I quickly realized that although I had a shiny new sword, I didn't have a sheath. I just had to hold it in my hand while walking around.

Pretty lame, but I didn't exactly have an alternative.

Taking one more look at the crushed, bleeding, and disgusting demon carcass, I moved on. I really did a number on that thing. Its head looked like some kind of chunky paste.

And I had to change my description of the Cirilka. They were a lot like giant crabs, but they didn't have too much in common with spiders. They moved around like spiders, but they didn't look like them. Their limbs all had wicked sharp blades on the insides, probably meant for slicing up enemies, as I had experienced firsthand.

They also didn't have normal crab pincers, just another pair of smaller blades in the front, folded up like mantis claws.

Overall, they were less like giant spider-crabs and more like giant blade-crabs.

I started walking uphill, not in the direction of the Cirilka nest or my cave. Near-death experiences must be a great way to clear your mind because I had the beginning of a plan.

My current goal was getting into the cave those crabs were guarding and completing the new quest I got. The problem was if I got anywhere near that thing I would be swarmed by the crabs.

Luckily, I wasn't the one that needed to deal with the Cirilka. All I had to do was get into their cave without dying.

I could get something else to fight the crabs while I entered the nest.

The tentacle monster that attacked earlier already proved my point. All of the crabs on the outside had gone to fight it, leaving the nest undefended. It allowed me to get close enough to see inside.

If I could get something to distract them for a long time, or even kill them, I would be free to complete the quest in safety.

What could go wrong?

The first step of the plan was finding something to fight the Cirilka. Luckily, I had an idea for that as well.

Remember those giant gorilla demons that scared the shit out of me?

They looked relatively slow when I saw them before. Sure, they looked terrifying as all hell but I was pretty sure I could outrun them if I needed to.

If they caught up I would be crushed into jam but that was just a variation of the same threat I've been dealing with since I woke up. It was nothing new.

So off I went, climbing up the hillside looking for that trail left behind by the procession of demons.

I was walking between the boulders for a good long while, trying not to lose my way, before coming across it.

It was a huge trail that was about half the width of a highway and about as flat. Those things were just as effective at flattening out a road as multiple steamrollers!

I started following the trail, not walking along the path but next to it, carefully using the numerous boulders as cover. Now that I was officially getting closer I had to be a lot more careful with my movements. Hopefully, my stealth skill would help in that regard.

The huge trail was very direct, it didn't wind or divert in any way. These demons probably knew exactly where they were going. That was a good sign, it meant that they probably had a den or nest of their own. If that was the case, I would easily be able to find them.

Tracking: Level 1 Acquired

I saw movement from boulders on the other side of the trail a few minutes after I started to follow it. I ducked behind a nearby rock and watched for what was coming.

A small, red-skinned thing flew from in between the rocks.

It looked around two feet tall and somewhat humanoid. A thin dark tail wound around it, ending in a sharp hook. It had relatively large talons on the ends of its legs and big black wings.  

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Although it looked a little scary, it was really small.

It looked thin and short.

And weak.

I may have gotten ahead of myself when I saw it, and thought, "oh, that looks like a lovely bundle of free XP".

If I didn't have my description ability, I totally would've died.

Imp: Level 15

Imps are like demon cockroaches. They're everywhere, they're not that strong, and they're really annoying to deal with. Although they don't have much magic power, they love to throw around small fireballs and curses. Imps are the lowest of the true devils, which means they're the weakest but also have the most potential for growth.

Holy shit.

Level 15!?

Are you kidding me! That thing was like two feet tall!

I sat completely still, but luckily the Imp wasn't interested in looking around and quickly left the area.

What did that description mean? In my book, anything that's level 15 is definitely not weak. Does that mean level 15 demons are considered simple annoyances here?

That was very scary.

But it did make sense considering my previous experiences. Those level 1 Keilatrix's were the weakest demons, and Cirilka weren't mentioned to be strong at all, only that they liked to swarm things. I wasn't able to see the level of those gorillas, so there was probably some cap to my description ability.

Thinking about it, all the demons I had seen so far had been roughly the same level as others in their species. All the Cirilka were around level 5, although I did remember there were a few 3's and 4's, and the Lesser Keilatrix's were all level 1. The only exception being the Keilatrix I fought, which was basically considered a different species.

Was there some kind of monster evolution mechanic? Once they got to a certain level, they became a stronger version of their current species?

The Imp description also mentioned how it had the most potential for growth since it was the weakest of the "true devils".

Was there a demon caste system? That would be weird, the ones I've seen so far had basically no intelligence.

Although, that Imp didn't act the same as demons I had seen previously. The Cirilka and Keilatrix's were mostly mindless, rushing right at enemies and showing no caution. That Imp had been silently looking around, and quietly moving through the boulders. It might have more intelligence than other demons I've seen.

I shuddered. The last thing I needed was smart demons.

The imp had probably moved far enough away, so I continued moving. Eventually, I began to hear a multitude of roars, bellows, and all sorts of noise.

The path began to steepen until I reached a sort of crater near the top of the hill.

It was a huge flattened area, surrounded by a rim of large stones. It was massive and filled to the brim with giant gorilla demons.

Abitsimus: Level ???

Right. Abitsimus, not "gorilla demon". What would the plural of that be? Abitsimi? Abitsimuses? It sounded somewhat Latin, but I only took that class in eighth grade and slept through most of it.

Didn't really matter. Nobody was there to judge me about how I said it.

The Abitsimuses(?) were all lounging around, eating various demon carcasses, and roaring at each other. There were huge piles of literal apeshit, as well as places where they dumped the bones of the various meals they ate.

There were probably more than a hundred of them, and it smelled like it.

None of the Abitsimi(?) were looking around for potential threats. They were most likely the dominant force in the area, and they didn't have to worry about predators. That was good for me since I didn't want to get mauled by giant gorillas.

Looking closer, it seemed like they argued a lot over food. I could see it happening all over the colony. One Abitsimus would be eating a large portion of some lovely demon meat, and another would come over and try to take it. One thing leads to another, and then there was a duel over the food.

Huh.

They also appeared to be hugely territorial, even if they didn't devote any energy to actually defending the area. If there was any sort of commotion near the edges of the crater- like a rock falling or something equally insignificant, all the Abitsimae(?) in the area would freeze up and make sure there was no trouble.

Interesting.

I think I had figured out exactly what I needed to do.

First, I had to know exactly where this gorilla colony was in relation to the Cirilka nest.

Mapping out the area in my head, I positioned myself to the edge of the Abitsimus territory closest to the Cirilka.

I wanted to make sure I had the easiest time possible when I started the plan.

Then I walked part of the way back towards the Cirilka, making sure there were no large barriers between the two locations. I couldn't find any large drops, rock walls, or other demon nests. The path was clear.

The next thing I did was go back to the Cirilka I had killed earlier and ripped off a large part of the body. I tried to go for the cleanest and driest part of the carcass, but it was all pretty disgusting.

A huge hunk of crab in hand, I made my way back to the Abitsimus colony.

I made sure everything was ready and then climbed up to the top of the largest boulder within sight of the gorillas.

It was a little hard since I was holding a massive piece of crab and a sword, but I did it. I stood up as far as I could go and did the dumbest thing I've ever tried.

I yelled as loud as I could at the Abitsimuses.

"HEY!"

The movements stopped, and the entire colony of fourteen-hundred pound gorillas stared at me.

I blew a super noisy raspberry in their direction, waved the crab in the air above my head while swaying my hips, threw it at them, and then ran as fast as my stupid little legs could allow.

Taunt: Level 1 Acquired