her collar - nods rapidly and does her best to scramble away. She covers her face with her jacket.

Meanwhile, Abyssia and Sebastian are shoving cars out of the way deeper into the pile, trying to get to the bus and clear a path. Sebastian can roll cars entirely over, which is necessary since so many of these oversized SUVs and such have their wheels locked up, dead. Abyssia doesn't have nearly so much brute strength, but chops away some of the mangled metal and plastic as they get to more wrecked parts of the pileup.

The slimes do seem to have hearing, of a sort. Their random wandering is taking them somewhat more in the direction of the loud noises. Occasionally they tense up for a moment and hop a few feet forward, instead of rolling or oozing along a surface. One of them seems to have gained a weird rainbow sheen? Possibly dangerous?

A sudden color change from a monster is a great way for that slime to earn Maya's full attention. What's different about you, iridescent pile of goo?

She also watches these hops very closely as well.

Lv. 4 Gasoline Slime

This variant slime has absorbed a large quantity of gasoline, making it faster and noxious. It's also extremely flammable - for better or worse.

The slime hops are all consistent at least- The same amount of force and speed from the same slime, every time. A few go a bit further, a bit faster. The gas slime itself is considerably more motile.

Ah. Exactly what she hoped it wasn't. Well, hopefully they can keep ahead of the foul things long enough. She doesn't dare risk detonating the entire pileup, so she decides against advising shooting it for now.

Sable takes note of Maya's findings, but otherwise continues with what she's doing.

She flicks her wrist, extending her baton to full, then gives the window a solid whack, fracturing it into the typical pebble mess of safety glass. "Okay, whack something through it gently — worst case your own jacket-wrapped hand — to give me a hole to clear it through without pushing it inside."

She... Shoves her pink thermos bottle through it?

"Miss- The screens, should I pick something-?"

"Good job. Tell me your options while I clear this for you." And she gets to work, wrapping her hand in a towel from her bag, and swiftly but carefully sweeping all the glass out onto the street.

"Um, Boss, Laborer, Servant, Driver..." She lists a few more. All Commons. Healer is on the list.

"Healer's a priority in many groups, if that feels like it could be satisfying to you. I recommend aiming for a solid mix of utility and satisfaction. Picking something is a very good idea, but don't be hasty because you can't take it back."

She dusts a few last bits out. "Okay, that's as clear as it'll get for now. C'mon, out you get."

She holds her hands out to the woman and helps her climb through.

Her first rescuee is successfully de-car'd! She dusts herself off and looks around, sort of shell-shocked.

One of the slimes seems to have found one of the three remaining non-bus occupied cars and is sort of- Repeatedly bouncing at the car door, rocking it side to side. Several other slimes are slowly converging on it from all around, more directly than before.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, ma'am."

Neo vaults back atop the cars and starts springing across, bounding closer and closer, then on the final leap slams the baton down on the slime that's actively assaulting the car.

Splat.

The baton sends bits of slime flying as it tears into the tough outer membrane. The slime pauses, shivers, and then tenses to leap straight towards where the blow came from.

Nope! She's not above it, she's twirling 'round and whacking it with the baton like some demented cross between a batter and a ballerina, aiming exactly away from the car and hitting it just as it gets a decent bit airborne.

The slime goes flying, and goes,

FFFPBPBPBPBPBPBT!

The three slimes that were slowly coming towards her are now rapidly leaping at her.

It's oozing from both baton wounds now, but it relentlessly tries one more hop at her anyway. This time it seems at least sort of aware where she is, as opposed to just the weapon.

(Abyssia has noticed the noise, and turned towards her, eyes wide.)

Hahanope! She's not still there, she's twirling past it and slapping it from behind with the baton as it leaps, launching its broken body at another slime.

But this is totally a good time for "backup". She switches the baton to her left hand, and invokes Many Voices, giving perspective, primary focus, the right arm, and aiming to Hailey, while keeping footwork and the left arm for herself.

Hailey draws the pistol, temporarily borrows the left hand for a press check, cocks the hammer, then (handing the actual footwork off to Neo) spins to face her target while leaving it pointed at the ground until Maya says she's clear of people in her line of fire.

She raises the gun, sights carefully but swiftly down it at a slime that has no people behind it, and then fires in the space between exhale and inhale.

The sharp, loud crack of gunfire echoes across the morning air. The slime she targeted seems to expand for a moment, before collapsing down again and spurting out a jet of fluid.

(In the background, Abyssia is yelling and running in her direction, and Sebastian is only just starting to look)

She notes the presence of a convenience store downrange of the fourth and final slime in this group.

Hailey raises the baton as a signal (borrowing it from Neo), points at Bys, then stabs at number four. Then she swivels back to the nearest slime (the one Neo beat up with the baton), raises her pistol, aims carefully, then times a shot for the still moment just after it lands, before it attempts another weakened "leap". Then she lowers the pistol, swivels to slime two, aims, fires.

Finally she repeats the process one last time, turning to slime three (the last of the nearby slimes with no humans downrange). She aims carefully, fires between breaths at the bottom of its leap, pauses, waits for it to react, attempt to move, settle, then she fires again.

Then she lowers the pistol while Maya keeps watch on it all with the phantasmal eyes.

Slime Lv 1 defeated!

100 Experience granted.

Slime 1 is dissolving into a puddle now after three vicious baton hits and a bullet, but slimes 2 and 3 are still kicking, despite being shot twice. And gunshots... Are very loud. Several more slimes seem to be converging on their area rather than passively wandering the highway and grass and field of cars. The furthest away ones are only intermittently visible, but at least half a dozen seem to be approaching, including the Gas Slime. They're a few hundred feet away, though, she has a minute to deal with the two close-by ones.

Bys seems to have used Sudden Charge, if the way she blurs over to the fourth slime, fire axe cleaving straight through its gelatinous mass, is anything to go by. It separates completely in two from the force, and Abyssia jumps in shock. "Woah!"

Those fuckers are still alive? Okay. They release Many Voices.

"Bys, can you cleave those two wounded ones for me? This spot will act as bait for them all after we get away. They seem drawn to noise," she says while decocking and safely holstering her pistol.

She turns to the car. "Away from the window, and cover your face." Once they do, she shatters it with the baton.

The first rescuee is following close to Sable, looking around and grimacing. The second follows her instructions and scrambles out with a bit of help, lifting them through the awkward window. Sebastian has stopped clearing a path towards the bus and is headed for them, too.

Her body moves so easily, so fluidly. She doesn't use the Charge again, it has a Cooldown, but it doesn't much matter when she starts her swing towards where a slime is going to land just as it begins its leap.

Though the fire axe gets sort of stick in their thick jello-ey bodies, the two damaged slimes are quickly dead slimes.

Slime lv 1 (x2) Defeated

Your contribution: 60%

120 Experience awarded! Loot the enemies?

Yes, she wants to loot all the enemies. Absolutely. Is the System going to conveniently give it to her, or does she need to go pick it up?

Particularly keen listeners may notice that her voice sounds different — tighter, slightly chirpier, a little bit clipped. Bys knows what that means. The others don't, most likely.

"Okay. We want to be away from here. All that gunfire will be a beacon to the slimes. Rainbow's a gasoline slime, highly flammable. It probably picked that up because there's gas leaking everywhere. I expect the whole place will go up if I shoot it. Plan is to get us all away and then detonate, hopefully killing them all. Bys and Sebastian, clear the blocked car without the exposed windows. I'm on the last exposed one. Civilians, if you don't mind car-hopping, with me, otherwise with Bys and Sebastian. Then we all converge on the bus."

The System is going to make stuff appear where the puddle-goo-bodies are! There is: A plastic bottle of water, a cube of something light blue, and a glass vial with a cork stopper.

People seem okay with following her lead. The last two trapped civilians are freed in short order. Some of the slimes get distracted by the group on their way to the party, heading towards them instead of blobbing up together.

Sebastian and Abyssia can take care of those before any of their rescuees panic too much, jogging towards each one in turn, motioning for Sebastian to back her up. Two quick swings of the fire axe seem to take care of them, though she whiffs a swing and is slammed into by one of the slimes, letting out a pained grunt, once. Sebastian smashes it with a sledgehammer.

Then they're all heading to the bus, after she scoops the loot into her bag. Neo leads everyone car-hopping to the very front of the bus, where a car is blocking access to the windshield.

Sable looks down at it and nods. "Okay, we need to shove this thing far enough off to clear a path, then I'll get the glass out of the windshield. Once it's off enough that I can get at the glass, everyone focus on clearing a path, then we all book it off the road."

Of course Maya keeps her phantasmal eyes orbiting watchfully.

From inside the bus comes the call of, "Thank you! Oh g- Okay, kids, see, they're not firefighters but people are coming to help- Hello! We had two people run for the Army base, but they're not back yet."

Abyssia comments and points. "The base is that way. I dunno where the, like, defensive line is-"

They've started to hear gunshots, though. So the defensive line is probably not that far away.

"Right, Sebastian, I think you can just lift it, and shove it over this other one, if you get under here- I'll make sure it doesn't fall the other way. Does anyone else want to help?"

None of the civvies seem particularly eager to help. Bys snorts derisively. "Well, there's a Healer right there, right, come on!"

This gets two of them to hesitantly step forward as Sebastian drops down, trying to grip the frame of the Sedan. "Hold on, I need more 'world of cardboard' for this... There."

The strongman lifts with a groan and the whole car slowly moves upwards. Bys shoves the tires and oily underbody, trying to make sure it lands away from the bus.

The second there's enough of a gap, she drops into the space next to the windshield, smashing the shards of glass away with her baton.

That done, she turns to the people inside with a warm, confident grin. "Okay, kids! We're your rescue team for today. My friends are getting that car out of the way," an enormous, crunching crash is heard as it lands, "and now we need to swiftly but carefully exit the bus. I'm going to teach y'all a lesson that I learned from someone very wise, and that should help in all sorts of situations — especially ones like this: slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

She looks around at everyone, smiling warmly. "That means that moving slower allows you to move more smoothly, and moving smoothly is a safer kind of going fast. So say it with me: slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

The lady at the back seems to be their teacher; She has them all line up and repeat 'slow is smooth, smooth is fast' several times. None of the kids have visible injuries, though several of them have bloodstains or torn clothes. She looks haggard and tired, and is moving slowly, as if weak.

"Okay, kids. We're going to step out now. My friends Bys and Sebastian cleared us a path off the highway, and we're going to get clear of this mess, then head toward the base. Follow me, everyone." And she leads them out of the bus, helping them down if needed.

She grabs the civilian healer's attention as soon as she can, and directs her toward the obviously worn out teacher.

The kids file out, shivering and fidgeting but mostly orderly.

One of them asks Sebastian if he's a Luchador. He just says, "Eh, not quite."

The healer reaches the teacher and talks quietly for a bit.

"-I don't think I can heal this. It's... Like you're thin air. Maximum HP reduced?"

"It'd be a massive hack if you could, I'm not surprised," the teacher says quietly. "Just watch the kids, okay? That's what's important."

She nods firmly and starts leading the kids down the path, off the highway. Along the way she grabs Sebastian. "Think you can pitch a chunk of debris into the middle of the pileup? Ideally a very gas-covered area?"

Bys stands at the head of the column, head on a swivel watching for slimes. 'We're going to go see the Army, but we have to be careful and quiet', she tells them.

"I'm not exactly a shot-put champion. Or is this more like javelin...?" Sebastian frowns thoughtfully and finds a bit of door frame. Puts a foot on it and pulls to break it free. Hefts it and swings it in his hand a bit.

"Leverage is really cool, by the way. Okay, I bet I can get this in a general area. Maybe aim for the windshield on that BMW?"

"Yeah," she says with a nod. "I don't need great accuracy, I just want them to have a good excuse to clump together where I can try to detonate the gasoline slime. A toss or three ought to do nicely."

He grabs a bit more ammo - a piece of roof frame, a tire - and waits for a signal. Behind them, the rescued civilians and kids are starting to get close to the edge of the debris.

She signals to Bys to make sure the group gets clear of the gas spill, at least, and once they are, signals Sebastian.

And then she draws her gun, does a press-check, cocks the hammer, and points at the ground, facing toward the target area and watching carefully.

"-Now?" Asks Sebastian, hefting his scrap-steel spear.

(Bys is stopping the group near the edge of the debris field, looking concernedly at something - something in the foliage by the side of the road.)

"Now," Hailey says.

Maya orbits the eyes toward the Concerning Something.

Some of the greenery on that side of the road seems... Too big? Like, they'd keep it trimmed back further usually, right?

Sebastian takes a running lunge, launching his spear into the car field. It spins unstably in the air, glances off a Tahoe's windshield (cracking it), before embedding itself in the door of a nearby Civic with a loud crunch. 

All the nearby slimes pause, wobbling, and start oozing or lunging towards these noises a moment later.

Maya attempts to observe the mysterious shrubbery closely enough to trigger whatever infobox the System provided about the gasoline slime previously. What are you, bizarre greenery?

Meanwhile, Hailey waits for the slimes to get grouped up enough for her plan, and signals Sebastian to throw again if they start to stall out or slow down.

Hidden Enemy detected!

Ambush Lv 2

A sneaky shrubbery that pretends to be an ordinary bush, before stinging the unwary with tendrils that rapidly drain HP. And blood.

The slimes are sort of converging, but not all that quickly. There's maybe a couple dozen, now, and they're within two or three cars of each other, bapping into each other and turning around to disperse again when that happens.

Also, the Ambush is attacking now! green vines wave around and advance towards Bys; She bats at one with a gloved hand and then chops it with the fire axe, grimacing. They seem barely long enough to reach. (The kiddies are screaming and backing down the path. This is starting to attract the slimes.)

She aims swiftly and smoothly and puts a double-tap into the gasoline slime.

It spurts out fluid and vapor everywhere, sending the stench of gas on the air and coating several cars.

Then the hot bullets manage to ignite it from the inside. The gasoline slime bursts into flames and leaps wildly to and fro, making an unholy screeching noise. The flames flash out in a brief flare of an explosion as all the vapor cooks off, and then keep burning as lots of debris is ignited.

The cars are on fire. A bunch of slimes are on fire and the rest are fleeing the flames in panic. The fire is loud and hot, smoke is everywhere, the kids are screaming louder, and Bys is still chopping at the bush's tendrils. It seems to give up and try running away after the third one is cut.

She goes after it, though, grimacing in anger. It's not exactly fast, wobbling along on its roots like that.

She swiftly and carefully puts a round through the four slimes that look most like they're heading toward the group, aiming to disable and discourage them. This way lies painful death, slimes. Go somewhere else. Then she hits the decocker lever, ejects the mag, stows it in her bag, and loads a fresh one.

She turns and starts heading toward the bush. "Sebastian, I think the bush is our current main threat. Let's box it in toward Bys and kill it. I'll keep watch for more threats."

Maya goes back to orbiting the eyes, checking everywhere for more possible threats.

Neo safely holsters the pistol and snaps out the baton again, dancing around to the other side of the bush from Bettrys, ready to thwack it as needed to keep it at a distance and herd it where it can be chopped down to size.

They manage to chop down the bush easily enough!

There are more gunshots coming from military-base-wards, echoing oddly. Including some big heavy booms, occasionally. And some kind of... Roaring scream from further away.

As soon as active combat is over, the System interrupts again.

Various Enemies Defeated! Slime x18, Gasoline Slime x1, Ambush x1

1230 Experience granted.

You have levelled up!

The level up comes with a rush and a brief shuddering high as her body and mind become more again. It's less dramatic than the first one, but it still feels very nice. Sebastian looks like he got a level too; Bys does not seem to have hit that threshold.

(The teacher and other rescuees are trying to gather and calm the kids again. There seems to be an argument, as one of the boys has chosen a Class and wants to fight.)

Sable steps up to the boy who's chosen a class with a warm smile. "Hey there. What class did you pick?"

"I'm a Ninja! I can fight!"

She crouches down a bit to get on his height level and nods firmly, still smiling. "Impressive class. Ninja can fight, for sure, but ninja are better suited to other places then the front lines. I have a special job that a ninja like you would be perfect for, but it's not on the front lines. Do you wanna hear it?"

He frowns suspiciously at the adult telling him what to do. "I know that. Ninja are sneaky too."

"Yep! In the end, it's your choice what to do. Being a ninja, you could totally sneak away from your class and get into all the fights you want. It might not go well, but you could. We'd have a hard time stopping you. But there's something that you'd be best at. The fights wouldn't come as often, but they'd be all the more important when they did."

"Well, I need a shuriken or something first, but yeah. Ninja are the shadows beneath the light. One blade in the right place can turn a battle."

He thinks he sounds very cool, saying this.

"Exactly right," she says with a nod, then leans in and whispers, a conspiratorial grin on her face. "And — don't tell your classmates this — but I think the world's getting more dangerous, in some ways, with what's happened. So I think probably some kind of attack may eventually find your classmates. And I personally would sleep a lot easier if I knew that whenever that was, a trained ninja was going to surprise those jerks. Imagine some goblin, thinking it was going to get to attack your helpless classmates, and then imagine the look on its face when it suddenly gets stabbed in the back, and falls over to reveal you standing there, smirking like the dramatic hero you are."

"So you think I should stand guard." He frowns, then nods seriously. (The teacher watches on fretfully.) "Maybe Shinobi Eye would be a good power then. And Shadow Hide. You cannot hit what you cannot see."

"That's exactly what I think. I think you should be a trap, hidden among the other students. The attackers think you're just another normal student, but then when they're looking away you vanish, strike them from the shadows, and keep your classmates safe. I want them to think your class is an easy win, and then I want you to be there to prove them wrong every time."

She gives him a serious look. "It's an important job, and it would make my job — troubleshooting everything I can as the world changes around us — much easier, because then I'd know this group of students was safe. Will you do that for me?"

"...Okay but I need a weapon so I have something to ambush with. To keep everyone safe with."

She hums and nods. "Reasonable," she says, while pulling her less-favorite of her two knives out, still closed. "This knife is a loan. I will want it back when we find something better-suited for you, and if I find out you've been careless with it — treating it like a toy, brandishing it at other kids, showing it off — I will come back and take it, because you need to be responsible with this. I have the next best thing to eyes in the back of my head, literally, so I will know."

She holds the closed flip-knife out toward him. "Are we clear?"

"A blade is a reflection of the soul. It is not a care-less thing."

This... Is probably agreement? He takes it carefully, nodding seriously.

The other kids take this moment to demand that he shows off his new powers, and the teacher starts asking everyone to line up again. The fires from the slimes seem to be dying down, and Bys and Sebastian are watching to the sides. Nothing new has decided to come threaten them, yet.

Maya keeps the eyes on orbit, as Sable steps up to Bys and Sebastian.

"I think I saw some loot in the mess, but we need to get the group moving. What do y'all think about my heading off to grab that and then catching up with y'all as you head toward the base?"

Bys shakes her head. "I think the buddy system is important. What if there's more Ambushes?"

Sebastian raises his hand. "Loot is pretty important too though. It might even be some kinda magic? And I don't think there's any more nasties right here. Either two go loot and the rest of us move on carefully- Hey, have y'all picked clases yet?"

The teacher is a healer and wants to get a move on to the base, where the gunshots are dying down; There's three other rescued people. One of them - with a twisted length of metal in one hand - says, "Um, Guard. I took toughness powers."

"So the guard and healer and miss Goth can cover the students, while I gather stuff into a sack and you keep a lookout, since you have multitasking."

"Me too!"

"And the little Ninja too. Just catch up quick."

Sable nods. "Be safe, see y'all soon."

And then she leads Sebastian to where she spotted the loot, carefully dancing past any hazards and pointing them out to her companion, watching for anything that looks valuable.

While the eyes continue their orbit, watching for enemies, the state of the main group, and anything Neo might miss.

A few of the slimes managed to survive the explosions and fires! They're making its way towards things that are not on fire, such as that Hampton Inn a few hundred feet in the opposite direction. She can also see what looks like some kind of group far north on the highway, near the hardware store that their ride zipped right past, and hear a burst of shouting and gunfire off to the north, in a section of suburbia that's not quite Tacoma proper.

The loot consists of various bottles of water, a few little vials of gel or small sheets of plasticky material, a sturdy-looking red stick, and a bright red jerry can where the gasoline slime was, apparently full of [Super Gas].

Sebastian gathers it all up into a duffle bag, except the jerry can, which he checks is well sealed and then ties to the outside of the bag with climbing rope.

"Not sure I want anything to do with 'super gas', personally..."

The trapped school class has been walking along the road and just went past the turn towards the base a minute ago. They hadn't had any trouble thus far, and it's been quiet in that direction.

"Could be useful, maybe Mike will want it, but we'll see. Understandable to be wary," she says with a nod.

"Let's catch back up with the group." And off she heads, letting Sebastian set the pace since he's doing the carrying.

Speaking of Sebastian, has he seemed to notice anything about how "Sable's" voice seems to change intermittently?

If he has, he's not worrying about it. Sebastian sets the pace at a fast jog, duffle slung across his shoulders.

When they turn the corner, they see the other group walking straight down the middle of the road all in lookout positions.

There... Might be something small and humanoid watching them from the window of an under-renovation fast food joint. Several somethings, actually, and they're suspiciously easy to let your eyes just slide past if you're not paying attention.

Her entire job right now is watching, so she doesn't have anything that makes sense to distract her from this. No, little humanoids, you now have her full attention, in their little hiding places. Observe?

[Level ? ???]

Eyes widen for a brief moment, and then all of the faces duck into cover and vanish smart-quick.

That's fine. She'll go back to orbiting, paying closer attention to that vague vicinity.

"Small, possibly-sentient humanoids watching main group from our nine o'clock, hid on closer observation," Hailey whispers. "Let's hurry."

There's nothing really to say about that.

The teacher has the kids quietly sing a song. Ninja Kid seems to be missing? -He's there on a second count, at the back, but he's not obvious, somehow. Concealment effects galore.

Things are quiet for a minute. They hear what might be engine noise from closer to the base- The official base entrance is visible up ahead, but doesn't appear to be manned.

There's a group perched up on the flat roof of a row of townhouses, with rifles. The source of much of the gunfire that was heard earlier. They appear to be having a slime problem, the problem being: Slimes can climb, and a small swarm is creeping up the walls towards them, kept at bay with potshots that knock them off and sometimes kill them.

"I think we could get around them," Bys says to Sable quietly. "Keep going towards the base to keep the kids safe. On the other hand, kills are XP and XP might be life. And clearing the way would be good. Who knows what's lurking in the houses, or in the trees off the road? Road's nice and open."

She frowns for a moment, but eventually shakes her head. "This is basically an escort quest. Civvies to safety first, clear that mess on the way back. We've got an actual quest for a corridor back to Tacoma, so that'll be part of the job."