Chapter 18

I wake up, as usual, as usual, the clothes on my back feel more off than usual as I stretch and ready to go outside as I see the two coming off their beds as well

"When will we have our own rooms? I have to admit it feels strange sleeping like this"

" oh I just know it is, but this base is the only place down here with beds unless you plan on going up and down the elevator all the way every day"

"I am sure there will be private rooms when the base gets expanded, however, it is also fairly obvious that with our current pace, it will take a while"

"well I'm gonna get my modified armor since this secretive 'blacksmith' should be done with it from what I was told"

" meanwhile Brownie and I will get to our missions, yours will be easier after you built it correctly, then I hope it helps you make progress "

as Brownie and Cody start heading out to their groups to get their food and then go to the missions I go out of the base to meet Cook who looks ready for me as they have a full tent set up now with a cement platform as they take my modified armor out, from under the temporary desk

" you really wanted this armor back it is fairly early in the morning"

"well armor is very much needed if I ever plan on doing a hunting or gathering mission, though, not much to gather"

" pretty much anyway here it is"

as they show my armor the frame is still the same yet covered in a kind of spider pelt. it is black and a bit fuzzy covering the white armor making it less obvious and a mechanism at the end of each arm just before the hands, which Cook shows, putting a hand in a deeply clenched pose on the armor As two shaped sanded down spider pincers shown out of the compartment turning into some good knives as they unbleached the hand to put the blade back in

" That actually looks pretty good "

"just don't try to use these blades as an attack, you already have a bow these are just to be meant to be used for a just-in-case situation"

"don't worry, still look looks good"

"Sure, now you can get going to your mission and all that"

"Right"

as I soon put the armor on top of my clothes in front of the clearly annoyed Cook get the food from him to eat as fast as possible and then start heading off realizing there is also tarantula fur inside As well, not that good but it's more comfortable than the bare metal it was before, maybe I should mention this to Ent and Chris they aren't low on points either

as I soon get back to base and see them heading in the direction of the mission as well as I meet up with them

"hey, you two!"

"Ah the annoying one, lemme guess that armor is the ad on "

"Y-yeah, um how did you know?"

"Well, it was part of the rewards of completing the, starting point of the base"

"plus its add-on singular and unlike that,Cody fellow I hear about I doubt you can make that"

"is it good?"

after being still for a moment I respond

" Well, yeah, mote comfort, the obvious bit of camo, and even some of"

as I clench one of my hands sideways as the blades pop out

"these"

"then we know what to do today now let's actually do the mission we got to do"

"yes even I wouldn't like to do the same every day we even got the most difficult part done, I'm sure"

with a small nod we get to the mission location and start putting the walls down again using the machine to go at the right spot then use the platforms that slide to by the wall of the place to bolt it into place so we can slide it in and then travel to the next point to repeat as the process speeds up as we grow used to it as when the day reaches the end we make some good progress, as we start to get off the machine to the wall platform then the ground as they two say they will also get the add-on as we left to do our own thing before the end of the day

I meet up with Cody and Brownie both in full armor as it fields weird looking at them with the full set like I was talking with robots with expressive eyes, though they took the helmets off as so did i

" well I'm already ready for tomorrow's mission "

" did you tell your group? I'm sure they would appreciate the news"

" or just guess since why else would you leave the mission suddenly, they already spent two days with you, 3 if we count your previous mission"

"Ah, well either way I'm gonna get to bed, need a full rest for tomorrow "

" well good luck tomorrow jake!"

" don't lose your head there should be plenty of spiders there"

as we split up again to go to bed me putting my armor under the bed as I close my eyes shut to get some good sleep

midnight I was fully grabbed and pulled up and shaken making me wide-eyed awake as I push the figure off as they stumble back looking haggard and barely keeping on their two feet till I see the pack on their back and know who I'm talking to

"Jer-!"

he puts his hand on my mouth looking around and pulls me outside off of my bed whispering

" We can't talk here, follow me "

as he begins to quietly look around as they head over to the exit of the building looking around constantly as they see one of the guards up, the ones that we have made in case some people tried to steal our stuff, so luckily they were more focused on the people than the exit but they will quickly notice I'm gone as I follow behind Jerry quietly closing the door silently on the way out

" ok, what is it Jerry, you look haggard and barely together yet you woke me up in the middle of the night, what, what happened?"

Jerry still looks a bit shaken even right now when people other than some people look at the towers outward, we didn't make too much progress so they can still do so with one tower fully made taller and another being worked on with the shell as he speaks

"When you told me about something about the nest! I know how you are with visions so, I checked, I took a webbing quest to get close, and when I did, I found a building, with a kind of mural, of a slime that looks like a child-like puppet"

" Jerry, are, you, okay? your starting to lose me bud calm down, just, describe the building "

after Jerry takes some deep breaths and a moment to calm down they go again

" there was something strange as its title"

" What, was it"

as Jerry goes back to look around

" Look, I haven't entered yet since I already made the tunnel, and even I'm not going in there alone from what I have seen outside of it"

" your, making it, sound like it is the nest"

" because it pretty much is as the queen's chamber is right by it, and the spider variants I've seen there are so boggling I couldn't tell what they do from afar"

" so, all you need is for me to come with right?"

" if your up for it, though I can already tell your answer fellow explorer"

" you know me so well bud, of course, I agree!"

"I knew it, we have known each other for years"

" so what's the plan?"

" I already know you plan to go web quest tomorrow too so we just meet up at the entrance of the first wall after we get our meals and you get your mission, now hurry inside, they probably already noticed you're nor in bed already"

as I nod and go back inside only to be greeted by two people looking glad I haven't just gone off somewhere in the middle of the night As Cole speaks before the muscled woman

"ah looks like your good to go, you just weren't at bed a moment so I and Mary started looking around here for you I was about to leave the building to continue the search, what is it? you more curious about the outside world than I am?"

"Oh I was having a midnight walk it is strangely serene at the night, and since the day is just work why not take the chance?"

as Cole listens and makes a nod

"True, just get ready for tomorrow ok?"

" don't worry I'm gonna go to sleep right now"

" Ah, ok?"

as I rush past the two though I admit this made it a bit too obvious I doubt they talk about it too much, as I lay down to rest again

a siren sounded Waking me up yet again as well as multiple others that were sleeping at the time as lights are flashing as when we woke we see Cook at the center with some papers

" We apologize to all of those at the base it is gonna rain soon so we are gonna announce this before anyone heads out, stay indoors and be careful of the entrances that is all"

as I look over to Jerry who seems to have the same idea

" looks like our plan is delayed "

_

I look over at the acid rain starting to come down as I write down the materials used by production, and research, we don't have much so I have to be careful about it, sadly people are fearing it becuase of the previous event, not like I blame them, maybe I should make the reward higher, but then again what can we make for them to buy?

as I continue to look through the quest papers I hear a knock on my office door, and I already know who it is

" Slimer, your here"

as I open the door for her to come over and place some papers on my desk of a certain, Jake

" I got what you wanted, Jake has a mother and two siblings, yet they seem to not bother to remember they exist, they even had a friend from before the destruction "

as I look over the documents and confirm what she said I look over at her

" then I'll do my part of the deal thank you for the help"

as she nods and walks to leave as I can see her wide smile grow, crazed, I wonder why this was the thing she wanted