novel bin Epilogue: A New Path in Life 4
Epilogue: A New Path in Life 4
I'm still looking at this place.
The little monsters are running around within, screaking and lashing out at each other.
Or, are they?
I mean, I guess it's playful, but they have those sharp claws at their forearms.
Like mine... Now I think I get what this little wall around them is for.
While I don't think it's actually keeping them from getting out, it serves as a barrier to keep them inside.
This, this is...
"This is a pen!" (F)
Yeah... that.
A dwelling.
All of them are kept here.
And there are so many of them.
One, two, three, four, five...
Argh, I can't count that high, and they won't stay still, even for a moment!
I only know that there are many, many more than this.
I'm going to live here!?
With the monsters?!
I appreciate that she's speaking out for me.
The maid was always looking out for us.
I agree.
This is a place to keep wild animals...
Such as she considers me.
By now the hunters have spotted us.
Given how my senses are sharpened, I suppose they did already quite some time ago, but just now went to interact with us.
I unwittingly wandered a bit closer at the sight of them coming near, and find myself now at the wall, directly eye to eye with one, being very aware of its circular maw with toothspikes going every which way in there.
(H)
The moment I feel her attention on me, I rip my gaze away from the staring contest with that hunter and look back to Honiu.
She's asking me, right?
So I think I should ask for what's important to me.
Did, did I anger her?
I sense scrutiny.
<...Alright. But it won't do your role good. A hunter shouldn't separate themselves from their pack.> (H)
God's blessing.
I think I dodged this.
Not sure if I even should thank her, as this was simply about not treating me as some animal, but she didn't, so it's probably smart not to make her reconsider.
I wouldn't want to have to run away because of that.
The others are still here, and aside from how weird the princess is, it's overall quite okayish here. We got enough food and a place to sleep.
Nonetheless, I'm rather glad that the princess leaves now without having taken the latter from me.
(S)
She might have a point.
If I directly compare mine and hers, our speech has a bit of a different pitch.
Like, hers is very pronounced and clear, while mine feels powerful yet serious, as if its particular scent alone would carry weight.
It feels at least, as if I can shout those smell thoughts now.
I suppose it might have to do with how my mouth has changed.
I really want to talk human again.
I noticed how much the others struggled, but I think that's worth it.
The one thing I fear is with how unusual my change is, there might be more issues with me relearning to talk.
On the other side, I suppose it makes talking with the insects easier.
At least it gets quite easily out of my throat what I want to say.
"Grmbl"
Urgh, I'm hungry.
With all that was going on, I didn't even notice how bad it was.
That sounds like a great idea.
We move back to our 'crib' as they call the place where they're keeping us.
It's fortunately about eating time.
They serve the usual mushrooms.
It's a bit boring by now, but as hungry as I am, I'd stuff myself with almost everything.
"Scsh"
Damn, I almost forgot how my mouth works now.
Trying to bite into the food only extends these teeth, and I can't call what they do chewing as much as that my food just gets shredded between rotating blades.
Then, pushed back towards my throat when my teeth move, without me even truly having to swallow, the parts sprinkle right down into my stomach, which I immediately feel get to work.
Like, for real, I‘ve never felt my stomach this strongly.
It's like it's really doing something to the mushroom I swallowed in there.
Then, there's also a bit of a strange sensation with my mouth.
Aside from all these teeth, it's a bit weird to move it.
I can still close it like normal, but when I'm eating, there's this sensation.
As if I can spread it a bit more in all directions.
People called me a glutton before, but right now, I'm feeling as if I could extend my mouth much further than it should be possible.
Then there's another thing.
My tongue.
Since I've become aware of how my teeth work, I tried not to bring it too close to them, fearing I might chop it off.
Yet right now while eating, it wants to come forward.
And not just into my mouth, but all the way out.
Maybe if I'm careful?
"Sstk"
Whoah!
That went right through the mushroom!
But more importantly, I kinda latched on!
The protrusions, no, barbs, the barbs hold the mushroom and drag it inside my mouth, right to the teeth.
"Scsh"
Which close, once the haul brushes by, but not so much as that they would shred the tongue as well.
That's actually a bit scary.
I try around a bit, but without going to the limit.
I'm pretty sure I could expand my mouth really wide, like to swallow a whole loaf of bread at once.
Also, I think I can stretch my tongue far beyond my face, well, maybe not all that far, but still I believe I could manage from my mouth to the table.
However, the others are looking weirdly at me already.
Speaking of them, it's a bit hard to bear the stares from the others.
I guess they're just curious about what could be in store for them if they went through with Honiu's offer.
While some have played with the idea of going through with the change, not many have taken the jump yet.
Even I can't quite tell if I'm fine with what happened and still happens to me.
By now, I can walk somewhat fine again, and most of the unpleasant stuff has worn off, but still, it's all so utterly crazy that I couldn't quite make up my mind on it.
To get away from the gawkers, I leave as soon as the nurses take the food away.
Well, that's one reason.
The other is that I wanted to try something.
First, I wander a bit through the base.
It got quite a bit larger by now, with all the expansions Honiu ordered for.
Therefore, I eventually find what I'm looking for.
A big hall that is mostly empty.
Perfect for what I had in mind.
I gouge my lower claws into the ground.
In hindsight, this likely means that I won't wear shoes anymore.
Not like my feet have any trouble with that.
Actually, my sole feels kinda hard, but at the same time, flexible.
The ground does nothing to it.
Once I got to relish a bit in this feeling of having my claws out, I start for real, and run!
Yes, this is it!
I let my wrongly bent leg snap out as hard as I can and feel how it catapults me forward.
The other effortlessly catches my weight and does the same.
It's almost as if I'm flying, the way I'm mostly gliding through the air.
I'd also say that I can move my legs much further back than before.
Yet while I can go quite fast this way, at the end of the hall, I notice I can't change directions.
Fortunately, my hands catch me once again.
They even dig into the coating substance that the insects are using for all their walls.
Coupled with my speed, this makes me actually climb the wall a bit.
These claws are truly great for climbing.
I jump off and run the other way, latching onto the wall the same as before.
There I can climb even higher, and it feels almost effortless.
That I can lift my weight so easily...
Does this mean I got stronger?
I must be if moving like this is possible, right?
I get down again and go for another sprint.
This time, I wanted to stop on time, but I didn't quite manage to stop as I wanted before toppling forward.
Also, once I'm again on all fours, there's something about my position...
I face again the other side, and jump!
And jump again!
Whoah!
This really works!
I can jump and easily catch the drop with my claws, then without stopping, push off just enough to get my legs under me so I can fling myself away again.
This way, I can even target much better where I want to go.
Uh, the only awkward thing about this is that it reminds me a bit of how animals run.
Nonetheless, I'm going so fast that it's just fun.
I might be the fastest in the world!
I dash away from the wall and am in an instant on the other side again.
There I jump first against the wall, which is a lot better than stumbling while trying to stop.
Though, is it just me or is the impact on the rest of my body kinda dulled?
I hit it a bit with the hip and chest, but barely felt a thing.
But I'm not done yet.
I jump again and get even higher, my feet and hand claws digging easily into the surface, finding enough purchase to propel me upward.
Again!
Wait!
There's the ceiling.
Damn, I'm way too fast!
I need to catch myself!
Urgh!
Ehm... okay, everything is upside down.
I'm upside down!
For real!?
I can cling upside down from the ceiling!?
These claws are something else.
Can I..?
Yep, if I'm careful, I can even crawl slowly along the ceiling.
This is freaky.
Yet now I need to somehow get down again.
Could I just... Uh, but it's quite high.
But given how hard I jumped before... Umph.
Yep, I could just take this fall.
My legs feathered the drop perfectly, and my arms took the rest of the brunt.
Well, this is something.
Let's try around a little more.
So I get again into a sprint and alternate running and jumping.
At one point, I leave the hall.
I'm not directly exhausted, but maybe a little bit tired.
Or rather... I'm hungry again!
Urgh, I really need some more food, but the next mealtime should still be quite a while away.
You know, I went often times hungry when I was still at the orphanage, but it's a bit something else if you feel like you actually need the food.
Like, I feel how my body is working and demands something to fill me up.
"Sniff"
Huh?
I smell something.
It smells tasty!
As I just can't help myself, I follow the scent.
If I can smell it, the food shouldn’t be too far away, and maybe if I ask nicely, I might get something.
I barely notice how I start running.
Even rather fast, almost colliding with some workers, but I can just jump against a wall and past them and am already down the corridor.
Through a cavern, down another corridor, past a hall, up another passage.
The smell is getting stronger, but how far away is this food?!
Eventually, I reach the source, a hall.
I enter and... look at a pen with numerous hunters who stare back at me.
I somehow ended up here again!