CHAPTER TWELVE

  ASCENDANCY -- The River -- Day 1

  I couldn't help but marvel at the way the spear's haft felt in my hands. The grip was woven and threaded. The end was noticeably weighted compared with the point, and the tip was polished obsidian. Something ARi must have found when she excavated the chamber. It didn't seem like there were limits to the shapes she could make from the raw materials she gathered; that end was as sharp as a razor. It was forged stone, if that could be a thing.

  "Alright, Gavin, remind me as soon as we get back to address the entrance to this place," Tim said. "I know we have to keep it concealed, but at the same time, it doesn't seem like a great idea to have only one entrance that we have to crawl through."

  I agreed and brushed the dirt off the knees of my new pants. We decided to wait until morning to go on our resource run. Nights on this world were short, only about eight hours.

  A projection of ARi appeared between us, and we both jumped. "Holy shit, ARi, I didn't think you could still do that after, you know, you became, like, human and stuff."

  ARi blinked at me for a moment like I was dumb. "Of course I can."

  "So are you still down there talking to the others at the same time? You're still able to multitask like that?"

  "Yep. Pretty cool, huh? The only problem is I won't be able to project my presence past our territory. But I thought this would be a great way for us to figure out exactly where that's at. I'll follow you guys until we hit the edge. Also, you won't have to drag all the materials back down into the chamber. You only have to bring them to our side of the boundary."

  Tim and I both let out the same relieved breath; the idea of hauling heavy stuff through that cave entrance had been grim.

  "ARi, I have a question. Will you be able to do your projection trick through my familiar once we're able to spawn it?"

  "I think so," she replied, "but if I can, I'll be extremely limited in how far from the bot I'll actually be able to interact. That's something we'll have to play with. I'm fairly confident I won't have my full capabilities, though."

  "My utility construct works differently. I tell it what I want, and it works autonomously. That's how it's able to operate outside of our area. For now, though, I have the two of you to fetch me what I need."

  "All right, tell us again exactly what it is that we're looking for."

  "Okay, so there are some basic materials that we want to get our hands on. I was able to collect a lot of the smaller stuff around the outcropping, but nothing much larger than the handles on your spears grows out here in the grass. I need some larger pieces of those trees you described. We're gonna need them for some of the heavier fixtures I'll have to create to secure the chamber. Giant stone doors aren't practical."

  "We're also gonna want more of that grass. If you can find it, there's another long grass out here that's not quite as sharp but still has all the same material benefits. If you can bring me at least ten more bushels of those reeds as well, I'll use them to put together cots or beds for you guys. Everything I mentioned could also be used to make some simple reinforced cloth armor."

  "And one more thing. You're not going to like this one."

  "I need clay, Gavin. It's one of the materials that isn't available in this rocky soil."

  "ARi, you're right. I don't like that at all." Tim looked confused. "What's the problem?"

  "Problem is, if we're gonna find clay, it's most likely closer to a heavier water source, like that river."

  "Okay, no big deal," Tim said. "We won't go next to the water's edge. I mean, you said that the water drake didn't attack you when you swam across the river. It only went after the larger predator anyway, right?"

  "Alright, fine, ARi. I'll get you your clay. We're probably gonna have to use some of the larger ferns to pile it on and drag it back up here, though. What do we need clay for anyway?"

  "If this world doesn't have iron," ARi said, "we'll need alternatives. We'd normally make things from iron or steel. Now we'll use composites and ceramics. We also need clay for smelting the metals we do have access to."

  "You know, ARi, I was thinking about something," I said. "Those fibers in this grass are strong. Same with a lot of the plants around here. If we could find a way to make an epoxy, we could probably work up some super-simple woven composites."

  "What do you have in mind, Gavin?" Tim asked.

  "Composite bows, crossbows. Things like that. Maybe even some armor plating."

  "I'm shit at archery, Gav, but I like the idea of being able to shoot from a distance instead of having to get close enough to stab something with a spear."

  "Well, as it was so eloquently put last night, humans are squishy, Tim. We should probably make it a strategy to avoid being close enough to get squished."

  "If that's the case, Gavin, you're gonna want to look out for more bones," ARi said. "I used what was in and around the den for your familiar."

  "Alright. Sounds like a plan. Shall we?" I gestured toward the beaten trail I'd worn in the grass, and the three of us started toward the tree line. ARi could tell I was tense as I scanned our surroundings.

  "You don't have to worry until you get past the edge of our territory," she said. "I can sense everything inside of it. If something dangerous tries to come inside, I'll know." She stopped, looking down at the ground before looking back up at both of us. "Well, at least I'll know up to this point." Her voice trailed off.

  It didn't seem like we were that far from the rock formation above the chamber; I guessed it was about fifty yards. I made a small pile of stones next to the trail to mark the current boundary.

  "Tim, move in that direction along the tree line. Start gathering the reeds and grass. But go another fifty yards before you start harvesting. If we take everything around us, it could give away our position. We need to move around a bit."

  Tim agreed, and we split up to gather materials. I used long blades of grass as makeshift twine. I bundled five or six large bushels of reeds. I dragged them up the creek and dropped them past my little piles of rocks. Tim returned with armloads of bundled bright orange grass blades. He'd found them growing outside ARi's reach.

  After multiple trips, ARi indicated we had more than enough reeds and plant fibers. Tim and I grabbed our spears and pushed toward the tree line. As we made our way down the steep embankment toward the river, I grabbed Tim's shoulder, and we both stopped.

  "Tim, can you smell that?"

  "God, yes. It smells like roadkill."

  We pushed through the dense stalks into a small clearing. I felt bile rise in my throat. I had to force it down. In front of us lay a rotting carcass. The ground was soaked with sticky blue blood and ichor. The ribcage was exposed. Small, lizard-like creatures darted over the kill. They ripped off pieces of flesh and slipped back into the trees on six legs. I realized I was not at the top of the food chain. It hit me hard.

  Tim whispered, "Gavin, do you think those things--"

  I cut him off. "Not unless you think those little things ate the head, because half of this thing's missing." The carcass was the size of an elephant.

  We traced our steps slowly back toward the creek and the trail. "Holy shit, Gavin, what are these spears supposed to do to something that could do that?"

  "I don't know, man. Let's grab what's left on ARi's list and get the hell out of here. Honestly, the only thing that's making me feel better, Tim, is knowing that the other teams could be as unprepared."

  Tim smiled with an ugly, hopeful grin. "You're hoping your Rhino-Rex eat some of the competition."

  "I can only hope," I said.

  On the way to the river, we found one of the large fallen stalks. The larger stalks were hollow but heavy and hard; when one crashed, it splintered, letting us break pieces off the size of short crude planks. We stacked as many as we could carry between us and hauled the load up the creek. Carrying that stuff up the incline was no joke; I was grateful for the extra Strength points I'd put into my attributes. Dragging it back to our territory ate up most of the day.

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  We returned to the den to rest and found a small woven basket full of what looked like giant blueberries sitting on a bench. The others were by the wall, staring at projections and talking with ARi; Yumi came over and sat next to the berries.

  "They look like huge blueberries, huh? Go ahead, try one," she said.

  "Are they safe?"

  "Tanya says they are," Yumi replied. "I hope so, because we all ate a lot of them. They grow around here in the valley. We might even be able to make some kind of dye out of them."

  My stomach growled, and I weighed the risk, grabbed a handful, and watched Tim do the same. I popped one into my mouth and watched Yumi giggle with a mouthful of berries.

  "Oh my God, these taste like black licorice," Tim said.

  "I know, right?" Yumi said with a smile. "Not everybody's favorite, but it could've been worse. They could've tasted like snot or something."

  "Tanya says we're lucky we found something that tastes like black licorice on another world," Yumi said with stuffed cheeks. "She said something about plants making berries taste good to animals. It helps spread seeds or whatever. I don't know. I hate biology. I especially hate anything about botany."

  ARi moved over toward us. "We're probably gonna need a lot more than that, but that's enough to get us started," she said, referring to the planks we brought back.

  "ARi, those planks weigh a ton. In the future, if we need more, I suggest we try to knock one of the stalks down closer to the tree line so we don't have to pull it back up that muddy-ass hill," Tim said.

  "I think my utility bot will be able to take care of it after I spawn it in," she said.

  "You still need the clay, though, don't you?" I asked.

  "I do, Gavin. It's a required resource for a lot of the things that we're gonna need," ARi replied.

  "All right. I think there's enough time left today to get it. But we should probably take more than the two of us. Even if you can't make more spears, Tim and I have the strength to carry the materials back. But we can't defend ourselves if we get jumped; we need some kind of overwatch."

  Kyle volunteered to stay with ARi, and I noticed ARi's tension ease when she knew one of us would stay nearby.

  Tim sat down with the girls and explained what we'd found in the clearing; I could see their enthusiasm for the little adventure waning.

  "Okay, well, maybe I can help you guys out," ARi said. "Make it a little easier."

  Two long, sturdy wooden poles appeared on the floor in front of the bench. Two woven reed baskets spawned next to them. They were a little bigger than five-gallon buckets.

  "Gavin, you and Tim should be able to shoulder the poles with the baskets hanging from the notches in the middle. This should make it a little easier for you guys to move. Don't worry, ladies, I have some accessories for you as well."

  With another wave, two more spears and what looked like stone blades appeared on the ground beside them.

  "Those aren't gonna make the best knives ever. I kind of cheated a little bit using the research we did for the spears. I created elongated spear tips with short handles. But I think they'll do the trick."

  I admired ARi's ingenuity. The blades were heavy and awkward, but they were something and better than nothing.

  She paused, watching us shoulder the poles, and tapped the air. A small translucent panel blinked into existence a few inches in front of each of our faces.

  [SYSTEM WINDOW] NEW QUEST:

  You have been offered a new quest.

  Title: The Search for Clay. Objective: Fill two baskets with river clay and return it to your territory. Reward: 75 experience points per party member. Bonus: 1 skill point for each party member upon completion of your first quest.

  [ACCEPT]?[DECLINE]

  "ARi, can you make these quests up as we go, like offer us things, like skill points for doing whatever?" I asked.

  "Unfortunately not, Gavin. I can create the quests and add the objectives, but the system itself determines the experience points and the rewards. Now that I know how to do this, we should be using the system; that bonus could be a big deal for all of you."

  After we all accepted the quest, we gathered our new tools and made our way back outside.

  We set out again, moving quickly down the creek toward the tree line. This was the first time the girls had been outside the cavern. Tanya wanted to stop and examine everything. Her biology background pushed fear aside so she could collect samples. Yumi kept her spear up. Her eyes darted to every rustle in the grass. The news about the mega-predator had rattled her. She moved cautiously.

  "I've gotta tell you guys--these spears feel better than nothing, but I'd rather have a crossbow right now and a whole bunch of bolts," Yumi said.

  "Hell yes," Tanya agreed. "I know this is your first time down into the forest, ladies, but we’re gonna have to pick up the pace a little to make sure we get back before it gets dark."

  We traded stealth for speed and, at times, jogged. Following the stream towards the river, we stepped out of the trees onto the rocky shoreline, and at first, nobody wanted to go near the water. Tanya darted out across the rocks.

  "What are you doing?" I whispered.

  She glanced back at us like we were being ridiculous. "Relax. Look, the river's barely a foot and a half deep. A predator that size isn't hiding in something this shallow."

  I forced myself to look past the fear and follow her finger. The water at the bend was shallow, and the bottom was visible, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

  We spread out and searched along the shoreline for clay. Mostly, we found silt and rocks until Yumi pointed across the river at a darker patch pressed against the far bank.

  "That looks like what ARi was describing," she said.

  The river was shallow here, but stepping into it still sucked. Yumi stepped in first despite a flash of regret on her face after she realized how cold the water was. The rest of us slipped in after her. The icy water bit at my knees, and a shiver shot through me, but we kept moving until we reached the far bank. The darker earth was soft and slick under our fingers when we knelt to dig. Heavy clumps stuck to our hands. We filled the baskets as quietly and quickly as we could.

  A small, six-legged lizard no bigger than a housecat popped its head out from behind a nearby rock and startled all of us to our feet. It blinked at Yumi, unbothered by the four strange bipeds pointing sticks at it. She lowered her spear and knelt in front of it. "Well, you don't look that scary at all, do you?" she said. She pulled a licorice berry and tossed it to the creature, which snapped it out of the air. The creature let out a soft chirp and moved closer to Yumi, taking another bite from her hand. The creature followed her as we finished filling the baskets, tail flicking and chirping for more.

  Tim and I shouldered the heavy load and started our trip back. "Hold here for a second, Gav." We set the baskets on the bank, and Tim crouched and ran his hand over a streak of reddish-brown cutting through the streambed. When he stood, copper dust glinted on his fingers.

  "Copper, maybe?" he said. "There could be a vein upstream."

  "Guys, I'm thinking we should expand out towards the river," I said.

  The others agreed, and with arms heavy and nerves frayed, we climbed the steep, muddy hill with the baskets slung and the lizard following Yumi. It darted ahead into the grass as we approached the valley.

  All at once, the lizard scrambled back and up onto Yumi's shoulder, screeching at something ahead of us.

  Two shapes burst out of the tall grass, low and fast, feathers and scales in mottled streaks. They were raptor-like, only larger; nothing like the ones from the movies, either. Their eyes were bright and sharp as they began to circle.

  One hissed and stepped closer, jaws opening wide.

  "Tim," I said under my breath. "We need to drop the baskets." I'd been in front, and my hands were still behind me holding the heavy things. "I can't get to my spear."

  "Gav, if you drop this thing, they're gonna attack," he replied.

  Before I could argue, the closest predator lunged right at us, and a blur slammed into it, knocking it sideways into the dirt. The construct was the size of a Great Dane. Its body sheathed in smooth composite plates. Its clawed feet dug into the mud. Two mantis-like arms swung from its back. One arm speared the creature through its side. The other arm unfurled a pointed tip with three fingers. It gripped the thing by its throat and pinned it to the ground.

  The second raptor lunged straight at me and knocked me down hard, crushing the air from my lungs. It pinned me with its clawed front limbs. Its jaws opened toward my face. A spear burst through the roof of its mouth and out the back of its skull. Blood splattered all over my chest. Tim drove the spear home. The beast collapsed, twitching, and Tim dragged me free.

  The first raptor screamed and remained entangled with my familiar. Tanya and Yumi stood over it with spears, eyes wide.

  "You stab it," Tanya snapped.

  Yumi shook her head violently. "No way. You stab it."

  "You're closer!"

  The raptor shrieked and started pulling itself free as the girls looked at each other, weapons wavering.

  "Damn it," Tanya hissed. "Fine. We'll both do it. Together. On three."

  Yumi's voice wavered. "Together?"

  "Yes, together." Tanya lifted her spear, her hands trembling. "One."

  Yumi raised hers beside her. "Two."

  "Three!"

  They screamed and drove their spears down at once. The raptor bucked as blood spurted; Yumi yanked her spear free and stabbed again and again, shouting until Tanya grabbed her arm and yelled her name. Yumi froze with her spear buried, chest heaving. The raptor lay still at their feet.

  We all stood there breathing hard, adrenaline still flooding our systems, when a sound like a dying animal echoed from up the trail.

  Kyle burst out of the tall grass at full sprint, eyes squeezed shut, screaming at the top of his lungs. He hit the clearing and kept going, running straight into the dead raptor, tripping over its corpse and going down hard in a tangle of limbs and spear.

  "I'm here!" he yelled from the ground. "Where are they?"

  Nobody said anything. Kyle rolled over, spit out some dirt, and finally opened his eyes. He looked at the two dead raptors and at us standing there, staring at him.

  "Oh," he said quietly. "You got them already."

  ARi's projection flickered into existence beside us. "Well, that was terrifying, And I'm not even talking about the raptors," she said, looking at Kyle.

  "Wait." I looked at her and at the familiar still crouched over its kill. "You can project out here?"

  "Apparently about fifty yards from your construct." She gestured vaguely around us. "Still figuring out the rules, but hey!" Her face brightened. "I leveled up!"

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