A trio of sharp cracks echoed through the dusty streets, drowning out the distant sound of motorcycles from the main road. Three bullets flashed out, quicker than the eye could track. And two of those three bullets found their mark, slamming into Charlemagne as he recovered from his initial shock and rushed his gun-wielding opponent. Pain blossomed in his side and in his recently healed wing as he continued his mad dash towards his foe, who managed to snap off one more volley of shots while retreating. The AK-47 went flying as the second police officer went down, his groin shredded to bits by angry chicken talons. The now irate rooster ignored the burning pain in his abdomen as he vented his fury on the downed man. In his anger, he forgot one key detail. He had left one of his opponents alive.
A battle cry from behind him notified Charlemagne of the serious tactical error that he had made. Leaving behind his latest victim, he whirled around just in time to see the second police officer pulling the trigger on his weapon. A gentle “click” was all that came out. Both Charlemagne and his opponent froze for a moment, neither knowing how to react to the gun not going off. The tiny-brained chicken moved first, his bloody claws tearing up furrows in the ground as he sprinted with all his might toward the police officer and slammed into the man’s uninjured leg. The officer went down again, but unlike the previous time, he wasn’t given the opportunity to get back up.
Charlemagne stretched out his beak and took a bite from the downed man, but before he could even swallow, a bevy of loud angry sounds erupted from up the street. The rooster looked up and saw a truck barreling toward him, carrying a patrol of six armed officers in its bed. Quickly realizing that he was finally outmatched, Charlemagne darted away from the carnage, leaving a trail of blood with each step. The pain in his side grew worse as he ran, causing him to nearly stumble a few times in his mad dash to safety, reaching a crescendo as he was forced to use his broken wing to help him clear a concrete wall that enclosed one side of a small field that bordered a large swath of forest.
Safely out of sight for the moment, Charlemagne tried to turn his attention to his gains from the recent combat, bringing to bear his still-stunted intellect on the latest set of squiggles. It was almost impossible for him to focus through the haze of pain, but the rooster had an unshakable faith in the power of the squiggles. Whatever was happening to him, the mysterious symbols could fix it.
Skills Increased
Claw: 5->7
Peck: 4->6
Congratulations, you are now level 4.
Attributes Updated
Strength: (28->30)
Dexterity: (24->26)
Durability: (23->25)
Special: (38->40)
Congratulations, you are now level 5.
Attributes Updated
Strength: (30->32)
Dexterity: (26->28)
Durability: (23->25)
Special: (40->42)
Free points: 5
Skills Added
Dash: 1
Sneak: 1
Congratulations, you have earned the achievement (Tonga!). Although your species is not known for stealth, you successfully executed a sneak attack on your first try. The Sneak skill (and its advanced forms) will be easier to level and slightly more effective.
Congratulations, you have reached a new milestone. For reaching level 5, you receive 5 free attribute points. You will also receive a new Special Ability tailored to suit your needs. Note: as you are currently dying from blood loss, your ability choices will be healing focused. Please also note that this choice cannot be easily undone. Choose wisely from the following list:
Special Ability: Food for the Stomach, and the Stomach for Food. You have probably already figured out that a good meal helps with minor injuries, but this ability goes far beyond that. Calorie-dense food will drastically accelerate your natural healing and can even regrow bones, organs, and flesh with a sufficient supply of calories. You will also be able to sense the direction of highly nutritious consumables. Finally, you can derive benefits if the food you consume is of sufficient quality and quantity.
Special Ability: Go With the Flow. Being at least partially submerged causes the water to accept you as its own, giving you some of the benefits your cousins the Crocodylia enjoy as well as several other abilities. You will be an expert swimmer, and your lung capacity will triple. Soaking wounds in water will greatly increase your natural healing rate and delay death due to blood loss. Finally, you will gain a bonus to your physical attributes and certain skills while submerged.
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Special Ability: Let’s Photosynthesize, Guys! Solar power is not something that West Africa lacks, and you could benefit from it, too. You can absorb solar radiation as well as some forms of thermal radiation) in order to accelerate healing, temporarily boost attributes, or power attacks. A small amount of energy can be stored for a rainy day. Moving during the energy collection process greatly decreases the potency of this ability.
Even though he did not understand what exactly the squiggles were telling him, Charlemagne knew that he was being offered a choice. He would get more power from eating, from swimming, or from standing in the sun. For the young rooster, the choice was a no-brainer. As a chicken, he eschewed anything larger than a puddle, and he didn’t enjoy standing around. He did, however, love to eat. The squiggles must have understood his choice because they briefly reappeared a moment later.
Congratulations, you have acquired the following Special Ability: Food for the Stomach, and the Stomach for Food. Eat responsibly!
As the symbols faded, Charlemagne was assailed by ravenous hunger that belied the enormous meal he had just consumed. The squiggles had brought him new power, but for some reason, he felt weak and wobbly. He had absolute faith that if he could just get his beak around enough food, everything would be all right. But he didn’t see anything edible in the field, and his strength was ebbing by the moment. He willed himself to hang on until he found some food.
Durability: (25->30)
The system, having been designed to work with any species, no matter how stupid, rightfully interpreted the young rooster’s wish to toughen up. The extra seven points in durability would not stop him from bleeding out, but they did give him a few minutes more than he would have had otherwise. Charlemagne was still going to die if he did not find food. Fortunately, he had a plan for that. He was going to do nothing and trust the squiggles yet again.
A moment later he sprinted off, heading straight for the forest. After a few seconds, the sprint turned into a jog, and then the jog turned into a brisk walk, but Charlemagne kept at it.
Skill Increased
Dash 1-> 3
He had almost reached the forest when he heard a yell directly behind him, followed by the loud cracking sound that had hurt him previously. Something slammed into the ground right next to him, kicking up a spray of dirt. Putting on a desperate burst of speed, the rooster stumbled past the tree line and into the underbrush. He was close: both close to death and close to finding the one thing that could save him.
Charlemagne made a beeline for a spot where the ground had recently been disturbed and dug desperately. With his enhanced attributes, he soon reached the treasure that he sought. Cracking right through the heavy plastic container with a powerful peck, he shoved his entire head through the opening he had made and took an enormous bite (for a rooster at least) of the nutritious substance within. Spurred on by both his new predator instincts and his Special Ability, Charlemagne didn’t stop to take a breath until he had made his way through a fourth of the box’s contents. Once he had finished devouring the rest, the rooster hunkered down to rest and digest. After a few minutes, the squiggles returned, letting him know he had once again done a good job.
Congratulations, you have earned the achievement (Back from the Brink). You have healed a mortal wound by eating a…this can’t be right…human placenta? You know, what, it…it’s fine. You earned the achievement, so here’s your reward. Attributes are five percent more effective. All forms of healing are ten percent more effective.
Charlemagne had no idea just how lucky he was to have found a human placenta buried in the forest. Most species of mammals will simply eat their placenta due to its nutritional value. Humans, some aquatic mammals, and camelids are notable exceptions to this common mammalian practice. Humans who have hospital births often leave their placenta with the hospital to be disposed of as medical waste, but this is not commonly done in Benin due to the fear that the tissue could be used to cast a spell on the mother and/or child. In any event, the rooster desperately needed to replenish his stores of protein, amino acids, and minerals such as iron due to his wounds and blood loss. A human placenta has all three of these essential ingredients, as attested by what happened next.
Congratulations, you have consumed a sufficient amount of high-quality human tissue. Your class choices have been upgraded.
Congratulations, additional template compatibility unlocked for Theropod (partial). Current progress to next level is 21 percent.
After receiving enough vitality from his grisly meal for his body to begin the recovery process as well as a message from the squiggles that held a strange but powerful promise, Charlemagne was feeling ready for anything. A crow of victory swelled within Charlemagne's breast, but the pain that accompanied his inhalation reminded him that he still needed to lie low until he was healed up. A few moments later, he heard shouting and the pounding of heavy boots against the bare earth, letting him know that it was time to go. Rising to his feet, he made his way deeper into the forest, unconsciously relying on his new Sneak skill to aid his escape.
Skill Increased
Sneak 1-> 2
As his steps grew stronger and steadier with each passing moment, a new form of intelligence began to slowly bud inside the rooster’s tiny brain. It was easy to miss amidst the wash of deeply ingrained animal instincts, but it was undeniably there. A part of this new intellect was manifested in the ability to feel pride at his recent growth. And so, as Charlemagne followed the new food sense granted by his Special Ability, a part of him wanted the squiggles to show him how powerful he was.
And the squiggles obliged.
Name: Charlemagne
Species: Gallus Domesticus Baronia) – 21%
Class:
Level 5
Attributes
Strength: (30)
Dexterity: (28)
Durability: (30)
Special: (40)
Species Skills
Peck: 6
Claw: 7
Hover: 1
General Skills
Dash: 3
Sneak: 2