《Corpse》 Ch 0 - Corpse? It had been a normal day for Catherine. Wake up, brush teeth, shower, eat breakfast, take her meds, write some code, read, play some of the new ARPG she¡¯d heard was good, talk to her friends on discord. And then in the late afternoon, everything changed.
System Initialization proceeding, please stand by.
She could see text in the air in front of her. She moved her head and the text stayed where it was in her field of view, so it must be somehow being fed to her brain? Or maybe -
Atmospheric checks completed, re-indexing
Atmospheric checks? That sounds a bit -
Unexpected Geological Anomaly, Escalating¡­
-... worrying, I hope it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re -
Solution calculated, Rectifying¡­
WARNING: Those in the affected area(s) are advised to take cover
- Oh no. And at that moment the earth shook, and shifted underneath her chair, which tipped over. And Cathering watched helplessly from the floor as her prized possesion, her desktop tower - which she had spent so many hours building, customizing, installing programmable LEDs and liquid cooling in, and generally fawning over - took a dive right onto her head, knocking her unconscious and leaving her to bleed out from a head wound.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ----- Catherine woke not to the splitting headache she expected but rather to a surprising lack of pain. She didn''t feel anything in fact - not even heat or cold or pressure. She couldn¡¯t see much with her desktop on her face but she could tell it was still light out. I probably have a concussion, but at least I¡¯m not dead. Hopefully someone will find me and get help. And then, shortly after, Catherine saw one more set of messages appear in front of her eyes.
System Initialized!
All new members to the system will be given an option of a class whose requirements you meet or would be able to meet with a small effort. This is in an effort to balance the lack of existing infrastructure and experience. If you reject the offered class, you may acquire a class in the standard way. Class selections are not permanent, however they are difficult, and often expensive to change, except through evolutions, which while powerful, always have additional requirements that must be met. As a new inductee into the system you will likely not be able to change or remove your class in the near future, and you may have difficulty in finding a class if you reject the one offered. Please choose wisely.
Well that sounded promising. If I get a good one, and this works like a game, maybe I can heal myself, or have the strength to do something useful. This could be the difference between living or dying. Lets see what class it will offer me...
Class requirements met!
Accept Class: Corpse?
Yes No
Name: Corpse Attributes: None
Notes: A corpse is the dead body of a once living being, especially that of a sapient. You are dead.
Traits: Skills: Met Unmet
Be Dead
Ch 1 - Corpse. Catherine stared at the option presented before her. ¡­ Corpse? I¡¯m dead? But if I¡¯m dead, why the hell can I select a class at all? This explains why I can¡¯t feel anything but I have so many questions. If I choose ¡°No¡±, do I die for real? Do I stay like this forever? I don¡¯t want to be stuck like this! Calm down Cat, It¡¯s gonna be okay. Maybe this class will let me move at leaset It doesn¡¯t say that but¡­ well I don¡¯t see a better option. Fuck it.
Class Accepted!
You are now a Corpse!
¡­ ¡­ Well? Erm¡­ well what are my stats?
Name: Catherine Seddon Primary Class: Corpse
Race: Human (Dead) Alternate Classes: None
Name: Corpse Attributes: None
Notes: A corpse is the dead body of a once living being, especially that of a sapient. You are dead.
Body MovementTaken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Mental Special
Str +0 Agi +0 Cha +0 Mem +0
End +0 Dex +0 Log +0 Wil +0
Con +0 Spd +0 Wis +0 Lck +0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Be Dead
Total Attributes: Net (Not Including Effects)
Str 0 (10) Agi 0 (10) Cha 5 (10) Mem 10
End 0 (10) Dex 0 (10) Log 10 Wil 10
Con 0 (10) Spd 0 (10) Wis 10 Lck 0
Effects (1)
Rigor Mortis (State) You are dead. Body and movement attributes are 0, and charisma is halved. Unless action is taken, this effect upgrades to Decay (state) over time.
Okay, I get it. I¡¯m dead. You don¡¯t need to keep rubbing it in. So most of my stats are useless, and I don¡¯t seem to be able to move. Great. Seems like nothing changed Catherine kept attempting to find something in her status that could save her, and struggling to move a muscle even just to look a different direction or inhale. But nothing worked. Minutes turned into hours, which very much felt like days or longer. I think I¡¯m going to go crazy like this. I¡¯d do anything just for something to change. I¡¯ve re-read all my stats and info so many times, I can recite it all from memory. Not that there''s much of interest. And as hours dragged by and the sun set and rose, soon days had passed and still no sign of change. Oh good, my status effect changed, yaaaay. She sarcastically thought.
Effects (1)
Decay (State) You are dead. Body and movement attributes are 0, and charisma is -10. You emit a disgusting stench..
Maybe selecting this class was a mistake, what if I could have gotten a different one somehow? What, by sitting on your ass you idiot? No, it said there''s a way to get classes normally but I doubt I could do so like this. Maybe someone will come and find me and help me evolve my class? Or at least finish me off¡­ Further days passed and she could do nothing but watch as flies buzzed around her, landed on her, burrowed into her. Please, if I can¡¯t do anything, at least let me die. If there¡¯s a god listening, or anyone, or anything. And then just when she¡¯d given up hope¡­ No, that¡¯s wrong, she¡¯d given up hope quite quickly, and then forced herself to hope again, and lost all hope again, over and over for days. But nonetheless, just as she was giving up yet again and cursing who-or what-ever was responsible for her plight, something changed. Ch 2 - Burial Mark trudged down the street, past the ruined buildings and the husks of abandoned homes, some still largely intact, others burnt, or with large holes torn through them, or otherwise damaged. It was depressing. But someone had to do it. ¡­Or at least that¡¯s what the council had decided. Mark wasn¡¯t entirely sure. He knew the dead deserved far better than he could give them, but when it came down to it, this was time that should be spent planning for survival and ¡°Leveling¡± their ¡°Classes¡± that the system deemed so important. Not that Mark could argue. The man he was before the apocalypse couldn¡¯t even compare to who he¡¯d become. ¡°We¡¯ve got another one, big guy!¡± a voice called from the house across the street, and Mark ambled over to take a look. ¡°Hey Liam, what¡¯ve you got for me? Please tell me it¡¯s not too old.¡± ¡°Sorry bud, this one looks like it might be from the very first day, it¡¯s pretty rotten.¡± And by the gods was it. What greeted him was the maggot, fly and worm covered rotting mess in the vage shape of a human body, half buried under a desk, a computer and some miscellaneous rubble. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°The poor bastard didn¡¯t even make it to class selection I¡¯d bet.¡± ¡°He¡­ or she¡­ must have gotten crushed during the earthquake in the beginning. Not a bad way to go all considered.¡± ¡°She? Hah! Good one, Mark! See that gaming headset there? Definitely a guy.¡± ¡°Whatever you say, Liam. Guess I¡¯ll be carrying him to the grave. Ugh, I¡¯m gonna need a hundred baths after this.¡± ¡°And as usual you make me glad I got a movement based build!¡± Mark lifted the computer and shoved the rubble off the corpse before picking it up in both arms. Many of the crawling insects tried to bite him but they couldn¡¯t break his skin. He cradled the decaying corpse in his arms, to make sure it didn¡¯t fall apart, and the pair headed off down the row of houses toward an open lot. On the way back, Liam cracked a few jokes, and Mark did his best to laugh and respond in kind, but neither was particularly sincere, and their grim facial expressions betrayed their mood. And then they arrived. An open lot. Most of it taken up by a large pit. Well, more of a ditch really. And it was filled with corpses, in various states of decay. Some were about as rotten as the one in Mark¡¯s arms, others were simply bloated and ashen, and a few could almost pass as the living, but for their pale complexion, empty eyes, limp bodies and the wounds that had been their end. This wasn¡¯t the first corpse mark had dumped into the mass grave today, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. ¡°So many died that first day, and so many die each day since¡­¡± ¡°I know, big guy, but we¡¯ll remember them. We have to.¡± Mark looked at Liam, and slowly nodded. Then he silently and slowly tipped the rotting husk of flesh and bone and maggots that had once been a person into the mass grave and began to slowly make his way back to the houses. And Liam scouted ahead. On the search for others to bury, monsters to kill, or maybe even survivors who hadn''t joined up with the enclave yet. And in the mass grave, in that pile of decaying flesh and ruined bodies, the body Mark had left, was slowly buried under more corpses as others came with more fallen to dispose of. And Catherine Seddon was slowly buried under the festering flesh and blood and viscera of dozens upon dozens of the people who had once been her neighbors. Ch 3 - Undead After days of nothing but waiting and hoping (and rotting), something changed for Catherine. She heard voices. ¡­ No not like that, someone was nearby! Oh my god! Another person! They can help me, HELP! I can¡¯t speak, I can¡¯t yell, FUCK! But with this new system thing, they¡¯ll be able to tell that I¡¯m still alive¡­ -ish, won¡¯t they? Oh here he is! Damn, he¡¯s buff. Okay, big guy, help me, please. ¡­ Oh hey there¡¯s two of you, so what¡¯s- ¡°The poor bastard didn¡¯t even make it to class selection I¡¯d bet.¡± ¡°He¡­ or she¡­ must have gotten crushed during the earthquake in the beginning. Not a bad way to go all considered.¡± ¡°She? Hah! Good one, Mark! See that gaming headset there? Definitely a guy.¡± Yaaaaaaaaaaay stereotypes. Shut up and help me. Wait what did he say? Fuck I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Something about baths and movement builds? Okay he¡¯s carrying me, sorry for the.. Grossness. Oh gods, those were inside me??? Catherine was sure that if she could, she would have vomited at the sight of the various creepy crawlies that fell out of and off of her as she was lifted onto the man¡¯s shoulder. Okay so maybe he¡¯s taking me to where someone can help. Oh its an empty lot, a meeting place? ¡­ Oh no. From her upside down vantage point, catherine could finally see where she was being taken. She was going to be put in a mass grave, already occupied by a great number of corpses in varying states of decay. Wait, they¡¯re saying something, please notice that I¡¯m not dead. PLEASE!!! ¡°So many died that first day, and so many die each day since¡­¡± ¡°I know, big guy, but we¡¯ll remember them. We have to.¡± No. No no no no no no no no no no no no no. And Catherine fell into the ditch with the other rotting human carcasses. No! Don¡¯t Leave me here! Please! Catherine watched as the two men walked away from the pit and out of her view. C¡¯mon Cat, it¡¯ll be okay. Someone will come by, or something will happen, or¡­ something¡­ please¡­ Time passed without help, but just as she was losing hope, she heard voices once more, growing louder. ¡°Got another one for the pile, Jimmy¡± ¡°I can see that. Toss ¡®em in on the left side, gettin¡¯ a bit full on the others.¡± ¡°Gotcha Jimmy.¡± Please, please, please notice me. Help me. Anything. Anyone¡­ And Catherine saw a face, peeking over the edge of the pit. And then it¡¯s cold, dead eyes plummeted directly towards her. Oh god what- And the newly arrived body, fell right onto Catherine, with a wet smack. Ugh No! Ugh! EWWWWWWWWW! OH GOD IT¡¯S DRIPPING! IT¡¯S GETTING IN MY MOUTH! UGH IT TASTES SO FUCKING AWFUL I THINK I¡¯M GONNA - Wait. I can¡¯t taste anything. It took Catherine a moment to realize that, while her circumstance was revolting even so, she couldn¡¯t actually taste the gore that had made its way into her mouth and nose. Ugh, oh god. Don¡¯t think about it Cat, everything will be okay. But everything was not okay. And as the hours passed by and more voices, and wet, sickening thumps, were heard. Catherine was slowly buried deeper and deeper into the pile of corpses in the mass grave. And then, finally, she got a notification.
Due to actions you have performed, new Class option(s) is/are available!
Oh my god!!! YES!
Name: Husherwitch Attributes: Cha(2), Wis (2), Wil, Lck
Notes: Husherwitches are a type of undead that masquerade as corpses and use magic to stealthily kill and consume living prey.
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 0 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 0 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 0 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Undead Permanently adds the (Undead) modifier to your race Surreptitious Spellcaster Be undead or otherwise nonliving
Corpse CasterYou could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Allows you to cast spells you know even while nonliving Corpse Resemblance Have not moved since becoming dead/undead
Immobile You cannot move. Feed from the living or a corpse
That¡­ sounds unpromising... Immobile? Yeah so basically it¡¯s exactly where I¡¯m at now. Maybe if I had some spells but I don¡¯t. Wait. ¡°Feed From the living or a corpse¡±? EWWWW! Ugh, that¡¯s probably what gave me all of these, I guess that explains it at least. That gunk got far enough to count as eating¡­ I hope that doesn¡¯t mean all of my classes are undead¡­
Name: Feral Undead Vampire Spawn Attributes: End, Con, Agi, Spd
Notes: The lowest form of vampiric undead. Feral and lacking a bloodline, they are tough and fast, but will burn in sunlight or on exposure to iron
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 0 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 0 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 0 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Undead Permanently adds the (Undead) modifier to your race Sapping Bite Be undead or otherwise nonliving
Blood Drinker Consume the blood of the living to restore health. As an undead, you must drink blood to survive. Drink blood from a corpse
What¡¯s with all the undead?
(Undead)
Undead is a catchall for beings that have been partially or entirely brought back from the grave (or held from death) by magic, necromancy, ritual, etc. or for bodies of the dead inhabited by beings other than the original owner. Other than a small number of rare exceptions, undead are in a constant state of deterioration, as their bodies are truly dead, and will rot away to nothing given time. Many varieties therefore replenish themselves by consuming the living, or acquiring fresh bodies.. Undead are generally weak against Light, and Soul magic.
Okay, I think I¡¯d prefer to avoid that if I can¡­ ugh. It sounds¡­ less than ideal.
Name: Ghoul Spawn Attributes: Str, End (2), Con (2)
Notes: The weakest form of ghoul. While often Undead, a ghoul is simply any warped creature that subsists primarily on rotting corpses, including those of what was once their own kind.
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 0 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 0 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 0 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Corpse Eater Unharmed by eating rotting flesh, high disease resistance. Consume Be one of Fell, Corrupted, Eldritch, Revenant, Reanimated or be undead or otherwise unliving.
Grave Dweller Eat flesh from a corpse of your own species (modifiers not included)
Okay, at least it¡¯s not undead¡­ I still don¡¯t like it though¡­
Name: Ghoul Spawn (Undead) Attributes: Str, End (2), Con
Notes: The weakest form of ghoul. Subsists on the rotting flesh and marrow of the dead.
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 0 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 0 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 0 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Undead Permanently adds the (Undead) modifier to your race Consume Be Undead or otherwise nonliving
Corpse Eater Unharmed by eating rotting flesh, high disease resistance. Grave Dweller Eat flesh from a corpse of your own species (modifiers not included)
Undead again¡­
Name: Cannibal Attributes: Str, End, Con
Notes: One who eats the flesh of their own.
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 0 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 0 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 0 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Corpse Eater Unharmed by eating rotting flesh, high disease resistance. Consume Eat flesh from a corpse of your own species
Ew. I think I¡¯d pick ghoul over that, honestly. It has better attributes.
Name: Corpse (Revenant) Attributes: None
Notes: This is the revenant Race modifier version of the Corpse class
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 0 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 0 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 0 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Traits: Skills: Met Requirements Unmet Requirements
Returned Permanently adds the (Revenant) modifier to your race have died and be nonliving
have returned from death (or not have moved on)
perform one of the following actions as testament to your resurrection: walk, talk, stand, eat, drink, breathe, blink, or cast magic.
!!! THAT¡¯S!!! Nope. same class, just some modifier. Cool. Hmmm. Honestly, Ghoul seems the best. This is difficult though. What does this actually do? Does it replace my class? Add a new one?
You have the following class evolution options: Corpse (Revenant), Husherwitch
You have the following classes available as a primary or secondary Class: Feral Undead Vampire Spawn, Ghoul Spawn, Ghoul Spawn (Undead), Cannibal
Selecting the secondary class Ghoul Spawn will make certain class evolutions (Corpse (Revenant)) and additional classes (Feral Undead Vampire Spawn, Ghoul Spawn (Undead), Cannibal) unavailable from this point.
Damn. That means I can¡¯t get multiple if I choose the undead ones¡­ except Husherwitch, but I¡¯m not willing to be immobile forever. The rest were mostly similar. Except:
Selecting the class evolution Corpse (Revenant) will replace your current class Corpse and will make certain class evolutions (Husherwitch) and additional classes (Feral Undead Vampire Spawn, Ghoul Spawn (Undead)) unavailable from this point.
So I can grab that and still be able to get the non-undead version of ghoul spawn, but then I¡¯d be a ¡°Revenant¡± isn¡¯t that just a type of undead?
(Revenant)
A revenant is one who has returned from death or perhaps never left, by sheer force of will or otherwise.
Hmm. That actually seems fine. ¡°Never left¡± fits me. Fuck it, I like that better than being a ghoul, even if not undead, so let¡¯s try it first.
Your Class is now Corpse (Revenant)!
Your Race is now Human (Revenant)!
You have class option(s) available!
Well, it didn¡¯t seem to do anything. I still can¡¯t move. Guess I¡¯m becoming a ghoul. Ugh. I hope I don¡¯t regret this.
You have 1 secondary class slot open. Become a Ghoul Spawn?
Yes/No
Talk about a no brainer. Well, Here. We. GO!
You have gained the class Ghoul Spawn!
Ch 4 - Free at Last Armed with her new Ghoul Spawn class, Catherine thrashed back and forth and wiggled her way out into a position where she could get leverage, before ripping her way through the corpses and gore above her and bursting up to the surface. As her head breached the surface, she spat out dirt and gore and inhaled her first ragged breath from the air of this new world and called for help from one of the nearby gravediggers, who rescued her and brought her to safety. And there was her computer! They had rescued it from her house and her favorite game had new content! She put on her headphones and sat down, but then the world shook and her computer fell over. The ground opened up beneath her and she fell into a dark abyss. As the last vestige of light vanished into the distance above her, she could feel the earth closing in around her. Then suddenly she tasted blood and something worse. But she couldn''t stop chewing. It was so delicious and she couldn''t stop chewing on the flesh. She had killed them. She had killed them all. ---------- Catherine woke with a start. She could taste dirt and gore in her mouth and tried to scream but couldn''t. She slowly realized where she was. The past days hadn''t been a nightmare, but what she just woke up from was. Wait. She had woken up. From a dream. From sleep. She''d slept. For the first time in days of this unending hell, she''d slept. Something has changed She was free! She could sleep! She could move! She lifted her arms and¡­ she couldn''t lift her arms. Nothing happened. She tried to move her legs and they likewise didn''t budge. It made sense. She checked her stats. Her health was still 0. She still had the decay effect. Her limbs had likely rotted to the point of being unusable even if they were under her control. If only she had gotten a new class before her body had decayed to this point. She tried to scream in frustration and¡­ her mouth moved. What.
Consume has reached level 1
!!! It appeared that either her mouth hadn''t rotted as much as the rest of her or, more likely, skills didn''t rely entirely on the actual capabilities of one''s body, or maybe they changed how ones body worked in some way or¡­Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Who cares. Let''s see what I can do.
Consume allows you to eat to restore your body, improve or alter it
Catherine opened her mouth and bit off a piece of the body of whatever poor soul was on top of her. She swallowed, and while it still tasted like blood and gore and rot and dirt¡­ she liked it. And suddenly Catherine could feel how ravenous she was. She felt like she could eat a cow. With her new class maybe she actually could. Hopefully I''m the only one who was still aware even in death. If not¡­ I''m sorry. But a girl''s gotta eat. And she ate. She ate and ate and ate and chewed and swallowed and licked and bit and tore at whatever was in front of her.
Consume has reached level 8
The more she ate the better she felt and the faster she could eat, but somehow she only seemed to get hungrier until suddenly she received a notification.
Health has reached 1. You are no longer dead. Through resurrection, necromancy, scaling the mountain, or some other means, you have returned from death. Welcome back.
Decay removed
Malnourished added (Ghoul Spawn can survive a very long time without food, but have reduced attributes and may hibernate)
Grave Rot added (as a ghoul Spawn, when wounded and lacking food, your body is corpselike, and by immersing yourself in the many gory intricacies of rotting corpses, you begin to look and smell like one. You emit a disgusting stench, charisma is heavily reduced)
Catherine rejoiced silently at the message, and continued consuming until her health was full, whereupon she noticed a new feeling. Her body seemed to get slightly denser with each bite, as if she were getting heavier by forcing more matter into every inch of her.
Malnourished removed
As she kept moving her mouth, now aided by her hands, to pull food into her mouth and swallow it, without even thinking, she moved the dense feeling toward her stomach. All she could think about was eating more and more. It tasted so good. It felt so wonderful. She just wanted to get more of this delicious goodness inside her, and more than that she wanted it now. And as she focused on that, the denseness moved toward her core and seemed to shift before dissipating slowly. But as that denseness left her, she felt something shift. It felt like her insides were rearranging themselves, and opening themselves up. It¡­ it hurt but in a good way. Like stretching sore muscles. And suddenly she was eating much much faster than before, she ripped through a corpse in seconds, and nearly swallowed one whole. And then there was light. Catherine burst out if the dirt, screaming, but there was no one around to see or hear her. The mass grave had been filled, covered in a thin layer of dirt, and abandoned. And for that she was grateful as she looked down at herself. She was gaunt, covered in dirt and gore and rot. Her hair was matted and had clumps missing. Her fingers curled and with their thinness and jagged nails, looked more like claws than anything. But none of that was what she noticed first. She looked down at her torso - at what should have been her chest, rib cage and belly button. But instead there was a gaping hole with her ribs sticking out. Or what used to be her ribs, now sharp and moving about like the limbs of some horrifying alabaster arachnid. Her gaping abdominal cavity leered up at her, filled with ribs and gnashing teeth and blood and gristle and rot. And Catherine fainted. Ch 5 - Growth Catherine woke on her back. Another nightmare. And somehow even more horrifying than the last. But as she looked up and saw the open sky above her and the sun rising through the treeline, she gasped and sat up. She looked down at herself with growing horror as she saw that it hadn''t, in fact, been a dream. She had a giant horrifying mouth for a stomach. But just when she thought she might pass out again, she realized that it was moving according to her volition. She stilled her¡­ ribs? And slowly closed the mouth. And with it closed she looked rather normal¡­ well human at least. She was still gaunt, covered in dirt and gore, and likely smelled like death. But at least now she only had what looked like a long, and particularly nasty, scar running from her belly button up to between her breasts - instead of that terrifying, nausea inducing, aperture. Most importantly though - she was alive. She was alive, and she was free. And she had eaten people. ¡­ She¡­ Holy fuck But despite knowing she should be feeling horrified at having been buried alive, and had eaten her way out through a mass of rotting corpses, Catherine wasn¡¯t bothered by that fact. I¡¯m probably just in shock. Do people in shock realize they¡¯re in shock? But Cat didn¡¯t want to spend any more time near the mass grave, especially now that without that omnipresent hunger, the corpses and rotting flesh once more looked more disgusting than appetizing. So she stood up, and that was when Catherine realized she was essentially naked. The clothes she had been wearing had been little more than rags after days of decay, being carried roughly, and buried. Between clawing her way through corpses, and the gaping maw in her chest, there was little covering her other than some scraps of rubber on her feet and some cloth around her legs, that did more to hamper her movement than cover her body. Deciding that there was nothing else for it, Cat dug into the pile of corpses for some vaguely intact clothing. It was all covered in dirt and gore and rot, but then again so was she. Not as if I can get any more disgusting. Catherine pondered for a moment, but the sheer number of dead, many of whom had wounds that appeared to be from weapons or wild animals convinced her that protection was more important than cleanliness, especially considering her current, already soiled, state. As Cat covered herself in clothes and rags from head to toe, she received a pair of notifications.
Skill unlocked! Scavenging is now level 0!
Skill unlocked! Cloth Armor is now level 0!
Catherine checked the descriptions of the two skills.
Scavenging (0): Whether searching for sustenance or materials, a skilled scavenger can make use of their surroundings even in inhospitable environments.
Cloth Armor (0): Lighter even than light armor, cloth still provides some measure of protection, even if minimal.
They both seemed useful enough, and this proved that she could acquire skills even without being given them alongside a class. Although these two were much more mundane than her class skill appeared to be. After a bit more scavenging and wrapping cloth around herself, Cloth Armor reached level 1 and Scavenging reached level 2. Catherine now looked less like a gaunt, disheveled human with a large scar and more like a humanoid pile of cloth and rags. She strangely didn¡¯t feel overheated, even under the now midday sun. Shaking her head and looking around, she decided it was time to head out. Ideally she¡¯d find a town or settlement of people, preferably with baths. But she¡¯d more than settle for a retaining pond or a small stream where she could at least dunk herself and wash off some portion of the stench that was surely coating her. Odd that I don¡¯t smell anything bad. Either I¡¯m desensitized, or it¡¯s my class helping out. Either way I¡¯m grateful for small mercies. Cat turned toward one of the nearby houses, and then behind her toward the treeline. She didn¡¯t remember a state or national park being this close, but then again she wasn¡¯t much for leaving the house when she didn¡¯t have to, and certainly didn¡¯t go hiking or camping. She decided to check out the suburbs first, since there were more likely to be people there, and she started on her way. ----------This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Catherine had checked twelve houses so far and found nothing. Well not nothing but the objects of most interest were 3 cans of food, some blankets and clothes she¡¯d used to add to her makeshift armor, and replace some of the most ragged bits of cloth, and a wooden baseball bat. Metal would have been better. Or better yet, a hatchet¡­ or a pistol¡­ or an assault rifle¡­ She cut herself off. Fantasizing about finding military grade gear or a still functioning refrigerator wouldn¡¯t help her. As she wandered between the houses, her stomach growled. Her stomach growled. She looked down, lifting up her rags slightly, and saw the rib-teeth open and shut slightly. It was disturbing, but she¡¯d gotten slightly more used to the idea after testing out how she could move the strange mouth-thing. It was as much a part of her as anything else, and just as much under her control. Which was to say - not entirely. She could use the strange mouth just like her pre-existing one, but just as one might grimace or exhale involuntarily: when she was hungry, her torso-mouth would writhe slightly, barely opening and closing. She hadn¡¯t found anything to open the cans with, and she didn¡¯t really want to go eat rotting corpses if she didn¡¯t have to. But then she had an idea. That mouth ripped through flesh and cracked open bones. Why shouldn¡¯t it be able to get into a metal can. It¡¯s not like they were particularly tough. Cat held one of the cans down, opened her second mouth and slowly placed it inside. She gingerly closed it and squeezed her muscles. And with a metallic screech and a slight pop, the can cracked open and she could taste the flavor of briny green beans mixed with a metallic taste. She chewed and swallowed before realizing that she hadn¡¯t spit out the can. But it didn¡¯t feel like there was anything stuck there. She opened the mouth and tried to spit, but all that came out was a disgusting bloody slobber. Well, hopefully that was nothing to worry about. And it was at that moment that Catherine heard another growl. But this time it didn¡¯t come from her stomach-mouth, it came from behind her. She slowly turned around to come face to face with the largest dog she had ever seen. Catherine stumbled backwards, falling on her ass and letting out a yell. The dog, meanwhile slowly approached, baring its teeth. As it approached, Cat realized it wasn¡¯t a normal dog. Beyond its size - nearly as big as a horse- it¡¯s teeth seemed a bit two big, and too sharp. But none of that seemed impossible, just strange. It had a ridge of bones along it¡¯s back - as if its spine had grown spikes right through its skin - and its claws were jagged, serrated even, and dripping some viscous black substance that Cat was sure she didn¡¯t want anywhere near her based on how it made the ground and grass it touched sizzle slightly and wither. And suddenly, catherine knew something. Tar Hound Pup (Lvl 6) PUP!?!?!? And despite, or perhaps because of, her shock at its designation, the pup chose that moment to pounce. It¡¯s jaws opened wider than Cat had ever seen a dog¡¯s mouth open, and snapped shut on her flailing right arm she had raised in defense, biting it off at the shoulder and taking some of her torso with it. As the beast rapidly shook its head to the side, it came away leaving Catherine with a sizzling, burning wound covered in that black oozing substance she had seen on its claws. It burned! The tar like substance was burning and eating away at her arm, and Catherine screamed in pain.
Skill Unlocked! Pain resistance is now level 0!
Skill Unlocked! Corrosion resistance is now level 0!
But as the hound came in for another bite, or perhaps a finishing blow, Catherine felt something even stronger than the pain. She was hungry. She was starving. She was ravenous. And as the Tar Hound turned its head sideways and opened its jaws so wide they could grab catherines whole torso between them - catherine opened her mouth too. Catherine¡¯s midsection opened up and her ribs spread wide. And just as the beast opened its mouth so unnaturally wide¡­ Catherine opened hers even wider. And the beast¡¯s eyes seemed to widen. It slowed and started to pull back. But it was too late, Cat closed her jaws around its head and ripped into its snout and ket munching and ripping - never letting go and pulling the two combatants closer. And when Catherine bit into the dog¡¯s skull, crushing it, the beast went limp.
Ghoul Spawn has reached level 1!
For a moment Cat paused, but her hunger was too overwhelming and she continued tearing at the body of the creature as she checked her status.
Body Movement Mental Special
Str 1 Agi 0 Cha 0 Mem 0
End 2 Dex 0 Log 0 Wil 0
Con 2 Spd 0 Wis 0 Lck 0
Huh so It just raised the relevant attributes. Guess I get 1 Str, and 2 End and Con per level. Catherine idly lifted a piece of the dog¡¯s viscera to her lips and bit into it before dropping it and gasping in horror. Why would she do that!?! It was one thing to eat with her¡­ other mouth, but this¡­ well how was it different anyway? It tasted good. And she¡¯d killed it, she deserved to enjoy this meal. People eat dogs, and this is more of a monster, how is it different from eating a rare steak? I always liked my steaks well done though¡­ She looked at the half eaten remains, and absent-mindedly licked her lips. At this point¡­ fuck it. And Cat fell upon the beast with gusto and dug in. ---------- Catherine sat under a tree, relaxing in the shade, and watching as the last bits of skin grew over the fingers of her regenerated arm. It looked good as new, with some slight modifications. Since she had instinctually added that extra mouth on her torso to help her claw her way out of the grave, she decided to try adding more features to her body, without changing it up too much. So now her right hand had what looked like a raw puckered scar, but which she could open into a mouth with sharp teeth so she only needed to grab something to eat it. She had also added a bracer kind of protrusion made out of bone. So she could deflect attacks and she could let creatures bite onto her arm without hurting her¡­ Well creatures of a smaller size at least. It wouldn¡¯t do much for anything that could bite off her entire arm in one snap, but it would work if there were any more normal sized animals. She¡¯d seen videos where people shoved their arm into the mouth of a dog that was attacking them and it seemed effective as long as you had arm protection. She¡¯d also added to her cloth armor and attached some more rags and scrapps as well as just putting some extra clothes on. It was a bit overly warm, but better sweaty than dead¡­ or whatever would happen to her. The next step would be to try and find a small animal to test her hand out on, and maybe add one to her other arm. She somehow knew instinctively that she could do so right now, but she¡¯d be hungry again if she did. And Cat didn¡¯t want to risk that, with how little control she had over herself while hungry. She was going to make a concerted effort to stay topped up if at all possible. Both so she could stay rational, but also to recover from wounds. Later. First I need a nap. And Catherine relaxed against the tree and dozed off.