Reincarnated as a Land Shark???

Chapter 20: Think Fast

The angry swarm of Ahuizotl converges on my location all at once, each giving their own demonic war cry. The swarm is almost instantly upon me.

I twist, tossing as many as I can away with my tail, and bite down on one that got too close to my mouth. Crunch! A level-up hits, but I'm too busy to celebrate the achievement for long. Three more Ahuizotl lunge at me, and I retaliate with a swift spin, smacking them away with a slap of my tail. My claws slash as two more lunge from the sides and my jaws snap shut on yet another. More EXP flows in as they die, but it's not enough for a level up. More and more fly at me, and it's like the entire clearing is full of them.

How were these things able to keep themselves hidden earlier? How did I not notice them?

Another group attacks, several managing to grapple me even as I bite another out of the air. I try and bat more away with my tail, but they're coming in too fast! I twist, ramming my back against the tree again to dislodge the others. More lunge to take their place.

I need to climb!

Before they land, I scramble up the tree. There's a notification as my climbing skill levels up, and I perch on one of the branches.

This way they can't jump over me as easily.

The ahuizotl pause for a moment, as if considering what to do. I'm not surprised, their body structures seem even less suited for the ability to climb than mine does. It gives me a moment to breathe. I scan the enemy with my eyes, trying to count them. One, two, three, four... They scramble over one another in a writhing heap, making it impossible to keep track of them all. There has to be fifty at least!

Where did they come from?

Rocks begin to fly up at me from the ground, and I climb higher into the tree to get out of range. The tree creaks ominously with my weight, letting me know that this is as high as I can get without knocking the whole thing over. That should give me a moment to breathe.

I can see the first few ahuizotl already trying to climb the log, but I remember seeing that first one's skills. If their skills are all similar to one another like with the Nanaue swarm, then they don't have the climbing skill like me. That's one advantage I now have over them... I didn't expect it to come in handy in a situation like this but I guess that's the benefit of having all these random skills.

My eyes drift around the chattering float. No matter how you look at it, otters aren't quiet creatures. They also don't spend most of their time on land. If there were so many of them, a significant amount should have been in water. I don't think the mutation of a long hand on their tail would have changed their behaviors so much. Not to mention these guys would have needed a whole ton of food to survive. If such a large group were hanging around this area would be barren of life, yet all of the animals are hanging around with their lives undisturbed. Clearly, based off of their attacks on me and what I can see of their dental structure when they scream at me, these guys are carnivorous.

So how did I not notice the presence of such a large group of carnivores sooner?

I shift as one of the Ahuizotl makes it to the lowest branches of the tree. The others begin trying to climb up after it to varying levels of success, and it tries to continue to climb... only to fall?

That's strange. I gained the climbing skill simply by trying to climb; it was one of the easier skills to acquire, yet it doesn't seem to have gained any sort of skill by attempting the climb.

Something isn't right here. I focus my eyes on the Ahuizotl that's climbed the farthest and mentally call forth a status inspection.

The Level of Status Inspection has increased.

Nice!

Error - Undefined.

...What? What does it mean "error"? I managed to get the first one just fine!

Wait a minute, didn't those weird cyclops rays give me the same message?

I don't have much more time, it seems like the ahuizotl have given up on climbing up the tree and are simply piling up on top of each other.

No matter how I look at it, something's wrong here. Think, what am I forgetting?

My mind slips back to the first one I analyzed, and suddenly everything becomes clear.

Mp: 200/200

Shadow Puppet

Puppet Master

The reason I can't use status inspection on these things is because they don't have their own status! They're shadow puppets! That means... even when I killed that first one it had already swapped out with a fake! It must've done it when we went into the water and I lost sight of it!

So this whole time I've just been fighting your cheap knock-off puppets, huh? I have to find and kill the original. If I do that, there's a good chance that the puppets will all die too.

The first few Ahuizotl puppets make it out to my location, and I beat them down with a swat of my claws. A ding sounds in order to signal my next level up.

The original wouldn't be in that swarm with the others. I search the area, eyes frantic. It wouldn't be in the open, either. There are no bodies left over from the puppets; it looks like they disappeared shortly after they died.

Another swipe from my claws takes out a few more of the puppets. If it's an otter... the most likely place it'll have hidden is in the water!

My eyes shoot over to the reedbed on the side of the river, right next to the sandy beach it had first surfaced on.

The Ahuizotl surge up, and my eyes glance around. Looks like I'll have to risk moving, though this move is pretty risky! I aim myself towards the next closest tree and leap, activating my glide skill. I barely make it, my foreclaws grabbing onto one of the branches just as the skill runs out. I dangle precariously for a moment before managing to heave myself up. Ugh, I'm so glad this body is stronger than I was when I was a human! I never would've made that otherwise.

The Ahuizotl try to climb back down after me, but in the end most of them just fall down and hurt themselves. The swarm begins the long process of towering up to me, and I continue my search.

I have to find the original.

My eyes scan the reed bed, and I look for other trees nearer to it. I have to get closer!

I risk using my Gliding skill again, making it to another tree. If I live, I'm going to need a nice long soak in order to replenish my water bar since it doesn't go back up when I gain a level. It takes 20 water every time I use it, so...

Holy crap I have 45 water left. That means I can use it two more times and then I immediately have to get to water or I'll dry out and probably die!

I need to end this quickly! I hadn't realized just how much of a time limit I was on until now! I lunge to the next tree, wincing as my status flickers to dry. 25 water left!

My eyes rapidly scan the riverbed, searching as the Ahuizotl screech in frustration and lunge after me. My eyes land on a dark shape and I can tell from the way everything halts for a second that I've found it even before two beady red eyes lock onto my location.

I've got you now! A quick Status Inspection confirms it. This is the original Ahuizotl, the one I first found, right down to the last skill. It's even got the damage I managed to deal to it on that first bite left over.

It knows I've seen it, and its puppets are charging. I'm almost out of water and if it slips away a second time I'll probably never spot it again.

Looks like this time it's all or nothing! I'm not letting you get away again!