The night passed as quickly as it came. The forest around Adrian's base was quiet and still, the occasional rustle of leaves or distant call of a nocturnal creature the only sound. Shadows shifted across the jagged rocks forming his shelter, but he remained coiled in a corner, muscles relaxed yet alert. Even in safety, vigilance was survival.
As the first rays of sunlight pierced the entrance of his base, Adrian stretched his body in long, deliberate motions. Each coil extended fully, testing its limits, easing stiffness. His forked tongue flicked in and out, tasting the air, sampling for movement, predators, or prey.
The forest smelled of damp earth and moss, mingled with the faint trace of his own scent from the night before. Nothing stirred nearby. He allowed himself to relax just a little, though tension lingered beneath his scales.
His mind turned to evolution points. He currently had fifty-nine, a number that offered several choices. One, continue saving to evolve his species again. That would take days of cautious hunting. Two, invest in his size or venom. Each increase would make him physically stronger. Or three, spend thirty points to unlock a new spell. Magic was the most versatile option, something that could compensate for the limitations of his body.
Adrian quickly came to a decision, he spent thirty points to unlock a new spell and then navigated to the description of his Basic Dark Magic ability. His eyes scanned for the newly unlocked spell.
[Shadow Hand:
Effect: Summons a hand made of shadow that will follow the user's commands. The hand has limited physical prowess, only able to exert half the strength of the user.
Cost: 1MP/minute]
A faint smile curved across his lips. This spell would allow him to manipulate objects at a distance, hold prey, or even create distractions. He thought of the metallic feathers he had found before, maybe this spell could help him use them more effectively. But sadly he had left them at his previous base when he left, so if he wanted more he would either have to hunt another one of those birds or go back to his old base to get them.
Curious, Adrian checked the evolution store to see how much the next spell would cost to unlock. But when he looked through all the available options Adrian found that there was no option to unlock a new spell. It seemed as though he had unlocked all spells available in Basic Dark Magic. At this fact Adrian was disappointed, but it made sense after all it was only "basic" dark magic.
He slid slowly out of his shelter, careful to check for nearby predators. Sliding down the jagged rocks at the base of the entrance, he moved toward a small stone resting nearby. It weighed less than a kilogram, a perfect first test.
He activated the spell.
[Shadow Hand]
The shadow stretched unnaturally, pooling and twisting into a large, humanoid hand. It rose from the ground beside him, solid, responsive, and black as midnight. Adrian controlled it with thought alone, fingers flexing, wrist rotating, responsive to subtle mental commands.
At first, controlling the hand felt awkward. It hesitated, fingers twitching. Slowly, he refined the mental commands, and after a few attempts, the stone was lifted smoothly, rotated, tossed lightly, and caught. It felt as natural as an extension of his own body.
Adrian experimented, testing dexterity, strength, and precision. The hand obeyed instantly, a perfect fusion of shadow and thought. He imagined all the ways he could use it: retrieving prey, manipulating objects, creating distractions, even setting traps without exposing himself.
Satisfied, Adrian slithered deeper into the forest. He weaved between trees and over roots, eyes flicking to every movement, tongue tasting the air. He couldn't risk returning to the human settlement just yet, it was too dangerous.
He needed to hunt, to accumulate evolution points, to grow stronger. That was the immediate goal.
Minutes passed. A new scent reached his tongue. It was unfamiliar, strong, and promising. Adrian froze, flicking his tongue repeatedly to trace it, noting vibrations in the ground. He tensed, every coil ready to strike, every scale alert.
He activated Conceal, hiding from sight. Stealth and patience were key. The scent grew stronger, guiding him forward.
After a minute, he saw it. A creature on all fours, over a meter tall, bristly dark brown fur matted with blood. Its claws were long and sharp, scraping against the dirt. It moved unevenly, clearly injured.
Normally, Adrian might have avoided such a large target. The risk of injury was real. But this was a perfect opportunity. The creature was distracted and weakened. The reward would be a large amount of evolution points. That would speed up his next evolution tremendously.
He coiled slightly, muscles tensing. Every movement was calculated. His tongue flicked constantly, mapping scent, detecting heartbeat, judging breathing. He studied the angles of attack, the potential weaknesses, the best approach for minimal risk.
The forest seemed to hold its breath. Every rustle of leaves, every subtle shadow on the ground heightened the tension.
Adrian's mind calculated and instinct guided. Strike immediately and risk injury, or wait for the perfect moment and ensure precision? Logic and instinct merged seamlessly, guiding him forward.
Slowly, deliberately, he inched closer. Each coil shifted with precision, keeping his body hidden beneath the underbrush. The creature's shallow, uneven breaths betrayed its vulnerability. Its focus wavered, providing the perfect opening.
Adrian's senses sharpened. Every instinct screamed readiness.
He considered possible strategies. After a second or so he decided on one. He would shoot a vital area with dark needle before engaging then he would quickly move in activating shadow bind to restrict its movements, finally he would repeatedly bite it injecting his venom.
Adrian had used this strategy multiple times when he hunts and it had always been effective but he had never faced a opponent of this strength out in the open.
His breathing was calm, controlled. The forest around him was silent, almost as if acknowledging the tension.
The injured creature took another staggered step. Its claws scraped the earth. Its movements were unpredictable, erratic, yet slow. Perfect.
Adrian's body coiled further, ready to strike. Energy surged along his spine, muscles tightening in preparation. His eyes never left the target, infrared vision scanning every detail, mapping its vulnerabilities.
The predator, injured but still dangerous, was too tempting to ignore. All calculations aligned. Timing was right. The opportunity could not be missed
He tightened his coils, ready to launch. Muscles quivered with anticipation.
Next to Adrian a thin needle made of shadow appeared and simply floated there ready to be fired at any second.
Adrian waited for the perfect moment, muscles coiled, senses alert, magic ready.
And then it happened the creature lowered its head to eat move something on the ground.
Adrian fired.