Jer Patch
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Chapter 48: Lenna protects her friends
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 14:00:04 +0000 UTCDengu napped in the sunlight next to me as we rested behind my house. Hanging with Ham and Cass, along with the other young humans, had shown me just how strange Alex had acted during the dungeon run. Between eating lots of food and aggressively fighting beasts, she stood out compared to the others. Not to mention, she felt one with her class.
Cass talked non-stop, asking questions and wanting to learn more about my people. Her friend Randy needed so much work with the bow I could barely believe it, but it wasn’t clear why he was forcing himself to learn it. He’d be better with something else, he just needed to figure that out.
I rolled my eyes and rested in the hammock stretched between the trees. Only a few more days, and then I’d be leaving with my grandmother to Arboria. My new armor finally felt comfortable after wearing it nonstop. Still, I worried about my new friends. It was pleasant having people around my age and level, even if they were very pale and spoke funny.
I hoped I’d be able to find them after they found a place to settle down and create their own village. I bet they’d leave once Alex appeared, who I carefully hadn’t talked about.
So far, no word.
Chatter from my parents reached me through the open door. They’d gone with the human group who visited the village, to safely bring them back to the rest of the humans. It wasn’t clear when the group planned to leave, but my parents had made good time getting back already.
“The humans are honorable,” said my mother. “We will explain the situation clearly to them.”
“Honor is one thing, this is different.” My father’s voice came out urgently.
I sat up, looking into the window. He held up a silver crystal.
“The elders are looking for whoever completed the dungeon,” he explained.
“That message should have come to me,” growled my mother, snagging the strange crystal from him. “I can handle the situation. The singer can join Lenna on the trip to Arboria.”
They had to be speaking of Alex. She must have returned from the dungeon while they were there.
“The Elders didn’t let you know, it was sent to me for a reason. I will deal with this.”
My mother reached out to him, spotting me outside.
He turned in my direction, but she pulled him back. “Killing her will not do any good. How do we know all humans can’t just become singers?”
My heart pounded in my chest, and my eyes went wide as panic rippled through my body.
Dengu snapped upright as the emotions hit the bond.
“The longer we wait, the longer that Hellion has to grow. He is a warrior, through and through.”
“We need time to gather more information,” my mother's eyes flickered to me again. Then they moved away from the window, still arguing, but in a softer tone as my mother tried to convince my father of something.
‘Stay silent,’ I sent down the bond, as I slowly climbed out of the hammock and backed out of the area into the leaves on the path.
The sound of my parents faded the farther I crept away from our house.
Dengu crept beside me, curious but silent, as I’d asked.
I stayed silent as we traveled to the outskirts of the village, keeping to the trails rarely used. Finally, I escaped between two of the giant trees, stepping outside the boundaries of the village territory.
“We need to go to the human village. It's important.”
Dengu nodded. “Friends.”
“Yes, friends.” It didn’t matter what my father thought, I wasn’t going to let Alex be killed. She’d saved me more than once in the dungeon. If my mother needed time, I’d give her time to convince him of that.
Dengu turned and offered his back.
I rarely rode him, because splitting up in battle made the most sense, with him being the melee fighter. Still, he traveled faster through the jungle, even with my weight on his back. I climbed on and he took off, traveling down the narrow path.
Eventually, we twisted off the path and into the underbrush. A faint trail wound between the ferns, given the number of people who’d traveled down it and back over the last couple of days.
My heart rate decreased as we traveled closer and closer to the human village. I’d give my mother the time she needed, and make sure that Alex was okay. Maybe I could convince Alex to travel with me to Arboria, without my father’s knowledge. We could meet my grandmother there, then he wouldn’t have the option. There isn’t any way the Elders wouldn’t want to meet with her.
Finally, I arrived close enough to hear activity from the camp, and I climbed off Dengu’s back. He walked right behind me as we entered the area cleared of the surrounding ferns.
Several people waved, including Cass and Randy.
I absently waved back while I searched the group for Hellion, Alex’s father. I’d only spoken a few times to him, but he’d do what was right. I trusted that, even if my father didn’t, yet.
Cass approached with a smile. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”
“Do you know where Hellion is?” I asked, cutting her off. I forced myself to soften my tone as I continued, “I need to chat with him, it's important.”
Cass’s eyebrows drew together, and she frowned. “Yeah, he's working with a group of guys talking about... Well, the dungeon…”
I followed her around the shuttle and to the dropship. Inside sat a group of intimidating people, even though my level was higher than any of them. All watched as we entered. Levels or not, these people knew how to handle themselves and their weapons. I knew at least part of my father’s observation had been correct, these were warriors.
Hellion glanced up as we approached.
“Lenna wanted to talk to you,” Cass said, tilting her head at me.
He nodded at Cass. “Welcome, Lenna. We were talking about the dungeon, and if we should attempt it.”
Everyone in the group currently sat at level 25.
“Alex might be in trouble,” I started, not responding to the comment.
Before the words completely exited my mouth, he stood, along with Hawk and Abby, weapons in hand.
“Explain.”
“My father is searching for the Singer that completed the dungeon,” I rambled. “He might be on his way right now. Singers are confined to our planet, potentially even our capital city, though it depends on their level. It is an old law, and an absolute one.”
“That doesn’t sound bad,” said Abby. “Alex isn’t going to want to leave this world anytime soon.”
“What if she doesn’t agree?” Hellion asked.
The question hung in the air, and I couldn’t look at him, not knowing how to answer.
“She saved us in the dungeon, more than once,” I whispered. “You all need to hide, or at least, she needs to hide.”
“We don’t know where she is,” said Hellion, glancing at the others.
That made little sense. She had to have finished the dungeon for my parents to have spotted her.
“Then, how do my parents know about her?” I asked, trying to figure out what happened.
“That’s my fault,” said a soft voice.
[Sang, Crystal Singer, Level 21.]
I hadn’t noticed her standing behind the guy named Hawk. He wore leather, like our warriors, instead of the uniform that most of the humans had. I noticed that more humans wore leather armor on top of their uniforms since the last time I’d been here.
“Alex, she must be… I can show you to the dungeon, but…” I glanced around the dropship. “I don’t know if everyone else should stay here.”
Especially not if more than one of them knew how to Sing. My father’s words echoed in my head.
“I want everyone ready to leave within thirty.” Hellion nodded curtly. “Sang, to the ship.”
Suddenly everyone just moved. I’d never seen anything like it. One second, everyone stood there. The next, some people were heading out of the ship while others were yanking things into inventory crystals.
Inventory crystals I hadn’t noticed before.
“If they promise to not kill me,” said Sang. “I’d gladly go and learn from these Elders. It’d probably be safer than whatever you guys have planned.”
“We can’t guarantee that right now, and I’m not risking your life,” he said while glaring at her. “After we find somewhere to settle, and grow a bit, we can approach them.”
“Let me grab my stuff.” She bowed her head and headed deeper into the ship, moving at a fast pace.
“So, where is Alex?” asked Hellion.
“She had to have finished the dungeon, otherwise the Elders wouldn’t know about it,” I replied as Hellion led me back outside, to a flurry of movement.
Things vanished left and right into inventory crystals held by Benny and John, who then placed them in two giant crates floating somehow above the ground. It was chaotic at first glance, before you realized every movement had a purpose. These were a people who could be feared, but I still trusted them. If they could be our allies, they would be mighty allies indeed.
I did a double-take at that, wondering how the crates stayed up.
“Alpha?” Dengu stood next to Ham in his armor.
“Can you find her?” I asked, knowing how sensitive his nose was. “She should be near the dungeon. Check the campsite first. If she’s there, tell her to go back to the lake. We can meet there.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Ham. “John can land the shuttle on the shore.”
Dengu took off, vanishing into the treeline. The bond between us stretched, but we’d gone farther than a few day's journey from each other before. I wasn’t worried.
“What am I doing?” asked John as he approached.
“You’re,“ said Hellion, with emphasis, “Taking Lenna with you. She knows where you have to land.”
John rolled his bright eyes and motioned for me to follow him. He pushed one crate toward the back of the shuttle.
“Have you been on one of these before?” he asked as he entered the back of it.
I shook my head no, then realized he wasn’t looking.
“No,” I added. “I’ve only been into the drop ship.”
The words still felt strange in my mouth. Human words sounded different, but I’d learned a few from Ham and Cass.
The back of this ship touched the ground at an angle, and he pushed the crate off to one side. He did something and it lowered to the ground. Then he tied some sort of rope with a metal hook around it. Strange.
Two large crystals sat on either side of the ramp.
“The strap is so it doesn’t move when we’re flying,” he explained. “Come on. I need to get the ship warmed up.”
I followed him deeper into the ship and it narrowed suddenly before opening into a smaller area. Three seats were on the right side, while the left had a wooden bench attached to the wall.
A chair faced the middle of the window. John sat in that seat.
“This is how I fly the shuttle,” he said as he touched a few different spots on the metal thing in front of him.
A humming came from somewhere behind me.
“How did you learn how to fly, and what is a fighter pilot?” I asked, since his class confused me.
[John, Fighter Pilot, Level 20.]
“I learned to fly before we came here, it was part of my job.” He chuckled. “As for my class, that happened during the crash, otherwise I’d have taken something else. Hammy and I are working on something to help me with my class.”
“Ham's suit is pretty unique,” I said, staring out the front window and wondering if I was doing the right thing.
Loud footsteps came from behind as Benny loaded the other crate into the cargo hold.
“That’s one way to put it, but the idea helps me with a few designs I’ve come up with. Plus, together we’ll be able to help everyone out. Not to mention the prototype of my new gun.”
“Ham rambled about guns in the dungeon,” I said. “He said a gun worked like a bow that fired something called bullets.”
“That’s sort of the truth,” He pointed to a button on the metal table thing in front of him. “I can fire it with this, but not until we’re in the air. The fliers will need to watch out for us now. They like to attack the shuttle.”
“You like to talk, don’t you,” I mumbled under my breath as a few others started walking up the ramp, like Cass and Randy.
“You make me a little nervous is all,” said John. He motioned to an area right next to where he sat. “You can stand there, or if you’d rather sit, take any of the seats. Once in the air, I’ll need you to direct me.”
“Why do I make you nervous?”
He blushed.
Benny laughed from the back at my questions. “That’s an easy one. You’re strong, intelligent, and pretty. No matter that you aren’t human.”
“Benny,” growled John.
Benny just laughed some more and wrapped his arms around Cass, who’d entered behind him.
It took a few moments for what Benny meant to sink in.
Then I blushed.
It was like with Ham, but worse because John looked kind of cute. In a pale sort of way.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts as more humans piled into the back, including Hellion, who marched to the front.
“Cass, Abby, Maggie, and Mary, get up here and sit down. You too Sang.”
“Just because we’re female doesn’t mean we need seats,” grumbled Cass.
“If you want to stand or sit next to all the sweaty guys, feel free,” said Abby. “But I’m taking a seat.”
The others chuckled as Cass pulled away from Benny.
“Your men sweat more than ours do,” I added, thinking about Ham in the dungeon.
Chuckles broke out as the ramp rose.
Hellion stood behind John’s chair, holding onto the back of it. “Alright, let’s get this shuttle into the air.”
I shivered next to him, again wondering what I’d gotten myself into as the floor moved. Still, I’d made my choice. I would help my new friends. Somehow, I knew it was important to our people that they stay friends.
