In the cloak of night, Zack stood over the remains of a bird. Zack's mantis eyes held a coldness previously unseen. Zack decided to eat to put behind the slight amount of guilt boiling in the back of his mind. Mandibles met flesh as Zack consumed the corpse within minutes.
After finishing Zack threw the parts he didn't eat off the tree. He wanted to decrease the risk of attracting any predators. The scent of blood on the nest still left a bit of risk, but hopefully whatever scavengers that came would be satisfied with leftovers. Zack felt the onset of another molting before he fell asleep.
Zack suddenly awoke in the early hours of the morning. A little unusual, but Zack focused on his status panel and newly increased size.
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Name: Zack Huntt
Species: Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)
Age: 1 Month, 24 Days old
Lifespan: 2~ Year
Lifecycle: Adulthood
Size: 21 cm, 210 mm
Prayers Collected: 144 Prayers
Biomass Collected: 100 Biomass
Abilities: Flowery Aroma, Mimic Flora
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Something felt wrong when out of the corner of his vision Zack saw it. A slitted pupil gleamed with hunger, its brown scales seamlessly camflogueing into the bark. The snake had slithered its way up the tree completely unnoticed until now. Its camouflage covered its entire form, but that wasn't the danger. The size of the snake's head alone was roughly 20 centimeters. If accounting for the fact a snake can swallow prey bigger than themselves it was worse. This snake was dangerous especially just its head being the same size as Zack spelled misfortune.
The snake hadn't realized it had been noticed and Zack took whatever advantage he could take. Zack's Mimic Flora ability has had the unintended benefit of helping him identify creatures that attempted to camouflage as flora. Previously mimicked flora was much easier to identify. Thankfully, he had mimicked bark at some point in his experiments. Zack didn't think he could take on the snake in a direct confrontation despite his size increase. So, he ran away.
Pulling back on his newly developed wings, Zack listened to his bodily instincts to figure out how to fly. With a leap, Zack jumped out of the nest into the open morning sky. Zack felt bad leaving behind the precious biomass in the eggs, but his life mattered more. The snake reacted soon after the jump, but it was too late Zack was out of reach. A success at least until Zack tried flying. They didn't come out, his wings were stuck.
The old exoskeleton hadn't fully molted off. Usually, after molting Zack took some time to remove and clean up any scraps stuck on himself. But before jumping, time was the exact thing Zack was lacking in. Zack plummeted through the leaves, clipping branches on the way down. Zack didn't forget to curse the stupid snake and all its ancestors before he crashed to the ground. Maybe this was karmic retribution for hunting that bird, but Zack couldn't care a smidgen at the current moment.
Zack felt that he was falling faster and heavier compared to when he was reborn. The wind curved under his belly and legs as Zack tried to keep his feet towards the ground. Then Zack understood what was happening, he was bigger than last time. Zack wouldn't suffer the same level of injuries as a human would if they fell from this height. And given his smaller size, the damage he would take from the fall shouldn't be too bad. Dirt splattered as Zack met the earthly soil.
His limbs ached, his body ached, everything ached. Zack's antennae waved with dizziness as he reorientated himself. Two of his feet were utterly broken upon landing due to a pebble. Otherwise, his body was still functional. The unshed exoskeleton that got him into this mess also helped tank some of the damage. Zack clicked his mandibles looking at the tree he fell from. In hindsight, if he were a human it was very possible for Zack to break bones.
The rustling of grass caught Zack's attention. It was only a small bug, but it was enough to remind Zack it wasn't safe out in the open. Zack quickly returned back to one of the temporary bases he created while scouting. Now that he had reached adulthood once more, it was time to evolve. Zack checked if he met the requirements on the way to the base.
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Ding! Evolution Requirements Met!
Prerequisite: Achieve Adulthood!
Prerequisite: Collect 100 Biomass!
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Ding! Evolution Booster Requirement Met!
Prerequisite: Fulfill Evolution Requirements!
Prerequisite: Collect 100 Prayers!
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Zack removed pieces of old exoskeleton as he examined the requirements. Firstly, the Evolution Requirements remained the same. But not the requirements of the Evolution Booster. Does this mean the Prayers requirements would continue to increase with every evolution? If so would the same eventually apply to Biomass? Zack had too little to work off of, so he tucked those thoughts away. However, Zack finally got the opportunity to test something he really wished to know. In order to do so a small hunt was needed, so Zack left the base as soon as he returned.
An hour had passed before Zack returned dragging two dead frogs half his size back home with his claws. In that time Zack confirmed one of his suspicions. Biomass could surpass 100 points, but the amount of food needed at least tripled in quantity. Zack looked at the new message that had popped up.
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Ding! Evolution Enhancement Requirements Met!
Prerequisite: Achieve Evolution Requirements!
Prerequisite: Collect Surplus Biomass!
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Ding!
Current Evolution Enhancement: 1% Percent
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Zack had tried getting another point of Biomass after the first surplus. Despite eating even more than when he got the first surplus, it still didn't budge. The cost-to-benefit ratio just didn't seem worth it, so Zack decided to quit while he was ahead. But Zack didn't forget to bring back some food so he could eat after he evolved. If size determined Biomass points, Zack could create an opportunity to eat bigger creatures right after evolving and acquire a lot of Biomass very fast. Fully set up at his base, Zack started the evolution process. Zack held back from checking the options when he was looking at the evolution requirements. Zack didn't want to make a sudden decision if he found an evolution option too appealing. Too which the options did not disappoint.
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Ding! Two Evolution Options Available!
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Devil's Flower Mantis (Idolomantis diabolica):
A mantis species that is known for their camouflage and mimicry abilities. Their underbelly and wings possess a wide spectrum of vibrant colors to scare off enemies. When born they mimic ants, dead leaves in nymph hood, and flowers as adults.
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Giant African Stick Mantis/Cat Eye Mantis (Heterochaeta orientalis):
A mantis species that is known for their large size and possessing a domineering presence when confronted. They resemble a piece of a branch and have two horns on their eyes giving them their other name, Cat Eye Mantis. Colored in grey, green, or brown these giants possess quick reflexes unassuming from creatures of their size.
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Zack looked at the status screen in awe. With two evolutions and descriptions, it was a monumental upgrade from the previous options. If having only a single possible evolution could even be called an option. Zack cleared his thoughts afraid the system might take back the evolutions. Seconds passed and nothing happened, the system was as stoic and unmoving as always. Zack focused on the descriptions and carefully read them.
Zack wanted to pick the Giant African Stick Mantis immediately. It would provide a great boost in size which resulted in more safety. The bigger Zack became the less that could hurt him. However, he didn't do anything rash. Due to one reason, a bigger size most likely meant larger food requirements. In the short term, this evolution would be a win. In the long term though it was like shooting one's self in the foot.
Second, did the abilities of a previous evolution disappear or stay? If they disappeared then he would be in a lot of danger. The Mimic Flora ability has been a godsend for his survival. Zack doubted he could've survived until now without it. Even though the ability of the Giant African Stick Mantis would obviously relate to size there will almost always be a bigger fish in the pond. Examples like bears, boars, and wolves could possibly roam the real forests beyond Zack's little area. If that were the case, this ability wouldn't be as useful, and could even paint a bigger target on his own back. Additionally, this size/physical ability likely wouldn't be as versatile as the camouflage that the Devil's Flower Mantis likely had.
After trying to objectively look at his circumstances Zack realized the Giant African Stick Mantis wasn't as good as he first thought. Although the Devil's Flower Mantis wasn't too appealing it was focused on camouflage which has kept Zack alive till now. The Biomass requirements would also likely be less than the Giant African Stick Mantis. To survive he needed to play it safe when dealing with the system and evolution. It was decided then, Zack had chosen the safer of the two options.
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Ding! Devil's Flower Mantis (Idolomantis diabolica) Selected!
Activate Evolution Booster?
Commence Evolution?
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Zack confirmed his choice and began the evolution process. Slowly his consciousness began to sink, but not before seeing an additional notification. Zack
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Ding! Activating Evolution Enhancement!
Enhancing Base Form By 1% Percent!
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Zack fell unconscious as his body shrunk and compressed into a tiny colorless pearl once again. This time much larger than before roughly 50 mm in size. The large Orchid Mantis that stood in the pearl's place was now gone.