The Bottom of the Food Chain

The light gradually faded, and the vegetation receded back into the cracked stone. Ozul used this time to analyze his fellow Umbra's status, and his own. He discovered that his species rapidly reproduce by splitting themselves apart when they reach sufficient mass. However, Ozul did not have this skill, likely due to his human intellect. If his body were to break apart his mind would be destroyed. Another difference he found, was their stats. The average Umbra had an intelligence of 20, compared to Ozul's 110. This drastic difference also seems to have been caused by his human intellect being carried over to his new body.

Each appraised Umbra was at level one, except a large monster at the edge of the opening. This specimen, riddled with scars, had higher stats compared to his brethren. Ozul decided that his increased level was likely from its many battles.

Ozul practiced floating around and adjusting to his body. Suddenly, hunger pains struck him. "What I'd give for some Mc Doodles right now," he thought. The idea of cannibalism entered his mind, but he quickly discarded it. "If I strike one the others may attack me. My priority should be hunting and exploring this place while gathering information."

Ozul struggled with accepting his new reality, but he was determined to survive. Mustering his courage, he cautiously floated out of the opening and towards one of the several passageways. Dozens of tunnels littered the cavern's walls. The largest of which sloped deeper into the cave system. Each tunnel had markings at their entrances. However, Ozul could not decipher the writing. "I hope if I find humans I can understand their language," he thought.

Ozul slowly floated inside the tunnel, keeping close to the ceiling. His night vision skill gave him twenty yards of clear colorful vision before gradually blurring. After flying for a few minutes, a green blob came into view. He quickly spread his body out across the ceiling. He didn't know what abilities this being had and wanted to remain hidden.

"Slimes are typically the weakest enemies in fantasy games, hopefully it's the same in this world." The green blob of jelly was about five feet tall with a blue chunk of flesh at its core. It slowly moved forward like a slug, leaving behind a trail of acidic mucus in its wake. Ozul used appraise on the slime.

Species: Green Slime

Level: 1

Experience to next level: 0/100

Health: 100

Strength: 27

Dexterity: 12

Wisdom: 12

Intelligence: 45

Species Advantages: Strong Resistance to Acidic Attack

Skills: Night Vision level 1, Acidic Bullet level 1, Acid Digestion level 1, Acidic Coating level 1

Titles: None

"The slime has triple my strength! So much for slimes being the weakest." Observing the slime's mucus he thought, "I probably can't eat it because of its acid. I should look for something easier and retreat before it discovers me."

Ozul began floating away when three Disturbed Umbras emerged from the opposite direction. After seeing the slime, they assumed a defensive posture and slowly crept forward, closing the gap between themselves and their prey. Ozul stopped to watch the fight. The Umbras were four yards away when they dashed forward and attacked the Green Slime. The slime was apparently aware of their presence and shot an acidic bullet at its first attacker, killing it instantly.

The other two Umbras successfully closed the distance and bit into the slime. Ozul watched in horror as the bite had no effect, and both Umbras were sucked into it. They started to disintegrate inside its gelatinous body. Terrified of joining his digested brethren, Ozul flew away at top speed.

"They died so quickly! If I had fought the slime, I wouldn't have stood a chance." After flying for a few minutes, Ozul felt tired and hid behind a stalactite protruding from the circular passageway.

"Is the slime strong or is my species just weak?"

As he thought, Ozul remembered something from a biology class he took at university. "Animals who have a high fatality rate often have an abundance of offspring... It may not be the same as earth, but between dying to glowing plants and being killed in one hit, I think I have a short life expectancy."

"Can I really survive this way?" Ozul thought as he questioned everything. "No, I can't panic, I need to stay focused." He controlled his emotions and headed back to the cavern.

Upon returning Ozul flew to a large boulder and rested. Floating was an easy task unlike flying which fatigued him and required extreme concentration. As he floated Ozul felt his hunger pains reaching new heights. He ignored them and rested his exhausted body. He had no eyelids to close so his rest more resembled zoning out mindlessly.

After some time, the hunger hit him again and shook him out of his stupor. Stretching his ghostly body, he noticed that it felt lighter, and his mind was clear. Reigniting his resolve, he began to plan his next venture.

"Maybe I should find a weaker monster and observe it for a few hours. Taking note of its actions before attacking..." Ozul began noticing something from glancing around at the other Umbra. None of them were leaving alone, but rather joining together and venturing off in groups. The realization dawned on him that Umbras must be pack hunters.

Ozul felt both relieved and mad at himself for not realizing this sooner. He was slightly concerned about fighting alongside the other Umbras who are typically animalistic, but dismissed it out of necessity.

He spotted a pack of twenty of his brethren flying towards a tunnel and rushed to them. Ozul quickly joined their ranks as they exited the cavern and journeyed down a long passageway deeper into the dungeon.