The expected attack did not come. I was waiting for more globules of sticky slime to hit the sand above me but instead, the vibrations on the ground showed the mimic lizards scatter, their paths diverging in many directions. Abandoning all care, their swift feet sprinted through the forest in retreat! Some escaping through the leaves and others climbing up the blackened tree trunks, disappearing from my sight as quick as lightning.

What the heck?

I immediately dug myself from the ground and chased after them. How could I let such unique creatures escape! I tore through the undergrowth following the lizards. But which one to follow?

They scattered in different directions and even if I went after them. I could possibly catch only one. What use was that?

My bubbling excitement at the prospect of a new skill snuffed away at the bitter reality. What tricky creatures!

Appraisal had mentioned they were extremely cautious, but I hadn't really expected them to flee so quickly. This was troubling. How was I supposed to catch enough to meet my quota if they fled like this at every encounter? I'd only killed two out of fifteen and trapped one! Maybe I should have gone easy.

Returning to the spot in a bad mood, I approached the sand where I'd trapped the last lizard. Nearby vibrations revealed it was still struggling under the sand and not yet dead. I watched as one large yellow eye emerged from the ground, blinking warily. I mercilessly sunk my fangs into the sand, killing the weakened lizard before it made any move to escape.

〚You have defeated LV3 Novus Milia Pellis〛

〚You have earned 7XP〛

A half shot of venom was enough to finish it off and I quickly gobbled down all three of the corpses, but there was no alert from [Devour]. How disappointing!

The creatures were so evasive, and their climbing skills were much better than mine. It would be really difficult to catch a number of them, but I was determined to have its skin for myself. I stealthily followed one of the ground trails left behind, following after the creature. If I was lucky, it would lead me to their nest.

The trail continued through the dense forest, before the path diverged over an area where the ground was far rockier than I was used to, the trail there becoming much harder to follow.

The dense trees thinned out here, leaving more space between them for larger creatures to move around and not many places for me to hide. There were many instances of luminous lichen on the trees, filling more of the forest floor with their muted light and I suddenly felt very exposed.

I came across a dip in the ground where the rocky area split, forming a miniature valley, where the trail stopped. In the middle was a little flowing stream.

The lizard must have vaulted over the valley to reach the opposite side to flee.

I chose to do the same with my [Leap] skill, but I wasn't confident enough to cover such a distance. I peered down at the flowing stream, where something below caught my interest – a cluster of reddish brown mushrooms growing on the exposed roots of a tree.

The water wasn't deep, and the current wasn't forceful. I was confident I could swim through to the other side once I investigated them. So I decided to enter the stream instead.

The mushrooms were a deep red colour, triangular in shape with rough outer caps and long ridged white stems with intricate spines growing outwards, like curled webs. Their appearance was peculiar, but it did not look as weird as the first purple mushroom I found, so I was less wary of it.

That was until I saw its slender spines reach out with terrifying speed to snatch a passing bug from the air, depositing it into the ravenous mouth that opened up at the top of its triangular dome.

I watched it eat the bug with deep relish, its web-like spines wriggling around in a strange dance.

Never mind…This one was too disgusting. And also carnivorous, what bad luck.

I appraised it.

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Name: Lernean's Vault

Specie: Esuritt Rubellus

Named after Vaitkus Lernean, a Ranger whose half dissolved silver tooth was found inside its tuberous roots nine days after he was declared missing. It is an unusual plant that can dissolve anything, storing the liquefied remains in its deep roots. It normally targets insects but overtime it has developed a particular fondness for fleshy tissues. It is seen as a delicacy in certain woodland tribes who hunt it for the mineral deposits in its tubers and high amounts of crystallised salt. Excessive consumption can result in vomiting and delirium.

[Rarity: C]

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Yeah…no thanks. A mushroom that eats flesh, how insidious!

It wasn't poisonous but the thought of eating it made me feel queasy. Who knew how many humans the innocent looking mushrooms had consumed in its lifetime?

I crossed the stream to avoid it and carried on with haste.

Heavy mist settled over the surface of the water making me feel lightheaded. If I followed the stream I was bound to encounter more mushrooms. Higher concentrations of ether in the air made the mist toxic, so it made sense for the stream to be one of the damp places where poisonous things grew. I should follow it to end my quest early. But that would mean abandoning the trail of the mimic lizard and I didn't want to give up on either so easily.

I memorised the scenery around the water for when I returned, choosing to pause my quest while I continued looking for the lizards. I climbed over the stream to the path it took once more, spotting its trail almost immediately.

The sooner I found their nest, the quicker I could return here to finish the quest and I had a feeling they were very close. The scenery of the forest had changed, the trees more spaced out and there were more instances of rock and short tufts of grass.

I traced the lizard's path over damp rocks covered in greenery. The claw marks made by its scratches and the lack of water droplets showed its swift darting path where it jumped over many stones. I traced the marks with my full focus following it from every rock, until I came across a new area of the forest where the ground was different.

The soil was soft and dark, with a particularly pungent smell. The area was devoid of rocks with more grass and short plants growing. It was the sort of place a lizard would make its nest and I knew I was close. But before I could venture further, I spotted another mushroom cluster, much smaller than the others with only six unusual mushrooms growing.

These ones were bright yellow in colour with the unique shape of flowers. Their upturned domes were thick and pleated with elongated gills that extended outwards rippling in the air like feathery flower petals. They would have been pretty if each petal wasn't covered in thick inky black veins that you could see through the mushroom's translucent skin.

Its disturbing appearance made my skin crawl, reminding me too much of the veins in the human circulatory system from my lessons in the past. Why would there be veins on a mushroom? What creepy purpose did they serve? Of the four mushrooms so far, this one looked the most sinister.

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Name: Sairon's Bell

Specie: Ostium Nervorum

This mushroom grows wherever death is prevalent, sometimes on the skin of dead creatures aiding their decomposition, or on blood soaked ground. It emits a mild airborne toxin that causes severe body pains. When consumed, this toxin merges with the blood causing bodily spasms, culminating in muscle paralysis and a cold pale skin, giving one the appearance of death.

There may be a deceiving period of respite for 2 days afterwards where the body's functions return to normal, before the second wave of internal poisoning occurs.

If left untreated, the venom directly attacks the host nervous system driving the host delirious with feelings of intense pain in every extremity. It interferes with nerve signals, leading to full body paralysis and eventual death from respiratory and cardiac failure.

Effects occur up to an hour after consumption with the semblance of death lasting up to 24 hours. Relief from its poison can be found by eating the cone of its symbiotic pair [Funus Amanita] another poisonous mushroom often found growing beside it.

Rarity: [B-]

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This time the results of appraisal did not put me off. The mushroom, albeit unusual, would serve my purpose. It was deadly but it also provided an antidote.

I noted a black mushroom growing near Sairon's Bell, this one was so dull in appearance, it blended in with the colour of the ground, completely hidden by the mushroom's bright yellow plumes, but it was there all the same. Appraisal revealed it was its symbiotic pair [Funus Amanita], the antidote I needed!

I gingerly took a bite of the bright yellow veiny mushroom. Its bitter taste, accompanied by the feeling of numbness in my mouth, reminding me too well of a particular horrible trip to the dentist in my past life. Still, I carried on eating until I swallowed three mushrooms.

As for the antidote, I cut a few stems of the black mushrooms, keeping them near while I waited for the effects of the poison to start.