Chương 45: Return to the Cave

The group gathered just after breakfast: Mark, Cora, Lena, Ava, and Bramble. They had discussed their planned trip to the cave. Mark explained to Lena about the four chambers they found and the different versions of the plants they would have to fight. Mark also gave Lena an axe as they explained to her the issues they found trying to get them with spears. Dale reminded the group to gather more mushrooms if they found them and bring back more of the salt.

Tom asked for them to bring back more of the fibers, as they were a great material for his leatherworking. The trip to the cave was quick and non-eventful. They stopped just outside, and Mark said.

"Ok, the plan is for Cora and Lena to lead and Ava and I to follow. Bramble will help find any bonus items that might be available." Cora and Lena lit torches and walked in. Mark and Ava are right behind. [System-Controlled Zone] Control: 2% Stability: Low Conditions Unmet Mark was happy to see the system message. The conditions were again unmet, so the cave was ready to clear again. Right away Mark knew something was not right; the sounds were wrong. The first thing he noticed was the sounds.

Before they could hear the dragging of the roots as the rootlings walked around. The sound now was lower and quieter. Bramble was the first to see what changed as his eyes were directed up and to the right. He started to growl as he tracked something on the ceiling. Ava then pointed in that direction.

"Something is moving up there on the ceiling." Cora heard a sound low and on the left.

"There is something over there also." They all started to spread out; Cora went toward where Ava had pointed, with Ava and Bramble following her. Lena went left towards what she had heard. Mark followed her. Just then they heard a scratch, then a second screech. Something jumped off the ceiling and landed on Cora, who was closest on that side. At the same time something darted at Lena. Mark shouted.

"No plants, just bugs. Same plan as before. Lena and I take the left, and Cora and Ava take the right. Keep your eyes open; there may be more." Cora swung her axe at the bug, and it glanced off its hard shell. Again, she swung. The axe was not working well. Mark said, "Axe not working well. Their shells are protecting them. Try your spears." Lena was still trying with the axe and cut off the tips of a couple legs, but it was not working well. She put away the axe and pulled out her spear.

She slammed it hard against the shell, but it only penetrated a small amount but caused no real damage. She then started jabbing her spear at the joints. This was working better but was still slow progress. Cora pushed the one attacking her back; it had chewed on her leg, cutting the skin. Bramble came over and, sticking its snout under the bug with a twist of its head, flipped it on its back. After it was over Cora slammed her spear into its exposed chest.

Pulled it out and slammed it in again, and it stopped moving. Mark yelled out.

"Lena, flip it over. Its underside is more vulnerable." Lena, using her spear, stuck it under the bug and flipped it. Just as she was slamming her spear into it, an arrow sprouted out of its chest next to her spear. The bug stopped moving. Lena turned around and looked at Mark.

"Nice shot. Did not realize you had a bow and knew how to use it."

"Made the bow a while back. I don't like getting bitten." Lena replied, "Speaking of being bitten, I got quite a few bites during that fight." Mark pulled out some bandages and water and cleaned the few wounds that both Lena and Cora received. Cora had a few bites on her arms and Lena on her legs. After He finished bandaging the wounds, he made a mental note to see if there was something He could get made to protect their arms and legs in the future.

Mark Identified the bug [Shellback Scuttler level 3] He reached down and looted it. He received 8 xp, a reinforced chitin plate, a dense resin sack, and a hardened joint piece from the first one. 8 xp reinforced chitin plate, thick shell fragment, and heavy leg spike from the other. After they all looted, the bodies dissolved away. Ava was the first to say something.

"It's different. The cave shape is roughly the same, but everything here is completely different." She walked over and pointed at something sticky on the ground.

"There is some kind of gooey stuff over here on the ground." Cora pointed at some stringy white threads that were attached from ceiling to floor. This looks like silk, some kind of crafting material. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Lena picked up a hard shell on the ground and rapped on it with her hand.

"We have chitin plates here. And there are some other parts on the ground. Maybe the boy's back in camp and will get excited with some of this junk." Mark said.

"I have found that if I can pick it up, there tends to be some use for it. Everyone search the chamber and store anything that might be used for crafts, and we can let Tom and Dale figure out their uses." They spent the next little while searching the chamber. Mark sat back and looked at the cave. It was the same cave, but it was not the same cave. He knew there was something to this change. Something seems special about that system-controlled statement it keeps sharing. Mark said.

"Ok, it seems that our thought that we would find more plants was wrong. That means we have no idea what will be ahead of us; everyone keep a lookout for anything." As he approached the back of the cave, he realized that the tunnel was a few feet to the left of where it was last time. He turned back around and scanned the rest of the area. He then realized there were a number of changes. Like Ava said, everything is different, yet it's the same. They followed the tunnel toward the next chamber.

As they approached the next chamber, they could hear a bunch of noise. This time they knew what they were hearing. Mark could pick out the sounds of the bug's legs clicking against the rocks. There was a bunch of noise, way more than two. Before entering the next chamber," Mark said.

"Sounds like there are a bunch in here. We will most likely need to fight one on one, so make sure to be careful protect your arms and legs so that we minimize the wounds." As they entered the chamber, all eyes were moving, watching the walls and floors for any sign of what they had to deal with. Bramble was the first to find a target. He darted to the right and latched on to a small bug. It was half the size of the last ones. Its shell did not look as strong.

He saw Bramble latch onto it with his mouth, biting down until there was a cracking sound; he then shook it from side to side and flung it to the ground. Then he was looking for the next. Cora pointed up and to the right.

"On the ceiling there." Mark shot it with his bow. The arrow pierced its shell with ease and went in one side and out the other, only stopping as it hit the rock behind it. The bug fell to the floor with the arrow through it. Ava used her spear and stabbed one that was trying to sneak up on Bramble. Mark lost track of the fight at that point. They each hunted, found, and killed. Mark put his spear through the last one, and the chamber went silent. Almost everyone got at least one bite.

All small, more scratches than anything else. Not worth a bandage but did cause them to scratch and itch. So they all pulled out water and washed the wounds out. Mark focused on one of the bugs. [Skitterling Level 2] Mark received no exp on these, as they were too low. But when they had gathered them all up, it turned out that there were seven of them. He received 18 drops consisting of five different types. Fine cave silk, small chitin shards, resin thread, a tiny claw, and a lightweight shell fragment.

They again searched the chamber. They were able to loot more silk, thread, resin, and tiny claws from around the cave. Like before, no sign of the items they found previously. All items they found were related to the Scuttler variants. They continued to the third chamber. The sound when they got to that chamber was present but softer. Less, or at least less noisy, than the last chamber. They slowly entered the room and spread out with Lena and Cora taking the lead.

Ava, this time, was the first to see something, followed shortly by Bramble. This one was bigger than the skitterlings but smaller than the Shellback. But it was still a variation on the same type of bug. As Cora and Ava approached it, Lena shouted out, "Another one over there," and she started to head towards it. Mark looked around, seeing nothing, and went to follow her. Then it hit his back and grabbed on and started to bite his back. Mark screamed.

"Get it off!" as he proceeds to shake his back trying to dislodge it. Just a moment later Bramble jumped up and yanked it off his back, holding and shaking it with his jaws. Mark quickly pulled out his spear and thrust it into it multiple times until it stopped fighting Bramble and fell limp. By that point the others had finished off the other two. That had really shocked Mark. He had thought he looked around well but was surprised by it landing on his back.

No real harm was done other than he felt a little embarrassed that it had landed on his back and made him cry out. Lena came over and looked at his back. Mark handed her some water, and she cleaned the area where it had bitten him. Like the last chamber, they spread out and searched, gathering up any items that might be of use. Mark finally identified the creature that had landed on him. [Cave Scuttler level 4] He got 15 xp for the kill.

He received cave silk, thin chitin, small claws, nest resin, and scuttler leg segments in various amounts from the three bodies. They finally entered the final chamber. In the center of it was a huge nest full of eggs of various sizes. Many of which were wiggling as if whatever was in them was soon to hatch. As they watched, the first egg hatched, and a tiny cave scuttler came out. Bramble rushed forward and ate it in a single bite. Mark spoke quickly.

"Destroy the eggs quickly; don't let them hatch." They all rushed forward and started to smash, crush, and destroy every egg in the nest. When the last one was gone, they received a message saying it had been destroyed. A status appeared. [Scuttler Nest] Mark looked around the chamber. This is where the rootheart was the last time. This nest was similar to that in that it was the cause of the other creatures found. [Zone Variation Complete] Adaptive Ecosystem Confirmed Mark read that message a couple times.

Adaptive ecosystem, and the message title zone variation. It was not random; it was designed. What else could they find here? The group searched the room and stored the items they found. They walked slowly towards the entrance. This was not what they had planned for. But it was profitable all the same. As Mark walked out of the cave, the last message appeared. [Zone Interaction Complete] Control Increased: +3% Current Control: 5% It wouldn't be fast, but little by little, he was gaining control.