I took two steps backwards, "Do you know how to circulate mana?" I asked. Kon twitched. It seemed like he's familiar with it. I waited for his response.
He opened his mandibles and spoke, "Mana....is....thaaaat..a....poisonnsss...?"
Ugh. I forgot he only thinks about poison. I rolled my eyes in frustration, "How do you feel when you spit your toxin on the ground?"
Kon tilted his head and stared at me blankly, "Toxin...?!....wheereee...." He began to skitter around the area as he managed only to understand one word from my question.
I should've asked Elizabeth before she went off to try her new bracers. Now I look like a rat wearing some odd jewelry.
「The God of Chances thinks your fashion is admirable」
「The Goddess of Wisdom agrees with the God of Chances」
「The God of Furnaces sneers at both the God's fashion sense」
「The God of Hope feels confused by your comment」
The God of Hope really does cling onto his emotions, huh. Nothing I can do about it though he'll understand on his own eventually. I stood still for a few moments pondering what to do while waiting for Elizabeth.
I should go hunting again. I looked at Kon, who was still running around searching for something non-existent. Kon had the intelligence of a seven-year-old child, but I guess that's good for a pet.
I switched my gaze from the grassy ground to the canopy above and peered between the leaves that filtered sunlight. It was still noon. We had enough time for a hunt. This time I'm going to take the lead in finding prey. I didn't want Kon to lead us into another snake.
We need to finish before the sun goes down. Elizabeth was wary about the creatures that lurked in the night that meant that they were probably strong. I didn't want to find out what those creatures are.
"Kon," I called to him. He stopped in his tracks and skittered towards me immediately.
"Youuu...founddd...the...tooxxinnn...?" Kon spoke excitedly.
"Uh, No, I want us to go hunting," I declined his excitement bluntly.
"Huntings....aagaaainnnn....?" Kon replied with a hint of annoyance.
"Yes, again." Was this centipede actually a lazy bum? It seems like he just wants to eat and sit around. He probably only goes hunting when he's starving already. I waved my tail behind me to entice him.
"Then...leet...uss..hunt..." Kon answered quickly. His body remained still, but I knew his eyes were glued to my stinger. I'm afraid if someone were to take advantage of his hunger for toxin, he might betray me in the future.
I shrugged the thought off. Why would someone want a centipede as a pet? Especially a high-maintenance monster like this one. I began to move towards the stony path and into the forest as I wrack my brains on what kind of person would keep a monstrous centipede as a pet. Of course, excluding me.
「Stealth has been activated. You are less likely to be seen.」
Stealth was autoactivated as we entered the forest. As expected, Kon kept an antenna on me so he wouldn't lose track of me as we went off on our hunt. Don't worry, buddy. I won't be going anywhere without you. That would be like choosing death for me. I chuckled inwardly.
"I'll be the one searching for prey this time, alright?" I asked Kon so that he wouldn't lead us into something that could kill me. He stayed silent and kept walking. I'll take that as a silent agreement.
We walked at a brisk pace for half an hour until Kon raised his upper body all of a sudden, his antenna quickly waving in the air.
"Something...baad...neaaar..." Kon alerted.
I quickly raised my stinger. It looks like our prey has come to us instead, "Kon, where is it?" I asked, my eyes darting around the area as I stayed near Kon for protection.
"L-leefft...r-riiighhtttt...n-no...behindd...." Kon's antennas were waving rapidly in every direction. Something was messing with his senses.
I inhaled deeply and focused on the air. I began to sniff the air for some clues on what was happening to Kon. A subtle fragrance wafted through the air as I focused on my smelling. Where was this coming from? The smell was emanating all around us, and I didn't know where I should start looking.
We must have been caught in its trap without noticing, but why was Kon the only one affected? Was it a beast that hunted insects exclusively? My wonders weren't left unanswered for too long as a slimy substance dripped down on my ears.
The hell is this? I flicked my ear to remove the substance splattering it on the ground in front of me. That's when I noticed a faint movement of the shadows around us. The tall trees covered the area we were in, so I didn't notice it until it snuck up close.
I gulped saliva and began to look upwards slowly. Dear mother of all Gods in this place, what the hell is that? My instincts were blaring red signals at me as I gazed upon the monstrosity above us.
Directly above us hanged a large insect that remained still. It had a pair of compound eyes and a triangular head akin to a mantis'. Short green fur covered the entirety of its body; it remained eerily still with its jackknife-like claws partially unfolded, caught in its tracks before it could strike. Four pairs of legs were folded under its robust body as it had no use for them while hanging on a thread-like material excreted out of the end of its abdomen.
A spider and a mantis combined into one?! What the hell were the Gods thinking when they created this! This is pure nightmare fuel. The chills traveled up and down my spine as my legs refused to move. Kon, who had compound eyes, didn't notice it until it came close. I was the first one to see it, and only then Kon reacted. He froze on the spot his antennas as well. Don't tell me it also had a camouflage ability?
「Identification Complete. Showing Results...」
「Beastiary Entry #78446: Acrinea Mantobitus (Adult Butcher Tarantis)」
「Basic Profile Acquired!」
「Acrinea Mantobitus (Adult Butcher Tarantis) - A creature commonly active in the night. They are found scattered around the first strata of the Nox Labyrinth, usually in dark places. It produces a tough and sticky silk to catch its prey. Divers avoid battle with this creature due to its dangerous legs, which were sharp enough to tear off limbs hence its name butcher. Due to their excessively sharp legs and firm silk, some divers specialize in hunting insect-type monsters like the Butcher Tarantis. Its favorite prey are insect-type beasts.」
「Hunt down 20 more to gain access to the intermediate profile.」
「Beastiary Completion Rating: <1%」
I swallowed dry saliva. Was this what Elizabeth was talking about? Which God created this abomination?
「The God of Furnaces looked to his left」
「The Goddess of Wisdom looks to her left」
「The God of Chances feigns innocence」
「The God of Hope feels confused by your comment」
Dammit, stop blocking my vision with those dialogues. I'm in a predicament here!
"R-run...." Kon whispered as his legs began to twitch.
I silently agreed with the guy. There was no way we were going to fight this. This Mantis-Spider hybrid was as large as Elizabeth.
Another drop of saliva was dripping down the Butcher's mandibles as it remained still observing us.
Plop.
As the saliva collided with the ground, Kon and I instantly took it as a go signal to use our legs quickly and run away.
Tahk. Tahk. Tahk.
Takatakatakatakataka.
Desperation within our footsteps resonated through the empty forest as we ran as fast as we could.
"K-Kon, is it following us?!" I shouted. The wind was making it hard for me to hear things as it brushed my ears.
"Nooo...it..is..stillll...onn...the...saaaameee...spoooottt..." He answered.
Why wasn't it chasing us? Did it not consider us as prey? Weren't insect-type creatures its favorite prey? A lot of questions surfaced in my mind with no answers to satisfy them. For now, let's focus on running away. It's a good thing it wasn't chasing us.
After a few minutes of running full speed, I struggled to keep up with Kon with ragged breaths. There's a limit to my stamina. I glanced over my shoulder, and it seemed like we've covered enough distance.
"Kon, we should go somewhere else," I told Kon as I laid on the ground, trying to catch my breath. I wasn't met with a reply. It was natural for Kon not to reply sometimes, "Lets keep moving," I continued. The Butcher might encounter us again if we stayed here, and I didn't want that to happen.
I stood up and stretched my legs, "Lets go," I checked behind us one more time to make sure the Butcher wasn't following us.
After assuring myself that the Butcher didn't follow us, I turned to look towards Kon. Only trees of different kinds and bushes of unknown species came into my vision. Kon was gone.