Day 2
(Not going to use the day system after this, the character’s inability to sleep makes day and night somewhat irrelevant.)
More killing and eating. I noticed as I hunted other maggots that I had grown slightly larger; I was now bigger than those maggots equal to my age. Eventually even the sinister glee I gained from telling the natural order to go fuck itself faded and I grew bored; turns out being a maggot, even a murderous one, is not very entertaining.
My boredom drove me to try new things, I dug down into the carcass that was my home and explored. The horror of being surrounded on all sides with rot and infestation quickly faded (leading me to believe that perhaps my new form was influencing my mind) and my curiosity took over.
Ting!
Skill gained: Dig Lvl 1!
Reincarnated activated! Dig Lvl 23 gained!
I quirked a nonexistent eyebrow, my memories were still blurry and fleeting. The level new skills jump to is half what I once had; so apparently I was an excellent jumper and digger…
A pillar of black keratin stabbed down millimeters from my soft fleshy body, tearing a hole in my rotting sky. I gaped up at the invader for a moment before realising they would be coming back. I rapidly ate my way through the corpse in a random but distinctly “away from the fucking vulture” direction for a few desperate minutes, luckily being ignored by the creature as it gorged on my home. A gigantic set of jaws snapped shut just above me, their fangs brushing my top. Somehow I had forgotten that I was not the only scavenger race. Even if this isn’t the world I come from (which I highly doubt it is) maggots are not nearly the only scavenger!
I was panicked and afraid, I may not be able to die, but I can't imagine being digested wouldn’t be horrifically painful. Fleeing had been proven ineffectual and I damn sure couldn’t fight them... so I did something stupid. I latched on to canid’s jaw as it pulled away, using my small mandibles (Immensely thankful for the jaw strength gained from the four levels I had managed to gain in Bite) and clung on as it nearly flung me off.
The creature (which turned out to be a fox) whipped its head around, trying to get me off of it. Apparently my mandibles pinching its lips was highly unpleasant (or it just wasn’t very bright) as it never thought to swing me into its mouth. Hard as I tried I simply wasn’t strong enough to maintain my grip and was sent flying… straight into the air. As I rose I looked wildly about me before focusing on where I was going to land. Had I the required features I was sure a feral grin would have ripped across my face at that moment.
The small canine apparently forgot about me as soon as I let go and had gone back to eating. I angeled my body to fall toward my target as best I could, trying to make my form streamline to fall faster; if I missed or my target moved I would splatter on the ground. As I got closer and closer I saw my own form reflected in the fox’s eye, my oddly large mandibles formed into a rough approximation of a spear point. The fox tried to move but it was too late, I landed and they screamed.
I had landed right in their right eye, my mandiles piercing the soft flesh. I knew I couldn’t take a creature that many times my size in a straight fight; but this wasn’t a fight. I began eating, devouring the foxes eye and using the same method I had used on my former home to burrow deeper within them; aiming for their brain.
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Ting!
Dig leveled up!
I ignored the notification as I reached the weakest part of the creature’s skull, my jaws scraping away at the wall of bone before me; creating a slowly widening trench. Soon the thin bone gave way and a small hole opened up. I quickly widened the gap and crawled through, reaching the soft, vulnerable brain matter beyond.
The vulture glanced over from its meal as the small furry interloper began to writhe and scream, clawing at its head. Foam started to bubble out of its mouth before it fell to the ground in a jerking heap. The creature’s twitches slowed and its pained yelping grew quieter and quieter before eventually it fell still.
The vulture’s head tilted to the side at the sight before it hesitantly approached the fallen canine, pecking at it to see if it had just gained another meal. It leapt back and flew away as the creature's head exploded and a small humanoid that reeked of death burst out of it.
I laughed as I rose out of the creature’s ruined skull. I had devoured its brain almost entirely and severed its brain stem. The sheer amount of notifications I received when it fell over dead nearly rendered me blind and deaf but it was oh so worth it! I had not only reached level 100! I skipped straight to 236! I skipped an entire stage of evolution (though I did gain a skill instead)!
My excitement settled down and I took the time to actually look over my new body. I was a small humanoid with blackish grey skin and a jaw that split my face filled with sharp teeth. Even the small muddy puddle I was using as a mirror managed to convey the malice in my large faintly luminous yellow eyes.
I grinned down at my reflection, clenching and unclenching my hands (hands!) with glee; finally I was something mildly threatening, I could fight back with more than simple luck to back me up. My elation was interrupted by a rustling behind me.
I turned towards the source of the noise and felt the blood drain from my face. Standing behind me was an army of, well, me. Over a dozen red-eyed creatures slightly shorter than myself but otherwise nearly identical stood in the small clearing; with dozens more evidenced by their glowing eyes visible in the foliage. Their apparent leader stepped out from the shadows, revealing a massive (to my doll sized form) figure. On the upside I got to see what I would most likely evolve into. I didn’t have time to check my stats and see what my race was called; but if the version that was three times bigger wasn’t the next step I’ll eat my… well I don’t really have anything, but you get the point!
The probable evolution grunted loudly and pointed a black-clawed finger at me. Evidently this was the signal to attack as the lesser creatures charged me, many leaping at me from the shadowy branches. I sprinted away, barely manage to dodging one that leapt from a nearby tree; receiving deep cuts to my side from their short claws.
Ting!
Skill gained: Pain Resistance Lvl 1!
Reincarnated activated: Pain Resistance Lvl 32 gained!
Pain Resistance has passed level 25! Numb modifier gained!
I grimaced but kept running, the pain went from sharp and burning to dull and aching as I sprinted. I spared a glance at the wound as I vaulted over a fallen branch, noticing it was visibly healing. Tearing my eyes from in front of me turned out to be a bad idea as I soon found out, slamming face first into a tree.
I stumbled back, clutching my face as blood spurted from my undoubtedly broken nose as I tried to regain my bearings. Unfortunately, while my vision cleared quickly, my enemies were on me faster.
Claws, teeth, and a barrage of crude weapons tore into my flesh and cracked my bones. I ignored the notifications telling me my pain resistance was increasing (though the far more tangible decrease in pain was far more appreciated) as the horde began to eat me alive.
I roared in pained rage, clawed hands slashing out and sharp fangs digging in. I noticed as I fought, a black fluid covering my hands. Anything the fluid touched began to rapidly decay, flesh visibly blackening on contact and oozing vile fluids. Shelving this information for later, I used the opening provided by my foes stumbling back in agony and having their erstwhile allies fall upon them as they did me to bulldoze through.
Ignoring the hideous wounds covering nearly my entire body, I managed to drunkenly stumble from the cannibalistic feeding frenzy my foes had become, leaving a slowly shrinking trail of blood as I fled. With my hunters behind me and my wounds winding closed, I finally relaxed enough to acknowledge the alerts that had been popping up in the corner of my vision even as I continued to near blindly run away.
I had reached level 258 and my pain resistance had increased to 48. I have no idea how much experience is needed to reach the next level, nor how close I am to a higher level. And that's exactly what I need; to reach a higher level. This world, like any other, is ruled by the strong; and I plan to be the very strongest of all.
My eyes flit about, searching for any sign of not only my likely pursuers but also and form of shelter. My luck shown through for me then as a small cave, nearly hidden by a copse of dead looking trees.
If I had known what exactly was lurking in that cave, I may well have run screaming in the other direction. Probably not though, I always was a fan of the darker forces.