Vigor Mortis

Chapter 61: Delicious Humans

Lark you know, I if you want, I could heal you as well.

I glance up from my meal, looking at my Claretta with confusion. What is she talking about all of a sudden?

I can heal myself, I point out, leaning back over to take another bite.

Well, what if youre stuck without food? Or you get hurt extra badly?

I lift my shoulders up and down to indicate Im indifferent to the idea while I swallow.

Then you can heal me. Thats fine.

No, I cant, Lark, my Claretta says. Ill have to teach you to lower your magic resistance first.

I take another large bite, more than a little confused about what all that meant. I am not eating my Claretta, though I should soon. Her limbs have almost grown back to elbows and knees. But first, I have to finish figuring out how my body functions. Im not stupid; Ive noticed I tend to pick up traits from creatures I eat a lot of. I cant control which traits I pick up, though, or at least I dont seem to be able to control it. I can, however, control my diet.

Moving to another part of the forest was risky, but Ive managed to set up another home for myself and my Claretta. Many other things surround us, and they are much larger and more aggressive than the nestweavers which had made up so much of my diet before they were replaced by the Fulvia. Now, without the Fulvia to be my meal, Im back to inferior creatures. Out of them all, Ive decided to hunt what my Claretta calls katzels. Slightly larger than I am, these four-legged furry creatures are sleek pack hunters with exceptional hearing and speed, the latter of which is of particular interest. Chowing on them for days has improved my mobility significantly, as well as given me claws on the ends of my fingers and toes, which are a welcome compromise between human hands and the bladed nestweaver forelimbs I previously possessed. Much less useful is how my ears have slowly moved to the top of my head, getting all triangular and fuzzy. Katzel fur is brownish, blending in with the dirt and trees of the area, but as usual even the parts of my body copied from other living things end up an inky, all-consuming black. Its convenient at night, I suppose, but the vast majority of the time is day.

Either way, katzels are phenomenally fast, and they have the agility needed to make sharp turns at those speeds. At first I could not catch them in my webs, as they can somehow detect and avoid them at the last second. There is a limit to how sharply they can turn, however and since discovering that, I have been collecting them by the dozens. The more I eat, the faster I manifest their attributes.

What is magic resistance? I ask once my current meal struggles its last.

Its, um, how well you resist magic, my Claretta answers rather uselessly. Yours is too high, and I cant get through it.

You said those things already, I complain. What is resisting magic?

It makes spells cast on you not work, Lark.

I scowl.

Mine cant be that good then. I got burned by that fire guy. You said that was magic, right?

Yes, but it wasnt magic cast on you, my Claretta clarifies. When a thermomancer throws flames at you, they cast their magic on an area nearby to produce the flames. By the time it reaches you, its not magic anymore. Just heat. Your magic resistance would only apply if they tried to cook you from the inside.

So you cant cast on me because all your magic is on my insides? Fulvia tried to get you to stop, though. You healed her anyway.

I well, something you did to her weakened her magic resistance. Wait, you understood us back then?

No, I grumble. I remember what you said, though, so I understand it now. Anyway, I do not need healing. I want your

I dont know the word for it, so I pantomime aiming and firing the ranged weapon that my Claretta and the Netta used. The one that the Netta pierced death with! My Claretta doesnt answer for a while, which is fine by me since I have time to finish off my katzel and move to the next one.

...I cant show you how to make or fire a bow without arms, Lark, my Claretta eventually says.

I scowl at her, thinking on that. I havent really been eating her lately anyway. She has become more like a flower than a Katzel. Rings of flowers are planted all around her, in fact, carried here by me whenever I find one I like. A different sort of pleasure than food, one that doesnt sharply vanish the moment after it arrives. Something my Claretta and I made together. Id like to make a bow with her as well.

Okay, I say. Ill stop eating you. You can regrow your arms. Legs too, if you want.

Theres a moment of silence before I notice my Claretta let out a shaky, slow breath. I glance her way between bites, noticing that eye-water coming out of her face again. Curiously, I finish off my meal before plodding over to her, curling up on her chest as I so often do.

Claretta? I ask. What are you doing?

Th-thank you, Lark, she blubbers. Thank you.

What does that mean? I ask. Ive never heard that word before.

She chuckles a little, though it comes out as a series of chokes. More eye-water stuff. It makes me worried for some reason. Is it stopping her from breathing right? I hope shell be okay.

W-when you thank someone, Lark, you show them appreciation. You thank someone when they do something nice for you.

Oh, okay, I murmur. So why are you leaking water out of your face? Youve done that a few times.

That either means Im sad, or it means Im happy.

Arent those opposites? Thats kind of confusing, isnt it? Ugh, humans.

Youre not going to die, though?

Another strained chuckle.

No, Lark. I I think Ill actually be okay.

Well, thats good. I settle into a comfortable torpor, enjoying the rise and fall of my bed as my Clarettas breathing starts to stabilize once again. Shell be okay. Shell grow her limbs back and teach me more things. Maybe well hunt together, maybe Ill let her cook the bodies like she keeps asking about. Yeah that could be fun. Shes more than a meal. More than a flower, even. I cant replace her. There is only one. It would be nice if she could come with me when Im hunting away from home.

Im sure shed like that too.

Time passes as we rest until eventually one of my long-distance webs shakes and goes slack, signaling that something broke it. I grumble softly, quite comfortable on top of my Clarettas sleeping form. If I leave now shell probably wake up before I get back, and Ill miss the start of her songs! Still, I have to make sure nothing dangerous is headed our way. Regretfully, I rise, rubbing my eyes as I plod on over to follow the thread.

It isnt long before I hear the voices, and terror fills me.

Wheres it at now?

Still heading this no, it just stopped. I think it heard you.

Humans. Oh, no. Are they here to take my Claretta like they took the Fulvia? Will they be prey, or will they be death?

It stopped? another voice asks. If it heard us it wouldnt stop.

Unless its our target. Or something like it.

Target. I dont know that word, but it has a dangerous feel to it. Should I just run? Turn around, grab my Claretta, get out of here? ...No. I just built my new territory! I dont want to leave again. I want to capture the humans! Theyre so delicious, and so interesting! Theyre like nestweavers or katzels in that they all look the same and work together, but theyre also like my kind in that each one of them is a vastly different threat. Maybe these would be dangerous, but I can tell by their voices they arent the death-slaying humans. My lips curl upwards. Ah, I hope I can eat them!

I resume my slow trek forward, layering more and more traps around the area as I approach, because why not? Even if they can break the webs, by forcing them to break a web I stack the fight that tiny bit more in my favor, buying myself that tiny bit of extra time. It all matters, when death is on the line. Hmm should I try talking to them again? I guess it was fun the first time, and they already know Im here. So why not?

Whats a target? I ask a few traps later. Im close enough to track them by sound now, so it seems safe enough.

They stop moving. By their footsteps I count five of them no, six? If theres six, the sixth is more than a little difficult to hear.

Are you Lark? a voice hisses, calm and sure.

Yeah! I confirm, surprised. How did you know that? I havent told you my name!

Watchers eyes, it sounds like one of your sisters, Vita.

Dont fucking say that, what I assume is the Vita answers.

Answer my question, please, I insist. My Claretta says people like it when you say please after demanding something. Well, those werent her exact words, but thats what I got from it.

The last people to come here told us your name, the hissy voice says.

Oh, wow. Why didnt I think of that? These humans must come from the same place! They can talk to each other!

So have you all seen Fulvia? I ask, starting to slowly circle around them as I build more and more webs. They stole her, you know. Shes mine.

Fulvia is not yours, the hissing voice responds. You ate her. You tortured her. You nearly killed her.

None of those things mean shes not mine, I growl.

None of those things mean she is yours either, the hiss counters. How about you come out here where we can see you, and well have a chat?

I got attacked the last time I did that, I point out. Do any of you have fire? I hate fire.

The hissy one lets out a wheezing chuckle.

I hate fire too, actually. No, none of us have fire.

Oh, awesome, an actually sane human! Plus, if they cant burn through my webs, theyre going to be way easier to capture and eat.

What do you want to talk about? I ask, continuing to build my traps.

Shes circling around, the Vita reports. Probably making more webs. Also, I want to amend my threat assessment higher.

Understood, Vita. Lark, I want to talk about you. Your species. What youre doing here. Would you like to talk about any of that?

Sure, I guess, I answer, unconcerned. It sounds kind of fun, actually. I like talking. I usually only get to talk with Claretta.

Shes alive? a new voice asks, deeper than the others by quite a margin.

Of course she is, I snap. I wont let her die.

Finishing my circle, I approach through the brush and poke my head out, spotting the humans in a decently-sized clearing, or at least what passes for a clearing with the tree canopy choking out light from above. Most of them spot me immediately but none of them attack, so I step the rest of the way out of the brush, standing up straight. The humans are all quite interesting. Theres a soft-looking one, theres a huge one covered in chitin that I know isnt part of its actual body, another tall one with a huge sharp thing who smells extra tasty, one hiding up in a tree with a bow thats difficult to hear or smell, a shorter one with a funny thing around its neck and finally the shortest one of all. That one smells very strange, like the other humans in some ways but in others, it isnt like them at all. Whenever I look at it, my eyes keep flicking to its sides, trying to catch movement that I sense but do not see. A mix of expressions are visible on their faces, but the only one I really recognize or comprehend is from the strange short one: fear and fury, fight or flight. Its a state I know quite well, both in myself and my prey.

Shit, the armored one whispers. I didnt expect the limb-eater to be cute.

Cute? I ask. I dont know that word either.

Interesting morphology, the soft one mutters to itself. I wonder how much of it was beforehand and how much is a result of diet. And the skeletal structure...

Keep your comments to yourselves, snaps neck-frills, who is apparently also the hissy one. Lark, do you know why you and your kind are here?

I dont understand the question, I answer. Ive been here since I hatched, which is forever.

Do you have any goals? Objectives?

To live with Claretta and eat good food, I respond. Like you guys!

Like us? You plan to eat us? the hissy one presses.

I give it a flat look.

Of course. Do you guys not eat each other? Havent you figured out how delicious you are yet?

You cant eat someone just because they taste good, the shortest one growls. Apparently that one is the Vita, by the voice. Its also demonstrably wrong, so I ignore it.

Lark, the hissy one presses, once again ignoring my question. Are there any others of your kind that are intelligent? Any others that speak?

I dont know, I respond with a shrug. Maybe, but none that Ive seen. Theyre all stupid, they just run at whatevers closest and dont even taste very good.

It lets out a raspy sigh in response, glancing back at the other humans for a moment before speaking again.

Okay. Executive decision time. Lark, I want you to come with us. Well ask you more questions and poke at you a bit, but youll be safe, and well give you plenty of food.

No, the Vita protests immediately. Bad idea, Seong.

Really, Vita? the Seong asks. This from the girl who tried to negotiate with brain parasites?

Vita did what now?

How much of the food will be humans? I ask.

None of it, the Seong hisses. You wont be allowed to eat any more humans.

Well in that case, no, I answer frankly. Youre my favorite.

The alternative is death, the Seong insists. Come with us, or get killed by us here.

I take a deep breath, tensing my muscles. They dont smell that tough.

Seong, the squishy one murmurs. Im a no-go on offense.

Then support, Penelope. Come on, Lark. We can help each other.

Or, I retort, lips curling back to reveal black, curved teeth, I can help myself.

I pick my first target and lunge. The humans spring into action, weapons swinging my way all at once. I havent been sitting around and waiting for food to fall into my traps, though. Ive been proactively consuming each and every good meal I come across, amassing as much strength as I can as fast as I can. Six humans against me at once? What do I care? Im stronger, Im smarter, and lately Ive become much, much faster.

My teeth sink into flesh, and the battle begins.