Night fell; after spending the entire day hunting any beast that crossed my path, I only obtained one more ability:
[The user has obtained a new ability: Turpial's Song. The user can now imitate a Turpial]
A bit useless, if you ask me. Now I'm here, in the middle of nowhere, sitting under a tree with the heat of a campfire I improvised. Tomorrow I'll continue the massacre; I need to be stronger than that Augusto.
"Of course..." I murmured while watching the glow of the fire with a bitter smile.
I climbed onto a branch and slept there. It wasn't comfortable, but I didn't care; nothing mattered anymore. The next day, I woke up ready for action. I didn't have to wait long: around the ashes of the campfire, there was a group of six animals. They were there, resting, unaware of my presence.
They looked a bit like me: kangaroo ears, rabbit feet, and a marsupial pouch. The difference was that these were more robust, standing nearly a meter and a half tall, and their arms were as thick as fire extinguishers. Furthermore, their faces resembled monkeys more and they lacked the antennae that we Livas have.
Enough descriptions, it's time to hunt. I still didn't have a weapon, so this time I would use my fists. I identified four females and two males; I had to neutralize the males first. I slid through the branches without making the slightest sound, positioning myself above them. As soon as one of the males moved away from the group, I knew it was my moment.
I followed him. For some reason, he was moving further and further away from the group; maybe he was heading to a settlement. Poor guy, he wouldn't make it. The creature stopped in front of a berry bush and began to eat; he was totally at my mercy. I swung through the branches until I was positioned over him and, without hesitation, I dropped onto his back.
THUMP!
He hit the ground and, immediately, I wrapped my arms around his neck to strangle him.
"Hhhmmmp! Hhhmmmp!"
He struggled desperately, trying to grab my arms to break free, but it was useless: I had no intention of letting go for anything in the world. Gradually, he stopped resisting and the air left his lungs until his body lay inert beneath mine.
"That's it... just die already," I whispered with a chilling cynicism. "I have today's meal now."
Once dead, I dragged him by the arms to take him to a safe place. At the moment I didn't have a shelter, so I simply hid him under a pile of leaves.
I returned to the place where the others were, but they had already left; they were probably just passing through. Well, I'll settle for this one, I thought resignedly. In the short time I've been doing this, I've realized something: to obtain new abilities, I have to consume the meat of the creatures I kill. Is it some kind of assimilation?
I went back to where I hid the corpse, pulled it out, and made another campfire right there. Using my claws, I began to carve it up for lack of a knife. I really look like a demon, butchering and dismembering everything I find in my path.
The smell of meat on the fire might attract more prey. Better for me; more abilities. I skewered the pieces on a rod and held them close to the flames. How will it be better? Medium-rare like a good beef steak or well done? To avoid risking any infection or parasite, I'll let it cook completely.
As soon as it was ready, I didn't wait a second; I took my lunch and gave it a big bite.
I began to chew and swallow hungrily. It tasted a bit bland, but to me, it was a legendary delicacy. I should get some salt... and a knife too. I just realized that I've always gone around naked; what a lack of civilization, really. How could I walk around like a damn madman? I must get some pelts and make myself a good coat.
[The user has obtained a new ability: Mitrava Venom. Now the user can produce a toxin in their mouth that, upon biting, is lethal to almost any beast].
So those creatures are called Mitravas?Some animals here have strange names and others are identical to those on Earth, I thought as I finished eating.
"Let's see, let's test that venom," I murmured as I stood up and stretched my limbs, making my bones crack.
Crick!
I ran my tongue over my teeth and felt four fangs that weren't there before. So the abilities also mutate my body... interesting.
"I must find something to debut this ability on."
I began to walk. One step after another, without a fixed direction, letting myself be carried by instinct. What was left of the Mitrava's body I left on the ground; if another animal found it, let them enjoy the feast.
And so... I don't know how many moons passed in that place, submerged in absolute madness where instinct devoured my reasoning. The days merged into a blurred smear of blood, grunts, and the metallic taste of raw meat. My humanity vanished among the brush, replaced by the visceral need to assimilate everything.
When I finally regained consciousness, the sun was chilling my bones at the entrance of a cave. I was no longer that defenseless and naked being hiding in the branches. My hands, now calloused and stained with ancient dirt, gripped a spear with an obsidian tip that I must have carved myself in my trances of lucidity. On my shoulders weighed a coat of coarse fur, impregnated with the scent of a beast that no longer existed, and a tanned leather belt held a knife, black and cold as the void of DyTPo.
I looked at my claws, now longer, and then at the entrance of the cave. Time had transformed me into something I barely recognized.
"What the fuck? How did I get here? Where the hell am I?" My eyelids felt heavy, my eyes burned, and a throbbing headache prevented me from concentrating.
"That's right... I'm getting strong. The Shockpinfinder I was tracking should be here."
The memories came back all at once. For three months I was deep in the thicket, thinking of nothing but the hunt. I devoured reptiles, rodents, birds, demon dogs, primates, and even insects. Now I was facing the king of this place: a damn seven-meter bear.
The last time I saw him was more than three years ago; back then, I was just a defenseless baby Liva. Now... I don't even know what I'm doing with my life. But I don't care. Anyway, I have barely nine months left.
"Hahahahaha! What irony!" I began to laugh out loud, the echo of a madman bouncing off the cave walls.
"COME OUT, YOU DAMN COWARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AND I'M GOING TO DEVOUR YOU!" I challenged him from the entrance, my lungs burning.
GRRRRRR!!
The roar made the ground shake beneath my feet and the shockwave displaced the air around me.
"THAT'S IT! COME HERE, STUPID!"
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The monster's steps echoed in the vegetation as he emerged from his hiding place. Slowly, the light revealed his robust body and his fur as black as jet. A deep scar ran down his face from forehead to jaw; his fangs, long and curved like those of a saber-toothed tiger, commanded instinctive respect. He had the look of a war veteran that no one would want to cross. A stench of iron and death flooded the air: his claws and lips were soaked in fresh blood.
"You don't seem to be in a very good mood!" I exclaimed with a twisted smile, tightening my grip on my spear.
The creature didn't wait a second. Apparently, I had annoyed him too much because, as soon as he was out, he charged at me with a brutal tackle.
"That's it! Come here, puppy!"
I ran straight toward him. I had no strategy in mind, only brute force and bloodlust.
Shish, shish, shish!
In a blink, we were face to face. I gripped my spear and unleashed an attack with all my strength, seeking to drive it directly into his eye. It was no use; he dodged it with an agility improper for his size and swung a paw that sent me flying through the air.
CRASH!
I hit a rock formation in the cave with such violence that the stone shattered behind my back. However, I stood up unharmed.
[The user has used the ability: Steel Beetle Armor].
"Hehe! Don't think I came defenseless!" I exclaimed, brushing the dust off my shoulders with a demented smile.
GRRRRR!
He let out another war roar. This time I approached with a bit more caution; although these months had been pure learning, I still couldn't find a crack in his defense. This kind of challenge fascinates me, I thought with a wild glint in my eyes.
"Come on, I know you want to kill me. Get closer," I provoked him while adopting a firm stance, worthy of a Spartan warrior.
I prepared myself. I was going to use a technique that suited me perfectly thanks to the anatomy of my legs. I charged at him again, but this time the result would be different.
The Shockpinfinder prepared to repeat the same maneuver. What he didn't expect was that, after launching the thrust with my spear and provoking his swipe, I would jump directly toward his face.
[The user has used the ability: Hare Jump. The user can perform jumps of more than ten times their size. Enhancement applied due to biological compatibility].
Being at that height, I unsheathed my black knife and drove it into his nose.
SHLUCK!
Using the embedded weapon to hold myself, I took advantage of the support and, with a precise movement, drove the spear deep into his eye.
"GAAAAAAAA!" the Shockpinfinder bellowed in pure pain, a scream that shook the entire forest.
"That's it! Suffer, you bastard!" I shouted, savoring every second of the hunt.
The monster began to shake his head with massive force. I couldn't maintain my grip and was projected through the air once more. I managed to recover my spear at the last second, but the black knife remained buried deep in his nose.
ZIIIP!
I landed heavily on some bushes. The beetle armor absorbed the impact again, though the blow left a sharp ringing in my ears.
"Now you're really fucked!" I yelled at him from my position, spitting out a bit of dirt.
[The user has impregnated the black knife with Mitrava Venom].
"See? I'm a genius," I said, turning my head toward the void and imagining a camera recording my feat for a non-existent audience.
The beast began to stagger, but he didn't collapse; apparently, the dose hadn't been enough for his enormous mass. Well, whatever... the time has come to kill him.
I ran around him with a speed I had never reached before. The monster, dizzy from the venom and my movements, no longer knew where the next attack would come from. Suddenly, I positioned myself right at his back and didn't waste a second in exploiting the gap.
ZOOM!
I jumped so powerfully that, in less than a blink, I was already perched on his neck.
"AAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed, my lungs on the verge of bursting.
I raised the spear with both hands and, taking advantage of all my body's momentum, drove it in with such malice that the beast collapsed instantly.
THUD!
The roar of his fall echoed throughout the place, kicking up a dense cloud of dust. Silence flooded me suddenly; I dropped my weapon and stood staring into nothingness, incredulous at what I had just achieved.
"YESSSSSSSS!" I raised my fist in a pose of absolute victory. "I KILLED YOU! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
I laughed like a madman as I ripped the spear from his back to bury it in his flesh again.
SHLUCK! SHLUCK! SHLUCK!
Over and over, I drove and extracted the weapon as the laughter mixed with the sound of tearing flesh. Blood began to gush like a fountain, soaking me completely and staining the earth a deep red under the sun.
"Hahahahaha! Hahaha! Haha!... Hahaha..." I let out some heavy sighs. My shoulders rose and fell to the rhythm of a broken breath. The adrenaline was evaporating, leaving me alone with the heavy silence of the forest.
I let myself fall onto the corpse, bathing even more in his remains. Then, without warning, tears began to flow from my eyes.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" I screamed with all the strength I had left, waving my arms like a child in the middle of a tantrum.
This is what my life had become. A monster crying over its prey.