Chapter 51 - Monstrous Seagulls
"Seagulls…" Luke murmured, watching from a distance as the birds feasted on the giant dead creature.
This whale is a powerful aberration, at least of Superior Rank or... Supreme Rank. How did it fall in battle? What could kill something this huge? Most likely, that roar last night was caused by it. So, there was such a massive beast near me? That means whatever killed it is still out there, but where? All I see is the horizon. This whale doesn't have legs; it doesn't walk... it swims... How did this thing swim here in the shallow sea?
I want to get closer and investigate, but the problem is these seagulls. Each one feels like they're in the intermediate range between Peculiar Rank and Exceptional Rank. I still can't resonate and sense the sub-ranks, so I can only tell they're somewhere in between.
Luke had heard a bit about the sub-ranks, but he was still a beginner in the study of prana within his own body and couldn't immediately identify a monster's sub-rank. All he knew was that besides the ranks, there was a sub-rank of power mastery the creature could have over prana. The three sub-ranks are: Incipient, Sinister, and Devourer.
The Incipient level is where the monster uses prana naturally within its body, fortifying itself with a natural prana armor, but it doesn't know how to use prana as an offensive tool. An Incipient is like Luke in the mastery of his own prana, just a beginner.
Being an Incipient doesn't make a monster weak. A Peculiar Incipient is different from an Exceptional Incipient or even an Epic Incipient. As a creature's ranks are higher, their size also changes. A monster using prana solely as natural armor at the Incipient level with a height of 2 meters and Peculiar rank is different from a Superior Incipient of 30 meters tall. The natural armor adapts to the monster's body, so the rank still makes a power difference on top of the sub-rank level.
The Sinister level is when the monster has greater mastery over its prana, awakening some of the Segments, potentially having characteristics of: Emitter, Transmitter, Summoner, or Dissident. These monsters have better control over their prana, and the rank also affects the monster's prana reserve. A Peculiar Sinister displaying as an Emitter has less prana than an Exceptional Sinister, which is superior in rank. The ranks will always define the danger, while the sub-rank only adds information about how much more dangerous the monster can be.
The Devourer level is the peak of that rank's power. A monster with the Devourer sub-rank has great control over its prana, using it naturally as a weapon and even utilizing elements. A Devourer can have Segments, Aspects, and Elements, making it a true killing machine. These monsters, thanks to the Elements, also have access to a range of abilities corresponding to the Element they possess. The Corrupted Undine, for example, demonstrated part of its power by creating giant water balls, whirlpools, water jets, water blades, a sludge hammer, and other abilities. Devourers are dangerous and unpredictable and should not be underestimated, even if they are merely Peculiar.
Luke believed the Peculiar wolf he killed in the cave was probably a Peculiar Sinister, which likely had a Transmitter Segment, making it a physical power monster. However, things could have gone differently if the wolf were an Emitter and had somehow thrown its prana at him, knocking him down from a distance. This is why Luke felt foolish for deciding to go after those wolves without even knowing about the prana Segments or his own prana. Another hidden factor Luke has to be careful about is the species of the monster he will face. A terrestrial monster like the wolves is different from an aerial monster like these seagulls. If an aerial monster had an Emitter Segment, it would become a deadly long-range damage machine, and Luke knew that at his level, he wouldn't stand a chance against a Sinister level or higher Peculiar aerial monster. The fact that he didn't know how to master his natural prana armor made him easy prey.
Part of him wanted to master his prana as quickly as possible. He also wanted to awaken an Aspect so he could use prana as a weapon, since his Dissident Segment only served to give him a different element. Anna had explained that she was a Dissident, but she had awakened an Aspect as an Emitter. This meant that her use of the bow wasn't just for show; she imbued her arrows with prana, making her a dangerous long-range opponent.
Luke stared at the monstrous seagulls feasting on the giant creature.
I don't want to attract attention and get attacked by a flock of birds. The best thing I can do here is stay away and observe... at some point, these birds will have to fly away. If this place follows any logic from my world, they'll need to return to solid ground.
No matter how long it takes, I'll stay here and watch these things... I just hope the carcass doesn't attract more dangerous creatures.
Remaining as still as a statue, Luke observed the monstrous seagulls tearing into the creature's flesh. Some even tried to steal meat from one another, despite the abundance.
The distance didn't help much, but Luke could tell they were almost his size. The seagulls' white feathers were faded, and their beaks had some protruding fangs. They feasted on the blood, and anyone watching might think they were mocking the dead whale. As they tore and pecked at the organs, they emitted sounds as if proud of devouring the monstrous beast.
Disgusting...
The sound of their chewing tainted the serene noise of the ocean.
What should I do? There must be about 15 of them. Their rank isn't as high as some of the creatures from the Veil, but I still can't guarantee a win in a fight. If all 15 decide to attack me, I'm screwed.
How long will these things stay there eating the whale? From what I can see, they've already gorged themselves enough...
Even though he was hungry, Luke didn't dare take his meat out of the bag. Watching the horrific feast that resembled a ritual for some unknown entity, he remained cautious with every minor movement. The seagulls continued eating for hours. After some time, a few stopped and started playing by diving into the whale's blood. Luke even saw one enter the monster's cavity and return with a different piece of meat in its beak, jumping with joy and drawing the attention of the others.
At that moment, Luke was startled, thinking they had decided to attack him. The seagull spat out the piece, and some gathered around to see what it was.
Luke saw something bizarre. Somehow, the seagulls were communicating. They tilted their heads, and despite having thin necks, they managed to tilt them almost horizontally.
They tilted their heads, sometimes bobbing and making grunting noises. The others seemed to understand and tilted their necks in the same direction. What made it even more bizarre was seeing three monstrous seagulls tilt their heads simultaneously.
One of them squawked as if questioning the one that had brought the meat. Then it examined the meat and started licking it. After that, it took a small bite and chewed slowly for a few minutes while the other three seagulls watched, waiting for some kind of approval.
The seagull's eyes widened, and it spread its wings, pushing the exploring seagull and pointing at the piece of meat. It seemed like the seagull was interrogating the other about the origin of the meat.
Squawking, it called over two other seagulls that had stopped eating their portions and joined them. The seagulls looked at the four gathered around the piece of meat. The questioning seagull pointed to the two others and then to the meat, demanding that they try it.
The two new seagulls seemed scared and hesitant. After another screech from the questioning seagull, they trembled, huddling together before slowly trying to pull a piece of the meat. The scene grew tense as they chewed the meat slowly while the other four seagulls watched patiently.
The questioning seagull screeched again, trying to hurry the two who were sampling the meat. They immediately swallowed the meat, then lowered their heads and licked the remaining piece. After that, they looked at each other, emitted their horrible cries, and started jumping, pointing at the whale.
The questioning seagull smiled, then screeched loudly. All the other seagulls stopped and tilted their heads to the side, listening to the questioning seagull, who seemed to be their leader. The leader continued to speak through screeches that sounded like someone screaming after swallowing glass.
After listening to the leader, the other seagulls frantically jumped toward the whale. They pecked the entire whale, trying to check something. After a while, one pointed to where it had pecked, and all 15 seagulls rushed desperately, pecking the whale constantly. They pecked madly while making guttural sounds. Some hurt themselves on the whale's tough skin, but they didn't care. Blood slowly trickled from the thin wounds caused by their pecking.
More blood flowed, driving them even crazier, pecking more and more. If it seemed like a malevolent ritual before, the scene now resembled a sacrificial rite as they bathed in the blood flowing from the whale's punctures.
The hole grew larger as they continued pecking. Luke watched, unsure of what was happening while wondering if he should leave.
The whale was torn open, and from the tear, a river of blood flowed out, along with what looked like an organ. Seeing that large pinkish ball of membrane, the seagulls began jumping for joy. Luke watched as they pecked each other's beaks, almost like they were high-fiving. The seagulls started dancing around the ball of flesh, tilting their heads and making their indescribable sounds.
Their leader jumped onto the ball of flesh, and they fell silent, watching the figure.
The leader began speaking in their guttural language, which sounded like nails scratching a chalkboard. It gave a speech, then screeched, and all the seagulls desperately jumped onto the ball of flesh, tearing the membrane with their beaks and pulling with all their might. A blood redder than the whale's flowed out from inside the pink membrane, and Luke saw one of the seagulls begin to drink. The others continued to peck and tear at the pink membrane.
More rips appeared in the pink membrane. The leader seagull watched it all, screeching at them to hurry. Other seagulls placed their beaks in the holes and drank the blood, screaming with joy and rubbing their heads on the leaking holes, smearing the blood on their bodies.
The scene gave Luke a bad feeling. Those birds drank the liquid while others screeched as if asking for help to tear the pink membrane. They began pulling and even fought to exert more force.
When the membrane tore, a large, bright red river flowed into the water, mixing with a sticky, clear mucus.
One of the seagulls screeched with joy.
They pulled the membrane, and the mucus trapped in it flowed out, revealing another ball of flesh, this one bright red. As soon as they saw it, they screamed with happiness, jumping and pecking, devouring the flesh inside the membrane.
"Oh my god…"
Luke realized what those things were that the seagulls were devouring with joy.
"They're babies…"