The world slowed down to an ant's pace.
My mother slashed the Dryad's throat with her large talon, spilling blood over the morning dew that lay on the grass. The unconscious Dryad spasmed, clutching his throat while his attempt at screaming caused the blood draining out of him to gurgle. His mask was pulled down and I saw his bright green eyes which had stalked me dimming as each second passed.
Contrary to his frantic movements, I was frozen.
It may be hypocritical of me as I had killed creatures before... but this was a humanoid man who had been butchered right in front of me, I couldn't brush it off like I did with the the others.
One of the man's hands released his throat and began assaulting the ground, he balled his fist up and smashed it to the floor; dirt and grime being flung up as he did so. His legs had stiffened up and were no longer spasming, the grass beneath him had been coloured a deep red.
*THUMP*
*THUMP*
*thump*
*ump*
Every slam from his fist was weaker than the last, a small hole had opened up in the earth as a result of this, I was covered in dust.
His face was contorted in pain, a silent scream displayed on his face, my eyes met his and I couldn't tear them away, I unwillingly watched his struggle.
Until the slamming stopped.
The persistent thumping had ceased and an eerie silence fell over the forest, the chirping of birds and the hum of life the forest usually displayed was absent, as if my mother had tore a gash in mother nature herself.
I pried my eyes away from the Dryad's lifeless body and stared at my mother, with newborn fear in my heart. Her glassy eyes gazed over me, uncaring and unable to empathise with my turmoil at seeing someone that closely resembled a human die, her beak made soft clicks as she slowly walked over towards me, stepping over the corpse and came within a meter of me.
I wanted to run but my feet felt like they were rooted to the ground, she looked even bigger up close. The black expanse that was her body expanded as she stretched out her wings, they both gracefully fell to the floor and swaddled either side of me, pressing her wings together and squishing me a bit in the process.
Was this a hug? A threat? A weird stretch? Or perhaps a warning? I didn't know.
She quickly retracted her wings and held them up high.
"SQQQRREEAAAAAAKKKKK!!!"
She pushed her wings down and jumped into the air, the mere pressure from the gust of wind alone was enough to push me into the ground and shave off a few points of HP; her strength was frightening. I jumped back up from the ground and watched her fly away, a giant black chicken gliding away was not a sight I would've witnessed on earth, but it was oddly haunting.
I turned my attention to the Dryad, one hand still clutching his throat while the other lay dormant on the ground.
'System... that guy's actually dead right?'
[ Affirmative ]
I tentatively walked over to him, morbid curiosity driving my steps forward; I had never seen a dead body so human-like up close. The Dryad looked frozen in time, his mouth was agape in a screech and his eyes looked desperate. It made me feel sick.
'So... you're the one that get me kentucky style huh?'
My brain knew that it was foolish to empathise or feel bad for this man, he stalked me and probably would've killed me if not for my evolution and timely rescue by "mother".
But in my heart I couldn't cast him off as evil.
On Earth, farmers would kill chickens, goats, sheep and other animals to feed the masses while using their pelts to warm others in the winter, was that wrong? Previously as a human, I would eat birds without a second thought. Currently as a chicken myself, I purged a lizard population in the name of getting revenge and strength as I thought of them as beasts incapable of thought; if I condemned this man for his actions then I would also be condemning myself.
Mixed feeling arose in my chest, if the man were kept alive, it's possible he may come back for revenge; he might even come back with reinforcements next time. The decision the hen had come to would keep me safe and cause me the least amount of harm in the long run.
Perhaps my turmoil was a sign of weakness, one that wanted to rouse me from my inability to see how harsh the world could be to those who were weak.
'This is hurting my brain...'
Thoughts about the morality of killing were pushed aside for now, I needed to deal with the man in front of me. I latched onto his mask with my talons and moved it up his face, once again covering it. He was 28 years old, the guy was too young to die.
When I pulled the cloth over his face, the edge of my talon brushed past his cheek. The orange interface returned.
[ Patented Resurrection available ]
'Nothing can surprise me anymore at this point...'
The ability was shrouded in mystery, the word resurrection didn't fill me with confidence. Movies, television, cartoons and all other forms of media had portrayed it as a dark art where the target would re-animate as a crazed monster. The most confusing part however was the "Patented" label, are there resurrection companies here? Would I copyright his soul? It didn't make sense.
'Hey Mr.S, now that it's been "activated", is there more information available?'
[ Yes, Owner may ask questions which if reasonable, will be answered ]
Is it just me or has Mr.S gotten a bit sassier?
'Okay... so if I activate it, will he go wild and kill the first thing he sees, namely me?'
[ Perhaps, but not if you disallow it ]
'Oh wow ok! So is it like mind control?'
[ Negative, he will be fully conscious and capable of thought ]
I was right, this ability was sketchy, and the wording made me feel oddly dirty? I want a cold shower.
'But if I bring him back to life... is it the man itself or just a copy of his conciousness?'
[ The ability can only be used a short time after death, if the soul has migrated from the body it would be rendered impossible, therefore it is the same person; same ambition, memories and soul ]
I see.
This ability is too much.
I can essentially bring a person back from death, even if they are at my beck and call, the fact that it's possible to do that is amazing! My physical strength may not amount to much but this power feels godly, almost uncomfortably so.
'Alright then Mr.S, call me Frankenstein and let's go reanimate our monster!'
[ Affirmative, name change initiated ]
[ Previous label: "Owner" has been changed to "Frankenstein"]
[ Patented Resurrection activated ]
[ 1/3 Patents available]
'Hold on a sec-'.
*FWWOOOOOOMMM*
My train of thought was interrupted by a bright red light that blinded me, the light continued to glow and hum for a few seconds before disappearing as quickly as it came. I blinked to allow my eyes a rest and looked around for changes. The previously soft, green grass was a crispy brown, leaves had decayed off trees while the trunks looked as if they might snap from a harsh breeze, everything looked dead.
"Uhhhgggrrrrrr..."
I snapped my head back and looked at the figure behind me.
Clad in black, two glowing green eyes glared.