The bushes rustled and I froze, aiming the rifle in my hands at the bush. The gun on my shoulder also pivoted in that direction.

I needed to figure out a display for my targeting system, and then find a way to coordinate with John.

The bushes rustled again, and I used Insight instantly.

[Armored Lugger, Level 30.]

The level wasn't that high, but compared to everyone else in the settlement, except for those already out of the dungeon, it might be hard. I targeted its eyes and fired.

Score!

The creature scurried backward in panic, but I stomped after it, firing several shots. Several shots later, I got the notification.

[You have gained experience from combat.]

Fantastic.

I kept going in the direction it had fled, and the bushes rustled again. I paused, pulling my rifle up and aiming at the moment. Another beetle appeared.

[Armored Lugger, Level 31.]

Even better, I could get some grinding in.

My shots echoed out through the trees as I focused on my shooting skill, Controlled Burst. Each time I found a new beetle to shoot, I went for the eyes to try to trigger a new potential skill. One Hellion had spoken of to John, who'd let me in on the secret.

[Skill Unlocked: Precision Fire. Precision Fire gives you a minor increase in spotting specific weak points or vital areas.]

Finally!

I slotted the skill into my one open space, and with a smile, I chased down another beetle.

Alex was right, grinding could be fun if you worked on your skills.

[You have gained a level.]

I rested after the seventh beetle, as nothing moved in my surroundings, and I turned back to the settlement. My heart pounded, as I'd traveled farther afield than normal, but then again grinding was good.

I wondered where these beetles had come from. Lenna might know more about them, though I should also check in with Hawk. After thinking for a moment, I decided to talk to Lenna first.

Another bush rustled on my way back, and yet another beetle crept forward. It ran right into one of the dead beetles and picked it up in its arms over its head. Then it scurried out of sight, much faster than the ones before.

"What was that?" I asked the trees, not expecting a response.

Hesitantly, I turned, but resisted chasing the new beetle and instead stomped back to Lakeside. Letting the others know felt more pressing than chasing after another beetle.

Yet, something else came to mind.

"Where are all the dinosaurs?"

I frowned as I moved quicker back toward the fence. Something wasn't right. It reminded me of when the first dino attacked the drop ship and killed… I pushed those memories out of my head. I didn't need to get caught in any nightmares from the past. I wasn't alone anymore, and I needed to warn everyone about this.

****

"Thank you," I said to the Forgotten Serpent.

"Smell like mean worm."

I didn't know how to respond to that, but it didn't matter as it nodded and rushed toward the pile of meat. Keeping an eye on the Serpent, I approached the crystal. It was huge, and I needed to put my knife away to even attempt to carry it.

I hummed under my breath and silver light pulsed deep within the crystal. I put my knife away, keeping my senses open. Frowning, I pulled my backpack out of my inventory and put the giant crystal inside, swinging the pack up on my shoulders before pulling my knife back out.

The serpent didn't even look at me as it gorged on the meat.

I headed for the tunnel.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Once the roar of the water and the presence of the serpent faded, I took out another heart and ate it as quickly as I could.

[You have devoured a Dread Worm and gained insight into Fearful Aura.]

Again it felt like my stomach was overly full, and I had to slow down my walking speed. After a couple of feet I just stopped, thinking about my empty water jugs and the lake back there. With a sigh, I turned around and went back the way I'd come.

I didn't sense anything but the water crystals in the distance. The Forgotten Serpent was already gone. I reached the edge of the water and pulled out a jug, carefully filling it without disturbing the water too much. It took several moments per jug, but then all were filled again and I headed back on my way.

Once in the tunnel, I pulled out my armor and put it back on, glad to feel the minor weight though it didn't actually do much for my stats. The darkened tunnel continued for a long while and as soon as my stomach felt good again, I ate the last heart.

[You have devoured a Dread Worm and gained the skill Fearful Aura. Fearful Aura: You create a fearful aura. You already have ten skills, would you like to merge Fearful Aura into Adaptive Body - II?]

I selected no and instead pushed merging Field Dressing into Blades and Polearms.

[You have merged Field Dressing into Blades and Polearms - I. Blades and Pole Arms - I: You have an increase in damage with natural blades and claws.]

I smiled at the increase in the skill, though the ranking didn't increase.

[Would you like to learn Fearful Aura? Fearful Aura: You create a fearful aura.]

I hit yes.

[You have learned an aura skill before Level 100. You have gained an achievement: Ahead of the Curve: You are progressing faster than normal. You have a slightly easier time learning higher-ranked skills.]

"Woah, that's a good one," I whispered to myself, still feeling way too full. I continued on down the tunnel leading deeper into the mountain with a smile on my face.

Some time later I grumbled, staring at the hole.

A narrow hole in the ground led straight down. It wasn't smooth like the tunnel, and instead had rocks that jutted out of it. I spotted a path using the stones that led out of sight.

This part of the dungeon was called the Descent, after all.

With one more grumble, I wiped my hands on my pants and lowered myself down, looking for a place to set my feet. The hole wasn't so narrow that my shoulders touched, but it still felt small.

Each step down took forever, trying to find a safe place to place my foot. I couldn't see the bottom, so all I could do was keep moving.

My shoulders ached, my fingers hurt, and I had several scrapes in different locations, but eventually I found the bottom.

It led to another tunnel, this one much bigger and attached to another cavern. On the far wall stood a stone archway like the one to the dungeon entrance. Next to it was another darkened tunnel entrance.

Yet, before all of that stood what had to be a trap. A small creek cut the room in half. One side had the exits from the room, while this side seemed empty.

Nothing registered on my senses, but I knew that couldn't be correct. Everything inside me screamed that something lay in wait.

The entire area was dark, but I could see in greyscale.

I braced myself and then took a step out into the open. When nothing happened, I continued on my way. The feeling of being watched increased. I forced the claws on my left hand to grow.

Tension increased along my shoulders and I felt the air above me move.

I twisted at the last moment and stabbed with my spear tip glowing.

A scream ripped from the dark creature as I used Insight.

[Living Shadow Fragment, 1/5.]

It jerked back from the light, and I swiped with my left hand. Three long scratches appeared on the creature. It vanished into nothingness after the attack.

I waited with my spear out, but it didn't appear. I pulled up the insight check again. There had to be 4 more of those things.

Then I let the crystal glow fade, bracing myself for the next attack. Nothing happened after several minutes, so I continued across the room.

Something slammed into my foot from underneath me, and I went flying. I swung out with my spear, not letting it glow until the last minute. Another dark shadow appeared, and I swung at it with my claws.

I crashed into the floor on my back, hitting my backpack hard on the ground.

Something latched onto my claw hand and sharp teeth dug in hard. I stabbed with my spear, snagging something before lighting it up. Another fragment vanished.

My left hand bled from a deep bite mark. I could just barely move my fingers. It slowly started to heal, and I didn't let the light fall that entire time. Instead, I ate a couple of pieces of meat. Eyes stared at me from somewhere, but I didn't know where.

They were out there waiting.

Two more at least.

I let the light fall.

This time, something snagged onto the backpack, and I swung my spear around as it tried to drag me to the ground. Something else hit my knee.

My spear blazed to life, and I took out the one by my knee, leaving the one dragging me backward still attached. I stabbed over my head and it froze, giving me a moment to take it out.

That had to just be the beginning.

Bright red eyes stared at me, standing in front of the water.

[Living Shadow, Level 49, Predator, Unknown.]

The more I stared, the more I could see through the dark shape. It took a form like a cat, with multiple tails and six legs.

Then the bright red eyes vanished, along with the rest of it.

Oh fuck.

I kept my cool, and my senses peeled, especially sound and the feeling of air currents. Something brushed along my backpack, but I waited to react. Maybe I could lull it into a false sense of security.

Then something tugged hard on my spear. I let the crystal bracelet fall to the palm of my hand and punched as hard as I could. At the last second, I flared the fire crystal to life. It slammed into the unsuspecting creature, who screamed at the contact and didn't move, stunned by the light.

I followed the strike up with another punch, which slammed into the side of the cat-shape's head, taking a chunk of its ear and jaw out and leaving a divot in the dark shadow.

That knocked it back and out of its stupor, vanishing as it raced away from me. I didn't let the light fall as I ran after it.

It seemed it couldn't go invisible within the light.

The Shadow didn't cross the river and turned to the left instead. Yet, I was close enough to stab out with my spear, which lengthened by three feet to stick in the creature's hide quarters.

All of the tails swung at me, and I lashed out with my fist, only stopping one. It dissolved at contact with the crystal. Three slammed into me, but my armored scales rose to the occasion, tanking the hits. Still, I lost my breath and felt like I couldn't get any air for a moment.

The other two wrapped around the spear shaft, trying to yank it out of my hands.

"No, you don't!" My fingers started slipping as a third tail wrapped around the spear, and I triggered my new skill, Fearful Aura.

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