Chapter 7: Deadly Magical World

I will not be brought low by a spider! Think, Rihelah!

Unable to free her legs and slowly losing health as the venom on her legs outpaced her regeneration while the spider kept trying to land another shot of venom onto her, she made a decision.

First things first!

-3HP Spitting Spider Venom.

She turned her head back to her prey and continued biting and eating away at the vulnerable top of its cephalothorax. She focused her efforts near the eyes but stopped when one of her palps tasted something similar to the scent coming from the silk-laden glue of venom anchoring her legs to the grass.

Ack! Bleccchhh... Okay! No biting into the venom glands! This situation's already bad enough!

She took a moment to pull her head back and have a look at the wound she'd opened. She had scraped the surface of one very dark orange organ beneath the eyes. The spider continued to struggle in her iron grasp, though its efforts seemed to be flagging.

Right, so if I cut here and open the cephalothorax toward its posterior...

She began to chew her way along the gland, getting closer to the spider's abdomen. After a few seconds, her deadly mandibles had cleared the way for her to bite deeper behind that horrid-tasting venom gland.

When she got around halfway down into its carapace, the spider shuddered and panicked. More sticky threads shot out, missing her by a wide margin. The spitter proved far too weak, thus its efforts to break her grip enough to angle its chelicerae toward her as before failed miserably.

-3HP Spitting Spider Venom.

+4HP Minor Regeneration.

The tingle in her legs increased slightly. One more bite severed something stringy, and the spider stiffened within her grasp. The shots of venom-infused glue ceased, and its legs began to curl up underneath it.

You have defeated Spitting Spider Level 8. Experience Gained.

Lesser Sapient Mantid has reached Level 8! +3HP.

HP 45/47 (+4HP/min.)

It looks like my regeneration might rectify this situation, provided it increases enough to catch up to that venom...

Unable to pull herself free, she gave in to hunger and resolved to finish her meal before deciding on any further action.

Michael continued moving as slowly and stealthily as he could manage through the upper limbs of that enormous tree, intent upon finding something to eat. His eyes detected movement upon distant branches and twigs. But leaves obscured his vision as he made his approach toward anything that seemed likely.

Each time he closed in on a location where he'd spotted something, his potential prey was long gone. All the while, shadows played across the leaves as red-tinted moonlight streamed through from near the horizon, further complicating his task.

Becoming frustrated, he returned to one of the lower, larger branches within the canopy for a better view of the smaller limbs spreading out above.

Damn it... My stomach is screaming at me right now! If I don't find something soon, I-

Another source of movement caught the backs of his compound eyes and Michael stopped creeping forward, shuddering instead like a leaf.

Trembling, he took in the sight of a pair of small, grayish, ape-like hands with relatively large fingertips. Those dexterous hands stopped creeping forward, grasping firmly at the bark exactly at the same time he had stopped his forward motion. Barely visible when the beams of moonlight danced over their location, a pair of large, dark-ringed eyes stared hungrily at Michael. Enormous cat-like ears were aimed in his direction.

Oh fucking hell, that had better not be what I think it is! That damn thing's at least 50 times my size! What the fuck do I do in this situation? Turn for a better look? Stay motionless? Jump for another branch?

The primate-like creature took a hesitant step forward with one of its hands. Michael could see its body begin to tense up like a cat, preparing to pounce.

Nope! Fuck... yoooooooooouuuuu!!

Michael leaped from the tree, narrowly avoiding the creature's grasping hands as it lunged forward fast enough that he'd have been unable to avoid its strike had he not taken the initiative.

Its formerly-cute face had split wide to reveal two rows of long, serrated, shark-like teeth that snapped shut in frustration. The furry creature was fast enough to sling itself beneath the limb to take another swipe at him as he fell, and it nearly caught Michael in a hand as large as he was.

He could see its bark-patterned fur better as he plummeted since the creature had exposed itself to moonlight. Its enormous eyes tracked him as he fell, then it turned away and hauled itself back onto the limb, then dashed away.

A light breeze caught Michael and blew him slightly farther from the massive tree. His tiny body landed softly, his thin limbs securing him to the mossy surface of a fallen log propped up against a massive boulder.

He landed just centimeters away from something that glinted and stretched away toward the tree while it shimmered in the moonlight. Michael's gaze followed the shining, tinsel-like glint, and he shuddered when he recognized the shape of a huge orb web hanging beneath that support line.

Damn. Death is lurking everywhere in this place! I need better camouflage! The way that lemur-like thing looked at me like I was made of bacon!

A soft, bluish glow in the shape of twelve dots in two rows caught his eyes. His head swiveled automatically toward the source, at the very center of that huge web.

Wow... Nope. You're not luring me in with that crap!

Those bioluminescent spots upon the spider's huge abdomen pulsed with light again, then quickened until they shimmered with a strobe-like effect. Michael's mind felt plastic and sluggish while he watched, and he almost took a step forward before he caught himself.

NO! I am not falling for some cheap hypnotic trick! Don't let your insect brain determine your fate, Michael! Fuck!

Turning away, he moved carefully along the fallen log, down toward the meadow that sprawled before him. With each careful step, he watched all around for signs of movement, the glint of silk, and anything unusual. For almost thirty seconds it seemed like he might make it to the grasses ahead without incident.

From behind the trunk of the massive tree he'd fallen from, the face of that same lemur-like creature appeared. Its eyes locked onto him once again, it appeared to be calculating a leap toward the log upon which he now stood. Michael froze in place once again.

Not again!! Fuck off!

For a tense moment, his tormentor moved its head slightly side to side like an owl, gauging the distance. And then it looked down, a bluish sheen catching its greedy eyes. Rather than toward him, the creature leaped through the web and emerged out the other side with a glowing spider twitching feebly in its razor-sharp jaws.

The spider’s glow faded after its abdomen burst. The lemur-thing grabbed at the spilling ichor with its hands, greedily stuffing them into the sides of its mouth in an attempt to avoid wasting any of its meal.

Michael broke into a sprint and made for the meadow as fast as his tiny legs could move while the sound of crunching chitin faded behind him.

Upon reaching the edge of the meadow, he jumped into the grasses, put enough distance between him and the log to completely conceal himself, then began moving carefully upward and toward his left. Michael smiled inwardly as he noticed his own chitin was a near-perfect match for the deep green in the shadows around him.

At least I won't stand out so much here.

Upon the ground below, an oddly-patterned branch with rough bark lay between the grasses, its surface glistening slightly with dew in the moonlight. His attention lingered upon the curious sight for a moment before he forced himself to look ahead once more.

Must keep moving...

Still shaken, Michael continued to move in an effort to put distance between himself and that agile mammalian hunter.

He passed by a few opportunities for an easy meal, but despite his body’s powerful desire to hunt, his mind’s will to live was stronger. Various nocturnal flying insects taunted his appetite from every angle, but his focus was to avoid becoming prey himself.

After moving to a second clump of tall grass, Michael began to feel a little more secure.

Then he heard the rapid padding of feet upon the log behind him. The footfalls stopped for a brief moment before something crashed into the grass to his right.

Big eyes upon an indignant face scrutinized the stems and blades, piercing through the miniature forest of grass as that same creature clung to grasses that barely supported its weight.

It's still hunting me! Fuck, will this thing ever give up??

The creature's enormous eyes lit up with a ghostly yellow light from within. His own exoskeleton as well as those of other nearby creatures began to glow with that same yellow light. He clenched his cloaca and clutched tighter at the stem upon which he stood.

Less than a second later, both of those moon-like eyes found him. Their enormous pupils contracted slightly, and the creature began clawing its way through the grass toward him.

Michael abandoned all pretense of stealth while sprinting away.

He leaped and scrambled his way through the bamboo-like forest of stems in a mad attempt to evade his pursuer.

The creature’s feet contacted the ground, and it sprang toward him while batting everything out of its way. He wasn't fast enough. A satisfied look spread over the hunter's face while its jaws opened in anticipation.

Fuck!! I'm not gonna-

His body cowered and froze at the last instant, his instinct understanding that it was futile despite his logical mind screaming for him to keep running.

The truth was, there simply wasn't anywhere to run, and hiding was impossible.

Padded fingers closed around him with crushing force. It looked at him with satisfaction upon its face, grinning with malice. The little primate held him up and slowly opened its mouth while Michael trembled in terror.

Its jaws snapped shut, removing just the edge of his abdomen and his right hind leg at the knee.

-9HP.

+2HP Minor Regeneration.

It had taken a tiny bite, and he realized to his horror that it had likely done so on purpose.

The little mammal's narrowing eyes betrayed the fact that it felt annoyed and indignant over his previous escape.

It... wants me to suffer!! How did this happen? I never hurt this thing! All I've done… is try to survive…

Michael went into shock, certain that his second end had come far too soon.

His captor shook violently while emitting a loud screech of victory, its jaw swinging down for another bite.

Then the world lurched, and the leathery hands let go of Michael. He bounced and skidded off a wide, flat blade of grass thrice before landing upon it.

His remaining feet shakily gripped the grass, and he huddled down against the plant. His state of shock lessened considerably after escaping the crushing hands of the shark-mouthed monkey creature.

Michael's half-missing leg now felt the same phantom pain as his other limb had, while the right rear portion of his abdomen had been set aflame with a terrible, burning itch.

Why the itching on top of everything else!? This kind of pain is awful... It's gonna take a lot of getting used to, I think. I seriously doubt the wildlife here will ever go easy on me-

What the hell!?

Something slammed violently into the stems far below, and Michael's five sets of foot-claws nearly tore free from the blade of grass as it was whipped backward along with the surrounding foliage.

Michael and the grass blade slammed into a thicker stem with sufficient force to rattle his mandibles.

+2HP Minor Regeneration.

The creature cried out from below once more, but this time its piercing call was pained and ragged. Michael leaned to one side and allowed himself to peek. His antennae stood out in alarm at the scene upon the ground.

That was no branch! Holy fuck!

His would-be killer protruded like an angry cotton ball from the jaws of a snake nearly as big around as itself. The mammal's sharp jaws snapped at the air repeatedly while its little hands grasped in vain to pull a portion of its attacker into range for a bite.

Gouges in the snake's scales upon its neck showed where it had been bitten at least once during their struggle. But the mammal's strength seemed to be flagging.

Michael could just see the fleshy sheathes within the top of the serpent's mouth, which doubtless hid its weapons - fangs that were surely buried deep within the snake's feebly-struggling victim.

After snapping and screaming wildly, the furry creature slammed its mouth shut hard, silencing its own cries.

Michael could hear its teeth grinding against one another with the exertion. Its eyes bulged wider than ever while its ears began twitching outward, then its mouth opened wide and its tongue stuck out as it began to gasp for breath.

It accidentally bit its own tongue while the gasping became more urgent. Its furry body shuddered uncontrollably in the grip of the snake's powerful jaws before its hands stopped grasping about and stretched downward in a peculiar fashion.

The shuddering of its head became more violent for just a couple of seconds, and then the mammal stopped trying for air. Its tongue lolled limply to one side, and the snake took a series of deep breaths.

After a moment, the snake released its victim.

Two long, curved fangs pulled out smoothly and folded back within their sheathes against its upper jaw.

Then Michael noticed two smaller fangs jutting upward from its lower jaw, but these were fixed in place and half as long as those above. Blood oozed into beads from the wounds of its prey, and the snake took a moment to yawn.

At that moment Michael witnessed the true horror of the serpent's weapons. Not two, but four folding fangs above with six fixed upon the lower jaw.

Ten fangs?!

Why in the hell would it need so many, when snakes on Earth get by handily with just two? Or is there more to what I'm seeing? Maybe it's only the top fangs that are hollow and used to deliver venom, while those below just stab and hold?

Hmm... In any case, fuck this! I'm glad the snake was here, but I’m out!

Thank you, serpent whom I will hopefully never meet after I grow large enough for you to notice me!

+2HP Minor Regeneration.

That sucked. I really need some means of avoiding detection…

At this rate, I won't last another day! If I run into another of those things, or something worse...

No. There’s no point worrying about that. If it happens, I'll just do my best to survive. I can already regenerate broken or missing limbs much faster than any creature I’ve ever seen.

If I can just find my way to greater strength, then maybe I'll make it in this weird world…

He glanced back at the healed-over stump of his missing leg and the itching wound upon his abdomen then pulled himself back flat against the grass leaf. Feeling less confident now despite his own words, Michael hunkered down to wait while his body recovered.

Having finished the spitting spider, Rihelah attempted to pull the previously-sticky strand of silk free from her legs. It adhered as if secured by some kind of dried glue, but with effort, she managed to pull it free while snapping the tip of one of her right rear legs in the process. The sensation proved surprisingly similar to jamming your thumb.

-5HP. Spitting Spider Venom (Topical) Removed.

Owwie!! Hnnnnn... I need to set my foot to ensure it heals correctly! Why is this happening to me?? It hurts!

She winced while carefully pushing the rearward-facing tip of that leg back into position, then held it there for an agonizing moment that seemed to take far too long.

+4HP Minor Regeneration.

Minor Regeneration has reached Rank 5! (+5HP/min.)

The stifling pain receded quickly while her limb knit enough to hold its shape. Rihelah puffed a sigh of relief through the spiracles on either side of her abdomen and her antennae stood up, quivering.

I'm still not used to that! It's so strange to breathe through my hindquarters! But it also makes sense...

My physiology is different, now. Observe and accept, Rihelah...

She sighed again, her mood growing a touch uneasy amid the odd, alien sensations, the arbitrary shift in her attitude toward violence, and the as-yet unfamiliar mechanics of her own breathing.

I may be well aware I'm an insect, but I still think like a human. Mostly, that is...

Fresh memories of unseemly aggression coloring her own behavior over the past day now wracked her wavering sense of identity.

[Execute initial strike! I will secure the tail!]

A gruff, commanding voice called out, though the words entered her mind at a low amplitude. Rihelah froze.

Something bright-yellow lit up the area beneath her, and she peeked her compound eyes just past the edge of her perch. Brilliant flames streaked across her vision, traveling swiftly over the ground while casting moving shadows across everything nearby.

Am I dreaming right now? Can arthropods dream??

The tiny ball of flame passed almost out of sight before glowing brighter for an instant as it slammed into something dark that was mostly hidden behind the miniature forest of stems and leaves.

That voice touched her mind again. [Tail secured! Commence bombardment!]

Eight more glowing spheroids erupted, traveling en-masse toward that same location. Their source became apparent.

Those ants!! They're talking with some kind of telepathy like that dragonfly did and... How can this be possible?!

One of the tiny balls of flame impacted a stand of exposed grass roots, singeing a few as it bloomed into a flash of fire, then rapidly dissipated. The rest of the projectiles impacted upon and illuminated the horrifying mouth-parts and face of a large, unfamiliar arthropod.

The ants' target continued to move forward while only recoiling slightly from the barrage. Its scorpion-like shape and considerable size terrified her, but Rihelah was unable to avert her gaze. In the brief moment during which those fiery balls slammed into the approaching chitin-clad menace, she became starstruck by the revelation that it was indeed the ants who had created fire.

They're launching balls of flame; like magic!!

[Squad One; sustain your attack! Two and Three; secure legs! Be mindful of those pincers!] The leader's voice remained steady and cool.

Two more groups of ants rushed in from either side, pushing their way through the grass before gripping the scorpion-beast's legs with their mandibles. The scene rapidly became much brighter, and the ants' prey began to writhe about. After her eyes had adjusted, Rihelah could see why.

Their antennae! They're like gas-torches! That thing's burning alive!! This is so fascinating! And horrifying!

What if they find me?! How am I supposed to deal with fiery ants that are already so much larger than me?!

I've seen those documentaries with David Attenborough! Even tiny ants can take down much larger prey with their numbers! Biting, stinging, and spraying acid are all bad enough! Adding sapience, telepathy, and magical flames to that mix is just... It's cheating!!

[Prey subdued! Commence disassembly!] That same voice barked out further orders.

Their flames ceased and it took a moment for Rihelah's eyes to readjust to bare moonlight. By then, the ants had fallen upon the fallen creature and cut it into pieces. A much larger ant moved forward, using its huge mandibles to cut the last two remaining segments of the tail from their prey while the others began to section out the main body. The entire process occurred on a timescale much faster than anything she had witnessed from ants on Earth.

Rihelah quivered with wonder and mild terror at the thought of those ants ever discovering her.

[Prepare to move! We return to Nytalis by dawn!]

[Aye, General Xochi!] Dozens of voices replied.

The ants swiftly hauled away the remnants of their prey and disappeared into the night, leaving Rihelah thunderstruck by what she had just witnessed.

How can ants use telepathy? Or any creature, for that matter?? Where did they gain such intelligence?

She looked down at the now-empty space where the fight had taken place.

That was coordinated like a military operation!

What do they use as fuel for their flames? Where is it produced and stored? What is their heat source, and how does it ignite the fuel so rapidly and precisely? How do they avoid harm from their own attacks against other creatures?

That other thing they spoke of... what did they mean by a Nytalis? A native name for their nest? How many ants are there in total? Do they feed protein only to their young while the adults subsist on sugars like most ants from Earth? Ahhh! I've got so many questions! Maybe if I find that sapient dragonfly again... Hmmm.

Michael's antennae stood on end, and he tensed. Something had lunged at him from within his blind spot.

He whirled just in time to catch his attacker in midair. He had latched on across its face with his right leg, while his left leg held its right legs firmly in place. Its fangs scraped hard against Michael's right foreleg, probing for a weak point to sink into. This was the biggest leaping spider he'd seen so far, and it was trying to eat him.

Not today, spidey! PISS OFF!!! Fuck, I hope this thing dies before it bites me!!

He crushed hard with his left front leg while holding the spider off with his right, and three of the spider's legs were squashed flat together. The spider strained, and one of its fangs sank just a little into Michael's right foreleg near its base.

-4HP, Leaping Spider Venom (-2HP/30sec.) for 2 hours.

+2HP Minor Regeneration.

Michael panicked, grabbed the spider's face with his left foreleg, and crushed with all his might. Horrible pain bloomed through the affected foreleg and traveled outward from the injection site. His enemy's cephalothorax caved in, devastated by the power of two raptorial arms.

You have defeated Mature Leaping Spider Level 19. Experience Gained.

Lesser Sapient Mantid has reached Level 10! +6HP

HP: 40/42 (+2HP/min.)

STR 7

AGI 10

INT 21

Special Abilities:

Telepathy: Requires Level 10, 20 or greater INT. Communicate with other sapient beings via thought transmission. Range increases with INT.

Evolution Available!

He ripped the spider free from his leg, tossed its still-trembling corpse aside, and began trying to clean his wound. Savage pain wracked the entire front half of his body.

CRAP!! The venom's taking my HP down twice as fast as my regeneration can restore it! Two fucking hours!! What the bloody fuck am I supposed to do now?! Ahhgghgh, this shit fucking hurts!!

Michael's body began to feel sluggish, as the venom worked to shut him down and digest his innards. He sat still and hoped he'd survive. There was really nothing else he could do. The pain continued spreading as it grew even worse.

-2HP Leaping Spider Venom.

+2HP Minor Regeneration.

-4HP Leaping Spider Venom.

...

-4HP Leaping Spider Venom.

+2HP Minor Regeneration.

Michael began to despair as the damage continued to outpace his regeneration, the venom setting his entire body aflame with agony.

Minor Regeneration has reached Rank 3!

Effects: +3HP/min.

Yess!! I need more, though... Damnn, my body... fucking hurts!!! Curse you, spider! I'm eating your chunky ass when I heal up!! 22/42HP remaining...

-4HP Leaping Spider Venom.

+3HP Minor Regeneration.

...

-4HP Leaping Spider Venom.

+3HP Minor Regeneration.

Minor Regeneration has reached Rank 4!

Effects: +4HP/min.

Whew!!

Michael began to ignore the venom/regen messages and focused solely upon enduring the tremendous pain, worse than anything he'd ever experienced. His whole body burned in agony.

His sensitive antennae felt like they had been bathed in molten steel. He was half tempted to rip them off his own head. His legs could scarcely move, while the front half of his right foreleg had gone completely numb, inoperable as it dangled uselessly.

A few minutes later, he got the notification he was looking for.

Minor Regeneration has reached Rank 5!

Effects: +5HP/min.

Michael's health began to tick slowly back upward, but the pain was not receding at all. Numbness slowly spread from the bite wound along the leg, toward his thorax.

Minor Regeneration has reached Rank 6!

Effects: +6HP/min.

With his regeneration now outpacing damage from the spider's venom by a small amount, the pain began to ebb. His mood improved, and he tried reviving his limp foreleg by moving it about with the other.

When he failed to make any progress, he increased the vigor of his efforts. With a sickening, miniature-toilet-plunger sound, the leg fell off, the chitin giving out where it met his thorax. The limb landed with its pointy end embedded in the dirt below, as partially-liquefied tissue poured out from the ruined joint where it had previously attached to his body.

-10HP

My leg!! I thought I was regenerating! What the freaking hell?! 16HP remaining… You! You're gonna fucking pay for this!!

Michael reached down and awkwardly seized the spider's corpse with his remaining foreleg. The action caused the pain in his body to flare violently once more, but he was too furious to care. He set about ripping it to shreds with his powerful mandibles, venting his rage through stress eating.

I hate this world so much! I thought being Michael the human was bad, but this dumpster-fire of a life is a whole new level of happy horse shit! At least this fucker will be fuel for my recovery. Too bad I can't really taste anything right now. Victory isn't always so sweet, it seems.

Minor Regeneration continued to rank up, healing against the venom attacking his body. The pain slowly eased, but he still felt absolutely wretched.

Michael had finished eating the spider by the time he received his regeneration's final skill-up notification from his latest and most painful near-death experience.

…

Minor Regeneration has reached Rank 10!

Effects: +10HP/min. Moderate limb regrowth. Reduces simple poison/venom duration by 90%.

Leaping Spider Venom removed.

His pain finally subsided, but his rage grew hotter still.

FUCK!!

Michael snatched up a fallen spider-bit that had once been part of its face. He looked directly into the remaining half of one lifeless eye.

Of course, you realize this shit means war! That's it. I hate spiders again! I'm gonna eat every last fucker that attacks me, including the bastard that tried to eat me right after I was born here! He brought the morsel closer while he vented to himself.

You are fucking food! Get in my goddamn belly!!

After his last irrational outburst within his own head, Michael greedily and savagely munched down that last piece of his fallen enemy.

I've had enough of this shit! Maybe that dragonfly creature Edana can help me, now that I supposedly have telepathy. I should have stayed out of that damnable tree! Maybe I'd still have both my arms...

His body felt weak despite the lack of pain. Michael slowly and carefully positioned himself, suspended by his feet beneath a large blade of grass surrounded closely by others.

Hope my leg re-grows soon! I can't afford to be without my only weaponry out here...

Having spoken thus to himself, Michael the weary and severely weakened mantis entered a state of torpor, hoping he would not be discovered by anything prior to the return of his missing foreleg.

Rihelah was aghast. She'd just witnessed another of her own kind as it battled with a spider. The other mantis had won the fight against its attacker but lost its right foreleg in the process.

That sight made Rihelah shudder with very bad chills.

Its leg just... It fell off! It must have been envenomated. How will that other mantis survive? Maybe it has regeneration like me?

It is a little smaller than me, so I should be safe as long as I keep my distance... Right? I wonder if other mantids here are also intelligent? Maybe they are not solitary, cannibalistic hunters like on Earth? I might even gain an ally out here if I am lucky!

Or I might be dead wrong and get myself attacked again by hanging around. That would be just my luck. Especially after everything that's happened in the past couple of days...

Hmm. At least I'm the larger mantis. Thus, I should be able to handle the other if it proves aggressive. Hopefully. Then again, if it's just a normal insect, I could take advantage of that to either escape or attack.

Hmm. Another possibility; it may be an intelligent and malevolent mantis. I must be watchful and careful. My belly is full right now, so there is no reason to rush in and attack while it's injured. There's also no reason to reveal myself. I'll be in better shape for whatever comes after I digest.

With that thought, Rihelah maintained her vigil as she waited patiently for the cool, humid night to pass.