Cold-Blooded
Derrick confidently walked forward while staying alert, his eyes constantly darting around to look for the minutest of change. After all, he was stark naked and defenseless, meaning that a single mistake could spell his end.
In this vast and quiet darkness, the only sounds he heard were his frantic heartbeat and muted footsteps.
*Thu-Thump* *Thu-Thump* *Thu-Thump*
It was beating faster and faster, but it wasn't from fear... No... It was from sheer excitement.
Hunting truly was, he recalled, an addictive experience. He had fallen in love with the activity, although only doing it at first to survive. But the thrill of the hunt, the adrenaline he felt from facing desperate and dangerous animals... It was simply both rewarding and exhilarating.
But even during this bit of reminiscence, the reptile remained hidden, its discipline exemplary so far.
And yet, he could tell that the valley was at a standstill, like a calm ocean before a storm.
Io, for his part, diligently watched Derrick's rear, hidden in his shadow and awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike.
While walking and monitoring the surroundings, the Necromancer had also found a fallen piece of stalactite, his eyes giving it a quick glance before returning to their surveying duty.
"Better than nothing…"
After carefully grabbing it, he continued forward before descending into a U-shaped depression he'd seen earlier. This was it, the perfect trap to lure it out.
With no way out, he was now a sitting duck.
"Come out, you bastard... I know you've been watching for a while..."
Derrick's years of hunting and tracking had led him to develop a sixth sense, one that had been screaming since earlier that he was being watched and observed like a prey, the predator's viciousness increasing the more cornered he became.
He could just tell that it was finally about to make its move, the tension in the air at its apex.
"Get ready, Io. We're about to have some fun…"
With his brain catching on, Derrick's pupils dilated while his muscles expanded, gorged with newly oxygenated blood. Adrenaline, meanwhile, rushed into his bloodstream, his senses now heightened to the max, with even Io becoming excited, his shadow faintly trembling.
The stage was set.
Suddenly, two large emerald eyes broke free from the darkness, followed by a long and slender tongue, with rows of inverted bones, exploding in their direction.
"HERE WE GO!!! COME AT ME, YOU UGLY BASTARD!!!"
Derrick took no time before sprinting towards it, the fool only armed with his reckless bravado and his makeshift stone pike. This was it, the gamble he had taken.
His success, or failure, now only hinged on his skills.
After what felt like an unending second, the tongue finally reached him, its terrifying spikes ready to impale him and seal a fate worse than death.
But not today.
In a desperate and late maneuver, he dove over it while thrusting, with all his weight, his weapon into it, its bluntness of no consequence as it easily ripped through the soft tissues.
But despite the attack's unmitigated success, his timing, still poor due to his unfamiliar body, led to his right shoulder being mercilessly ripped apart.
"AHHHH!!! THAT HURTS!!!"
*SCREECH*
The chameleon, in turn, let out an ear-piercing cry as its black blood spurted everywhere, including on Derrick's body.
"IO, IT'S YOUR TURN!!! GO FOR IT!!!"
As if a cannon, his shadow let out a blazingly fast Nightmare Bat, its black mist covered body and shining red eyes locked onto their target with only destruction in mind. It was time to show its worth, and it didn't disappoint. Its speed, even more terrifying than when it had chased Derrick to the lake, allowed it to close the distance in a fraction of a second, followed by its talons ripping through the poor chameleons' head while it shrieked like a dying pig.
The following fight, or massacre for that matter, lasted but a few instants since the chameleon became a gory mess: its eyes had been gauged out, its tongue had been ripped apart, and two of its limbs had been severed.
Frankly, the fact that it was still alive was a miracle in and of itself.
"Enough, Io... It's my turn..."
While holding his injured shoulder, Derrick determinely walked forward, his gaze not leaving the wounded beast.
"You thought you had an easy meal, uh... Not this time."
His eyes burned with anger as his face deformed devilishly.
This pain… He'd return it 100-fold.
He then looked around to find anything, absolutely anything, he could use… Oh? There it was! A stone sharp enough to be used as a knife… This'd do.
After making sure it was sturdy enough, he returned to the creature, which had desperately kept crawling forward, as if sensing the imminent danger. It was even letting out small cries, seemingly imploring the other creatures to intervene… But none had heeded its calls.
In a brutal and almost inhuman way, Derrick then ruthlessly stabbed into one of the wounds inflicted by Io, the makeshift knife subsequently making its way between the skin and the twitching muscles of the beast.
Such savagery, such... indifference.
And despite its cries getting more strident and eerie, he continued, unbothered and unmoved. This was what he had to do... No... This was what he wanted to do.
Fortunately for the dying reptile, too much of its blood had been spilled, leading its already weakened heart to finally give out, its last breath a relief that it was all over.
And then, silence. A silence so loud it felt like the fight had never even occurred.
In a brief moment of self-reflection, Derrick pondered.
Why? Why such violence?
Had he done this because it had tried to kill him? But hadn't he always treated both predators and preys with respect, since their deaths represented sustenance?
Was this bloodthirsty behavior, this nonchalance towards death, part of the side effects of being a Necromancer? But if so, how bad would it become?
Would he still… hold onto his humanity?
But these questions, although of moral importance, paled in significance when he didn't even feel bad about what he had just done.
[Would you like to make a
Bringing him out of these musings was the System, whose proposition was promptly declined.
Even if the creature had interesting abilities, it wasn't worth investing his last roster spot, especially with the possibility of other, more powerful monsters nearby.
With this matter taken care of, he then continued to carve out everything useful before starting to craft equipment, his resourcefulness coming in handy. This also turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since the System seemed to recognize his talent.
[You have developed the skill
"That's it! We're getting somewhere now."
With his situation starting to look up, he was very happy, leading him to spend the next several hours refining his work into creations he was proud of.
"System, appraise the weapon and armor that I made!"
After wasting nothing of the creature, he had managed to create a weapon, an armor set, a bag, some clothes and food.
[Sorrowful Lance of Furcifer]
[Grade: Unique]
[Attack Power: 3.0]
[Abilities: Stealth Hit (Able to disappear from sight while in combat, allowing for faints and deceit).]
[Description: Made out of the bones of a Dark Furcifer Pardalis. The torture it received while still alive granted the bones one of its innate abilities.]
[Pardalis Vengeful Armor]
[Grade: Unique]
[Defensive Power: 3.0]
[Abilities: Camouflage (Allows the user to disappear from sight if moving slowly), Cold Blood (Allows the user to lower its temperature).]
[Description: Skin of a Dark Furcifer Pardalis repurposed into armor. With its strong desire for revenge, the beasts' skin evolved, keeping its abilities even after death.]
After a quick wipe of his brow, he was finished.
"I've done well. These items are plenty capable to hunt with, so I might have to re-evaluate what I do next. Killing the remaining monsters has just become an option."
But despite his new-found enthusiasm, he decided to set up camp and rest. After all, he had to nurse his injury, or he'd essentially throw his life away, especially in such an unforgiving environment. Fortunately, his new body seemed fairly sturdy, since the bleed from his shoulder was already over.
"This cave really has nothing... No vegetation of any kind, no wood... That means no fire, too. I'm going to have to eat this raw... It'll probably be disgusting, but I'm sure it'll help me heal a little better."
Despite not feeling hungry, Derrick forced himself to grab and open the newly made skin pouch, its content of red meat promptly coming into view.
The sight was definitely a nostalgic one, and he couldn't help but salivate as the smell reminded him of wild game meat.
"Here goes nothing!"
In what could only be described as a regression to the caveman, he proceeded to stuff one of the larger pieces in his mouth before swallowing it whole, his reasoning being that it'd prevent the raw taste and texture from disgusting him.
What he hadn't expected, however, was the appearance of another prompt.
[Ingestion of raw Dark Furcifer Pardalis meat... Host's abilities are being enhanced! Recalculating...]
A warm feeling suddenly erupted from his stomach, but before he could fully realize what was happening, it exploded throughout his body.
Unfortunately for him, the amount of energy was simply too massive, which led his brain to immediately shut down, leaving him, once again, to drift into nothingness.
***
While groaning and turning, he begrudgingly woke up, another headache hammering away at his head.
"What…"
His confusion was immense. What the hell had just happened?! Where was he?!
As his vision finally came into focus, he quickly noticed that Io was still there, standing guard and protecting him from any danger.
"System, what's happening?!"
[Host's stats have increased! Would you like to see the result?]