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Name: Zack Huntt
Species: Devils Flower Mantis (Idolomantis diabolica)
Age: 2 Months, 7 Days old
Lifespan: 3~ Year
Lifecycle: Nymph
Size: 22.8 cm / 228 mm
Prayers Collected: 79 Prayers
Biomass Collected: 68 Biomass
Abilities: Flowery Aroma, Mimic Mundane Flora, Enchanting Luminance
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Zack checked his status screen while scouting for his next target. A single day has passed since he accidentally consumed that marble. The second day has just begun. It was another way of saying he had 5 days left to live. Dawn had just broken through as Zack continued his search.
Zack had been on a killing spree trying to get enough Prayers. The Prayers for each evolution booster have doubled in their requirements so far. Zack estimated the required Prayers to be 200, but even that number was large. Biomass was another issue, as Zack got bigger the amount of suitable prey decreased.
The prey that fit his criteria decreased and so his growth began to stall. Hunting birds have been working out so far. But Zack was beginning to notice a decline in their prevalence. Therefore, Zack decided to hunt a new type of prey. Not a second later Zack finally found what he was looking for. Hidden underneath a shrub, a hare's burrow.
Hares were bigger than the typical rabbits and much more alert as they were essentially wild rabbits. Zack had caught a glimpse of one during his search. The hare was roughly three times larger than his current size. Targeting such a big prey would usually be a poor choice since the bigger the prey, the more strength and speed they possessed.
It made sense more muscle mass and greater bone density led to greater overall strength. Zack however didn't mind the greater difference in size. In fact, it was welcomed. As he previously speculated bigger prey resulted in more Biomass. This was what he was aiming for. The time limit was too constraining he had to take calculated risks.
Zack easily snuck into the hare's burrow using Mimic Mundane Flora. Having been to numerous abandoned burrows, he knew dried leaves tended to pile next to these burrows. They liked to use dried grass to further conceal the entrance. However, the chances of this being a live burrow with hares inhabiting were slim. Zack had spent the entire first day trying to track down a few burrows. Most were abandoned, but Zack held hope.
Then he heard it, a quiet squeak. This burrow wasn't abandoned and it even had baby hares. Zack didn't know a hare's typical feeding cycle, so he entered with caution. Luckily, the parents hadn't returned so Zack made himself at home. Snuggling into one of the corners, Zack mimicked a stalk of dried grass. Then he waited and not for long.
The rustling and shifting of the burrow signified an incoming animal. The baby hares were in luck as their mother had returned. Zack waited another minute, but there was no presence of a father. It seemed the father of these hares didn't pay child support. The baby hares started feeding when Zack got to work.
A faint odorless scent suddenly appeared from within the burrow. None of the hares paid any mind to the sudden appearance of the new scent. It had appeared from within the burrow and there was no signs of a predator, so they soon forgot about it. Zack kept up the continuous use of Flowery Aroma. The poison from the Flower Tree had finally come in handy. Except, the wait was miserable. Hares had larger bodies, so the poison took much longer to affect them. Thankfully once the mother hare was inflicted with drowsiness Zack no longer had to worry. She fell asleep soundly unaware of the hunter hidden in the burrow that was Zack.
Zack waited another half an hour to ensure the mother hare was truly immobilized. However just as he was about to act another scent wafted into the burrow. This time the scent came from outside. Was it the father hare coming back to pay the child support or might it be another predator? Zack didn't stray from his hiding spot until he got a clear idea of what he was dealing with.
The crunching of leaves and dried grass were like drums setting the scene. Then Zack saw it, the sheen scales and slitted eyes. The red flickering of its tongue. It was a damn snake! Its head was a little smaller than Zack, but that was counting the length of its body. The scaly worm had come to nab a free meal after Zack had put in all the hard work. Zack still hadn't forgotten the vendetta he had with snakes. These slithering bastards had cost him a cluster of eggs. Zack vowed that this time things would be different.
The snake slithered through the nest its forked tongue darting out occasionally. Zack hadn't accounted for this one fact, snakes possessed a thermal sense. They often used it to hunt and find prey. Likely how it had found this burrow. Zack held his breath, ready to strike the moment the snake showed any signs of noticing him. However, the snake remained ignorant of him despite having thermal sense. Confused, Zack watched as the snake went after the asleep mother hare.
Zack didn't know it, but his mantis physiology had worked in his favor. Mantises were actually cold-blooded creatures that relied on their environment to keep themselves warm. While the snake's thermal sense detected heat, Zack's body had a lower temperature than the hares. This caused the snake to glance over him as Mimic Mundane Flora worked in tandem to obscure Zack.
Zack waited patiently as the snake stretched its jaw to swallow the mother hare. It took some time, but the snake managed to succeed. This was the moment Zack waited for. At this time the snake was particularly vulnerable as all its offensive tools were occupied.
Slinking out from the shadows, Zack blinded the snake momentarily with Enchanting Luminance. Stunned the snake was unable to react when Zack stabbed one of its eyes. Waiting for the poison to take effect while the snake consumed the hare was not an option. Firstly, Zack didn't know if he could get a Prayer from another creature's kill. Every Prayer mattered at the moment, plus the snake was very vulnerable as well. Lastly, Zack didn't want to eat food covered in snake bile.
The snake wriggled as one of its eyes was destroyed. It tried to regurgitate the hare, but the process was just too slow. Zack's claws sawed at the softer underbelly of the snake. Scales were a powerful defense that neither his claws nor mandibles could easily get through. But, the snake's underbelly was less protected. Zack's claws went to town on the panicking snake. Zack continued slashing until it had bled out and stopped moving. The hunt had a slight hiccup, but the snake was dealt with.
The extra biomass was also nice. Zack immediately began to feast. His poison remained on as Zack didn't want to risk the mother waking and booking it. The Biomass gained from the hare family and snake was enormous. It had shot him right up to 86, only about a dozen or so more and evolution would be in reach. Another hare family or two and Zack shouldn't have to worry about exploding.
Zack could already feel the sensations of an incoming molt. This time Zack left the hare's burrow. The burrow was a good spot, but for molting not so much. The scent of blood from his kills had seeped into the burrow. It was soon to attract prey, so Zack left for one of the temporary bases to molt.