The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the forest clearing. David hovered above the treeline, his wings beating steadily as he surveyed the area below. His quarry, a massive mantis-like creature, had been a bit irritating to find. Even with liberal application of Echolocation, he'd still almost missed it. The large insect was almost lifelessly still where it sat concealed high in the trees above a small game trail.

Alright, you overgrown bug. Let's dance.

David dove, tucking his wings close to his body for maximum speed. The mantis immediately sensed his approach, its head swiveling unnaturally to track him. At the last second, David flared his wings, using the momentum to sling a glob of acid at the creature.

So much for having a blind spot. Good eyes on that thing.

The mantis dodged with impossible agility, its blade-like forelegs slicing through the air where David had been moments before. David banked hard, barely avoiding the counter-attack. For several minutes, they engaged in an aerial ballet of near-misses and quick maneuvers. David's agility in the air was matched by the mantis's speed and reflexes. Neither could gain the upper hand. To his immense shock, the creature had managed to swat a few shots out of the air, not even bothering to dodge.

The claw-like forelimbs smoked slightly, but didn't seem to suffer much damage from the acid. The splatter that hit its body seemed to pain it, though it took long moments to even discolor the carapace. David frowned as he performed an acrobatic loop, then juked to the side to gain distance.

Holy shit, this thing's fast! I've seen monsters fighting off Gloom with better reflexes than me right now.

He darted between two trees, wings tucking in tight to slip through the gap. The mantis, instead of following, simply ran up one trunk and launched itself off, cutting off David's escape route.

Oh, come on! Since when are bugs parkour experts? Wait…nevermind. That's a dumb question.

David barrel-rolled, his fur barely brushing the mantis's carapace as he evaded its lunge. He retaliated with a quick spit of acid, but the bug twisted in mid-air like it was auditioning for a wuxia movie, the glob sizzling harmlessly on the bark behind it.

Note to self: Don't play Twister with this thing. It'd win.

The forest canopy became their personal obstacle course. David wove through branches like a bat out of hell, while the mantis kept pace, its body bending in ways that made David's spine hurt just watching. More than once, he was forced to clumsily infuse a Nocturnal Strike with his Wildsoul. The added speed and range giving him the edge he needed to slip a blow or quickly reverse directions to evade the creatures snatching limbs.

If I survive this, I'm signing up for yoga. Clearly, I'm not flexible enough.

Every time David thought he had an opening, the mantis would pull some insane acrobatic move. Its carapace deflected glancing blows like the world's ugliest suit of armor. Even a lucky shot landing directly on the creature's legs didn't seem to bother it, though it did let out a shriek of frustration that made David’s ears ring.

This is ridiculous. I'm getting shown up by something that doesn't even have a spine!

David's wings were starting to feel like they were made of lead. But slowing down wasn't an option unless he wanted to find out if he could regrow limbs.

Okay, David, think. You can't outfly this thing. Time to outsmart it. Assuming it doesn't pull a PhD out of its thorax or something.

As the deadly game of tag continued, David knew he had to change tactics. Brute force and speed weren't cutting it. It was time to get creative, and hope that his brain was quicker than the mantis’... whatever bugs used for thinking.

Here goes nothing. Please don't let my epitaph read 'Outsmarted by a grasshopper on steroids.'

Coming to roughly the same conclusion as David began to wheel about, the mantis changed tactics. It launched itself upward with explosive force, its massive wings unfurling as it rocketed towards David. It's wings roared like angry chainsaws, and he had exactly enough time to remember that Mantis’ could actually fly before it was almost on him.

Oh shi—

David didn't have time to finish the thought. Acting on instinct, he reached for his Wildsoul, feeling the energy surge through him. As the mantis closed in, David flapped his wings hard, releasing an enormous cloud of Gloom.

The effect was instantaneous. The mantis flew straight into the dark mist, its momentum carrying it through. But as it emerged on the other side, its movements became erratic. The creature's multifaceted eyes seemed to attract the dust, effectively blinding it for a moment that David used to slip under its trajectory.

–Verdant Scytheclaw has been afflicted with |Sleep| |Paralysis| |Gloom|–

–Bonus: Empowered Control Combo |3|–

–Gained 25xp!–

Gotcha. Wait, what?! I could have been getting more XP this entire time? Dammit!

David wasted no time. He unleashed a barrage of acid spit, targeting the mantis's delicate wing membranes. The creature screeched in pain as the corrosive liquid ate through its wings, sending it plummeting to the forest floor.

–Verdant Scytheclaw has been afflicted with |Corrosion|–

As the mantis crashed through the canopy, David followed, careful to stay out of reach of those deadly forelegs. The creature thrashed on the ground, its movements growing sluggish as the paralytic effects of the Gloom took hold.

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

"Alright, little buddies," David called to the Cuddlebugs clinging to his fur. "You're up!"

The tiny creatures swarmed off him, their cute appearance belying their ferocity as they descended upon the mantis. They found every crack in its exoskeleton, biting and clawing with surprising effectiveness. He watched grimly as two unfortunate individuals were snatched clumsily and dispatched, only to be stuffed almost immediately into the beast's mouth.

–Verdant Scytheclaw has been afflicted with |Weakness|–

David circled above, raining down acid spit to supplement the Cuddlebugs' assault. The mantis's struggles grew weaker, its once-lightning-fast movements now painfully slow.

Come on, just a little more...

With a final, gurgling screech, the mantis shuddered and went still. David landed nearby, panting from the exertion of the fight.

–Landmark Quest: A Single Strike completed!–

–SysAutogen_LQReward–

–Gained: Random Mutagen Token: E–

–SysAutogen_BonusLoot–

–Gained 2pts!–

–Gained 500xp–

–Level Up!–

–Gained 1Pts!–

"Well," David said to the Cuddlebugs as they returned to him, covered in ichor but chirping happily, "that was fun. Remind me to thank Wally for all those dodging practice sessions, who’d have thought? Hah!."

As he caught his breath, David couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. A few weeks ago, this fight would have been impossible. Now, with his growing mastery over his abilities and the new dimension that Wildsoul manipulation added, he felt... capable. Dangerous, even.

I wonder what the others would think if they could see me right now. If Omega’s Quest doesn't kill me, we should visit Riverport again. See how everyone’s doing…if I'm even allowed to. Big Red’s probably gonna have more work for me…eh, don't think about i– No. Bad David. Make a plan, you can do it.

David chittered happily, remembering their shocked faces when he and Claire had demonstrated their newfound magical abilities. The impromptu training session that followed had been equal parts hilarious and terrifying.

David shook off the memories, focusing on the task at hand. He still had a Quest to complete, after all.

"Alright, team," he said to the Cuddlebugs. "Break time's over. Let's see what other trouble we can find."

With that, David spread his wings and took to the sky once more, and as he flew higher, he couldn't help but grin. Life was weird, dangerous, and often terrifying, but damn if it wasn't exciting lately. He relaxed, gliding along as his Stamina regenerated, but he kept an eye out for homicidal birds. The Cuddlebugs, at his mental instruction, also kept an eye out vigilantly. Every resting summon scanning the sky above him as he flew.

Gotta take what you can get sometimes.

David soared above the treetops, his wings cutting through the cool evening air. As he scanned the forest below for his next target, a grin spread across his face.

Two more levels till Evolution. If I pull an all-nighter, I might just hit it by tomorrow…well, maybe not but I'll be close. Depends on if I can find another good one like that mantis quest.

He'd discovered something interesting over the time since departing Redfield, and as the evening passed his suspicions were confirmed. The farther he ventured from the remnants of human civilization, the weirder and tougher things got. It was like mother nature had decided to go on a bender, throwing out all the rules in favor of ‘let's see how crazy we can make this.’

Makes sense, I guess. Fewer people out here to begin with, less hunting pressure. Now it's survival of the freakiest. I don't doubt it's by design as well, can't even imagine all the ‘data’ they're getting out of whatever goes on out here. Makes me wonder what places really far removed are like now. Giant Arctic ice worms or something? Blech.

He'd tackled a few more quests in the hours before the mantis incident. There was the swarm of electric butterflies that nearly short-circuited his brain. Then the racoon-things who had decided burrowing was in fashion this season and tried to body-slam him to death when he approached. And who could forget the river that flowed uphill and had a nasty habit of concealing fish that hurled themselves like javelins?

Just another day in the office for David, monster exterminator extraordinaire. Somebody get me a business card.

As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, David felt fatigue starting to creep in. His wings ached, and even the Cuddlebugs seemed less enthusiastic in their chirping.

Alright, maybe a quick break wouldn't hurt. Can't evolve if I'm too tired to fight off an angry dandelion. I'm actually so glad no plants have tried to eat me ye– Wait, do Chlorogyre's count as plants? Shit. I might have to keep a better eye out on the flora. Xi might be cryptic, but that ‘pay attention’ was pretty blunt.

He began to descend, looking for a suitable resting spot, when something caught his eye. Below him stretched a massive swath of flattened grass and torn vegetation. It looked like someone had taken a giant rolling pin to the forest floor.

What the...?

David landed at the edge of the disturbed area, his curiosity piqued. The destruction stretched as far as he could see, disappearing into the distance. Massive tracks, unlike anything he'd encountered before, littered the ground.

Either the world's largest marching band came through here, or...

A chill ran down his spine as he realized the implications. Whatever had caused this was big. Really big. And there were a lot of them.

Okay, David. You wanted excitement. Looks like you found it. The question is, do you follow the trail of destruction or pretend you never saw this and go back to thinking about homicidal plant life?

He glanced at the Cuddlebugs, who were investigating the tracks with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Their tiny faces looked up at him, as if asking, ‘What's the plan, boss?’

David took a deep breath, weighing his options. On one hand, this could be way out of his league. On the other, the potential xp...

Ah, screw it. You only live once. Or twice, in my case.

"Alright, team," he announced to the Cuddlebugs. "Looks like we're going on a little adventure. Try not to get stepped on by whatever made these tracks."

As David took to the air again, following the path of destruction through the forest, he couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and trepidation. Whatever lay at the end of the trail was bound to be dangerous, possibly deadly. But it was also a chance to push his limits, to see what he was really capable of…and likely worth quite a bit of xp.

Just remember, if this goes sideways, Claire is going to kill you. Assuming whatever made these tracks doesn't beat her to it. I already left her alone to babysit everyone…heh. I bet Kozlov would be grumpy knowing we're having to baby them a little bit. They need it though, they'd get eaten first thing trying to get through the swamp alone.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the devastated landscape. David pressed on, his wings beating steadily as he followed the trail into the unknown. Whatever waited at the end of this path, he was determined to lurk, debilitate, and harvest as much xp as possible.

After a quick rest once he found it, of course. Maybe a bit of sneaking around.

Here's hoping Evolution comes with a 'don't get squashed' perk.