"Grrwl"
"So, even now you guys don't finish your food? Tsk tsk, I guess I do look like a better meal, huh?" Noah muttered to himself as he observed the zombie, which was no longer paying attention to its first meal. The more Noah confirmed the reality of the situation, the freer he finally felt, allowing himself to let go.
Whack!
The crisp sound of his wooden bat hitting the zombie's skull echoed in the room. The force of the swing caused the zombie to fall back onto the bed, but one blow didn't seem to be enough to finish the job.
"Man, that felt good! I've been wanting to do something like this to you three for the longest! Too bad Dom and Logan won't be able to—wait a minute!" Noah almost smacked his head when he remembered one of the most important aspects of zombies: their ability to turn the infected and the dead into more zombies. He looked toward Dom, who luckily was in the same direction as the zombie, but even with his observational skills, he couldn't detect any changes.
"Well, let's end your misery now and hope that Dom will want to join you after I'm finished."
Noah didn't waste any more time. He performed three overhead swings onto Jarred's skull while a small smile slowly formed and grew as Jarred's skull crushed under the weight of his bat. His face soon morphed into a full-blown grin when he felt Jarred's skull finally give way under his strikes.
Part of Noah was disappointed that it ended so quickly, but that disappointment quickly disappeared when he felt a slight pull, as if it was tugging at the back of his mind. The feeling was akin to having a memory on the tip of your tongue and only needing a slight nudge to remember. He had to push that thought away; he couldn't be distracted, at least not now, since he finally saw what he was waiting for.
Doms 'dead' body had finally moved!
Whack!*
"Hahah! I knew you couldn't resist sharing in the fun Dom but don't worry I didn't forget about you."
As Noah swung his bat with increasing passion, his mind clouded by a maelstrom of emotions, each strike landing with a sickening thud against Dom's body. The relentless assault was fueled by years of pent-up resentment and frustration, directed towards the person he despised more than Logan.
Dom's smug demeanor and perceived superiority had long grated on Noah's nerves, a constant reminder of his own feelings of inadequacy and alienation. Despite Noah's efforts to ignore him, Dom's presence had always been a thorn in his side, a constant source of irritation and anger.
With each swing of the bat, Noah unleashed years of suppressed rage, the weight of his emotions driving him to lash out with brutal intensity. The sound of the bat connecting with flesh echoed through the room, mingling with Dom's pained cries and the dull thud of impact.
Lost in the heat of the moment, Noah's mind became consumed by a single thought: to inflict as much pain and suffering upon Dom as possible.
Minutes passed after Noah finished with Dom for him to calm his nerves. It was then he observed what he's done before realizing he screwed up.
Damn it! What am I going to use now?" Noah swore aloud when he noticed the condition of his bat, disregarding the blood splatters on the wall and himself entirely. His bat was now broken in half, and now that he was sure that zombies could infect others and cause them to turn, he felt the pressure mounting.
He needed a plan, and he needed one fast. Remembering the voice's words, promising strength and power to those who survived, he knew he had to act quickly to secure his survival.
Remembering his level prompted Noah to check if he had received any experience for killing the zombies. However, before he could do so, the pull from before came again, irritating him as he had pressing matters to address.
Yet, he still decided to focus on that pull to try to discern its significance. He couldn't risk that pull occurring again during a life-threatening situation. That's when he heard the mechanical voice from earlier resonating in his mind.
"Due to achieving the feat of performing your first kill in the allotted time, you are granted a skill out of three choices. Choose wisely," the voice stated before a series of prompts appeared.
[Feat achieved for killing an enemy within the first 5 minutes of your encounter, unlocked choices of three unique skills catering to the user.
Lykins awakening- Obtain the chance to become an alpha predator of the night. Journey to become a true werewolf, gaining unimaginable strength, speed, and perceptual instincts when transforming to your primal form while also having more intense emotions. +1 constitution, +1 strength per level.
Birth of the chimera- Who you are, what will you become? None of that matters as a chimera. A monstrosity is the only suitable description, gaining the strength and weaknesses of whatever you're brave enough to merge with. +1 magic, +1 constitution per level.
Call of the vampire- Thirst for power, thirst for blood. Become an apex creature that has an insatiable greed, whether it's to be the most charming or the most powerful. Your pride is relentless and so is your will to dominate which grants the vampire incredible mind prowess. +1 agility, +1 spirit per level]
Noah's heart beat intensified uncontrollably as he was shown the selection of skills. To him, these were the kinds of skills protagonists would obtain in his books. But then again, he also remembered that this time, others were also able to achieve great skills as long as they were able to achieve the same feat. Yet Noah was fine with this outcome; to be a protagonist meant that you had heavenly luck, but at the same time, trouble would always follow you, something he would rather avoid so he could enjoy this new world.
Before he made his decision, the last three words of the first sentence caught his attention, 'catering to the user.'
"Does that mean everyone will have three different skills to choose from? And why did I get these three specifically? It's like it's forcing me to not be human?" Just the thought of being outcast for being something other than human initially made him hesitant about choosing, but as quickly as he had the thought, his decision was already made.
"Hell! People treated me as if I wasn't human to begin with, so why am I hesitating? If I'm going to be a monster, then I might as well become the best of them."
[Choice of 'Birth of the Chimera' confirmed.]
Like before, Noah was abruptly thrown out from his mind space and was back in his dorm. It appeared that he was in that space for at least a few minutes, but with his observational skill yet again taking effect, he noticed that the puddle of blood barely moved a few inches from its initial location. It couldn't have been much longer than what he assumed.
He wanted to observe the changes of his new skill, but that's when he felt it, the pain, the unimaginable pain. He was prepared for there to be a change in his physique, but he wasn't prepared for this. He felt his blood churning vigorously and was almost boiling inside him to the point that he felt he was being burned alive. Despite the intensity of the pain, Noah remained conscious, unable to escape the torment that ravaged his body. He screamed in anguish, the sound echoing off the walls of his dorm room as he grappled with the sheer agony of his transformation.
He was used to pain because of all the beatings he's had, but this couldn't compare. Part of him wished he wasn't adapted to pain; maybe then he would have already fainted, yet he was still conscious while the pain only grew worse.
His blood began to heat to such a degree that it began to dissolve his muscles before applying the same torture to his bones. Luckily, somehow, they were recovering just as fast, creating a balance between the rapid melting and the reconstruction of his body.
The silver lining of all of this was that the students outside avoided his room in their attempt to escape the dorm. Even Logan, who had returned briefly, fled in terror at the sight and sound of Noah's suffering. In a twisted stroke of luck, Noah's torment served as a barrier, shielding him from further danger as the chaos of the zombie outbreak unfolded outside his door.
A little over ten minutes passed, and Noah was now on the ground, lying in the puddle of zombie blood, seemingly half dead. He was yet aware of it, but as he lay in the zombie's blood, his mouth hung open without his control, while streams of blood would slip into his mouth as he breathed hungrily for air. If he was aware of what was occurring, then he would surely attempt to force himself to regurgitate it up, but at this moment, he relished the unknown liquid substance that soothed his throat from the drastic screaming he had done.
Moments passed again since the changes stopped occurring. He wasn't aware of how much time had passed nor what was happening after gaining a sliver of consciousness. Nonetheless, he remembered that his dorm wasn't a safe haven as he tried to quickly stand. This proved to be a challenge since his changes gave him a sense of unfamiliarity.
'Ugh…that skill should at least come with a warning attached. Maybe the werewolf would've been a better idea? Heh, who am I kidding? A chimera sounds as messed up as I am.' Noah talked to himself as he finally gained his bearings. He began to inspect his body to see if he could glean any visible changes, yet that alone caused him to freeze, utmost fear written on his face. He was aware of the subtle sweet taste that lingered on his lips, but so much had happened that he didn't pay too much attention to it. Not until he realized the overwhelming amount of blood on his body than it was before.
"Please tell me this blood is mine…." He pleaded softly after placing his hand near his lips just to find half of his face was plastered with blood. Hesitantly, he looked toward the ground where he originally lay, his eyes first widened in horror, but then glazed over in helplessness before he soon felt he was losing his sanity.
"Hahahaaaa!" He laughed out loud at the depressing yet comical sight, but beneath the laughter lurked a sense of despair. He realized that the blood he layed in the entire time and also the blood that he was drinking during his transformation was, ironically, the zombie's blood of the ones he just killed.
"Of course I would soon die just when I found something to live for!" He cursed his luck; he didn't know if he should off himself now so he wouldn't become a zombie later or should he let himself turn and let his zombie form go and infect other people out of pettiness.
A few minutes went by as he wallowed in despair; the chaotic noises in the background didn't faze him. Why would he care if he was gonna die? He didn't bother to continue inspecting himself; even if he did, he wasn't in the right state of mind to notice the changes within, nor would he notice the transformation of his eyes. His iris was now as black as his pupils, resembling a dark hole.
Soon that annoying feeling came haunting him again, finally gaining his attention. It continued to feel as if something was tugging at the back of his mind.
"That damn notification! Is it just gonna rub it in my face about being infected? Will it countdown my expiration date as well? Fuck!" He swore out loud with a tone that seemed as if he was on the verge of crying.
Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and brought up the notification.
'Yes! Fuck yes!' He cried when he saw what the notification was informing him of.