Day 7

***POV Change***

If anything, Wild Man was even more driven today, recklessly slaughtering groups of frogs, seemingly completely recovered from his injury. While one hand flicked knives, the other was bringing a body to his mouth so he could eat them while he continued to kill. It was… disturbing, to say the least. But he seemed determined to eat all of their carcasses. It seemed like he never ran out of energy, so Ketlia wondered if she should give his diet a shot. She chuckled to herself, then a thought struck her.

“I never asked,” She sent telepathically to him, delighting in the control it gave her. “What’s your name?”

There was a flurry of indistinguishable thoughts as the two whatevers inside of him conversed, and then stillness. Finally: “Predator.”

“Predator?...that’s…” Lame, she thought to herself. “I meant before you came here.”

-Before?

-Don’t remember.

-Ask the impression.

-Impression knows words, most likely remnant of-

-But then why do we-

-It’s possible that-

Ketlia shut out his thoughts, blinking. He didn’t remember before? She wondered if it was some sort of weird trauma from the event.

But … Predator didn’t seem like the type to be phased by much. Maybe he had a psychotic break, and that’s why he sometimes seemed so emotionless?

*****

“They are coming,” Ketlia sent mentally to Predator, as she monitored the 100s of little frog minds heading towards where he was.

Their killing spree had attracted the attention and ire of the three eyed frog, and it lead its hopping army to chase them. As per the plan, there were right at the edge of the treeline, in an area with a bunch of small hills, to let Predator move without revealing himself to that monster’s sniper tongue. She was deeper within the forest, high up into a tree, hopefully out of the range of any wandering frogs. But she was careful not to let her attention waiver, scanning for the mind of a snake or bear sneaking up behind her.

“To your left about 30 meters, there is a group of 26. All typical frogs. If you ambush them now and finish within a few minutes, the kingpin won’t have time to shift and take a shot at you.”

Ketlia immediately felt Predator’s mind shift to a thing of grim precision and bloodshed. Within 40 seconds, those 26 frogs were dead. He recovered his knives and retreated back.

“King Pin is trying to get a vantage point on that big hill we talked about. There are 43 frogs behind in that creek bed that he won’t be able to see, but most of them are the red streaks, and-”

But Predator was already moving. Ketlia just shook her head. She felt as his mind approached the minds of the frogs, and then as the frogs began to be snuffed out. Still there was a moment where Predator’s mind glowed with pain, and she reached into him, finding that his torso had been directly splashed by poison from one of the red streak frogs. But although his skin became fire an agony,

apparently his stats had risen high enough to resist the more corrosive effects of the poison.

Still, his obviously mounting annoyance left her worried. After she knew that he had killed all of the frogs, she asked. “What’s wrong?”

“...when they realized what was happening, they gave up on attack me and started spitting poison at my knives. I had to throw my body in the way to protect one. As it is, they made 3 useless; I only have 5 left.”

“....”

“Alright, where is the next group?”

And so on. As the kingpin frog chased after him, Predator moved… well, like a predator, slaughtering the frog army. After two hours of almost constant ambushes, the frogs abruptly retreated, and all that remained was the kingpin.

Predator snorted. “He’s confident huh? Well, this makes things easier. I’ll just- JUMP OUT NOW.”

Just as Predator mentally screamed at her, she felt it too, that fiendish mind of the Three Eyed Frog focusing, picturing her, seeing her, hundreds of meters away through the tree line. She scrambled and hopped down from her perch.

The spot she was just in exploded.

***POV Change***

I knew she was safe, but it seemed from the way the connection abruptly cut off that she was either winded or unconscious from the fall. Either way, I leapt out of my hiding place, dashing around towards the hill where she had last told me the creature was. And I saw it, its fat body sitting on the hill, the tongue a blur even was it retracted into its mouth. I threw a knife. From this distance, it wouldn’t inflict any damage, but…

It sank into the soft flesh of its leg. The creature twisted, and as it did so, I threw another knife, this one high and floating. Its three eyes landed on me. It opened its mouth.

Right as it was about to shoot its tongue out, its third eye narrowed, seeing the knife about to stab into it.

I drew Miguel’s axe from where it was strapped to my back. The third eye slammed shut, my knife clattering against the eyelid but unable to penetrate it. The tongue shot forward.

The bank a few feet to my right exploded, the tongue missing its mark. My body leapt into motion, the axe raised high. In that moment, the processing power I possessed was put to full use, as I calculated and compensated for all the variables I could think of, bringing my axe down to cut off that god forsaken tongue.

The axe hit the tongue. It was already reeling back into the mouth, and the movement threw off the blow, dispersing most of the force.

I panted, looking at the third eye which remained fixed on me. At any moment the tongue could shoot out again. I couldn’t cross the distance to it without giving at least two more shots, and the closer I was, the more dangerous it was.

I didn’t realize how hard it would be to cut the tongue while it was moving like that. Could I hit it in that moment that it lands? Almost impossible, I can’t dodge and leap towards the tongue at the same time. Maybe I could…

But that strange remnant within me, that impression, floated an idea up to me: baseball. I laughed, and struck a pose, both hand wrapped around the hilt of the axe. This was suicide. From what I’d seen, the frog aimed for the heart. So I would need to swing high. I would gamble on the axe and momentum.

What if it aimed at a different body part? What if I couldn’t react in time? What if…?

But all those thoughts fell away. I stayed in my pose, my eyes locked on the third eye of the frog. A challenge. This was the path of a dragon.

The eye narrowed.

I hopped lightly to the side three feet. I began to swing.

The tongue blurred.

My swing rushed to meet the tongue. My mind furiously adjusted the arc, just slightly.

With a crash, they met perfectly, and fat, hardened tip of the tongue bisected, several dozen meters of tongue carried forward by momentum, cutting itself in half. The frog began to screech, withdrawing its tongue. I believed my wrist shattered, but it was only a dull pain for now. Dropping the mostly shattered axe, I ran forward, my final 3 knives settling into my hands.

The frog tried to shoot its tongue out at me again. At first my heart pounded as it blurred forward as usually, but then a breath of air found its way between the two pieces, and they split, the tongue flapping behind it.

I ducked under it, and then stabbed a knife into the tongue. As it began to reel the tongue in, I kept a grip, lifted completely off my feet and shooting towards the frog. When it realized what was happening, it released an amused gurgle and opened its mouth impossibly wide, preparing to swallow me whole.

Chuckling, I flicked a knife forward. It stabbed through the frogs adam’s apple and into the sensitive flesh of the back of the throat, causing it to reflexively close its mouth with a squawk. By that point, I was feet away, raising my final knife.

The third eye widened. Then I thrust my knife into it, the blade, the hilt, and then my entire arm shoving the weapon deeper, into the brain with that powerful momentum. The light in the giant frog’s eyes went out.

Congratulations! Due to your actions, you have reached Lvl 9. All Biomass has been consumed.Due to your special circumstances, you have the choice of retaining the previously earned Racial Growth Rate of “Vampire Stalker” or use the Biomass to receive another randomly assigned Growth Rate. Note, retaining a Growth Rate will allow you to learn Racial skills at the typical level they are learned. Note, if a Growth Rate is retained, the Biomass will instead be converted into random chances for improvement.Do you wish to retain your previous Growth Rate? Y/N

Hopping down off the giant toad body, I clicked no.

Due to your special circumstances, you will receive the racial growth rates of a random race based on the amount of biomass consumed.Congratulations! You have received the racial growth rates of a “Seafloor Leviathan.”Vit +4End +3Str +1Congratulations! You have gained the statistic Perception. Perception set to 1.Perception +6

Interesting, more points towards my survivability. Looking at my barely functioning wrist, I couldn’t help but think that was a good thing.

Congratulations! Due to your actions, you have enough experience to reach Lvl 10. Unfortunately, without Biomass to consume, you cannot level. After obtaining Biomass, select the “Level Up” option in the status screen to proceed to the next level.

I smiled at that notification, but then shifted my attention to the next one, which was what I really wanted to see.

Congratulations! You have taken your first step upon the path of the dragon, slaying a being far beyond you. Drink its blood and feast on its flesh, and feel its strength flow into you.

Well, that’s convenient, I thought to myself. Just what I planned on doing anyway. After eating, a small notification popped up.

After absorbing the creature’s strength, you gain some of the power of its magical 3rd eye. Perception has evolved into “Timeless Perception”. Timeless Perception +10. Continue to slay stronger foes to follow the Path of the Dragon.

My head throbbed for a moment, and I blinked. There was a sudden depth to the world that I couldn’t quite explain. As I stared around, I felt the wind rising, when there was no wind.

A fraction of a second later, the wind came, my high level of processing racing to handle the flow of information into me.

Ah, it’s that sort of development. A weak level of precognition. All in all, a pretty fine power up.

*****

I located Ketlia, who was knocked out, but seemingly fine. I brought her back and left her by the bones of the giant frog monster. Then I walked around, meticulously gathering all of the bodies of the frogs I slaughtered. If I was going to gain another random growth rate, I wanted this to be the best yet.

After hours of exhausting eating (thank god my skill also made food extremely tasty, or I would have given up) I had 534 Biomass. I went to the status screen and clicked level up.

Congratulations! Due to your actions, you have reached Lvl 10. All Biomass has been consumed.Due to your special circumstances, you have the choice of retaining the previously earned Racial Growth Rate of “Seafloor Leviathan” or use the Biomass to receive another randomly assigned Growth Rate. Note, retaining a Growth Rate will allow you to learn Racial skills at the typical level they are learned. Note, if a Growth Rate is retained, the Biomass will instead be converted into random chances for improvement.Do you wish to retain your previous Growth Rate? Y/N

Not this time, friend. Spin the wheel for me~

-Let me blow on the dice before you roll.

-Shut up, other me.

Due to your special circumstances, you will receive the racial growth rates of a random race based on the amount of biomass consumed.Congratulations! You have received the racial growth rates of a “1000-Year Lich.”Vit +10End +2Memory +12Processing Power +19Wisdom +32Since you have reached level 10 as a “1000-Year Lich” you may learn the racial skill “Aura of Dread”. Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N

Hmph, obviously I would like to learn such a skill.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill “Aura of Dread Lvl 1”. Togglable skill. While on, fills nearby living parties with an inescapable dread. Prolonged exposure will inflict fear, confusion, and blindness on the living. Beasts are less likely to challenge you.

I was just about to return to Ketlia, when another notification appeared, making me laugh.

Congratulations! Due to your actions, you have enough experience to reach Lvl 11. Unfortunately, without Biomass to consume, you cannot level. After obtaining Biomass, select the “Level Up” option in the status screen to proceed to the next level.

Well, it appears like I received quite a bit of experience from killing this monster. And if I really wanted to become more tanky, this growth rate is probably one of the most beneficial to me. For almost an hour, I searched the nearby area, disgusted with how meticulous I had been earlier. Finally, I found a dismembered frog hidden in a shadow, and munched on it, gaining a few Biomass.

Then I went to the status screen and leveled up.

Congratulations! Due to your actions, you have reached Lvl 11. All Biomass has been consumed.Due to your special circumstances, you have the choice of retaining the previously earned Racial Growth Rate of “1000-Year Lich” or use the Biomass to receive another randomly assigned Growth Rate. Note, retaining a Growth Rate will allow you to learn Racial skills at the typical level they are learned. Note, if a Growth Rate is retained, the Biomass will instead be converted into random chances for improvement.Do you wish to retain your previous Growth Rate? Y/NCongratulations! You have received the growth rates of “1000-Year Lich”.Vit +9End +2Memory +9Processing Power +24Wisdom +23Since you have reached level 11 as a “1000-Year Lich” you may learn the racial skill “Summon Lesser Dead”. Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N

I just smiled at the notification for a long time.

Better yet, due to the small amount of Biomass, I didn’t receive any chances for improvement, and didn’t need to worry about a mutation.

*****

There was something comforting about laying back to back with Ketlia. Probably the warmth, I decided. Yawning, I spoke to her. “Good luck tomorrow. Don’t overestimate yourself.”

She snorted, then silence.

After a minute passed, she said. “...what do you mean good luck? Going somewhere.”

I nodded. Then realizing she couldn’t see it, I spoke. “They said we only would be here for a week, right? I came a few days before you, today is the 7th day I’ve been here. So good luck.”

She stilled.

We stayed silent for a long time. Only when the moon was slowly rising over the horizon did she speak.

“Don’t die.”

Smiling, I opened up my status screen and looked at it, inwardly gloating. I definitely wouldn’t die.

Name:PredatorLevel:11Race:Biomass:0Health Regen:x2Vit:33 (+2)End:21 (+2)Str:14 (+2)Agi:11 (+2)Dex:10 (+2)Memory:225 (+2)Processing Power:258 (+2)Parallel Computations:2Wis:63 (+2)Luck:33 (+2)Timeless Perception:17 (+2)TitlesA Creature Which Named Itself PredatorRacelessSkillsLesser Air AffinityEndless StomachWeapons Mastery Lvl 1Knife Throw Lvl 9Path of the DragonAura of Dread Lvl 1Summon Lesser Dead Lvl 1

‘Ah,’ I thought as I drifted off to sleep. ‘That’s what I forgot earlier. I never figured out what my Lesser Air Affinity skill did…’

***************Author's Note***************

Ah~ This was a exercise of patience, making all of these torturous notifications translate over.

Anyways, I'm done for tonight. As of the writing of this note, I have up to Day 14 finished. I've sorta been on a spree of writing lately, and this was what drove me forward.

After reading back through it all, I want to let you know that if you keep reading, it will become slightly silly. Not in a way that undoes the tension of surviving, but just in the way life can be unexpected.

Let me know what you think~ I'm always willing to steal ideas and use them for the story =p.