I crouched low in a large patch of tall grass, Vipera slithering along the ground at my side. Hunting had been an experience since coming to the surface. I'd grown somewhat used to the density of the monstrous ants down below. It was much harder to find prey up here on the surface. From what I'd been able to observe, the surface of this world was multiple times the size of the ant cavern I'd passed through. I suspected there was an end to the world, but I certainly hadn't found it yet, not even the barest edge. I wrote it off in much the same way I did the felt but unseen sun. There were just some questions I wasn't meant to know the answer to right now. I'd drive myself insane if I let my mind run in circles of those kinds of questions. If there was one thing this place had taught me, it was to worry about the things I could actually do something about. Do the first thing first, and the second, and so on. The nature of the mind was to pick at things that we didn't understand, try to take them apart, and try to understand them. When there were no answers to be found, this was a trap, one I had admittedly fallen into more times than I cared to think about. It was living alongside life and death in this place that had taught me, finally, to take things as they came.
My musing was interrupted by the appearance of several monsters. A half dozen quadruped monsters that looked vaguely like gazelles appeared as if out of thin air. The monsters trotted easily across the plain on long, spindly legs that seemed to be covered in some sort of tree bark-like substance. Above the long legs, they were covered in short tawny looking fur; each had a long snout and a massive set of spiraling horns several feet long. These were set above sets of green eyes, solid green, no iris, no pupil, just green. They were eerie to look at, especially with those green eyes that lacked any sort of normal or familiar animal like structure to them. Just blank orbs of verdant green staring into the distance.
I slowly twisted my head in the direction the group was sedately traveling, trying to see where they were going without revealing my presence. I'd had my [Stealth] skill active for some time now, surprising no one, I'd formed a bit of a habit of activating it everywhere I went, and these days it was almost always active. Unsurprisingly, or surprisingly depending on how one wanted to look at it, the group of monsters seemed to be headed towards the lake. Perhaps even monsters needed a drink after a long day of wandering around and doing whatever the hell it was that monsters did. Out of curiosity, I triggered [Analyze] targeting the gazelle-like monster at the front, it seemed to be the leader leading at the front of the pack, and it had the largest set of horns, which I didn't figure was a coincidence.
About as threatening as they looked, which was to say not very. They didn't seem at all aggressive, and the skills they possessed mirrored that impression. They would be extremely hard to pin down here on the plains, however. Even a brief look around would find dozens of places where they could likely utilize that nifty teleporting ability, from the occasional tree to all the patches of tall grass that were all over the plains. There were usually going to be at least three or four options for them anywhere they were accosted. It made me wonder if attempting to bring one of them down was even worth the effort, given they would likely get away. I simply didn't have anything that would reliably prevent them from teleporting away at the first sign of danger, nor was I certain I could bring one down in a single blow. If I could dose one with a blow from [venomous Strikes], then the venom might be enough to finish the beast even if it did get away. It was worth a try if nothing else; it wasn't like I had much better to do at the current moment. The monster population on the surface had been sparse, so far.
I called Vipera back into my soul, shifting into my spider form while I was crouched low in the tall green grass. There was no room for mistakes in this attempt, and I was faster as a spider than as a man. When I prepared to leap from my hiding place, the situation changed, explosively.
A few dozen feet to my right, another patch of tall grass exploded with movement, a large blur of Vibrant green and dark brown flew towards the leader of the pack of grazles. The entire herd bleated in alarm, stamping their hooves and turning to bolt. I watched as several of the group turned and vanished as soon as they touched a clump of tall grass or a nearby tree. The leader was not nearly as lucky. The blur turned out to be a massive feline predator; it reminded me of a cross between a lion and a tiger, with a helping of fantasy monster dumped into the mix for good measure. The massive feline was long and heavily muscled, with dark brown stripes covering a coat of vibrant green. Its legs seemed to be covered in some sort of bark-like approximation of armour, and a similar ridge of the same substance ran down its spine from the top of its head to the tip of its tail, which held a large, and rather nasty-looking barb. All in all, I felt I could check off fantasy king of the jungle from my monster hunting bingo book. That is, if the monster didn't tear me to shreds first. I watched with no small amount of fascination as the monster flew through the air towards its prey, claws extended, jaw snapped open, revealing massive inch-plus long fangs. It was a picture of a perfect predator in motion. The lion-tiger creature made contact with the grazel, its claws digging deep into the other creature's hide. Huge thorns erupted from within the body of the tiger-lion, spearing into the gazelle's body even as it bleated and struggled to escape the predator that had latched onto it. Even as I watched the feline drag its prey to the ground, I had to wonder, why hadn't the grazle teleported away? It had a specific skill to do so… Unless this new predator had something to prevent it. I triggered [Analyze] on the large feline. I needed to know if it had some way to counteract the Grazle's skill; it would change a great many things if I had confirmation that skills could be directly adversarial. There was little in the way of resistance from the creature to my [Analyze].
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Well, there was the answer to my questions, all neatly laid out in a single status sheet. The grazle was being poisoned by the Thornstalker's claws, and the thorns that had erupted from the feline predator's body were a skill that prevented the grazle from simply teleporting away. I watched intently as the Thornstalker efficiently dispatched its prey. The grazle's struggles weakened rapidly, succumbing to the paralytic venom. Within moments, the plains fell silent again, save for the wet sounds of the predator feasting. This was an opportunity. The Thornstalker was distracted, focused entirely on its meal. If I could take it down, it would net me far more experience than the grazle ever could. But it was also far more dangerous. I weighed my options carefully. The Thornstalker's [Regeneration] ability meant I'd need to end this quickly. My venom might work, but I'd have to get close enough to use it. Its [Venomous Claw] posed a serious threat - if I got hit even once, I could be in trouble. Decision made, I began to inch forward through the grass. My spider form was perfect for this - eight legs distributing my weight silently, body low to the ground. [Stealth] active, I closed the distance.
Twenty feet.
Fifteen.
Ten.
The Thornstalker's ear twitched. It raised its head, blood dripping from its muzzle, nostrils flaring as it scented the air. I froze, every muscle tensed. Had it sensed me? The creature's green eyes scanned the grass, passing over my position once, twice. Then, seemingly satisfied, it lowered its head back to its meal. I let out a silent breath.
Five more feet. I was almost within striking distance.
In one fluid motion, I burst from the grass. My fangs, dripping with venom, were aimed straight for the Thornstalker's neck. Time seemed to slow as I skimmed over the ground, my eyes locked onto my target. The Thornstalker was faster than I'd anticipated. It whirled, abandoning its kill, and met my lunge with a swipe of its massive paw. I twisted mid lunge, barely avoiding the rake of its venomous claws. As I landed, I felt a burning pain across my side. One claw had connected, leaving a shallow gash. There was no time to assess the damage. The Thornstalker was already pouncing, its jaws snapping shut where I had been a split second before. I scuttled backwards, trying to put some distance between us. The Thornstalker's eyes gleamed with predatory focus as it stalked towards me. I could feel the burning sensation from its claw spreading - the paralytic venom beginning to take effect. I needed to end this quickly.
Using my spider form's agility, I darted to the side as the Thornstalker lunged again. Its massive body sailed past me, and I seized the opportunity. I sprang onto its back, my fangs sinking deep into the base of its neck. The creature let out a roar of pain and fury, thrashing wildly to dislodge me. I clung on with all eight legs, pumping as much venom as I could into its system. Suddenly, I felt a searing pain as thorns erupted from the Thornstalker's hide, piercing through my exoskeleton. [Thorn bind] took effect, and I found myself unable to leap away. We were locked together now, my venom racing through its veins even as its thorns dug deeper into my flesh. Venom against venom, it was a race against time to see whose venom would win out first: Mine or the Thornstalker's?
The Thornstalker bucked and rolled, trying to crush me beneath its weight. I held on with a grim determination. I could feel its Venom burning through my veins, but I could also feel my body fighting back in some way. As we rolled and thrashed on the ground, we stabbed each other repeatedly, the Thornstalker with its constantly growing thorns, and me with the eight lances attached to my body that I called legs. We thrashed back and forth across the ground, each vying for dominance, for position to line up a lethal blow that could end this battle. The thornstalker was fast, but I was significantly stronger, and I had one more advantage that the Thornstalker didn't: I wasn't alone.
Vipera reared up from my back, materializing as if from the ether, and struck. The patterns of electric blue that covered her and her fang-filled maw crackled with anger as she buried her fangs in the Thornstalker's throat. The beast howled and gurgled while I kept it pinned so Vipera could finish it off. It took several moments, but its struggles to live and fight slowed, then weakened, and ceased altogether.
I rose from the corpse of the thornstalker. I could already feel the effects of its paralytic venom fading from my blood as if its potency was tied to the life of its maker. With magic involved, there was no way of knowing how that would affect the venom of such a creature. I patted Vipera affectionately with one of my spider limbs, careful not to jab her with the sharp tip before resuming my human form.
"We need to work on our teamwork." I chuckled at the emphatic nod from my familiar. I could practically feel the judgment radiating from her while she glared at me with her glowing blue eyes.
"Fine, I need to work on my teamwork." Vipera let out a huff of air, seemingly satisfied.
