Chapter 9 - 9-Her Turn
The Noon passed as the Orange Sun began its descent. Many Vagrant White Clouds passed through the Blue Skies gave shade to the Forest below. The Sunlight shone through the Forest but got obstructed by the Leaves and Thick Bark of the Trees. The Surface of the Forest was cold and humid as it got Obstructed from the Sunlight. Moss conquered the area and managed to spread through the Forest. The Moss also covered most of the Boulders and Stones in the Forest. Ferns were also observable hiding within the Grass.
Within this Forest was a Small White Snake hiding in the bushes. The Current Prey of the Small White Snake was an Uncaring Frog. The Snake then charges towards the Frog and quickly swallowed it. The Frog was Small and quickly got swallowed. The Snake curled up its body and began Digesting the Frog.
*Ding!*
[You have eaten 1 Amphibian Creature named Northern Cricket Frog... You have gained 5 Biomass.]
As Time passes by, A Notification echoed deep within the Snake. The Frog swallowed by the Snake had been digested and gave Biomass. After the Notification echoed, The Snake realizes that it finished digesting the Frog. After digesting the Frog, The Snake continued slithering on the Forest.
'I never thought I would eat frogs.' Persia thought to herself while slithering through the Ferns. She ate a Frog for the first time. It wasn't anything special, and she was lucky to have not met a poisoned one. Persia continued slithering through the uneven ground of the Forest. Her head rose, and look around the Forest.
'What do I hunt next?' Persia thought to herself. She turned her head from left to right if she could see prey. Persia was trying to find a Prey she could eat. But the only ones she could find were creatures bigger than her. Her Current Size was 40cm in length and 1.3cm in diameter. Persia had a problem finding prey as she was too small, which means Persia's hunting capacity got reduced.
'I hope I could see another Small Lizard, Worms, and The Frog I recently ate. Or else I would have to force myself to eat something that gave me low Biomass.' Persia thought while staring at the Trees around her. If she didn't have any prey to hunt, she would begin hunting insects instead. She didn't want to hunt insects, but she had no choice as it was the only way to grow.
Persia left the Burrow and was traversing through the area near it. It was abundant in Creatures, but she was too small to capitalized on it. It was disappointing for Persia, but she couldn't do anything about it. Persia stopped her plan on continuing the journey to the west. There was no used to do it for now. She already has a Big Burrow, which she could use in the early stage of her life. Persia continued traversing to the forest, and a thought passed through her mind.
'Why don't I test my Skills? I still have time...' Persia thought to herself. She forgot to test her skills which she got from the attributes. They were probably Useful for her, and she needed to adapt the skill into her fighting style. Persia already stopped the chasing style she got and resorted to ambushes. Chasing preys was a waste of Time, Stamina, and Energy.
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With this in mind, Persia activated the First Skill she got. It was the Accelerated Thought Process. According to the Description given to her. The Skill would make her information processing much faster, which would result in seeing a slowed-down version of time around her. That doesn't mean her body was fast. Persia's processing speed was the only Fast thing.
'So this is how Accelerated Thought Process Work. This is the Inferior Version.' Persia thought to herself while looking around her position. It seemed that one second was like 2 seconds for Persia. It might not be that much, but it was useful for escaping and hunting. She could react fast enough and also process the information given to her. But there was one problem she needed to solve.
'The Skill takes too much Stamina.' Persia had a disappointed look plastered on her snake face. She noticed her Stamina that was 100% turning into 98%. She only recently activated the skill, and her Stamina began decreasing. Persia can't even last an hour with this skill open. It was also dangerous as the moment her Stamina hits zero. Persia would automatically sleep no matter when or where she was.
'Let's test the Second Skill.' Persia thought to herself as she deactivated the Accelerated Thought Process. The Second Skill was Camouflage. She got the Skill from overcoming the threshold of Stealth. A Useful Skill, according to its description. Persia activated the Skill, and her body slowly changed its color.
Her Body's color slowly changed. The Original Pure White Color got converted into a Green Emerald Color. She was trying to blend with the surrounding green of the forest. It was neat, although the blending was not detailed. It was still good for ambushing and hiding from creatures. Persia turned her head to see the current color of her scales.
'This is good. I'm Green now.' Persia thought to herself. She turned herself into a Green Snake. The Camouflage was very useful for her current hunting style. The Color she had was only Green Emerald, but it was still good since she was currently in the middle of the forest.
'I guess this is good. It seems that this is the only skill I could use from the two I gained. I would need to increase my Stamina to use the Accelerated Thought Process.' Persia shook her head in disappointment. She was excited about the Accelerated Though Process, but it was not practical. She still activated the Camouflage as it was Useful for Persia's current predicament.
After checking her current skills, Persia continued slithering through the Forest. With her current color, which was Emerald Green. It was good enough for her to stop attracting attention, unlike the Pure White Color. Persia traversed the uneven path of the Forest. Persia noticed something strange.
Persia quickly hid in the Bushes and curled up her body. Her mind was quiet and calm. She was focusing on her Seismic Tracking. It was still daylight, so Persia could easily see the creature near her. She didn't know why but unlike other Creatures. The Current Creature was different.
'What is this feeling?' Persia thought to herself while she was curled up in the bushes. Fortunately, she activated her camouflage. She blended well with the bushes she was currently hiding. Persia had a bad feeling coming from deep within her instinct. Like the Bird, It was like a Mortal Enemy appeared.
'I need to hide. There is no used fighting for now.' Persia thought to herself. She still felt the creature near her. She continued staring at the Former Position before hiding in the bushes. She then felt a vibration heading to her Former Position. Persia wanted to see the creature, but she could only see the Creature's Black and White Fur.
'What is that?' Persia thought as she stared at the Creature. She couldn't guess what it was. The Creature then continued on its path. Persia sighed in relief, seeing the Creature passing her. It was the second time she met a possible predator. Fortunate for her to have a Fear Resistance to think clearly.
Persia slithered out of the bush and turned her head to look at the direction the Creature was heading. 'It seems that it was no specifically hunting me.' Persia thought as she slithered in the opposite direction. She was fast at slithering with the increase of her speed. But she somehow felt that the Creature was Faster than her.
'Anyway, Let's continue on hunting. The Day has not yet passed.' Persia thought to herself while slithering to the Grass. Her Seismic Tracking kept detecting many vibrations. But most of them were stronger than what she currently hunts. It was like seeing food, but she couldn't eat it as it was high up to the sky.
As Persia traversed the Forest. She felt that she was heading upward, which means that Persia was climbing a Hill. It was not noticeable as the Trees were blocking the Forest. There was also tall grass which makes the whole Forest a gathering of hiding spots. She continued on her way towards the Hill as she was curious at its top.
While climbing the Hill, Persia felt a slight Vibration near her. It wasn't a predator, as she was sure of it. This means that the Vibration came from prey. With this in mind, Persia slithered towards the vibrations. She was still cautious, and she didn't release any noise to alert anyone near her.
She slithered towards the vibration and noticed a Big Dead Wood lying on the ground. It seems that the slight vibration came from the Dead Wood. Persia seeing it furrowed her non-existent eyebrows. She cautiously slithered towards the Dead Wood.
'Let's use the Protocol.' Persia thought to herself as she flicked her tongue multiple times. With the flick of her tongue, The Olfaction Warning Sense activated. Her Body then began feeling comfortable after the flicked of her tongue. Persia noticed that the scent was something she didn't expect.
'A Mammal that's small enough for me to eat? Interesting.' Persia thought she needed to evolve from Baby to Adult to eat Mammals. She almost forgot that small ones were hiding deep within the forest. She also didn't detect any scents in the area, which means it was clear.
She slithered to a Small Hole in the Dead Wood. She managed to fit in the hole, and the inside of the Dead Wood was full of Moss. Persia activated her Infrared Vision, and the Internal Dead Wood revealed itself. With her Infrared Vision, Persia saw Two preys in front of her waiting to be eaten.
There were Two Mammals in the Dead Wood. The two of them somewhat resembled a Rodent. They were small that even Persia could swallow them. Persia was curious about what these creatures were, but she didn't have enough time to investigate. It was almost nightfall, so she needed to get back to her Burrow. Persia wanted to eat them and go back to her Burrow.
'Let's attack them from behind.' Persia slowly slithered towards the back of the two rodents. She hid within the darkness and was very quiet. She already saw the escape routes of the rodents. Even if the two of them notice her, She could block the escape routes. She also had over 100 attributes of stealth.
Arriving behind the two rodents. Persia quickly took a bite at the creature. She used her Inferior Bite to attack the first rodent and swallowed the rodent whole. The second rodent tried to escape but unfortunately. Persia was already on its back to take a bite. Persia swallowed the second rodent, and the two rodents got eaten.
'That was easy. The Attributes I chose were good.' Persia thought to herself. The Agility gave her a lot of mobility, The Speed made her faster, and the Coordination made her body easier to control. It was a good choice for her current situation, but Persia wanted to put some points towards Physique.
After eating the two rodents, It was time for Persia to leave the Dead Wood. She slithered towards the hole she recently entered. The Sun was still descending from the sky, but the orange sky revealed itself, signifying nightfall. Persia didn't want to stay in the forest during the nighttime. Especially after that incident or war.
Leaving the Dead Wood. Persia noticed something strange within her surroundings. The Silence throughout the surroundings was Strange. Persia used her Olfaction Warning Sense. She flicked her snake tongue, and then a chill appeared throughout her Snake bones. She got a bad feeling coming from within her body.
'A Predator?' Persia looked around the area. Her eyes were cold as this would be the first time she had a confrontation with a Predator. She was a little bit scared and nervous, but the resistance was still in effect. She slowly turned her head, and her Infrared Vision was still in her Vision. After looking around the area, Persia slowly back away and found out that the deadwood was blocking her exit.
She didn't let her guard down until her Infrared Vision saw a light flickering from the bushes. Seeing this, Persia immediately slithered away from the Area. She was very fast enough for a snake, but even she wasn't sure she could outrun the opponent. As she slithered out of the Area, The rustling of bushes echoed, and the vibrations became stronger.
A Creature with Black and White Fur began sprinting towards her.
It was now Persia's turn to be the Prey.