I used Insight on Denver.
[Denver, Level 18 Armor Worker, Predator.]
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen someone’s profession listed first, but next to the predator, it made me wonder how close his class was to his profession. I added quickly, “I just didn’t think it’d be that fast.”
“Well, we owe you one. Heck, you're even going out hunting for more food for us, and you're wearing freaking cotton.” He shook his head from side to side. “Nothing I have would fit you or I’d give you my gear.”
I chuckled a little trying to not think about how my goal wasn't hunting for the compound but for myself. “I am a little on the short side.” Maybe with an increase in my stats I'd grow a few inches, though given my age I doubted it. Yet, I swore my father appeared younger than he had when we set off in the colony ship. Who knew what was possible in this new system? It was definitely a different set of rules than we’d known back on the motherworld.
“Means less leather usage,” grumbled Hawk, interrupting my thoughts. “But be careful out there.” A frown covered his face like he wanted to say more, but he didn't add anything else.
“I will.” I nodded at Denver, then turned toward the gate, not knowing what else to say. Getting away from everyone felt like the best plan, though I’d need to sleep a little, too, before we left tonight. Or sleep again on the shuttle.
My pace sped up as I headed back outside the fence and then into the underbrush. Once the fence was out of sight, blocked by giant ferns, my whole body relaxed. It was like I could finally breathe. I stood there, head lifted, staring at the bright leaves in the canopy for several moments. My focus switched to what I could hear around me. Bird sounds filled the trees, along with a soft breeze and the rustle of leaves. Slowly, a smile formed as I took a moment to just be. Nothing held me back at the moment.
I reached out with my prey sense but nothing came up. Breathing out, I glanced around and then headed toward the river. The closer you got to water, the bigger things usually were. Hopefully, I could find a few good creatures to hunt and eat.
It took way too long to even find a trail, but after a few hours of creeping through the jungle I found a herd of Paras. The taller-than-me creatures were covered with dark green stripes with lighter spots. They had four legs, but rested on the back two, and each had a long, heavy tail. The tall fins on their heads let them make a loud calling noise to warn others far and wide of predators. Five of the creatures stood around the watering hole, drinking water and relaxing. I stared down at them from a tree limb, within striking distance. It’d taken an hour to sneak this close to the creatures without being spotted, even with my stealth.
Whatever shake up had happened because of the meteor shower seemed to be over, and the new order seemed to mean a lot fewer dangerous creatures in this area. I hadn’t run across the trail of a predator or anything higher level than this group in the hours I’d been out hunting. As it was, this group ranged from level 16 to level 19. My target was the level 19, leader of the group. The creature stood off to one side watching the others and the jungle behind them. It rested on its back two legs with its tail touching the ground. Its yellow eyes stayed focused on the ferns in the distance.
I crouched on a tree branch above it, just waiting. Something warned me the one I targeted was distracted, but I couldn’t wait all day. Time was ticking before I needed to hike back to the compound.
Anticipation thrummed through me, as I very slowly pulled out my spear. My plan was solid, now I needed to execute it. Finally, my spear was ready as I leaped.
Nothing moved until I slammed into the back of the Para, and the burning smell of my spear digging into its neck filled the air. It groaned as its front feet hit the ground. I pushed the spear even deeper into the creature as it flailed to fling me off. My other hand wrapped around the beast’s neck, holding me onto its back. Thinking quickly, I used Claw Strike. Pain lanced up my left hand as claws sprouted and I dug into the creature’s neck. Blood went flying, and the smell took over. The claws sunk back into my knuckles and my pain went away.
Panic enveloped the other four Paras, as two other creatures darted out of the trees toward the level 16 Para, tackling it to the ground. My focus stayed on the one under me, as calls came from the others. The three unencumbered Paras darted to the trees, quickly out of sight trampling ferns and bushes.
I yanked my spear out of my target as it twitched then went still.
[You have gained experience from combat.]
[You have leveled up your class.]
I quickly snoozed my notifications as I kept my spear pointed toward the far side of the watering hole. I used Insight on the two new combatants, the ones that had taken the level 16.
[Deinonychus, Level 17, Predator.]
[Deinonychus, Level 18, Predator.]
I’d run into this type of creature before, but they’d been all skin and bones. These two beasts were at the top of their game, and a good thirty feet separated us, if not more. The Para struggled under them as they dug in, before it finally stopped moving.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Both stood around 4 feet tall, but were much longer if their necks and tails were fully extended. They had sharp talons on their feet and short arms. Sharp, jagged teeth filled the long snouts, and the green stripes made them hard to see against the ferns behind them.
They didn’t pay much attention to me as they started eating their creature. I stepped back, closer to my kill, and slowly focused on what I needed to do to remove myself from the situation. My level was higher, but there were two of them and maybe even more nearby.
Not worrying about skinning my kill, I first slowly cut off sections of its legs and tossed those in my inventory. Next was the head, which I’d leave behind. Each cut was quick with the glowing crystal, but my attention was split between the food and the other nearby creatures.
I caught one of the Deinonychus glancing my way and I froze, staring straight back at it. I lifted my spear and everything in me wanted to growl. I resisted.
It glanced away first and went back to eating its kill.
I cut into the torso of the carcass, cracking open the ribs. My target was the heart. Saliva filled my mouth thinking about it, and I tossed it into my inventory as soon as I cut it free. What was left of the carcass didn’t seem worth the ongoing standoff with the other predators, and I slowly crept backward into the ferns behind me.
Four eyes watched, but they didn’t move toward me.
Once I’d hidden within the shadows, I waited as the two predators returned to their meal. My fingers itched from the blood on my hands. I wanted to take the two creatures out, but I could smell the blood on me. It wouldn’t be a sneaky fight, and that was my best kind. I'd wait and decide once I'd eaten if I wanted to circle back and take them out.
Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I put some distance between me and the creatures before pulling out the heart and devouring it. The sweet taste of candy filled my mouth and I wished I could savor it.
[You have devoured a Parasaurolophus. You’ve gained a stat point in Toughness.]
The notification reminded me of the others, but first I pulled out my canteen and cleaned off my hands and knife. I climbed a nearby tree until I stood high enough to see a good view of my surroundings before I opened up the notifications that I’d snoozed.
[You have reached level 20 in your class. You have unlocked the path to Citizenship of the Universe. First Quest(Path to Citizenship): Kill a greater creature! Your Experience will be banked at level 20 until this quest is complete.]
[First Quest(Path to Citizenship: Kill a greater Creature - Completed. A Greater Carnitor, level 20.]
[You have unlocked the Second Quest(Path to Citizenship): Complete a Dungeon! Your Experience will be banked at level 25 until this quest is complete.]
What the everloving hell was this? Quests?
Noseen had mentioned Dungeons, but that there weren’t any in the Sanctuary. So I’d need to leave this area to complete this quest. There wasn’t a time limit on it, only that I wouldn't rise above level 25 until it was complete. At the moment, there wasn’t anything to do with it, so I closed the notification. I’d need to ask Noseen about it next time I dreamed about the devourer. Hopefully, he had more information on what it meant to become a citizen. Questions flooded my mind, but I pushed them back. Right now, I needed to focus on the jungle and the tasks in front of me.
I had to decide if I wanted to go after those Deinonychus or head back toward the compound. It’d taken me some time to travel this far away from the compound, and I still needed to hike back. Plus, they were two levels under me at this point. Thinking quickly I decided it wasn’t worth it, now that I’d reached level 20. I quickly allocated my 12 free points into Strength, Quickness and Flexibility evenly. I added the strength, since holding onto the Para’s neck as it flailed had been harder than anticipated.
Nodding to myself, I closed my stat sheet and started the climb back down after doing a quick glance around. Once on the ground, I headed in the direction I’d come from toward the compound. If I ran across another good hunting option, I’d take it, but for now I wanted to arrive back before nightfall. John would be pissed if I made them late for leaving to fly back to the colony.
Heading back through the jungle was easier than I thought it would be. I recognized several areas I’d passed through before, and I patted myself on the back for remembering my path.
The sounds of something fighting caused me to detour and stealth my way. A Triceratops fought a Deinonychus, but both were under my level. I left them to it, and kept hiking toward the compound.
The idea that the Sanctuary might not be the best place to continue to grow bounced around inside my head. If everyone got stuck with that quest at level 20 until they killed a greater creature, and they didn’t level, then I might not find something higher level than me for a while.
Talk about frustrating.
Eventually, I spotted the straight lines of the fence in the distance and sped up. The late afternoon sun cast down through the trees, but the soft breeze kept me from getting too sticky. The potential shower now that I’d cleared the path to the spring was all I could think about.
The compound practically buzzed with activity. The ramp on the shuttle sat open and miners went back and forth between it and the dropship. Three smaller fires burned with racks of meat smoking above them. Doc moved back and forth between the zones.
No one really paid attention as I came into the area, and I aimed for Doc.
His eyes met mine as I approached. “Happy hunting?” he asked.
“Just a Para, where do you want the meat?”
He motioned to a rough table that had been set up near the fires. “There is fine, I can get to making more jerky. There’s water for a shower. David and a few of the others did a water run.”
A shower sounded amazing and was exactly what I wanted. It was a good trade as far as I was concerned.
I felt someone stare at me and turned around, spotting my brother, who waved. I loaded the table with the meat I was willing to give up, which was about half of the Para. The rest I kept in my inventory crystal. While it wouldn’t stay fresh forever, I could eat it over the course of several days if needed. Then I headed toward John, who stood near the end of the ramp.
“You leveled again,” his voice sounded accusatory.
“That happens when you go hunting," I said, motioning back toward the table. "We should be eating well tonight.”
John shrugged. “There's stew inside. Not as good as Abby’s, but it’s filling. They are rationing out showers, which is nice.” I noticed John looked clean but I didn’t say anything. I knew I had to smell at this point, but I didn’t have enough time for my clothes to dry before sundown. Still, I had the second pair that I’d cleaned last time.
“A shower is always appreciated.” The same went for taking off my boots. “I take it we'll leave right at dark?”
“Yeah. Sang’s going with us, her fever broke this afternoon, and David got her to drink some broth.”
“That’s awesome,” I said with a surprised smile. I still had her knife and the inventory stone, but I’d rather she be fine than get to keep them. “Maybe she can help update the fence at the colony.”