When all of Hunter's instincts agreed, it was simple to act. When they clashed it felt like their brain got twisted, and it was difficult and unpleasant. The young predator mulled this over as he ate and the prey finished dying. Prey was prey, and so instinct said it should be killed. But it was also dangerous; even outnumbered and injured it had killed kin. So instinct said to wait rather than run to claw and bite and sting. In this instance, the instinct to wait seemed to have been wiser. If one rushed in, like the tasty biomass that had been kin, then there was risk of going back to not-am, and the not-am can not hunt and eat and kill. So the careful way was better.

Again, there was conflict on whether to eat the biomass that had been kin, bring it back as the Noble wanted, or help kill prey. Prey was prey regardless, and would die and be eaten. If Hunter could be the one to finish the kill, the experience would be useful. One must kill to grow. But there were three others fighting the prey, and one was the strong kin whose jaws were snapping at prey's throat. It did not seem likely Hunter would be the one to kill. So it was right to go to the biomass. But what should be done with it? Instinct said to obey the Noble, and instinct said to eat and grow stronger. It was hard, until Hunter realized that by eating and growing stronger, they would be able to hunt better and get more biomass, some to eat and some to bring back. So they could follow the instinct to eat and the instinct to obey. It was very good that the right thing to do was to eat Biomass. Hunter was pleased.

Prey got done dying and became biomass. The strong kin probably got the experience and grew stronger yet, but that was fine. There would be other prey Hunter could kill. All of the kin were eating now. The prey was large, and there would be biomass to eat and biomass to bring back home to obey the Noble. Hunter walked over and ate prey too.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Juvenile Varinus Prasinus. You are awarded one Biomass.]

[Basic profile of Varinus Prasinus unlocked]

[Juvenile Varinus Prasinus: Young Emerald Monitor. A fast, cunning predator with sharp senses, sharp teeth, and a powerful tail.]

[You have gained one Biomass]

It had been an excellent first hunt. Hunter had four biomass now, enough to grow much stronger, but it was not safe to improve one's body away from home. One could not move or fight while being improved, and could become prey, and thus not-am. This would not do. So they helped kin cut up biomass with claws and carry it home.

Hunter and kin were careful on their way back, and moved slower, more quietly. This made sense. They had biomass to protect. The best way to protect it was to not be noticed. Before long they reached home, safe. Hunter presented the biomass to the Noble, and was commanded to hunt and return with more. This was fine. It hurt in the mind to think of defying the Noble outright, and the young monster was not certain whether it was possible. That went strongly against instinct and felt wrong. It was good that the Noble's commands were not specific though. Hunter could decide the best way to obey, and did.

The best way right now was to use biomass to get stronger. Then more things could be hunted and killed. Four biomass was very much, and could be used for many different things. There were seven body parts to improve - exoskeleton, claws, legs, eyes, antennae, stinger, Tomosvary organs. To improve a part to +1 would cost one biomass, from +1 to +2 would cost two, from +2 to +3 three, from +3 to +4 four, and from +4 to +5 five. This was known. It was also known that it was not possible to improve past +5 until one changed and became more through much killing. So Hunter had used one biomass and had four more from the hunt, and would need seventy beyond this to make every body part strong. Instinct said it would be best to do so before the change. It was important for body parts to improve to +5. Hunter knew this, but not why.

What to improve first though? It was unclear. But it seemed right to improve four parts to +1 rather than stinger to +2 and two parts to +1. Four improvements was more than three, thus better. Hunter's mind went back to the kin that became biomass, remembered how it twitched on the ground with crushed body segments.

Spend Biomass. Exoskeleton +1, Legs +1, Antennae +1, Tomosvary Organs +1

[Do you wish to improve your Exoskeleton to +1, Legs to +1, Antennae to +1, and Tomosvary Organs to +1?]

Yes.

For the first time, Hunter experienced euphoria. Energy suffused almost every part of them, reshaped, strengthened, sharpened. They could not move, as if in a trance. Too quickly it ended. But the young monster's body improved greatly. Their exoskeleton felt harder, more solid. Legs held more power. Antennae and Tomosvary organs combined to grant much improved sensory awareness. Eyes were limited things, slow and constrained by field of vision. Vibration, scent, heat, air movement - these were omnidirectional. Hunter knew little of the broader world, but was convinced that it was better to sense danger and be quick enough to move out of its way. They did that in the first hunt, and grew stronger. Kin who became biomass was too slow or unaware. That was a bad way.

They joined another group of four kin, and left together for the bright place above to hunt. None smelled as powerful as the strong kin from the first hunt, but one's taste was a bit stronger than Hunter's and the other three, and so that one lead and the rest followed. They ran down a different path through vibrant fungal stalks, and the air grew wet. Water. They neared water. Then Hunter scented prey. It was to the left, through a cluster of large mushrooms with pale, thick stems and orange caps.

Instinct said the strongest kin should lead, but stronger instinct said prey should be found and killed. The young monster turned, and their kin followed. Prey was three, and noticed the approach of the centipedes and moved toward them. The three had short, heavy bodies with three pair of legs, a large head with prominent eyes and a powerful jaw, and a thick pale exoskeleton. The back pair of legs were large and strong. Instinct said they were dangerous, but less so than the emerald monitor had been. Hunter sprinted diagonally around a wide stem and toward the right flank of the three prey. Kin attacked. One of the prey was smaller than the others. It jumped away, jumped again, then jumped again. Kin could not move so quickly. The other two prey fought. The stronger kin quickly stung the prey on the left. That was good. The attack left it slow to dodge, and prey's bite crushed its head. That was bad. Another kin ran under that prey's body, stung it, grabbed with legs and bit down with claws. Good.

This left the prey on the right. One kin stung and one kin bit. The kin that bit was only a little too slow to dodge, and lost a claw instead of their head. It could no longer Pincer Snap, so it stung. At the same time, prey attacked and bit the one clawed kin's body in two. Bad. Hunter sprinted as fast as they could go, and stung that prey in the side, where its body and strong back leg joined. This had worked well against the emerald monitor. The kin that stung first wrapped up prey's three left legs with its own, and its claws snapped again and again at the joint of the front leg. Prey tried to turn, but could not. Hunter pincer snapped the middle right leg and stung again.

[Sprint has reached level 2]

[You have defeated level 3 Brachytrupes Megacephalus]

[You have gained XP]

[You have achieved level 2, one skill point awarded]

Good. Very good.

Hunter and the two surviving kin attacked the last prey. It died and became biomass, but Hunter was not the one to kill it. This was fine. The two kin set to eating and cutting apart that biomass. Hunter quickly ate part of the other prey's body, then ate the biomass of the two that had been kin.

[Pincer Snap has reached level 2]

[You have consumed a new source of biomass: Brachytrupes Megacephalus. You are awarded one Biomass.]

[Basic profile of Brachytrupes Megacephalus unlocked]

[Brachytrupes Megacephalus: Big Head Cricket. Has a strong, quick bite, a tough exoskeleton, good vision, jumps well, and has a leap attack]

[You have gained one Biomass]

[You have gained one Biomass]

[You have gained one Biomass]

Hunter had learned. It was bad to attack prey that could bite well from the front. It was good to attack from the side, or from behind, while kin distracted. If a centipede must become biomass, it was better that be kin than Hunter.

It was a good second hunt.