In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 23 - Hubris

I've filled my pouch with things I know to be edible while making my way south. As the trees grow sickly and cobwebs cover the underbrush, I take a firmer grip of my blade. I steel my mind and walk into the area. The first thing I get my eyes on is a large spider scuttling around above me between trees on thick webs. Those webs could prove troublesome if I got caught; I'll keep my eyes out. Beetles and centipedes are my main target, the rest I'll try to avoid until I feel more confident and better equipped. Stick to what you know they say. It takes some time to find anything larger than my foot, I won't bother with small things. 

Now I am no entomologist, but I am sure this centipede that I found was sound asleep. I almost had a heart attack when I turned to round a tree and a centipede was just on it. The bug didn't seem to register my presence at all so I gripped the sword in two hands and swung at its head, chopping it off. The body wriggled grossly for a moment before going still. Considering its size and that my goal is for tree bugs before heading back, I leave the dead bug where it is. The last one I kill, I'll bring with me back to see what can be done. 

Making sure to check the trees, I slowly take steps further in. Every now and then I'll find insects or spiders crawling across my body. Not pleasant at all when they are almost the size of my hand. Lucky me, another sleeping centipede. This time I take some time to study it. Centipede, Large, Level one. This one has a size attached to it. Does that mean they come in various sizes? Could there be even bigger ones? I sever the head from the body on this one as well. What I hadn't accounted for though was the other centipede, slowly coming down the tree. As I struck the tree and killed the first one, the other centipede fell down on top of me. Tumbling to the ground something presses down on my chest. The centipede has bitten into the beetle-shell breastplate. That would have hurt I imagine, the mandibles are like my fingers. The centipede is almost trying to coil itself around me as we struggle on the ground. Not having enough room to get a good hit in I jab my claws up and into its segmented body. The grip is released for a moment, enough for me to get it off me and stand back up. A dark, purple, liquid is oozing from its mouth, poison I bet. The centipede suddenly turns and starts to climb up the tree, had it been just a little bit faster it would have made it. The reach gained from the sword was the determining factor as I swung and just about struck it in the neck. Falling off the tree and violently wriggling on the ground, I aim and strike, finishing it off.

That's three of them. I am conflicted between going deeper in or going back. I haven't been hurt at all but I have also been very lucky with my marks. Going any deeper might be foolish and my imagination is running wild thinking about even bigger insects. I'll stick to the edge of this section of the forest and see if I can do just one more insect in. 

My streak of luck continues as I find a beetle scratching its shell against a large tree, not really paying any attention to its surroundings. Low to the ground, I sneak towards it and wait nearby. My moment comes as it tilts to the side and exposes some of its under side. I run in as fast as I can and with an underhanded swing, dig the teeth of the sword into it. The bug gives off a piercing shrill and slams itself down. I loose the grip of the sword. Some form of fluids is leaking from the underside where my blade is stuck to it. As the beetle turns around to face me it lashes out with a hard leg and I get slammed into the tree and pinned. The air is pushed out of my lungs and I feel like I am being crushed. I look down and see that the armor I am donning is cracked badly, it must have taken a big chunk of the impact for me. The leg comes off of me and the thing takes a step back. It then lunges towards me with its entire body. Throwing myself to the left I avoid the main force and the tree, instead I am flung a few feet to the side and roll another few feet. I hurts really bad, I should have gone back after the centipedes. The insect staggers backward, it probably stunned itself hitting the tree. I throw myself forward onto the ground and grab the hilt of the blade. With all the strength I can muster, probably aggravating my injuries in the process, I pull hard. The sword comes loose and a significant amount of viscera spills out from the creature. It shrills yet again but is obviously done for. It stumbles around for a moment and I stand up to face any dying attempts to avenge itself. An attempt to lunge at me fails as its own legs buckle beneath it and it falls still by my feet. 

In pain and exhausted I sit against the tree and focus on breathing. There is no way I can carry that with me back as is right now. It hadn't struck me before but this beetle is way bigger than the one I fought the other day. The ease of taking down the centipedes must have gone to my head. Beetle, Giant, Level one. Bigger, but the same level. I don't even try to salvage anything from my kill. Slowly, I walk back to the clearing, taking a good while to do it. I collapse as I enter the glen, unable to keep my eyes open any longer.