A shadow flew overhead and I quickly ducked down through the leaves. My heart leaped in my chest at the appearance of birds flying through the air. Yet, they were just birds, and not fliers.
I let out a sigh of relief. Getting yanked into the air was not on the schedule today. Based on the location of the tall tree and the rising sun, it seemed likely I was more on track than I’d thought, but I didn't know for certain. I climbed back down, going slower than I had coming up. Backtracking seemed like the best bet since the sun was now coming up and I could hopefully spot the last marked tree. The last marking I remembered had been after the fallen tree on the trail from the giant cat I really, really didn't want to run into. Frustration built inside me as I made my way back to the ground. Because of the damn carnivorous flower, I was lost yet again.
"Noseen, how come you didn't warn me about the flower?" I growled.
"I didn't notice the pollen. My level is too high for such things." Noseen buzzed from farther away than normal. "You marched along like normal, nothing indicated that you had been compromised. You need to keep aware of your surroundings or you’ll be eaten. I don’t think I’d like that."
I landed on the ground and quickly grabbed the sled. My trail through the mud was easy to follow, and it didn’t take long to find the last marked tree. I hadn’t gone as far off track as I could have, that was for sure. The mist rapidly burned the rest of the way off at ground level, yet it still felt like I was walking through a cloud of water. I swore steam was rising from the ground in spots that the sun touched. Everything was waterlogged, including me.
At the base of the marked tree, I turned more toward the south and tried to spot the next marker. This was going to take forever, especially if I had to keep backtracking every couple of marks. The next was easy to spot, and frustration rose again at how I’d missed it the first time. The next two were closer together, and I was thankful to past-me for the easy bit of trail. I paused for a quick break of water, and to pull up my stat sheet. I knew how I wanted to spend those 6 points, and waiting wouldn’t make anything easier. I tossed two each into Strength, Quickness, and Intelligence.
Name: Alex
Level: 8
Race: Human
Traits: Survivability, Adaptation, Hangry
Class: Devourer
Stats:
STR: 22(26)
QUICK*: 31(35)
FLEX: 31(33)
TOUGH: 25(27)
INT: 21(25)
FORT: 23(25)
WILL: 24(26)
CHA: 21(23)
FREE:0
Monstrosity: 0
Titles & Achievements:
Jack-of-all-Trades
Lucky Stars
Skills: 8/10
Insight
Crystal Attunement
Iron Stomach
Heightened Senses
Stealthy Camouflage
Blades and Polearms
Tree Climber
Consumptive Healing*
Venomous Bite
Skill Categories: +
Intelligence got a boost because I needed to be better at coming up with plans. I needed to be smarter than my prey. Strength was one I’d been neglecting, and I couldn’t let it lag behind the rest, and Quickness got two points because it was my focus. I had to be faster than my opponents, they just hit too hard and had sharp teeth or claws. Venomous Bite caught my eye again, since it was still only a potential skill, even though it took up a skill slot.
“You're standing there looking like you forgot your name. Do I need to bite you?” buzzed Noseen, sounding frustrated. "I just warned you about paying attention to your surroundings."
"No, no." I quickly shook my head. “I got distracted looking at my stat sheet. I needed to apply my free stat points.”
“Normally, someone does that in a safe place, like hidden under a leaf or in a secure area of one's home.”
“Well, I can’t just wait out here,” I said with a shrug. They weren’t wrong, which I knew, but I had gotten more and more comfortable within the jungle. Maybe too comfortable, given how easily that flower had distracted me. Taking a deep breath, I focused on my surroundings, listening to the birds, the various creatures big and small in the distance, and the thud of something very big moving not nearly far enough away for comfort.
Not good.
My eyes grew wide as I looked for somewhere to hide the sled. I yanked on the rope, causing it to lift a little, and dashed toward a tree that I could climb. It grew taller than the rest, and it had large roots stretched out like dividers. I stashed the sled between two roots, making sure it was stable on the ground. Slowly, it started to hum, and my shoulders relaxed a little as I climbed up the branches as fast as I could. My fingers slipped on a branch from something wet and mushy. I resisted the urge to gag at the gunk, which smelled terrible. I tried to wipe it off on the trunk but had to give up before climbing past it. I couldn’t take the time.
More and more branches were covered with the dark, smelly stuff, but I didn't see anything above me. I needed to get higher than the thing that was out there. The mist was almost completely gone in most sections of the jungle, only settling in dips and gullies. All I could think about was moving faster the heavier the footsteps sounded. Finally, I stopped right below the canopy, then poked my head up, searching for fliers. Nothing flew in the sky, but a nest sat close to my head.
It was the size of a couch, with three large eggs basking in the sunlight. The yellow and blue eggs were each slightly smaller than a melon. Whatever had laid them had to be huge. I swallowed hard, glancing around at the tops of trees in the direction the heavy footfalls were coming from.
The trees shook and birds took flight from the area. Something large was headed to the east, but it would pass pretty close to where I hid. While I felt comfortable in the jungle, I knew I couldn’t face something that big on my own. Not yet, anyway. Maybe someday, when I was at a higher level. Given that I was already up here, I spotted the tall tree and tried to gauge how far I’d come. Based on where the sun sat, I thought I was a little behind schedule, but I should still make it back to the shuttle before dark. I wracked my brain, trying to remember what had happened early on. There was the para I’d killed and taken meat from, then lots of dead dinos, the mud pit, then the jungle. It felt like an endless jungle.
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From here I could see broken trees that might indicate the path the shuttle had taken while crashing. Or it might not. I hoped it was the crash site, because if it was, I was closer than I’d dare hoped.
My eyes went back to the three eggs. Eggs were full of protein, and who knew what skills or stats I’d get from eating them. Before I ducked back down under the leaves and branches to climb away from the nest, I snagged all three eggs into my inventory. I moved fast since I didn't want the parents to fly by and find me there, almost as much as I didn’t want to be on the ground when the thing with big footsteps went by.
The sound of heavy footfalls passed me by and I stayed huddled next to the large trunk. I kept it between me and the sound, focusing on my ability to be stealthy. Leaning my head back against the trunk, I opened my stat sheet. Venomous bite mocked me.
"Noseen, what happens if I dislike a skill after accepting it?" I whispered.
"You replace it with something else."
My fingers tapped on my thigh as I thought about it. It already took up a skill slot, I might as well try it out. I accepted the skill.
Pain hit me like a brick to the face, and I clenched the branch I sat on with both hands, desperately trying not to fall. Tears came to my eyes and it felt like something was cutting deep under my jaw and along my back wisdom teeth. Saliva gathered in my mouth before dribbling down past my lips. Time slipped and staggered as the pain rocked through me. Eventually, though, the pain vanished.
[Skill Unlocked: Venomous Bite: You have glands behind your jaw that create a minor sedative in your saliva.]
I spit the excess liquid out of my mouth, feeling like I'd gotten work done at the dentist. Not a good dentist, but one who didn’t use anesthetic.
"That was horrible..." I muttered.
"Did you take Venomous Bite?"
I nodded and opened my stat sheet, wanting to see if anything had changed. The skill sat in the same place. Yet, one number had updated. One that hadn’t ever updated before.
Monstrosity: 1%
I blinked a few times trying to get my head on straight. "Noseen, what is the monstrosity stat?" My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the number. Up until now, it'd been zero. The 1% didn't change, though, no matter how much I stared at it.
"Never heard of it. It must be a human thing."
Something squawked loudly above the tree and I froze for a moment, before I climbed down one more branch, letting several large leaves cover the top of my head. The creature squawked again, this time at a higher level. Wings beat through the air.
The number kept mocking me, even after I closed my stat sheet. Did that mean I was only 99% human at this point?
The noise from over my head lessened and I hoped the bird creatures stayed up there. I didn’t dare head back to the ground until the walking monster passed by my location and I was certain it wasn’t headed in the same direction as me. I could still hear it thumping away, though the sound was getting quieter, which meant the pain of taking the Venomous Bite hadn’t lasted nearly as long as it’d felt like. The way to the compound had been easier, right after the meteor shower. The journey back to the ship was not so much. I’d been lucky, very lucky that the meteor shower had scared most of the things in the jungle. Yet, the stomping kept moving, headed away from my location at a right angle. That had to be good enough, I was losing too much daylight.
Worry crept across my mind about just how easy it had been to hike to the compound, and now how everything was exponentially harder.
But I was stronger than before, too. I paused, taking stock of my body and how much had changed. My stats were higher, I’d gained several levels and, against all odds, I had the crystal John needed to fix the dang ship. Screw worrying about getting back to the ship, I’d traveled through a dinosaur-infested jungle with creatures trying to eat me at every turn. I’d made substantial progress back, and even was still on time, despite getting lost a few times.
I was freaking doing this, and growing stronger along the way. My body was more powerful than before, and at this rate it wouldn’t be long before I crossed level ten. From there, the world was my playground. I would do this, come hell or high water. Even if I was only 99% human at this point. Who cared, as long as I could protect myself and those I cared about?
I peeked through the leaves upward trying to get a look at whatever creature landed in the nest. Only the brightly colored wing caught my eye, but it was enough for information to pop up.
[Avian Skulker, Level 8]
All I could focus on was Noseen’s comment about getting wings. This would be my chance to try and take down a flyer bigger than a normal bird. As long as the fight was fast, it wouldn’t slow me down too much.
I pulled out my knife and extended it into a spear, waiting to see the tip of the wing appear over the edge of the nest.
It cawed again, and moved about the nest like it was still searching for the missing eggs. Silently, I crept up another branch, getting within reach of the nest. My concentration remained on staying silent and blending in with the leaves.
The tip of a wing flared out as it moved closer to me.
I heated the crystal tip as hot as it would go and cut at the bulk of the feathers, moving as fast as possible. The smell of burned hair filled my nostrils as the bird jerked back, screeching. The harsh noise hit me, making my ears ache. I ignored the pain as I climbed closer.
The Skulker tried to fly away, but the injured wing had lost too many feathers and it stumbled in the nest.
I launched myself from the branch, aiming for its back with my spear ready to go.
It hopped away from me, squawking, but not fast enough. The tip of my glowing spear dug into its side before I yanked back, rolling away as its hooked beak snapped.
I hit the edge of the nest, which kept me in the tree. The bird hopped into the air, trying to land on me. I yanked my spear into place and stabbed it into the center of the Skulker’s body, careful to keep away from the long taloned claws.
The bird whimpered once, then it crashed down into the nest.
[You have gained experience from combat with an Avian Skulker.]
“Yes,” I whispered to myself, climbing to my feet. The fight hadn’t lasted as long as I thought it would, I’d just been too fast for the creature to keep up with. Now I had to figure out how to butcher it as fast as possible and get back on the road, so to speak.
I ended up cutting the feathers off close to the body. The wings didn’t have enough to them to keep, the same went for the feet. Though, I tossed those in my crystal in case someone wanted them.
The head got cut off as well, but I’d leave it behind. That left the center body which, once the feathers were cut off, looked like a massively oversized turkey. I split the breast down the middle and pulled out the heart. My mouth watered and I took a bite, waiting to see what it tasted like.
Roasted nuts and caramel filled my mouth, which was a surprise. Sweet, but smoky, and completely delicious.
[You have devoured an Avian Skulker and gained major insight into Iron Stomach.]
“What did you get?” asked Noseen, curiously.
I frowned at the notification. “Major insight into Iron Stomach.”
“Makes sense, since it’s a scavenger.”
“I was hoping for something involving wings,” I muttered to myself.
Noseen chuckled. “You never know what you will get.”
I finished off the heart, and cut up the rest of the bird into bite sized pieces before using as little water as possible to clean up. At least my food supply had increased, though it wasn’t by much. I left the mess of feathers, bones, head and wings in the nest, feeling okay about the score.
A smile covered my face as I started back down the tree. My body felt good moving through the branches, and I wished I could try an obstacle course. My speed at climbing had increased with my level, which felt good. I tried to stay away from the black stuff on the branches, which had to be bird droppings, and still smelled horrible. Being quiet going down wasn't hard, at least.
[You have improved your Tree Climber Skills: Climbing a tree is like walking. You can climb trees that aren’t as easy or have branches further apart. Your balance while off the ground has increased. Instinct.]
That notification caused me to move just a little quicker to get back to the ground and the sled. It was a nice bonus after fighting in the tree, though it did reinforce that I needed to make it back to the shuttle. Hopefully John was fine. After all, he had to be, given all I’d gone through to get this far.
Once both feet were back on the ground, I felt a little slower. Using a damp leaf I wiped as much of the bird droppings off my hands as I could. The remaining mess didn’t stop me from grabbing the rope, moving around the tree in the correct direction, and heading through the underbrush. It shouldn’t be long until the next marking, and I had to be getting closer to the mud pit I’d skirted around last time. I needed to keep an eye on my footing. Getting sucked in would ruin my plan to be on time.
The background noise in the jungle had been pretty consistent on the way to the compound, mostly the calls of birds in the trees, and branches creaking in the breeze. Today, instead, the air kept that damp feeling from the rain and that made it feel even hotter as the sun baked down from above. The birds were quieter, seeming to feel the pressure of the humidity as badly as I did. The rain had changed the smell of the air to something that reminded me of when you left a damp towel tossed in a pile for a few days. It was slowly disappearing as the heat increased, but it made me want to take a shower.
Just thinking about a shower made my skin itch. I knew I was covered in dried sweat, grime, and who knew what else, everywhere my skin was showing. While I hadn’t taken Hawk up on his offer, next time I would. My clothes weren’t doing much better, and my skin was showing a lot more than it had been when I’d left the shuttle.
Up ahead, the ground looked different, and I paused, letting the sled lower to the ground. I pulled out my knife and extended it before poking at the ground. The first couple of feet were normal, but then it quickly changed to mud. Far ahead, I could just see the next marking on the tree. The rain must have extended the mud pit. Given the thick bushes, it was hard to figure out which way to go.
With a shrug, I headed back to the sled and grabbed the rope, but kept my spear in one hand, poking the dirt. My goal was to keep the mud pit to my right and stick to the very edges. Eventually, I should make my way around it and find another of my markings.
This would slow me down, that much was clear, but I still felt optimistic that I could get back to the shuttle before nightfall. I had to, after all, so I would.