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 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 just loved the activity, although only doing it at first to survive. But the thrill of it, 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 stayed put, 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 his rear, hidden in his shadow and awaiting the perfect moment to strike.
While contiuing to walk and monitor the surroundings, the Necromancer also found a fallen piece of stalactite, his eyes giving it a quick evaluation before returning to their surveying duty.
"Better than nothing…"
After carefully grabbing it, he continued forward before descending into the 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 was now screaming he was being hunted, the predator's viciousness increasing the more cornered he became.
He could just tell 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, heightening his senses to their maximum. Even Io became excited, his shadow faintly trembling.
The stage was set.
Suddenly, two large emerald eyes broke free from the darkness, followed by a long slender tongue, with rows of inverted bones, exploding in their direction.
"HERE WE GO!!! COME AT ME, YOU FAILED CROCODILE!!!"
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 the organ while thrusting, with all his weight, his weapon into it, its bluntness of no consequence as it easily ripped through the muscle.
But despite the attack's unmitigated success, his timing, still poor from his unfamiliar body, led to his right shoulder being mercilessly ripped apart.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
*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, 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 quickly 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 monster.
"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 its impending doom. It was even letting out small cries, seemingly imploring other creatures to intervene… But none had heeded its calls.
In a brutal and almost inhuman way, he then ruthlessly stabbed into one of the wounds inflicted by Io, the makeshift knife subsequently making its way between the skin and the reptile's twitching muscles.
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 reptilian, too much of its blood had been spilled, leading its weakened heart to finally give out, its last breath a relief from its agony.
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 and survival?
Was this bloodthirsty behavior, this new 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'd just done.
[Would you like to make a
Bringing him out of these musings was the System, whose suggestion was promptly declined.
Even if it 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 decided to recognize his talent.
[You have developed the skill
"That's it! We're getting somewhere now."
With his situation starting to look up, Derrick 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 I made!"
After wasting absolutely nothing, he had managed to create a weapon, an armor set, a bag, clothes and some 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. I can also definitely hunt with this, so I might have to re-evaluate what I do next. Killing the remaining monsters has just become an option."
But despite this 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 had already stopped.
"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 his wild game feasts.
"Here goes nothing!"
In what could only be described as a caveman regression, 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 overwhelming, leading his brain to immediately shut down, which left him, once again, face up and unconscious.
⁂
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?]