The smell of food made my skin vibrate. A double row of spines down my back stiffened as I focused in on the trail, and something in my mind - and body - shifted. My steps got quieter, and I instinctively lifted my claws so that I rested on the thick pads on my feet and didn’t make any noise. I began to stalk a narrower, slower track, lowering myself down to the ground. The foliage whispered over my exoskeleton, barely making a sound. The tentacle squad settled down, flattening down and partly retracting out of the way. And then, I heard it.

“Puurrrrr?” A huge, exotic-looking pheasant stuck its head out of a small hollow, head darting back and forward.

I froze like a hunting lion, staring straight at it.

The bird strutted out into the open, holding its glorious blue tail feathers high. It sauntered over to a big mound, adjusted a few twigs and leaves, then hopped up onto its stage. It craned its wattled neck, and let out a piercing ‘WAOH WAOH!’ sound, almost like a police car siren.

“Male Argus Pheasant,” I thought to myself. Then, a small mental pause. “... How the hell did I know THAT? And how the hell did I know about the butterfly eyes-butt thing, anyway? I have a fucking phobia of insects.”

I wasn’t just able to identify the bird: I knew things about its behavior I never remembered learning. Those WAOH-WAOH calls it was making? Those were mating calls. And if I hedged my bets right...

There was a rustling from my left. After a couple of seconds, a dull brown pheasant hen poked her beak out into the clearing. The male bird hopped down, nearly tripping over himself in excitement, and I realized that the small space covered in leaves was actually the stage for his mating dance. Sure enough, he flared his tail feathers and began to scoot around the female as she pecked at the fallen leaves... and then both of them squawked as my upper tentacles lashed forward like harpoons and speared both of them into the ground. I pulled back to find that my new punch-puds had ejected ten-inch-long obsidian spikes into the unfortunate birds. So much for my fantasy of ravishing five women at once.

[You have discovered: Argus Pheasant. You can now identify this creature with Keen Senses.]

[You have new Items: Pheasant Plume x 5, Fowl Carcass (Poor Condition) x 2.]

[You gain 20 EXP. You are Level 3. You gain 1 Ability Point.]

The pheasants twitched as I bought one, then the other to my mouth. The smell made my mouth water even as my human mind screeched in protest. Humans didn’t crave raw carcasses, but Reapers sure as hell did, so I closed my eyes and willed myself to eat the male bird. The first chomp told me that yes, I really was a carnivore now – because it was the most delicious thing I’d ever eaten in my life. Sweet, tender, Feathers, beak, all of it went down the hatch, followed by his plump would-be girlfriend. There was no chewing. Like a crocodile, my jaws couldn’t move from side to side, so I just had to snap and tear them up into pieces and swallow them. Like a chainsaw, but for meat.

Only then did I notice that the scent of the Hell Pigs was starting to fade. I turned my bloody muzzle back to the wind and sniffed, deeply. No more time to fuck around. I had to get as much EXP as fast as possible.

So I charged after the raiders and looted, destroyed, and ate everything in my path.

[You have discovered a new herb: Krachai.]

[You gain 10 EXP. You are Level 4. You gain 1-]

[You have discovered: Cinnamon.]

[You have discovered: Anaconda.]

[You gain 14 EXP. You gain 10 EXP. You gain 5 EXP.]

[Your Legion’s Prime Ability has been unlocked: Soul Drain.]

[You have discovered a new herb: Galan-]

[You gain 1 Ability Point.]

Young trees, bushes, berries, herbs, small animals… They went into my Inventory or into my mouth as the notifications began flying up too fast to follow. The more I harvested, the more in control of my body I felt. The problem with the tentacles was that I’d been trying to use them like human arms, but the drive didn’t come from my shoulders: they came from the muscles in my back and along my ribs. It felt kind of like flexing your abs and your biceps at the same time. When I stopped trying to rotate the tentacles the same way a human would rotate their arms and began pushing with them, they stopped windmilling around me like gymnastics ribbons.

The EXP gain started to slow down dramatically at Level 5, but I Godzilla’d my way through the jungle until I hit Level 7 and maxed out my carry weight. When pulling plants stopped giving me even single experience points, I ground to a halt and started thinking about those five Ability Points burning a hole in my pocket. Chorus’s auto notifications had mentioned something about unlocking my ‘Prime Ability’, whatever that was. I was pretty sure I could stand to assign some points and see if they helped me on my mission to find and rescue Sam.

I brought up my sheet for the first time in a while and did a doubletake when I saw my stats:

M.T Noodles the 4th Ph.D

Reaper (Nemesis): Level 7

Prime Element: Body

Mundane Elements: Psionic/Poison

Class: Legendary

Vitality: 3700/3700 HP

Carry Weight: 202kg (445lb)

Strength: 515

Speed: 758

Stamina: 551/605

Damage: A

Defense: C-

Instincts: S

Prime Ability:

Soul Drain: Temporarily harvest one selected ability and 5 stat points from other Legions on a successful tentacle attack.

Reaper Abilities:

None.

[You have 5 unspent ability points.]

Somehow, I'd split into the Reaper Nemesis tree, but that wasn't what held my attention. My stats had basically tripled since Level 1 – and I could feel it. Now that I’d paused, I really did feel stronger, faster, keener. I wasn’t punching myself in the face with my own tentacles any more. And now, I had some points to work with.

“Chorus: can you teach me how to get the best out of my abilities?” I asked into the ether. “I won’t talk about butts anymore.”

[Are you certain? Because I CAN sense your intentions.]

I sighed. “No butts. Pinky promise.”

[Thank you.]

[Abilities are relatively straightforward. Greater Legions have two Ability Trees with two branches per tree. Open your Abilities Menu to continue the tutorial.]

I did so. The triangular sigil from before was featured prominently at the top of the menu. Beneath it were the two Ability Trees, now with the bottom-most spheres lit up. The one on the left was titled ‘Predator’. The one on the right was titled ‘Nightshade’.

[Elements and elemental type-matching is a key feature of combat in Survival of the Fittest.]

[All Legions are comprised of three elements: one Prime Element, and two subordinate Mundane Elements. The Prime Element rules your basic physiology, as well as your base Type Strengths and Type Weaknesses.]

The first symbol on my triangle diagram glowed with red light: the circle with the three dots over it.

[Your Prime Element is the Body type. This means you have a bestial form suited for physical combat.]

[As a Body-type Greater Legion, you are strongest when paired against Mind-type Legions and weakest against incorporeal or amorphous Spirit-type Legions.]

[The Body type is strong against the Holy, Plant, Air and Blood elements, dealing double base damage against these types with their normal physical attacks. It is weak against the Poison, Fire, Earth and Metal types, dealing half damage to these elementals with their claws and teeth and taking double damage from their attacks.]

“Okay.” I put my nose to the ground, making sure I could still smell the Hell Pigs’ trail. “Elements. Got it.”

The next symbol on the triangle lit up with brilliant silver light: the one that looked like the sign for Mercury, with a squiggle to one side.

[Your Secondary Type is Psionic, gifting you with powerful psychic attacks. Psionic elemental abilities are strong against Blood-type Legions and human Gladiators, and weak against Metal and Machina.]

The next and final symbol lit up with a deep, malevolent purple glow.

[Your tertiary element is Poison. As a Poison-type Legion, your envenomated attacks are strong against Air elementals, and weak against Dark elementals.]

“Body, Psionic, Poison.” I’d seen those on my sheet already. Now that I knew about the type matching thing, I understood just fine. “Are the elements dynamic? Do they compound or cancel each other out? Like, I’m supposed to be weak to Poison as a Body Legion, but Poison is one of my elements. How does that work?”

[Yes: elements compound and interact dynamically. Concentrate on your Sigil, and you will bring up a table which shows your strengths and weaknesses.]

I did. And sure enough, a table appeared.

Prime Element/Mundane Elements: Body/Psionic/Poison Strong Against: Blood (x3), Air (x3), Holy, Plant (x1.5) Weak Against: Metal (x3), Dark (x2), Fire, Earth (x1.5) Immune to: Psionic, Poison

“Huh. Well, what do you know?” I turned my attention to the two ability trees. There were twenty-five spheres on each tree, five up the middle, and ten to either side of the central column. The lowest Sphere on each tree was lit up, and when I hovered over either of them, I got the same description:

Soul Drain

The Reaper Nemesis is named for its ability to harvest other Legions for their powers, stats, and life force.

When you activate Soul Drain during a damage-dealing tentacle attack, time will briefly slow, allowing you to view and pick one Ability from the other Legion that you add to your Reaper’s ability roster for the duration of the battle. The ability must be within the level range accessible by your Reaper. For example: A Level 9 Reaper with access to only Tier 1 abilities may not select the Tier 2 ability of an enemy. They must be Level 10 or above to select Tier 2 powers.

After the ability is selected, time will resume a normal tempo. Your Reaper will also drain and absorb 50 Stat points from a randomly-selected stat (visible or hidden) from their victim. The victim loses those points from that stat until the battle is concluded.

As the Reaper Nemesis levels, this ability increases in power at Level 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 115.

The ability and stat drain lasts for the duration of the battle. Soul Drain may be used once per enemy. 30-minute cooldown.

Above this key ability were four softly glowing spheres, two on the Predator Tree and two on the Nightshade Tree. As I looked over them, Chorus spoke again.

[Your Ability Trees offer four different focuses: Attack and Defense/Evasion on the Predator Tree, and elemental Psionic and Poison attacks on the Nightshade Tree. Choose wisely: you will not be able to change your chosen abilities while you remain in The Jungle. To respec abilities, you must Ascend to the Second Realm.]

Predator (Tier 1)

Murder Mittens: +3% permanent increase to Melee Damage & Max Speed.

Dense Scales: +3% Con & Max Health.

Nightshade (Tier 1)

Psychostimulant: The user concentrates and psionically boosts its attack by 20% for 60 seconds. Can only be used once per battle.

Toad Skin: Cover your body in a thick coating of greasy venom. Increases grapple evasion by 20% and Poisons susceptible enemies on oral contact.

Each ability cost 4 points to acquire, and I had 7 to spend. But the hidden Tier 2 abilities also cost 4 points each. By the time I was Level 10, I’d have 10 AP and would be able to choose from more abilities – and potentially acquire two stronger ones than the four currently on offer.

“Yeah. I’ll hold onto those.” I frowned at the next section of the Abilities sheet. There was another ability tree, greyed out, and a blank triangle with no symbols. The triangle pointed down instead of up. “What’s this?”

[That is your Lesser Legion ability array. You have not collared a Lesser Legion, so the menu is inaccessible.]

“Lesser Legions only get one ability tree?”

[Correct. Lesser Legions have pre-determined ability advancement path, gaining Tiered Abilities at the relevant levels. Every Lesser Legion has a semi-randomized array of possible abilities for their Legion type, meaning no two Lesser Legions of the same species are ever truly the same. Many trainers collar and discard multiple Lesser Legions in an attempt to find the best match for their optimized Greater Legion.]

The casual way Chorus talked about ‘discarding’ a Legion turned my stomach. Snorting, I turned my head in the direction of the Hell Pigs and breathed in deeply through all of my many nostrils. What my nose told me was both good and bad. The trail was getting cold, but I had to be within a couple miles of Pig Central. The odors of campfires, unwashed bodies, metal, blood, and human suffering curled on the cool evening wind from the north-east.

“Hey, Chorus. While I’ve got your ear for a moment, don’t suppose you can tell me something,” I said. “I had this crazy message in my inbox that was opened before I even woke up. Can you bring up a profile on the sender? Dimitri someone.”

There was a pregnant pause. That was weird. Even the dumbest A.I still ran on a quantum platform that calculated information millions of times faster than any human brain. They never ‘paused to think’, or to get their words.

[This answer is unavailable. Gladiators may not view the profiles of other gladiators. I suggest you do not make this query again.]

I rumbled softly under my breath. “Why was my messaged opened, Chorus? Who sent me here? Who was fucking around in my inbox? In my brain?”

There was no answer. Chorus had withdrawn. Interesting, but not helpful.

I would have to get my own answers. And to do that, I had to believe that I, M.T Noodles the Fourth, was badass enough to take on a bunch of Mad Max rejects and their Legions at Level 7 and win.