Jer Patch
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Chapter 57: Noseens watching
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 14:00:14 +0000 UTCFor a moment there, I wondered if I needed to get involved. While Alex was much less squishy than before, someone like the Knowledge-bearer was far above him.
Just like I was. Then again, I had to admit that the Knowledge-bearer was rather far above even me.
Part myth and legend, she’d fought during the war and on our side. Though I still didn't know why, it had seemed good to her to do so. To find her here, in this place, was strange, and it felt like meddling from the Great Ones. Even after I’d let them know I would watch over the little squishy one.
The rumors were, she’d sworn to help beasts who wanted to evolve and become civilized. To help give them an edge in becoming more than killing machines. I didn’t know why she’d want to do such a thing, but with someone like her, it wasn’t up to me to judge.
She’d taken the offered meat and made it clear she’d be watching. For a moment, I swore her eyes landed on me, but in this form that was almost impossible, even for her. Still, it rattled me.
This would be interesting. My quest for Alex had already paid off in heaps and bounds. Now, my squishy young devourer needed to Rank up.
Maybe I would as well.
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Hawk waited for us near the entrance to the massive cavern. No wonder the Spino didn’t have a problem getting in; the entrance towered above all of us.
I took the lead with my spear. The tip glowed even though the sunlight reached inside quite a ways. I didn’t want to be surprised.
The opening led several feet inside before widening into a much larger area to the left. While the sunlight reached this far, it didn’t illuminate the whole area. A bunch of shattered eggs lay off to one side, and plenty more thin bones surrounded the edges.
“So, this was a nest,” I said, frowning. It shouldn’t have taken the beast that long to reach the entrance. This explained all the smaller dinosaurs that we’d fought.
Deeper in the cavern, off to the right, shadows covered an opening farther into the mountain range. Claw marks covered the walls and top, like something had repeatedly dug at the stone. Piles of chipped rock covered the floor.
I continued, with Hawk and my father following. Both had crystals around their necks providing additional light. The tunnel narrowed and grew shorter, then even shorter, only reaching a few feet above my head. The claw marks continued until that point, and then vanished. I held my spear up, trying to get a sense of what was going on.
“Why would it widen the tunnel?” I asked softly, before continuing deeper into the mountain. This time I stretched my senses out, but nothing came from ahead except that same weird feeling that had been there since before the fight.
The tunnel twisted a few times and then ended with a dark archway. It reminded me of something.
I reached forward.
[Congratulations, you have found a wild Dungeon: The Shifting Caverns. Would you like to claim this dungeon for your settlement?]
“What would claiming the dungeon do?” I asked out loud, trying to figure this out. To my surprise, a notification appeared.
[Claiming a dungeon for a settlement brings it under the control of the territory owner.]
That didn’t help.
A buzzing next to my ear, did. “Claiming it will stabilize it, since it’s wild. Otherwise, it will disappear after some time. This one has been here for a long while.”
“Good of you to show up,” I mumbled, then accepted the claim.
[You have claimed The Shifting Caverns. Your territory has grown stronger.]
I then had to check what that meant.
Territory - Unnamed
Claimed by Alex
Level 2
Citizens: 15
Benefits:
- Minor increase in recovery rate for citizens if they consume calories
- Minor increase in experience earned in the dungeon by citizens
Again, the benefit was useful to everyone. I’d have to keep that in mind.
“I have a reward for you,” buzzed Noseen. He brushed against my ear, making a shiver run down my spine. It took everything I had to not swat at him. Remembering his larger form did help that impulse just a bit.
Hawk and my father approached the archway with giant grins on their faces. Both talked animatedly.
“This is what we need to get past that cap,” said Hawk.
“We’ll need to deploy a team to survey it first. Do this by the book,” answered my father. “This is a breakthrough.”
They kept talking, and I let them, focusing instead on Noseen.
“Do you think you can turn the unwanted things into dust?” I asked softly, trying to ignore all the military speak. My dad was getting into the zone. He always acted like this after he got back from a mission. I preferred the more relaxed dad, not the military dad, but this one had his advantages. He was very, very good at what he did.
“Rude. You are rude,” he buzzed. “But yes, I can eat the dead things since you asked nicely. Ugh, they’re not even fresh kills.”
I frowned. “I mean, if they don’t taste good, I get it. Like I wouldn’t eat the spiders I killed.”
“It’s fine. Pile the unwanted carcass.”
I let him continue to buzz for a few seconds before going for it.
“Now, about that reward…?” I said ever so sweetly.
His buzzing cut off.
“Fine. Now you’re interested. There is a tunnel north of here you will want to check out.”
“A tunnel,” I muttered, turning to look at the dungeon door. “Is it more important than this? ‘Cause it doesn’t sound like much of a reward.”
“I should leave you to the carnivores,” buzzed Noseen. “Bring your friend that moves heavy things.” He’d completely ignored my question.
“I will.” I didn’t want to push him any more than I had. Even just getting him to eat the massive amount of dead Spino meat that was baking in the sun would help immensely.
“What's up with Nessetra?”
“That is not my story to tell, but be very respectful. You are still squishy, after all,” Noseen’s voice came out very clearly, no buzz or anything. “Even after you Rank up, you're very squishy compared to her.”
It made me stand straighter, and make a mental note about Nessetra. She seemed nice for someone who could probably kill us all.
“Anything I should know about Ranking up?” I asked, since he’d brought it up.
“It's different for beasts. Your skills say a lot about you, focus on that, but don't dawdle. The clock is ticking before more learn of you being here. Not all of those who will find out will approve.”
Noseen had warned me more than once about others learning about my class. So far, it hadn’t been a problem, but I trusted him. So far he’d only helped.
I went to ask another question, but he started talking again.
“I have some business in the city, but I will return. I do have a planet to run, after all.”
“What about my Rank up? Will you be back?”
“You don't need me, or anyone else, interfering with that,” He buzzed softly. “Be alone and calm when you do it. And in a safe place, if you can.”
I nodded, thinking about how close I was. My skills were an area to focus on. I could do that. Especially my stealth skills, if I needed to take a trip north, but that’d be harder if Hammy needed to go with me.
“North huh…” I tuned back in to the ongoing conversation between Hawk and my dad.
“Everyone but Doc from the compound,” argued Hawk. “We'll need to leave someone behind to guard the camp.”
“I'm going in first,” I said, stopping them both. “I need to make sure it won't kill any of you, before you go in.”
Hawk opened his mouth to argue, but my father held up a hand. “Take at least two of us with you.”
“That'd be fine.” I shrugged. Taking a couple of others with me into the dungeon would be fine. Great even, if it turned out that I was way too high-level for it. “First there is something up north we need to check out. The dungeon isn't going anywhere. Plus, maybe we get the fence in place first? The last dungeon I was in took days to finish, it’d be good to have our new little village protected.”
Hawk opened his mouth but snapped it shut before he nodded, thinking it through.
“Let's see how the others are doing,” compromised my father. “The problem is, only you and Hammy are tough enough if something big comes. We worry, as you can imagine.”
“Outmanned and outgunned,” said Hawk. “But the fence is a priority, I agree. Just like at the compound. We need a safe place to sleep and recover.”
“Nothing above level 40 will come from the north if Grizzle is hunting there.” Grizzle was a much better name than Grizzled, and Nessetra called him that. I figured I could, too.
“I need to meet him,” stated my father.
“Of course. I think you'll like him.”
Once outside in the sunlight, I felt the draw to check out the dungeon. It felt foolish to hold off, but last time we were gone for days, and we didn’t have anyone who knew anything about this dungeon. This time Lenna, wouldn’t have insider knowledge.
“You guys need to remember some dungeons take days. You don't know how long it will take until someone has done it.”
The shuttle buzzed overhead, with a metal rope hanging from the side of it attached to a long metal pole. It flew overhead before lowering in the distance.
Denver, wide eyed, rushed over to us as soon as he spotted us.
“Carcasses are turning into dust! I've never seen anything like it. All the ones I've skinned. Just, poof!” He made an exploding motion with his hands.
“Noseen…” I muttered under my breath. I didn’t respond, though, not sure how to explain it, or if I even wanted to explain.
“How is the fence going?” asked my father, studying my face.
“I expect we’ll have about half the camp done by this evening,” reported Denver, standing a little straighter. “We gotta decide on openings, and how big to make them, so we’re focused on the forest side where we probably want it to be continuous for the moment.”
“Big enough so if we have large friends, they can visit,” I said, thinking of Nessetra.
“Only one big door,” cut in my father. “Unless you know more about camp building than I do?”
“Fine, have it be the one facing the water.” I didn’t want to seem unfriendly to the Loch Ness Monster.
Abby marched up, with Jimmy on her heels. “Is the cavern safe to sleep in for now?”
“Yes, maam,” answered Hawk. “It needs to be cleaned, but it’s safe enough.”
“We need to post a guard to the other tunnel,” I said quickly, drawing looks from everyone. “We don't know if anyone is in there right now.”
“Wait, someone could be fighting in the dungeon?” asked my father.
“Yeah, or a level 25 Spino that could fit through the tunnel could be in there. ‘Cause I’m pretty sure that's what the big one was doing, trying to reach it before it vanished. I attached it to the territory so it won’t go anywhere now.”
“There’s a dungeon in there?” asked Denver under his breath.
My stomach growled, and I glanced up, taking note of the position of the sun. It had to be around noon, or a little later.
“People are taking turns eating lunch,” said Abby. “Most are digging holes for the upright polls for the fence, while Hammy and others get the rest of it in.”
“You know, Abby… How would you like to do a dungeon with me and Mary? Oh, Maggie as well. That's defense, offense, and range.”
Hawk glared at me, while my father chuckled.
“You guys can go right after us,” I added.
I didn’t say it, but I wanted people higher leveled before I went to go find Noseen’s reward. It had to be big, given I’d killed something level 50 for it and who knew what beasts trolled the north. The Allosaurus had been around level 40, which wasn’t a problem for me, but the others needed to be able to handle something that level.
Abby jerked back, then her spine straightened. “If you want me on your team, I will be there.”
She nodded and marched inside the cavern. Jimmy didn’t follow immediately.
“Jimmy! Come on, we need to get this cleaned up to set up bedrolls.” Her voice echoed out of the cavern.
Jimmy raced off after her.
“You sure about her?” asked Denver.
My father’s eyes burned red, but I beat him to the punch.
“Wouldn’t you want to level up the person who defends the place you sleep and eat?” I asked, softly. “Abby creates shields, beautiful shields. Don’t you want to see what she can do at a higher level?”
“Plus, that lady can cook,” mumbled Hawk. “Think about what she can create as a higher level cook…”
