The Mamono Survival Guide
By: Helios Leinheart
Girtablilu
Scorpions are scary. Women holding knives are scary. A scorpion woman holding a knife is fuckin scary!
That’s right. It’s girtablilu. An amorous arachnid that enjoys moonlit walks over sand dunes and jabbing her partner with her stinger as an expression of love. Thankfully, her venom is designed to induce rut in men and is not even remotely fatal. However, that doesn’t change the fact that her stinger is the size of a street cone. Getting stabbed with it is not something I want, and really shouldn’t be something that you want.
Note: The Demon Lord really thought of everything when she designed the girtablilu. First, there is no fear of infection setting in from being repeatedly penetrated by the stinger. Girt venom was specifically designed to have antiseptic properties, making the threat of infection nonexistent. That’s not all. It also serves as an antiviral, antibacterial, and believe it or not, an antihistamine. Getting a sharp pain in your rump and being pumped full of girt venom may not be the most pleasant experience, but at least it will ensure that the only ailment you will suffer while you are with her is burning desire. It should also be noted that girt venom can actually be collected and processed into powerful medicine, but this is incredibly difficult to accomplish by anybody that hasn’t already been pacified and injected multiple times by a girtablilu.
Girtablilu tend to stick to deserts, but there have been rumors of some subspecies popping up in forests and rural areas. Thankfully, they have an intense aversion to cold, making arctic areas a safe haven from any giant scorpion ladies knocking on your door. However, moving to the arctic isn’t really a valid choice to avoid something that is only truly threatening among sand dunes. And besides, you’d still have to deal with hug hungry yetis.
Should you ever find yourself in a desert, be sure to refer to the following defensive methods to ensure you find your way out without becoming a pin cushion.
1: Stingers in the sand
Girtablilu maneuver their way around the desert underneath the sand like stealthy ninjas, generally only popping their heads up to check their surroundings. Should you see sand being disturbed with supposedly nothing causing it, it’s likely like a girt has picked up your vibrations and is closing in on you. It’s in this situation that things become tricky. A girt will always try to take their prey by surprise so they can get a clean stab right into their chest, but should one sense that they’ve been spotted, they will immediately dig their way out of the ground and give chase on their very fast legs. Therefore, the best course of action is to remain calm and continue to walk slowly. Let the girtablilu think she hasn’t been seen and allow her to get close to you. Then…
Note: Wounded girtablilu are not very adept at either stealth or speed. For these special cases, they prefer using trickery to lure unsuspecting prey in. A wounded girt will bury her scorpion half in the sand, leaving just her woman half revealed as a naked beauty. Girtablilu actually possess rather alluring singing voices, which they use to advertise their presence. Once approached by some poor fool, her stinger will come flying out of the sand faster than her prey will have time to react, and inject directly into the jugular, ensuring a fast acting effect.
2: Quit stabbing yourself
A girtablilu’s preferred method of attack is to sneak up on her prey, rise slowly out of the ground behind them, bind his arms to his body by hugging him tightly, and then plunging her stinger directly into his chest. Like clockwork, this method of attack has been successful against unaware men 100% of the time. However, a properly informed man would know that he should bend over as soon as he feels her arms wrap around his torso. Their stingers can lunge extremely fast, but momentum makes it difficult for them to stop once a lunge has begun. If you are lucky, she will plunge her own stinger directly into her own back and immobilize herself. Evacuate the area immediately while you have the chance.
3: “Aww, little scorpion babies.”
While not really a method of defense, it’s worthy to note that a girt with infants will never attack a man. This is because by nature, mamono stay with a single man and generally do not pay any mind to others. It’s easy to tell if a girt is a mother because they carry them on their backs. Girtablilu infants are characterized by their white carapaces and pale skin.
---
Girtablilu are considered the assassins of the desert for their stealthy and efficient method of hunting. Catching one in the process of stalking is often a matter of luck, making her a very threatening foe and a high ranked dangerous mamono. Thankfully, the majority of them are limited to the desert. As long as you steer clear of this inhospitable land, you should have little to fear from them.
However, god help us if they grow wings…