The trappers gathered together in the center of their camp, all that was left of them anyway. The leader did a quick headcount. Only ten were left, including him. Five, including him, wielded arbalests while the other five wielded billhooks, a combination of a spear and machete on a stick. Their backs were toward the small bonfire in the center of the camp, looking out towards the dark gloom of night, the two moons hiding behind the cloud cover up high.

  "Where are the sves?" asked the leader.

  "I told them to stay together in a tent. Hopefully whatever is attacking us leaves them alone." replied one of the other arbalest trappers.

  "Any idea..." one of the billhook trappers was about to ask something before something red dashed out of the dark and pulled him into it. He screamed for help yet none went to help him. His screams soon grew muffled and they heard a series of muffled, sickening crunches as his body was broken just out of sight. They all aimed towards the sounds, arbalests ready to fire and billhooks ready to skewer and chop. A swift chop was heard in the gloom before silence.

  A round object was thrown towards one of the arbalest trappers. He instinctually caught it, then let out a horrified yell before dropping both it and his weapon. It was the severed head of the one recently killed.

  A swift whistling sound was heard as another object was thrown. The spear part of a billhook drove itself into the neck of a different arbalest trapper. Everyone looked towards the dying comrade, away from the dark. From there all hell broke loose.

  The creature dashed out of the dark towards the distracted billhook wielders. It grabbed one's head with its pale pinkish arms, and with a swift twist snapped his neck. It then threw the body at another arbalest to distract them. The billhooks noticed and swung at the creature. It grabbed one billhook and pulled it in the way of another, then dodged the third by leaning backward. It quickly righted itself and swung its girthy tail towards the head of the furthest billhook wielder. It hit with so much force it tore the head off the trapper, leaving his corpse to fall onto the ground.

  The three arbalest wielders quickly turned towards the creature and fired their bolts while the fourth quickly grabbed for his arbalest. The creature seemed to anticipate this as it used the mass of its tail that was close to it to push one of the billhooks into the path of oncoming bolts. The three bolts pierced his right lung, causing him to spit out blood. He was down for the count until healed. The creature coiled up what parts of its tail it could before leaping towards the st billhook with its fanged maw open. It quickly cmped around his neck, before pulling back, ripping his throat out and leaving him to die. It smoothly dodged the hastily fired bolt, then spat out the remains of the throat still in its mouth while staring at the four remaining trappers.

  They finally got a good look at the thing attacking them. It was the snake demihuman they captured earlier that day. The firelight cast her in ominous shadows, highlighting the blood of several men spttered across her nude body. Her ruby-red eyes bore scornful holes into the four remaining. Her tail dexterously grabbed a billhook and passed it to her right hand where she grabbed it confidently. She stayed there and just stared at the four, not moving a single muscle as if she were waiting for the opportunity to strike.

  It was a flurry of activity. The four jumped back, hoping to create an opportunity to draw their arbalests back. The snake woman leaped forward with frightening speed and drove the billhook's bde into the cranium of one. The leader knew he wouldn't be able to draw back the arbalest in time so he dropped it and drew his sword. By the time it left its scabbard the other two were cut down. Now it was just them.

  They stared at each other, waiting for the other to move first.

  "My name is Arthur Yest! May I have the honor of knowing your name before we fight to the death?" he nervously stalled. Arthur didn't think he could win. She was stronger and faster than him but she seemed to be an amateur when it came to weapon-wielding so it might be possible. That huge tail was his main concern though. If that hit him then he would at least have some broken bones if not worse. he had to stall while he thought of a pn.

  The snake woman grabbed the billhook with both hands and readied it as if it were a spear.

  "I am the mia Orstelia, The Horizon Eating Serpent. May you know that after I kill you, you shall become my strength."

  "Hmph! We will see Orstelia, we will see."

  *****

  I gripped the weapon firmly, something [Inspect] told me was a billhook. This man, Arthur Yest, was dangerous. He was smart enough to drop his weapon, an arbalest according to [Inspect], and draw his sword while the others panicked. I also no longer had the element of surprise so sneak attacks won't be as effective since he's now very wary. He gave off the aura of a predator and his stats showed it.

  Name: Arthur YestGender: MaleLevel: 30HV: 30StatsValueStrength???Dexterity???Endurance???Mind15Charm10Sense???-Skills-

  Rougeish Bdework, Profit Sense, Average Marksmanship

  Most of his stats were unknown to me, but seeing as his Mind was five higher than mine, and I could still see it meant that the rest were at least five above mine, if not more. What does HV mean though?

  HV means Heart Value

  The higher the number the more HEP it is worth. It is not on a level-to-point basis, it is more based on how powerful they are and how many skills and/or abilities they have.

  YOU GOT LUCKY! KILL, MAIM, AND SLAUGHTER HIM! TAKE HIS STRENGTH FOR YOUR OWN! GIVE BLOOD TO THE GODS!

  Good to know but that didn't change the facts. This was bad. I'm heavily out-leveled and out-statted. I needed to think of some sort of pn.

  "My name is Arthur Yest! May I have the honor of knowing your name before we fight to the death?"

  Hellsfire this was the perfect opportunity to stall.

  "I am the mia Orstelia, The Horizon Eating Serpent. May you know that after I kill you, you shall become my strength." I said trying to psyche him up. He definitely doesn't know what I'm capable of so hopefully this will at least disrupt him.

  Think Orstelia think! What can I use?

  "Hmph! We will see Orstelia, we will see."

  Shit that didn't seem to work at all! Quick another question to stall for time!

  "May I also ask a question before we kill each other Arthur? Think of it as the wondering of someone not in the know."

  "I don't see why not."

  "Thank you. Why did you and your men capture me? I'm surely not the only mia you've ever seen right?" I asked pointlessly. My eyes darted around looking for anything that could help.

  "You are the first that all of us have ever seen. So we captured you to sell you off to make some coin. Many would pay several thousand gold to have a never before seen specimen like you around. Just normal greed dear, just normal greed." As he said that he pulled back his right hand, the one with the sword, and extended his palm forward. His sword then began to emit a soft green light.

  I instantly recognized what it was from the memories given to me. That was mana, the building blocks of all life in this world. More specifically wind mana judging from the pale green glow.

  How did he do that? Was it a skill that wasn't shown on his stats? It's possible but what if it wasn't? Does that mean I could do that? I know mana is in my body but I don't know how to control it.

  My thoughts were interrupted by him suddenly appearing right in front of me, his bde stabbing at my heart. I reflexively tried to block the stab with the side of the billhook's bde but he deftly changed from a stab to a ssh and cut through the haft right above my hand, barely missing it and leaving a shallow cut across my stomach. The glow left his bde after the cut, seemingly spent on cutting the haft. Now only holding a stick I called upon my most dangerous weapon, my tail.

  I whipped the tip of it around, aiming for his head. He quickly brought his sword up and my tail skidded across the ft of his bde, making an awful sound as the steel scraped against my scales. I swung the haft like a bat with both hands towards his head. Using one arm he blocked the swing, pushed my tail aside, and swung towards my neck. I leaned back to dodge but that was what he was hoping for. A swift kick to my stomach with his overwhelming strength knocked me onto my back and the breath out of my lungs.

  He didn't let the opportunity pass him by. He swiftly rushed forward and pnted his boot on my neck. Raising his sword to deliver the coup de grace I only had a split second to think. The tip of my tail grabbed onto something wooden and swung it at his head. What I grabbed was a small burning log from the bonfire.

  It conked him on the head hard enough he staggered off of me and his hair then caught fire. He began swearing and dropped his sword as he frantically put out the fire. I got up and hurriedly slithered towards the sword. I grabbed it and stabbed it towards Arthur's throat. He had just put out the fire when he saw me stabbing him. Before he could react the bde plunged into his throat.

  It took him a few seconds to process it. Blood spewed from his throat as he sputtered out ever so silently "Well fought." Arthur Yest then died, sliding off of the sword onto the ground, blood pooling around him from the open wound.

  There I stood above him, his sword in one hand and blood slowly dripping off both me and it. The first battle for my life as a mia now over.

  ***

  I found a nice tent pole to lean against, panting as the adrenaline wore off and the muscles of my body ached. I'm lucky in multiple ways. If I fought Arthur in any open environment I one hundred percent would have lost, he was just much stronger and more skilled than me. I was also lucky that the only injury I suffered was a shallow cut. As I y there panting a much appreciated sight came before my eyes.

  -The end of combat has been confirmed. Giving rewards!-

  You have leveled up!

  New skills acquired!

  Stat points to allocate!

  SOMETHING WATCHES YOU WITH AMUSEMENT AT THE CARNAGE CAUSED!

  "That st bit is a bit ominous," I said aloud. "Might as well check what was given to me."

  Name: Orstelia

  Gender: Female

  Race: Ur-Lamia (Tarrisian Death Boa)

  Status: Healthy

  Titles: None

  Divine Titles: Horizon Eating Serpent

  Level: 10/10 -Evolution Possible-

  HEP: 5/25

  Stat

  Value

  Free Stat Points

  30

  Strength

  25

  Dexterity

  25

  Endurance

  30

  Mind

  10

  Charm

  20

  Sense

  35

  -Abilities-

  Lamia’s Venom [Racial Ability {Passive Ability}]: A potent venom that gets stronger with you. More venom types are unlocked as your level increases. You will always have as many doses of venom as your Endurance stat. Each dose of venom takes 1 minute to replenish. Stronger venoms will take multiple doses to use. Venoms are most effective if injected into the target via your venomous fangs or put into an exposed area like an open wound or the eyes. Weak venoms take 1 dose while weak poison spit takes [3] doses.

  Current Venoms: Weak Paralysis Venom, Weak Paralysis Poison Spit, Weak Venom [Next venom unlocked at LVL 15]

  Constrict [Racial Ability {Active Ability}]: Wraps your muscur tail around a victim and crushes it with pure force. Deals damage equal to your Strength stat (25) x 3. Scale augments can add additional effects.

  Devour [Unique Ability {Active Ability}]: The prey you consume is instantly destroyed and used to nourish your abilities. Skills receive experience if the consumed prey has that skill. Abilities can be granted if multiple of the same ability is consumed. The amount of prey needed changes based on the rank of the ability. Abilities already acquired gain a chance to mutate and change when additional versions of it are absorbed. This can be just an increase in power or new effects can be acquired based on your already existing abilities. Cannot get racial abilities this way and unique abilities have a 25% chance of not being acquired. Prey consumed without any skills worth taking will satisfy hunger or thirst.

  Inspect [System Ability{Active Ability}]: A skill given to those with a system. Allows one to see information about objects, people, and animals that few know of. The more powerful you are the more you can see. Can see stats that are [10] or less above yours. Titles are now visible. [More information unlocked after LVL 20]

  -Skills-

  Great Gambit, Lesser Tavern Brawler

  -Blessings-

  None

  -Boons-

  None

  -Curses-

  None

  -Augments-

  None

  So a few new things. Thirty points to allocate to any of my stats. But why is it thirty? It seems to be three points per level but then that should be 27 points since I didn't start with any.

  Level 2 granted 6 points to make it an even number. [REDACTED] prefers numbers ending in zero or numerals of five. They say it makes everything appear a bit more even and tidy.Ah, I see. Then why not give me five per level?

  All Urs gain 3 per level. It is to maintain a bance between Urs. All Urs start with the same stat point total but they usually specialize in something that makes their species unique. By comparison, you are a lot more varied in your stats instead of specialized as snakes are more generally like that. Only one Ur was allowed 5 points per level and that was because [REDACTED] was coerced to do it while drinking with that Urs creator. [REDACTED] lost the drinking bet so they upheld their word.Thanks for the info dump. So [Lamias Venom], [Devour] and [Inspect] were updated with new information, I reached max level and can 'evolve' and I gained two skills. Let's check those out first.

  -Skill-

  Great Gambit

  Use all of your strength and even more than you thought you had to deliver a great blow that briefly weakens you.

  Doubles damage while leaving you vulnerable for 2 seconds. Can not do anything during those 2 seconds, not even activate other skills or protective magic.

  Acquired by besting a foe at least five levels higher than you by exhausting all of your strength. Does not require killing your foe.

  -Skill-

  Lesser Tavern Brawler

  Use whatever you find around you to beat the teeth out of those who wronged you.

  Makes random nonconventional weapon items a bit easier to use.

  Acquired by using random objects to win a fight. Does not require killing something else.

  Useful. Now what is evolution?

  All monsters can undergo something called 'Existential Evolution', or just evolution for short, when they reach the thresholds of their power. Almost all humanoids except therianthropes cannot evolve, hence why they don't have a level cap. Once a monster or therianthrope reaches the pinnacle of its power the level cap is removed.

  Evolution is a tiring process that can take minutes to days depending on how drastic of an evolution it is. It is recommended to do it when you have a full belly and some food in reserve.

  -Notice-

  You are currently not sated enough. Evolution is not recommended as your body may try to eat itself to fuel the evolution.

  Noted. Need more food before that. Let's keep these stat points until I eat all these hearts and try out [Devour] on the corpses. I feel like it's going to be a long night.