《Weretiger - A LitRPG Apocalypse [Stub]》 Chapter 1 - Another day in paradise Owain stopped outside the chicken hutch for a while to watch as the dawn began to colour the sky to the east. It was still too early for it to peek over the horizon yet but he found these quiet moments in early autumn to be some of his favourite times of the year. The air even somehow smelled of change to him, flowing from one season to another. He watched the colours begin to shift to hues of pink and blue and smiled to himself. Another day in paradise. ¡°Alright you greedy chooks, stop squawking at me! Here¡¯s your grub!¡± He swung open the door to the hutch and walked in. The birds mobbed around his feet as usual while he poured out their day''s feed into the hopper. After gathering up the eggs, an even dozen this morning which meant Meredith had started laying again, he checked their water and saw it was good for now. He¡¯d probably need to top it off this evening though so he turned to head back into the house. ¡°You behave birds, ok? No pecking at each other!¡± he called as he headed back. He went over to the barn and got some feed, or more accurately a bribe to make them follow him, for the goats. He went into the barn and breathed in the earthy, animal scented air. ¡°Hello Ginny! Lovely morning isn¡¯t it?¡± The horse moved over in her stall and received her customary nose rubs with a quiet whicker. He loved these little slices of peace he got to enjoy alone while everyone else was still asleep. It was his favourite time of day to paint as well. No distractions. Once he had walked down the paddock, rattling his bag of feed to keep the half dozen goats following him eagerly as he went, he opened the gate and went in, closing it once the animals were inside. Then he fed each goat a handful of grain before tipping it out into a pile which they immediately began squabbling over. He headed back into the kitchen and got the kettle on. He prepared his morning coffee and opened the fridge to get the milk. Lindy had made tonight''s dinner for him and the kids. He fished it out and peeled back the tin foil. Shepherds pie, very nice. His wife was heading south later today, to attend a craft fair for her jewellery business so he would be flying solo with the three kids. Not that this worried him, they were very self-sufficient, especially Claire. She¡¯d no doubt be more than happy to help out with meal prep, she was trying to learn to cook properly, beyond the ever popular cheese on toast. Sam, his eldest son, needed to be dropped off at his friend¡¯s house in town this afternoon so it was really only going to be Owain, Claire and Pete, he and Lindy¡¯s youngest son, in the house this weekend. He had a courier coming this morning to collect Dusk over the Menai Straits, his latest painting for delivery to a gallery in Caernarfon where hopefully it would sell. Maybe Lindy was right and he should do something other than landscapes¡­ They might sell better. He took his coffee and went to sit on the deck in the morning sunlight. He sipped carefully, waiting for it to cool so he could gulp it down. Lindy would be busy this morning packing up and worrying over the kids so he figured he would leave her in bed a while longer. They had had one of their closest approximations to an argument last night. She was worrying about Sam, he was sixteen now and just going into that delicate process of becoming an adult, although Sam thought he already was one. She had grabbed Owain¡¯s ears, waggled his head back and forth and told him he needed to be more ambitious to set an example for Sam. ¡°I¡¯m a bad example am I? He¡¯s only sixteen, love. He has plenty of time yet to figure it all out.¡± He had replied with a smile. As Owain sipped his still too hot coffee he decided this afternoon would be a good day to go to the beach with the kids. He¡¯d drop Sam off at Andy¡¯s house then take Claire and Pete for a walk by the waves. Suddenly his vision was filled with golden writing hanging in the air. System initialising... ¡°People of Earth, your planet has been scheduled for assimilation by the Void Imperium in the near future. The Illuminated Alliance has chosen to intervene and provide you a fighting chance. We are not able to intervene directly at this time and wouldn''t even if we could. You must earn your place in the world to come. However we will help you help yourselves but this will not be easy on you, without struggle, without sacrifice nothing worthwhile can be achieved. The time is now 06:00 local time. Your movements will be restricted initially, your dwelling is now encapsulated in an impregnable barrier and you cannot leave your starting area until the end of the recruitment process. All citizen soldiers of sufficient age will receive one Essence as a gift and have an ability unlocked. Learn to use your new powers swiftly and learn to use them well. They are all that stands between you and oblivion now. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The recruitment process will involve a winnowing of your species. We will release three attacks on each settlement, chosen by lottery, and your task is to adopt, adapt and survive. Those of you who emerge from the crucible will be reforged and ready to remake your world into a valuable member of the alliance. The first wave will begin at 09:00. At 08:45 the details of the wave will be announced. Good luck. The Light shines Owain looked sceptically at his coffee. Had Lindy been gathering magic mushrooms again and secretly dosed his drink? She did enjoy pranking him sometimes but leaving him to look after the kids high as a kite was not in her repertoire, so he ruled it out. He waved his hands at the writing glowing in front of him trying to dismiss it. He needed to find out if anyone else was seeing the same thing. Lindy¡¯s lie in had just been put on the back burner. He hurried into the kitchen. You have received one Essence and automatically advanced to level 1. Say or think status to review your information ¡°Argh it¡¯s back! Shoo!¡± he waved his hands in front of him but the writing wouldn¡¯t go away. ¡°Fine! Status! Oh!¡± Level: 1 Name: Owain Jones Ability: Weretiger (permanent) Constitution: 100% Reserves: 100 Ability: Weretiger Weretiger: Such a gentle soul. But within all gentle creatures lies the heart of a beast, it just takes the right encouragement to draw it out. You are now a weretiger, a ravenous monster from Earth legends. You will be permanently transformed by this ability. Feeding will make you stronger. Guidelines: Physical Enhancement: 100% Bloodlust: Spend reserves to enhance your rage, making you more effective in combat and speeding up healing. Modifications: None. Owain collapsed to the floor and began to writhe. There was no pain at first but his body was changing and growing and he couldn¡¯t control his limbs. Orange and black fur sprang up across the skin he could see and he stretched out as he grew taller and heavier. Then the pain came and he howled as his clothes bit into his expanding form. They split in places but in others they held on so he slashed frantically at them with claws that sprouted from his changed fingertips, shredding the clothes so his body could complete its transformation. *** Lindy opened her eyes and saw fairly similar glowing writing as her husband had but with a different ability and with one very glaring addition. Due to being with child you are exempt from significant physiological changes. ¡°No way, I am not pregnant! What profound physiological changes are we even talking about? What the hell is a stone shaper and why am I one? Owain!¡± she called out the last word as she struggled out of bed and put on her dressing gown. She heard a horrific scream, it sounded like Owain but wrong somehow. Too deep. Acting on instinct and fuelled by a sudden fear she lunged across the room and flung open the bedside table to scrabble for the keys to the gun locker in the wardrobe. The key refused to go in. It took three tries before her shaking hands managed to open the locker and she pulled out the shotgun and a box of shells, sticking a handful into her pocket and one in each barrel. The gun snapped closed with a satisfying click that reassured her more than anything before in her life. She hurried back to the top of the stairs and aimed the barrel just as some kind of monster appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her heartbeat sped up until it thundered in her ears, making any other noise sound tiny and distant. Panic attack, I¡¯m having a panic attack. It¡¯s been years since the last one, the tiny rational part of herself thought but it was drowned out in waves of emotion. ¡°What¡¯s going on mum?¡± a girl''s voice came from behind her. ¡°What¡¯s with this writing? Why do you have the gun out?¡± The last question was almost a shout and came through over the noise of Lindy''s heartbeat. ¡°Get back in your room and stay there Claire! All of you! Something is downstairs!¡± Lindy shrieked. ¡°Stay away or I¡¯ll shoot!¡± She fired one barrel into the ceiling above the things head, showering it with plaster then lowered the barrel. The next shot would not be a warning. She was utterly terrified and all the bad old days, from before she met Owain, when she had been young and she couldn''t always trust her own mind, came flooding back, riding the waves of the powerful emotions that coursed through her. ¡°Lindy what the hell are you doing? It¡¯s me!¡± The monster said in something like Owain''s voice as it raised its hands and backed away. The voice was wrong. It sounded like him but it had changed, it wasn¡¯t his real voice. The edges of her vision faded to black and her eyes narrowed down the sights of the gun. For a moment she hesitated but then she fired. That was not her gentle, artistic husband. This thing had killed him or taken him over or something! The buckshot caught the beast in the chest and it reeled backwards backwards into the kitchen, clutching at the wounds. ¡°Jesus Christ Lindy!¡± It cried out in pain. It quickly scrambled to its feet as she was reloading, as the barrels clicked back into place and she took aim again the thing turned and fled out the door leaving a thin trail of blood. Lindy collapsed and tried to take deep breaths to slow her racing heart and let her get control of herself again. She needed to be in control, she needed to protect the children. Chapter 2 - You don鈥檛 like the tail? Lindy took a shuddering breath and fought to regain control of herself as she heard the doors open behind her. She spun around and lowered the still smoking gun. ¡°Are you all ok?¡± she asked, struggling to catch her breath. Claire and Pete were hiding behind their doors, peeking round at their suddenly unhinged mum. Sam had opened his door but stepped back when he saw the gun. ¡°What¡¯s the gun for mum? What the hell were you shooting at? What was that thing?¡± He was tall for his age, nearly six foot. He stepped out carefully and moved towards his mum. ¡°Where¡¯s Dad, Mum?¡± he asked quietly. ¡°Your father- that thing took him. Or it ate him. I don¡¯t know what happened. I heard him cry out and then¡­ that thing was downstairs where I heard him," her mind spun imagining what something like that thing might have done to her husband. ¡°This glowy writing wants me to say Status? Oh shit!¡± ¡°Language!¡± she exclaimed reflexively. ¡°Mum, that glowy writing wasn¡¯t kidding. I¡¯ve been given an Essence, whatever that is!¡± said Sam in an awed voice. ¡°Status!¡± yelled Pete. ¡°Aw it says I''m too young. No fair!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it! It could be dangerous!¡± ¡°What was that thing? Mum, I want to go back to sleep. This is just a bad dream right?¡± asked Claire hopefully. ¡°It¡¯s a monster and it¡¯s taken your father! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a dream, love. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s very real. The writing says I¡¯m a stone shaper and that I¡¯m- well never you mind about that bit. We need to get somewhere safe. God knows what that thing can do!¡± ¡°Where can we go?¡± asked Sam. ¡°It said we¡¯re trapped here. We need to find Dad and finish that thing off Mum. We can¡¯t leave it running around out there. What about the animals?¡± ¡°Ginny! Mum, we need to get Ginny!¡± Claire was terrified of the thing hurting her beloved pony. ¡°We can bring her into the kitchen and you can keep us all safe with the gun. I¡¯ll get dressed and we can go get her!¡± Claire¡¯s door shut behind her as she ran in to get dressed and go rescue her pony. Nothing could be allowed to hurt her pony and she would wreak all the terrible revenge her twelve year old imagination could come up with on that thing if it hurt Ginny. ¡°We can¡¯t go outside. Not while that monster is out there.¡± Lindy said through the door but Claire continued getting dressed as quickly as she could. She wouldn''t let something like that beast anywhere near her children. Lindy pulled out her phone and tried to dial the police but it wouldn''t connect. *** Owain had fled the house, one furry arm curled across his ruined chest. He had no idea how he was still moving, that blast should have shredded his lungs and guts. He looked down and saw the fur on his forearm was matted with blood where he had held it against the wounds. He ran for the barn. He fell naturally into a loping run using the arm he wasn¡¯t cradling across his chest as an extra leg as he shot across the yard. He banged into the door of the barn and flung it open, rushing inside and pulling it shut behind him. He hid himself behind the hay bales they used as fodder for Ginny, the horse had backed away and was nickering in fear, as far from him as she could get in her stall. He fell to his knees and desperately tried to think of something to stop the bloodloss. Speeding up healing. It had said that on his status screen. How could he¡­ The knowledge was there like it had always been part of him. He activated the ability and his body temperature shot up. His hands clenched down on the fence beam he was clinging to and it crushed to splinters in his grip. He growled, low and dangerous as his reflexes and instincts began hunting for something to kill. The horse bucked and tried to climb out of her stall. He heard a series of small metallic noises and looked down to see the pellets from the buck shot falling out of his chest to land on the floorboards. He cancelled his ability and found he no longer wanted to sink his fangs into something''s throat. The pony calmed down but her eyes were still rolling in fear. Constitution is back to 100% He checked his chest and found that beneath the blood matted fur he was whole again. He staggered over to the horse''s water trough and began scooping handfuls up to splash on his chest and clear away the blood. All he achieved was leaving a long pink stain down the white fur on his belly. He looked at his hands. They were big now. Much bigger than before. Covered in light orange fur, tipped with white around his fingers. Black stripes began to show just before his wrist and continued up his arms. He flexed his hands and inch long claws shot out of his fingertips. He tested them on the fence and they carved deep gashes in the wood effortlessly. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. His limbs had grown out as well. He stood up straight and tried to gauge how tall he was now. Nearly seven feet tall he guessed? Maybe a little more. A striped tail swept in from the side and made him jump. He yowled like a cat and then clamped his mouth shut with a grimace. Whatever he looked like now he wouldn¡¯t behave like¡­ whatever the hell he was. He was still himself. Except now he had a long striped tail that seemed to have a mind of its own. He needed to go back to the house and help his family but he really didn¡¯t fancy being shot again. Turns out being shot was a very painful experience. Who¡¯d have thought? As he looked himself over he became very conscious that he had cut his way out of his clothes earlier and was currently naked. As well as being very furry. He looked around for something to use to preserve his modesty and his children''s sanity. He found a couple of empty bags from the chicken feed and extended one claw to carefully split them apart as he moved further behind the bales. *** Claire knew there was no way her mum would let her out to go help Ginny and that was just wrong. She had to go help her pony, friends didn''t leave each other outside when there was a giant tiger monster running around. She had gotten dressed as quickly as she could. She listened through the door as Sam and Mum argued. Sam wanted to go out. He¡¯d got some kind of super power from what she caught of his words and he thought he could fight the thing. Crazy boy. No wonder he was going out with Mary, that girl was braindead, perfect for him. She moved quietly over to the window and slid it up gently, making sure the teenage whining on the other side of her door continued uninterrupted. Mum was starting to sound mad now. That might be a problem later but she¡¯d cross that bridge when she had to. I must save Ginny, she thought fiercely. She climbed out onto the roof just outside her window and crept to the tree that grew close to the house. She stretched out a hand and grabbed one of the thicker branches just as her foot slipped and she lurched off the roof. Her other hand shot up and grabbed the branch which bent, lowering her most of the way to the ground before snapping loudly and dropping her the last couple of feet to the turf. Not good! They must have heard that. Sure enough mum''s voice came down to her from the other side of her door, asking if she was ok. Claire ran for the barn. It took her 30 seconds to get there and as she slammed the door open she saw Mum and Sam looking at her from her bedroom window. Her mum called out and disappeared back into her room. Heading this way no doubt. Claire moved inside to rescue her friend. *** Owain heard the door slam open just as he was tying his improvised loin cloth into place. He froze and held his breath. Small footsteps echoed as they approached Ginny¡¯s stall. Must be Claire. How to handle this? ¡°It¡¯s alright girl! What got you so worked up? Was that thing in here?¡± The last was said with trepidation, he could almost picture her slowly swinging her head around to inspect the barn. ¡°Claire, it¡¯s me. It¡¯s Dad, please don¡¯t be frightened!¡± he whispered. ¡°Dad? Mum said the monster ate you! Where are you? What happened?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t eat me sweetheart. I got- changed somehow. I¡¯m still me, I just look different ok? Do you mind if I come out and talk to you?¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Owain stepped carefully and walked out from around the bale, catching sight of his daughter. His brave, foolish daughter who had rushed out to save her pony when she thought there was a monster on the loose. He was so proud of her at this moment his heart felt like bursting. ¡°Daddy, is that you?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t like the tail?¡± It swished back and forth behind him. ¡°No, it looks kind of cute. You look weird though. And tall! Can I touch your fur?¡± He stepped forward to offer her an arm to test but Ginny began to buck and push against the enclosure. He backed away. ¡°I don¡¯t think Ginny likes me anymore, darling.¡± ¡°I guess not. You probably smell bad now.¡± ¡°If I could get in the house I''d really love to take a shower. But that shotgun really hurts.¡± ¡°Mum shot you! You seem ok though, how are you ok?¡± ¡°Oh it hurt a lot but I got a healing skill or ability or whatever. What ability did you get?¡± ¡°I¡¯m too young. Say¡¯s to try again when I¡¯m sixteen. Petey was really miffed about not getting a super power.¡± Owain made a noise halfway between a chuckle and a deep purr. That¡¯s going to be annoying. ¡°I bet he wasn¡¯t happy. This kind of thing would be right up his street with all the games he plays. Sweetheart, please could you do me a favour? I need you to convince your Mum not to shoot me again when she sees me. Do you think you ca-¡± The barn door was flung open and something streaked across the barn slamming into him. He was flung back and landed in a pile at the foot of the hay bale. ¡°Get inside Claire, I¡¯ll deal with this,¡± said Sam in a deadly serious voice from next to his sister. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°No wait, it''s Daddy!¡± Claire''s cry was too late, Sam kicked up a trail of dust in his wake as he arrived in front of Owain without seeming to have crossed the intervening distance. His foot came back and slammed into Owain''s chest with a crunch, kicking his father against the bale that ruptured and threw hay in every direction. ¡°Run Claire!¡± He called back, stepping forward to grasp his Dad by the throat and lift him up. The kid had gotten much stronger. With his free hand he began punching Owain in the face. His fist blurred, it moved so fast that the blows quickly knocked the sense out of his father who tried feebly to ward off the assault. ¡°Get back Sam!¡± called Lindy from the door, shotgun levelled to put the thing down as soon as Sam was out of the way. Thoughts and memories crashed through her mind, brought back by the snippet of the conversation she had heard. Her husbands voice, or something like it, using the doting tone he always adopted for his little girl. A vision of Lindy half heartedly telling him off for spoiling the girl when she was little. But this thing could not be her husband. She felt a profound belief that it was impossible. Whatever had happened to Owain this otherworldly creature could not be him. She would deal with this imposter and then go find Owain, or whatever this thing had left of him. Claire dashed at her mum, grabbing the gun and pushing it away as she screamed ¡°It¡¯s not a monster! It¡¯s Daddy! Don¡¯t hurt him anymore!¡± Chapter 3 - Don鈥檛 stop! Believing! This was not acceptable. Teenage angst and rebellion was a normal part of growing up and Sam had already started down that road a while ago but beating the ever living hell out of his father was a step too far even in these somewhat unusual circumstances. The damage was mounting up as well. Constitution: 83% Owain really couldn¡¯t let this go on but his son was too fast and he couldn¡¯t find a way to escape the pummelling he was receiving. He was kind of proud of Sam in a way. He¡¯d never won any fights when he was a kid, relying on either his wit or simply avoiding his opponents but here was Sam, showing all the courage any father could hope to see in his son as the boy misguidedly fought to defend his sister. Unfortunately the punches were hitting him faster than he could follow, especially as he found himself punch-drunk from the first few hits. Out of desperation he activated Bloodlust. As soon as he did the fist flying into his face repeatedly went from nearly invisible to merely very fast. He felt invigorated and his right hand snapped up to grab his son under the armpit and break the hold on Owain¡¯s neck. His left hand caught Sam¡¯s fist before it could smash into his snout again. He fought to keep his claws sheathed in his fingertips and through sheer willpower managed to succeed. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t happy about living out in the sticks, son, but this is not a healthy way to deal with your frustrations,¡± He snarled quietly. His lips pulling back and his fangs gleaming in the light from the doorway. Every new instinct in Owain was screaming that this was not his son but an enemy that had attacked him and must be taught to fear the king of the jungle. He ruled supreme and he couldn¡¯t tolerate any challenge to his authority. His mouth gaped open as an animalistic urge pushed him to rip this boy''s throat out with his teeth. The gentle soul that was the core of Owain fought back. He screamed in his own mind as he resisted an atavistic impulse to end the threat and establish his dominance. He slowly closed his mouth and shoved Sam hard, throwing the boy away from him. Sam stumbled backwards and fell, crying out as he landed on his side several metres away. Lindy pushed Claire out of the way roughly and levelled the gun once more at the thing masquerading as some sick parody of her husband. Owain watched the gun pivot to him almost in slow motion. His reactions and perception were so enhanced by Bloodlust that it seemed like the whole world had almost ground to a halt. He watched it come round and wrestled his new instincts in a different direction. Bravely running away. He shot up from the ground just as the gun barked. His left leg took a glancing hit but nothing too bad as Bloodlust immediately began to patch him up. It still hurt like hell though. His claws caught and bit into the rafter above his head and he swivelled around to land on all fours and shot across the thin beam with feline grace despite his newest injury. He smashed into the shingling and burst out into the air outside, safe from further pellets. He tumbled as he flew but his tail flicked out and somehow his feet were under him as he landed. He took off towards the woods without breaking stride, leaving a trail of pellets that were expelled as his body healed itself. *** ¡°Mum! Stop trying to shoot Dad!¡± yelled Claire. ¡°Get back in the house Madam. Now.¡± Lindy said icily. She hurried forward and helped Sam stand. ¡°I¡¯m fine Mum. I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s get back inside.¡± ¡°Yes, both of you inside now. We need to have words,¡± The last part was said in a tone that all children know to dread. They hurried back and Lindy locked and bolted the door behind her before rounding on her eldest children. ¡°What the hell were you playing at Claire?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mum. I wanted to get Ginny inside so she¡¯d be safe.¡± ¡°So you climbed out of a window when you knew there was a monster outside and nearly got eaten. Claire, that was madness and so irresponsible! Whatever is really happening it¡¯s clear this isn¡¯t some fever dream. That thing is a wild animal and it¡¯s far too dangerous to leave the house.¡± Lindy gave Claire a glare that could have melted steel. ¡°But he¡¯s Dad! He spoke to me! He¡¯s the same, he just looks different. Why can¡¯t you see that?¡± the girl answered defiantly. ¡°Go to your room. No, wait. Go get Pete and go to my room, both of you. Sam, make sure they go and they stay there please? I¡¯m going to try and secure the doors.¡± ¡°Mum, I think Claire might not be too far off from the truth,¡± said Sam slowly. ¡°It could have eaten my face but it gave me a lecture and then pushed me away.¡± ¡°Enough Sam, do as I said and then come back and help me.¡± As the two children headed upstairs reluctantly, she looked around the kitchen and began plotting what furniture to move where to secure the ground floor. *** ¡°He spoke to you. You know he¡¯s him!¡± Claire accused quietly as Sam escorted her up to their parents bedroom. ¡°It sounded like him but I don¡¯t know. Those teeth,¡± Sam shuddered remembering the moment the thing had drawn back its lips after catching his fist, the jaws mere inches from his face as he had stared at the fangs. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it nearly bit my head off. It could have done it for sure but I think it changed its mind.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°He. Not it. That¡¯s Dad, Sam. And that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t chew your face off. Oh and you had just punched him in the face! A lot. You¡¯re going to be in so much trouble! How did you move that fast anyway? You were like lightning!¡± ¡°My ability makes me better. Physically I mean and I can boost myself to be even better still. It¡¯s- amazing if I''m honest,¡± the boy looked at his hands and turned them over, surprised at how his body felt and reacted now. ¡°So what, you¡¯re like superman now?¡± Sam rubbed his hip where it had bruised when he fell. ¡°Nowhere close. Petey, come out mate, Mum wants you and Claire in her and Dad¡¯s room.¡± The door swung open and Pete leaned out. ¡°Is it gone?¡± he asked quietly. ¡°Yeah we scared it off but it¡¯s still out there so don¡¯t get any crazy ideas about running off and hiding in one of your dens.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. That thing was scary. I¡¯m not going outside till it¡¯s gone.¡± the little boy said firmly. ¡°That thing is Dad. He¡¯s a he not an it! Why won¡¯t anyone listen to me?¡± ¡°Ok smarty pants, so why is Dad now a massive tiger monster, hmm?¡± asked Pete with the cocksure certitude of every eight year old. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know but he is. He didn¡¯t hurt Ginny and he talked to me! That proves it!¡± She threw up her hands and let them fall in exasperation at her older siblings. ¡°The giant cat monster talked to you? Have you been stealing Mum''s special tea?¡± ¡°No Pete, he really did. Why won¡¯t any of you believe me?¡± Claire flounced through into her parents room and threw herself onto the bed in a rage. ¡°Get lost Sam, we¡¯re here now so you can run along and do as you''re told ok?¡± Sam bit back an angry reply. It wouldn¡¯t change anything. He pulled the door shut behind him and went downstairs to help his Mum. *** Owain fled well into the woods before he deactivated Bloodlust. Reserves: 47/100 He needed some time to rest and recover. His injuries had all healed up and he got a feeling running out of reserves, whatever the hell they were, would be bad. He had moved just out of sight of the house before he stopped and he glanced around for somewhere decent to hide while he waited. His cat-like eyes fell on Pete¡¯s tree house. They had built it together three years ago and it was starting to show its age. It would do. He approached the rope ladder hanging down and tested his weight on it. It snapped off half way up and fell down around him. He looked at the ragged end of rope in his hand and cursed. Then he decided he needed something to hold his loincloth on properly anyway and so he improvised. He sliced off a length of rope with a claw, crushed the wooden steps in his fist to break them free and wound the knotted rope around his waist to help his nappy stay on next time he had to run away from his shotgun wielding wife. He needed to find a way to reach Lindy. To make her see that it was still him even in this body. He scaled the tree with his claws digging divots into the trunk. He went up the tree almost as fast as he could run and sat down on the platform, back pressed against the tree. Ok. The problem was Lindy had freaked out after watching him transform into a mythical beast. It must be an Indian or a Chinese myth. Werewolves, werebears, even wererabbits he could kind of see being a thing. Weresheep? Nah that¡¯s just silly but this was Wales so it might be possible? Before today he wouldn''t have thought of the myths as a real thing of course but after the morning he had just gone through he was willing to suspend a lot of disbelief. In fact he was pretty much at the point of total suspension of belief and disbelief. This morning was hitting him hard. A weretiger was definitely not a European idea. So why did he end up with such an exotic ability? He was Welsh through and through, his family had lived in the hills for generations. It was such a weird choice. The System had said ¡°such a gentle soul¡± like it was making a joke at his expense¡­ Was the system just kind of a dick? It gave him this power because it went against his most basic beliefs and principles? He really hoped he was wrong about that. So, how to convince his wife that he was not in fact a ravenous monster out to eat her and their children? Talking to her hadn¡¯t helped thus far so what other options did he have? Not very many really. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Seeing as he was now a seven foot tall half man half tiger he felt that it was a bit late to worry about boarding the crazy train but he at least could try something a little bit different this time around. As he leant his back against the tree a plan began to come together in his mind. *** Lindy had dragged the dresser over to block off most of the door when Sam came back down. She had to protect the children, this thought over rode everything else in her mind. ¡°Are they in my room?¡± she demanded. ¡°Yes Mum, Claire is really not happy. She''s sure that the tiger is Dad.¡± ¡°No way is that thing your father! He attacked you! It might have been him once but now it¡¯s just a beast!¡± ¡°Mum, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you so sure? It didn¡¯t hurt me and I know it could have killed me if it wanted to,¡± his confusion was clear in his voice. ¡°I- I can¡¯t explain but trust me, I know I¡¯m right. You¡¯re strong now. Stronger than you were?¡± ¡°Yeah, a lot stronger. You can shape stone or so you said. Why aren¡¯t you using your ability?¡± Lindy paused for a moment. That was a very good question. Their house was an old barn that had been converted into a home. It had one foot thick stone walls that kept it cool in the summer and helped insulate it in the winter. She focused on the wall next to the window to her left and understood how to use her ability like she¡¯d been born with it. Bars of stone an inch thick flowed out and formed a grid across the window. ¡°Right, you go block the back door off with some furniture. I¡¯m going to start putting bars on all the windows.¡± ¡°But Mum¡­¡± Sam was absolutely sure there was not a hint of whine in his voice as he said it but he still felt like he was six years old again. ¡°Enough. It¡¯s not your father. And even if it is, the kindest thing would be to put him out of that misery. Can you imagine being warped into an animal like that? Trapped in your own body, a danger to those you loved?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he is a danger-¡± ¡°Go. Now. Do as you¡¯re told Sam, please.¡± Lindy ran from window to window growing stone bars across the gaps. She had to protect her children. Had to keep them safe. She heard Sam lugging the settee and wedging it against the back door. She had just finished the kitchen windows and was about to move on to the living room when the singing started. ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Believing! Hold on to that feeelliiinnnnggnngg! Street light! People! ooohhhOOOhHHHoooHH!¡± Chapter 4 - Flash! Ah-ah! ¡°Lindy! That was the song playing in the Farmers Arms in Cardiff when we met, remember? The first time I met your dad he got me completely shitfaced on port and we had to keep pulling over on the way home so I could throw up every 5 minutes! He never let me live that down! We went to Cornwall for our honeymoon! I wanted to go to the Azores or Tunisia but you wanted to visit Tintagel so we stayed in Penzance! We went sailing for five days then came back and we spent three days wandering around the ruins at Land¡¯s End! What do I need to do to prove that I¡¯m still me, love?¡± Lindy looked out of the window and saw the thing standing on the gravel drive, well back from the house but out in the open with its hands in the air like it was surrendering. ¡°You¡¯re not him!¡± she yelled back. She moved the gun into position to fire through the window at it. It couldn''t be Owain, all the adrenaline and emotion had locked her mind into a certainty that bordered on sacred. But what if it is, a tiny voice whispered in the background of her thoughts. She clamped down hard. She had to protect the children. ¡°I am! I¡¯ve got a courier coming later today to pick up Dusk over the Menai Straits, my newest painting! It¡¯s going to Caernarfon for display and hopefully sale! You were going to a jewellery craft fair in Bristol for a few days and were going to set off this morning! Petey hates Marvel and loves DC but he secretly likes Marvel as well. Claire named her pony after the Harry Potter character! Sam¡¯s girlfriend is called Mary and Claire thinks she¡¯s an idiot! I am me!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be! I can¡¯t be carrying the child of a freak, a monster!¡± Lindy screamed out through the window. She couldn''t stand the thought of giving birth to a new life and having it be a freak like that thing. ¡°You¡¯re pregnant? Since when, Mum?¡± asked Sam, shocked to learn he might have another sibling on the way. ¡°The system told me this morning,¡± she muttered. ¡°Bloody hell. No wonder you freaked out so much.¡± Lindy turned an angry stare on her son who flinched and raised his hands. ¡°Dad, what did you get me for my thirteenth birthday?¡± he shouted. ¡°You''re pregnant? That''s amazing! Love, we need to work together for all the kids!" He smiled happily at the thought of being a father again before the situation came crashing back and he refocused on what Sam had said. "Sam? Please talk to your mum Sam! And I don¡¯t know where you learned to fight but you¡¯ve got a mean right straight!¡± ¡°What did you get me?¡± ¡°Christ son, I can¡¯t remember that! Your mum does the presents, not me! You know that!¡± ¡°He¡¯s not wrong. Mum, maybe it is still him?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be carrying- what if the baby is like that¡­ I just¡­¡± she fell into silence and her shoulders began to shake slightly. ¡°Look mum, please put the gun down. If you are preggers again it would be from before Dad got changed, right? We need to let him in. The writing said we¡¯d be attacked soon. We need to work together.¡± ¡°No, it can''t come in here,¡± her voice became steel once more and her body stilled but her emotions resonated with what Sam was saying. ¡°Then let me go out and talk to him. You can cover me from the door with the gun, ok?¡± Lindy drew in a deep breath and fought for calm. She needed to protect her children, not the other way around. The thing that might be Owain hadn''t hurt the kids and it could have done at least twice if it had wanted to. ¡°No, I¡¯ll go and speak to it. Him. Help me move the dresser back out of the way. If it is him I know what his priorities will be. If it''s not...¡± She swung the shotgun up and held it in both hands. Sam moved the dresser effortlessly and stepped to the side. Lindy took a deep breath and stepped out to face the beast that might be her husband. *** Owain stood very still as he saw the front door open. The first thing he saw was the barrel of the shotgun and he damn near took to his heels right away but he fought down the urge and stood his ground, hands above his head. Lindy stepped out, looking disturbed. Her eyes were wild , her movements were jerky and lacked her normal easy grace. She walked slowly towards him and stopped a few metres from him. His tail twitched behind him. ¡°Hi love,¡± he said gently. ¡°Bit of a weird morning eh?¡± ¡°Is it really still you?¡± ¡°Yeah, my body changed but I¡¯m still me, most of the time.¡± Her brown eyes locked on his large green ones, they had vertical pupils now. ¡°Most of the time?¡± she demanded in acidic tone. ¡°When I heal I use this thing called Bloodlust. It makes me aggressive but I can control it. I had to use it when Sam went for me in the barn but I didn¡¯t hurt him.¡± ¡°What happened to you Owain?¡± ¡°My ability. I¡¯m now a Weretiger, permanently. The bloody system did this to me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t change back? You¡¯re- stuck like this?¡± she waved a hand in the direction of his new physique. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t know love. I hope not. It¡¯s going to make gallery tours really awkward.¡± Lindy looked at him steadily for a moment before she lowered the gun to her side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Owain. I just- I don¡¯t know, how can you be the same man as before?¡± ¡°I know love. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m too happy about this change or getting shot a couple of times but I¡¯m so proud how all you thought of was protecting the kids. I hope I''d have done the same sweetheart but you know me¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly. I remember you insisting on throwing the spiders out of the window when Claire found one in her room. Ha and Sam has to harvest the chickens, you went green when you broke the first one''s neck,¡± despite herself she smiled a little. ¡°That was Tilda! I''d known her for years!¡± Owain protested. ¡°She was practically family.¡± ¡°You soft bastard.¡± She looked him up and down. ¡°This is going to take a lot of getting used to. Come on, I suppose we''d better go have a coffee and try to figure this out.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t shoot me again? It really does sting.¡± ¡°Getting shot stings? Bloody hell. No Owain, I won¡¯t shoot you again. I¡¯m- I guess I¡¯m sorry about that. Really sorry.¡± Owain was pretty sure he gave really good hugs now he was so furry but clearly that level of rapprochement was going to take some time, if it ever happened. He¡¯d take what he could get. She had fallen in love with him when he was a human. This change would take a lot of processing for his wife. He silently wished with all his heart that they would work something out. ¡°My husband turned into a giant cat and I want a divorce¡± would be a first in the courts and really he didn¡¯t want to set that precedent. He slowly followed behind Lindy, not getting any closer, he didn¡¯t want to spook her out of this delicate new balance between them and would avoid the topic of pregnancy until they both had some time to think. He ducked his head to get through the door and took in the kitchen. The bars on the windows were new and he thought it was a good idea, the dresser was out of place and there was his eldest son, standing behind the table staring at him. ¡°You¡¯ll catch flies like that Sam,¡± Owain rumbled. Sam closed his mouth. Then he opened it again, ¡°Dad? Is it really you?¡± ¡°Yep. No hard feelings about before ok? I¡¯m sorry if I scared you.¡± He tried to smile gently and saw Sam flinch before straightening up and closing his hands into fists. Ah right. Fangs. Might need to be careful with the smiles until they get used to it. ¡°Pax! Peace ok big guy?" he raised his hands in surrender. "I don¡¯t know what I look like but I guess it¡¯s pretty bad. Where¡¯s Pete and Claire? Are they ok?¡± ¡°In our room, after Claire¡¯s escapade earlier I''ve got them watching each other while we, well while we tried to fort up downstairs. You know what Petey¡¯s like, he¡¯ll be off to one of his dens if he gets half a chance and Claire was adamant you weren¡¯t dangerous so I thought she¡¯d try to get out again and find you.¡± ¡°Maybe we should call them down and all sit down to talk?¡± said Owain quietly. Now he felt profoundly nervous. It sounded as though Claire was on Team Dad but if Petey reacted badly to his change it could destabilise his entente with Lindy. His wife looked uncertain for a minute. He hadn¡¯t seen her undecided in years. She always knew her mind and knew what she wanted. Even more than getting shot, which he took as a very heavy hint at how upset she was, this told him how deeply unsettled she truly was. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to them and bring them down once I¡¯ve- explained things, ok?¡± Lindy set off towards the stairs. Owain moved over to the sink and filled the kettle. Another coffee would be really comforting right about now. ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± asked Sam. ¡°Being a monster? It¡¯s great son.¡± Owain glanced back and gave him a lip closed smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know son, I feel really good if I¡¯m honest. I can take both barrels to the chest and I¡¯m fine, throw myself out of the second floor, land on my feet and not even lose a stride. I can hear and see so much better although the colours are a little washed out and strange.¡± ¡°You¡¯re colour blind now?¡± ¡°Shit! The system screwed me on that too. Damn. Ha at least your Mum will get what she wants after all! Now all my paintings will look modern and experimental!¡± ¡°Silver linings? For even this? Yeah it¡¯s definitely still you!¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you learn to fight like that? Rugby is a game for thugs played by gentlemen but you''re a winger. Prancing around at the edge and just legging it if you get the ball.¡± Owain began loading mugs with instant coffee before opening the fridge for the milk. ¡°There¡¯s a bit more to my role in the team than that Dad as you damn well know!¡± He grinned. ¡°It just came naturally. Sorry about the face by the way. I think it¡¯s built into my ability?¡± ¡°It healed so no hard feelings. What did you get? For your ability I mean.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Flash, Ah-ah. Stupid system is apparently a fan of cheesy sci-fi films. Do you know how many guys at school tried to bully me with that? Parents should think very carefully before they name their kids,¡± he glowered at his old man. Old tiger-man? ¡°Really? That¡¯s pretty funny! It was a dick with me as well. Made me like this because I¡¯m too nice apparently. What does your description say?¡± Sam sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll just read it out¡­ but don¡¯t tell the others what it says ok?¡± Owain nodded his head solemnly. Level 1 Name: Sam Jones Ability: Flash! Ah-ah! Constitution: 100% Reserves 100 Flash! Ah-ah!: Flash Ah-ah, He''s a miracle, Flash, Ah-ah, King of the impossible, He''s for every one of us, Stand for every one of us, He''ll save with a mighty hand, Every man, every woman, every child with a mighty Flash Guidelines: Physical Enhancement: 100% Overcharged Reflexes: Further increases speed and strength at the cost of reserves. Scales with reserves spent. Owain started laughing. His laugh was half a purr but he didn¡¯t care this time. It has been an accident that Sam had ended up with his name. He was named after Lindy¡¯s grandad and it wasn¡¯t until months after he was born they¡¯d realised the coincidence. ¡°We need to get you some blond hair dye!¡± ¡°Sod off Dad!¡± His rumbling, purring chuckle was echoing around the kitchen as Lindy came down the stairs followed by the smaller kids. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± asked Lindy. ¡°Dad!¡± cried Clair, rushing past her mum to throw her arms around Owain in a fierce hug. ¡°I tried to tell them! None of them listened to me! Wow, you¡¯re so fluffy!¡± she stepped back and grabbed his tail, yanking it around to examine it closely. Having his tail held and unable to do its mind-of-its-own floating felt extremely uncomfortable but he fought back the urge to snatch it away. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it darling. We can work it out I¡¯m sure.¡± He ruffled her hair and smiled gently at her, making sure to keep the fangs hidden. ¡°What¡¯s it like being Sabretooth? Bah Marvel sucks but it¡¯s the closest character I can think of.¡± Pete asked from behind Lindy, peering round her hip to look at what his father had become. ¡°Hey Pete, it¡¯s really strange. I¡¯m sorry if I scared you earlier.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared!¡± the little boy said defiantly coming out from behind Lindy. ¡°It¡¯s so unfair! You guys all get super powers and I¡¯m stuck as an NPC!¡± Chapter 5 - Hair dryer Owain made coffee for him and Lindy and served cordial for the kids as well. When he went to hand the cup to his wife her hand lingered on his... Well maybe paw is the right word? Let¡¯s stick with hand. Her fingers pulled back slowly across his fur as she stared at the change. ¡°You¡¯re a lot bigger now Dad. How tall are you?¡± asked Pete, apparently fascinated by the changes. Owain really felt that it would be best not to focus too much on his transformation until Lindy had had some time but kids and curiosity are a combination that cannot be denied. ¡°Not sure Pete, about seven feet tall I think? I haven¡¯t even looked in a mirror since it happened so I don¡¯t know what my face looks like. Is it horrible?¡± ¡°You look like a giant cat Dad. Flat face, broad snout, striped fur. Really big eyes! I bet you can see in the dark really well now! It looks pretty cool.¡± ¡°Um, thanks I think? Better or worse?¡± The boy cocked his head to one side and gave him a long look. ¡°Different,¡± he concluded solemnly. ¡°Ha well that makes me feel better!¡± he lied. ¡°Lindy, I could really use a shower. Please could you fix some breakfast for the kids? I¡¯m a bit messy.¡± he gestured at the pink blood stains down his front and the splashes of red on his left leg. ¡°Sure Owain, I¡¯ll throw something together for them. Are you, um, hungry?¡± ¡°Ravenous!¡± Crap, should have phrased that differently, he thought as Lindy twitched. ¡°Ah sorry, yes I am. My ability says I get stronger when I feed. Seeing as we¡¯re due to be attacked in a while I think we need to come up with a plan and get stronger. I¡¯ll grab a quick shower and then we can figure something out.¡± He went upstairs to the ensuite in their bedroom and removed his improvised nappy before hopping in the shower. The water ran pink for a while and he ended up using half a bottle of shampoo. He was all hair and no skin now. Take that male pattern baldness! He wrapped a towel around himself and went to look in the mirror. He could understand Lindy¡¯s reaction now he got a good look at himself. Pete had been right. Broad flat face, broad nose above a short snout. He had whiskers. Six inch whiskers sticking out of the side of his face. He grinned at himself and saw the gleaming rows of two inch fangs. Absolutely terrifying. He¡¯d need to remember not to smile too much. With his fur soaked down the new muscles his change had given him were clearly visible. Where before he had been slightly pudgy now he looked like a full time gym rat. He was just over seven feet tall as far as he could tell. He had to duck under every door in the house. The orange and black fur covered his entire body but became paler across his stomach and chest. The fur was currently slicked down by the water clinging to it. Hair dryer time. After fifteen minutes Lindy came upstairs to find him still blow drying his left arm. She burst into laughter and went to get Claire¡¯s hair dryer as well. ¡°Now you know how it feels for me to have to dry my hair!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have hair everywhere love! This is a nightmare. Now I know why cats hate swimming.¡± Between them over the next half an hour they managed to get him mostly dry. And unfortunately he ended up extremely fluffy. Claire came up to investigate what was keeping them. After she was done making suitably excited noises at the ball of fur he had become she and Lindy set about him with combs and brushes, Claire giggling away as she worked. Claire offered to give him a bow to wear between his ears, insisting it would look so cute. His ears now stuck out a couple of inches above his head and swivelled independently. Owain politely declined her generous offer. ¡°I¡¯m going to need something to wear. None of my clothes will fit now,¡± he pointed out. After a brief discussion they opted to get him a fresh large towel and cinch it tight with a belt to give him an improvised kilt. Less than ideal but nothing else he owned was big enough to fit anything close to comfortably. He¡¯d need to remember to sit carefully to avoid giving anyone an eyeful they didn¡¯t want. They returned to the kitchen to find Pete and Sam deep in a heated debate. ¡°You don¡¯t even have an ability! What do you know about it?¡± said Sam angrily. ¡°But you have a level! That means you can level up! It¡¯s obvious Sam, c¡¯mon I know you¡¯re not that bright but surely you can see this?¡± exclaimed Pete leaning back in his chair and looking pleased with himself. ¡°Oy! I¡¯m bright enough not to be a little nerd!¡± ¡°Hey boys, enough now. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Owain''s voice came out deeper and he noticed he was rolling his R¡¯s more than he used to. Another thing to watch out for in addition to the purrs. Lindy went and put a plate into the microwave to bring it back up to hot. ¡°He thinks because we have levels we should be able to get stronger. He doesn¡¯t even have an Essence!¡± exclaimed Sam. ¡°Listen Meathead-¡± ¡°Pete! Apologise!¡± said Lindy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not a meathead," Owain wasn''t convinced Pete was being sincere. "Look, if you have levels there must be some way to level up!¡± ¡°Level up?¡± said Owain. You need one Essence in order to level up. ¡°Oh, ok. Sam, Lindy, say level up.¡± They did so. Lindy looked surprised and Sam scowled. ¡°That was just blind luck! He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.¡± he crossed his arms and slumped down in his chair. Claire came in with a small box and hopped up to sit on her dads knee. She opened the box and began taking out clips with different coloured bows attached and holding them up to his face, catching his whiskers. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Called it!¡± said Pete. ¡°Smug mode engaged!¡± ¡°So we need more Essence. How do we get that Pete?¡± ¡°How should I know? I¡¯m just a civilian,¡± he scowled at his brother. ¡°Usually it¡¯s called experience or XP in games. You get enough to level then you level up and get to improve your stats or unlock abilities. This is really basic stuff guys. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing explaining it to you.¡± ¡°Well thanks for taking the time,¡± said Lindy dryly. ¡°We¡¯ve got¡­ half an hour before whatever is coming gets here. What¡¯s the plan you boys have come up with beyond what we talked about earlier?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t come up with much more. We know we need to reinforce the house. Block off the doors, put bars on the windows. We¡¯ve got the gun, a massive tiger and I¡¯m no slouch in a fight, ask Dad.¡± Sam said. He sounded a little smug himself on the last bit. Owain swatted at Claire''s attempts to clip his whiskers back against his cheeks. ¡°Kiddo, please can you stop that? It¡¯s really uncomfortable when you pull on the whiskers.¡± ¡°Sorry Dad.¡± She pushed the box away. ¡°While we¡¯re talking about plans we need to get the animals in. The goats are out and we should get them all back in the barn and seal it up. I don¡¯t want them to get hurt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point darling. I¡¯m afraid animals seem to be scared of me now. Could you and Sam go get them in the barn and lock it up please?¡± Sam stood up and got the keys from the hook. ¡°C¡¯mon sis, lets go get them inside and give them a good feed.¡± The kids left to lure the goats back in ahead of their usual schedule. Lindy smiled tentatively at Owain as she brought him over a plate of eggs and bacon, freshly rewarmed. He thanked her and started tucking in. ¡°So what else have you come up with Pete? You¡¯re the closest we¡¯ve got to an expert on this crazy stuff. We¡¯re going to need you on the ball and working things out,¡± he said between mouthfuls. Pete was staring at him, fascinated by the fangs. ¡°Those are big teeth Dad, how can you still talk?¡± ¡°No idea son. I just can. Back on topic! Anything else you can think of that will help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a video game. It just feels a bit like one," he shrugged. "Do you have an inventory?¡± ¡°Inventory. Nope I¡¯m getting nothing.¡± ¡°Um, have you tried to form a group? Like a team? Lots of games with wave defence and dungeons use teams. Going solo is usually suicide.¡± Owain looked at Lindy and said ¡°Join group? Join team? Invite Lindy to team? Ooh!¡± For discovering the Team function before the start of the first wave you are rewarded one Essence. Invite Belinda Jones to join Unnamed Team? Y/N ¡°Yes!¡± Belinda Jones has joined Unnamed Team. ¡°I got an Essence for that! Pete, think as hard as you can son! Anything else we might be able to use? If we can get more Essence we can get stronger before this thing starts!¡± ¡°What¡¯s a team chat?¡± asked Lindy, staring vacantly into the air and swiping at words only she could see. ¡°That is so unfair! Team chat will be like texting each other mum, but in your heads I suppose. A good fix for the phones not working. Do you get spells when you get your Essence?¡± he asked, his eyes flashing with curiosity about the way the system worked. ¡°Here¡¯s what the system told me about mine.¡± Owain said excitedly and he read out his status page to his son. Lindy¡¯s eyes fell as he covered the gentle soul part and what the system said about deliberately turning him into a monster. She looked at him, sadness and guilt clear in her eyes. ¡°Huh Bloodlust. That¡¯s so cool, Dad. Despite the-¡± he waved his hand at Owain¡¯s new body, ¡°You got a really good power. So no spells? Just an ability with a couple of ¡°guidelines¡±, interesting that they aren¡¯t called limits or rules or something. Maybe you can break them?¡± ¡°How would we try to do that?¡± asked Lindy, coming over and sitting down next to Pete. ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m a civilian, as I keep having to remind everyone! Ok, let¡¯s go with standard video game ideas. You¡¯ve got a status screen and team interface. It¡¯s all speech or thought activated¡­¡± Pete lapsed into deep thought. The door swung open and Claire and Sam came back in. ¡°They¡¯re all away, we¡¯ve locked up. It might be worth putting the car up against the doors so they are harder to get at?¡± ¡°Good idea Sam,¡± said Lindy, ¡°I¡¯ll go move it. Love, can you invite Sam to the team?¡± That was the first time she¡¯d used a pet name for him since he changed. The fear that Lindy would remain distant and closed off from him began to fade, a little. But¡­ Pet name. Damn, he needed to find a better phrase to describe it. However easy going he was, now he was part cat he could feel the fur on his back standing up at the thought of being called a pet. He smiled at her, careful to keep the fangs hidden and said ¡°Sure Lindy, do we have anything in there that we might need in the house?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so but I¡¯ll check in the boot before I come back. I¡¯ll grab some tools as well, axes, picks, that kind of thing. I don¡¯t think you need any weapons but me and Sam might get some use out of them.¡± She grabbed the car keys and hurried out the door. Owain invited Sam to the team and he accepted. ¡°How did you figure this out?¡± He asked, pouring himself a drink. ¡°Pete figured it out.¡± said Owain. Pete preened with pride and shot a look at his older brother. ¡°And I think I might have something else! There¡¯s always an examine type skill or spell. Sam, say ¡°examine¡± for me!¡± ¡°Examine. No, nothing. Maybe you aren¡¯t a genius?¡± ¡°Try other words that mean the same thing!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sam, please do what Pete is asking. I got an Essence for the team thing he suggested.¡± ¡°Analyse. Assess. Investigate. Um, Identify? Oh!¡± ¡°Did it work?¡± asked Pete excitedly. ¡°Yeah, it says you¡¯re an NPC, Pete, but I got an Essence for it! Level up!¡± ¡°What does it say?¡± asked Pete, bouncing up and down in his chair and ignoring the dig from his brother. ¡°I can pick from Ability, Efficiency and Utility. Efficiency! Oh hey, I''ve got 300 reserves now! I got a three times multiplier!¡± ¡°Stop joking, what did you really get?¡± demanded Pete as Owain looked on bemused. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding! I went from 100 to 300 reserves with that level. Level up! Ah says I need two Essence for the next level. That sucks.¡± ¡°You always need more XP for each level but that¡¯s weird, one Essence for level two and two Essence for level three seems really low. No way it just multiplied a stat like that as well, it¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°Level up!¡± said Owain just as Lindy came in with a couple of lengths of rebar and a splitting axe held under one arm. Would you like to use one Essence and advance to Level 2? Y/N ¡°Yes¡± Please select from the following options Ability Efficiency Utility You have selected Ability. New Status: Level: 2 Name: Owain Jones Ability: Weretiger (permanent) Constitution: 100% Reserves: 100 Ability: Weretiger Weretiger: Such a gentle soul. But within all gentle creatures lies the heart of a beast, it just takes the right encouragement to draw it out. You are now a weretiger, a ravenous monster from Earth legends. You will be permanently transformed by this ability. Feeding will make you stronger. Guidelines: Physical Enhancement: 400% Bloodlust: Spend reserves to enhance your rage, making you more effective in combat and speeding up healing. Modifications: Level 2: Physical Enhancement X4 Announcement - New Story Is Live Hi all, Just wanted to let everyone know my next fiction is now live! There''s 8 chappies going up across the course of today if you''re interested. I hope you''ll come along for the ride! Thanks so much for your support and feedback over Carnival and Weretiger!
Six Souls [Isekai/LitRPG] What if John Carter was forced to go full Genghis Khan? Ray had been a professional killer for years but he didn¡¯t think of himself as an evil man. He had a code that helped him sleep at night. Discretion and professionalism were his watchwords and he had become very good at his job. A beautiful woman tricks him into a mission that ends with him naked, alone and forced to start life again in a new world. Ray is stranded on a facsimile of ancient earth that¡¯s full of dangerous beasts and even more lethal savages. He has to kill to gain Souls that he can spend on levels and to improve his magic. However many he gains there are only six souls that truly matter.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. His mission is to be the last man standing against the others who were exiled from Earth with him: a soldier, a mogul, a social media influencer, a champion MMA fighter and an archaeologist. He can see only one path ahead of him: Win the game, go back to Earth and take his revenge against a god. What to expect: System is introduced in Chapter 2 The story is an exploration of a new world so the main plot is a slow burn but Ray is constantly expanding his horizons and gaining strength. I¡¯ve got 150k edited words on launch and that¡¯s about two thirds of book one. There will be some empire building and technological uplift as Ray shares advanced ideas with the peoples he rises up to lead. Ray will eventually lead the nomad horde south against the more civilised peoples. The system is loosely based on Dark Souls in terms of spending Souls on levels and stats or upgrading his magic. The magic and shop system is potent but limited. Ray will need allies if he is to stand a chance of winning. The style is inspired by classic adventure stories like the Barsoom series. No harem, intimate scenes are handled in a fade to black fashion. It is entirely written in 1st person POV from Ray. Chapters are 2.5k-3k words on average. Release schedule M/W/F Read up to five weeks ahead of Royal Road on Patreon.
Audiobook for Weretiger is live on audible - free codes available! Hi All, Just a quick update! The audiobook for Weretiger released this morning, narrated by Charles Robert Fox who brings the story to life amazingly! This was the first story I published on RR, the second that I wrote. One of the things that got me into litRPGs was audiobooks i stumbled across four or five years ago. Since then I''ve read and listened to pretty much nothing else! It was the genre that encouraged me to get off my ass and start writing after twenty odd years since I last wrote anything! If you would be interested in listening to it I''ve got some codes for the US and UK to give away! If you drop a comment below with UK or US I''ll send you a code for it. Hope you enjoy! Cheers Chris Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words Needs 500 words God that was annoying!Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.