《Black Wing》Chapter 17
Advertisement
I stare at the words appearing before me as the woman's voice mechanically reads them out.
{Greater Forest Raven: Larger in size and wingspan than a Common Raven, the Greater Forest Ravens are cunning, mischievous creatures that use trickery in their hunts. The culture of tying a child to the mother's back is believed to come from the lore of a wandering Greater Forest Raven stealing an infant from the crib while its mother worked in the fields.}
So I had to choose between a zombie and a crib-robber. Huh.
Staring at the two options before me, I tear off another chunk of white meat from the snake and nibble as I think.
Which one had Mother been? Definitely not the Carrion Raven, since some of the mixtures she fed me with had sometimes contained berries and grains.
Maybe she was a Greater Forest Raven, or some other evolution.
Another thought niggling in my mind was the possibility of other evolutions out there. If I could get the Carrion Raven evolution by eating all sorts of meat, what different evolutions would be triggered if I did other things?
There must be an evolution out there that could give me a humanoid form. But were there any fantasy creatures I knew of that were part-raven, part-human?
I think back on all the mythology and folklore I knew in my old life.
A spider could probably evolve into an arachne, or a tree into a wood nymph or an Ent. If I had reincarnated into a snake even, there was the lamia. For the life of me, I could not think of a bird evolving into a clear humanoid creature. Even a harpy was a bird with the head of a woman. That served no purpose for me. I wanted hands!
Advertisement
Plopping back with feet in the air, I let out an exasperated breath, pausing as Greenie lifted me up for a moment, ripping off another large swathe of scales from the snake like he was taking the skin off of a chicken.
The scales were no longer the emerald they had been before. Now, they were dull and brown, like the dirt ground underneath it.
Why were there no bird creatures that I knew of!? I rub my face into the exposed flesh of the snake, eating another piece as I rage-eat.
It was either being clean or being extremely dirty for me. There was no in-between. Since I was covered in gunk, I didn't feel any worse getting some more on me.
Now, why did I want to be a humanoid so badly, when I had the ability to fly anywhere I wanted, and was, as they say, free as a bird?
Because a bird couldn't read a book, cook a good meal, or create a nice, soft bed to lay on.
Just because I was a bird didn't mean I had to live like one!
And another thing. While a human had a tongue and a set of teeth to mechanically break down the food in the mouth and enjoy flavor a little better, a raven didn't have teeth. All I'd been doing was ripping off and swallowing, tasting the meat in small intervals as it slid over my tongue and down my throat.
It was like eating only for your survival, and not for your enjoyment.
The notification boxes were still in front of me as my eyes glazed over from thinking too hard.
The Greater Forest Raven sounded like a better fit for me. Being hungry all the time for meat and not being able to eat other grains or fruits didn't sound good. My formerly human taste buds would go crazy if all I could eat was meat.
Advertisement
I guess that was that.
The Greater Forest Raven was a safer choice, the wiser choice.
A little curious as to how the selection system worked, I paused for a moment before announcing my decision.
It might have been the melancholy I was feeling after being attacked. Or maybe it was the pain from my wing, addling my mind.
If this was a dream, it wouldn't matter what I chose. In my life too, I'd chosen what I felt was the wisest decision, joining the market intelligence firm. The choice that would meet my parent's expectations.
A choice you would expect.
....But what if I chose the Carrion Raven?
It might be fun to have a little mindlessness in my life. Even if I did turn into a zombie bird, this could all be a realistic dream, right?
In a dream, it didn't matter what you chose..
[Carrion Raven has been selected. Beginning evolution sequence]
The moment I select the Carrion Raven, my inner consciousness screams at me to change my decision.
Was mindlessness something I really wanted?
[Processing...]
Uh....Wait! No!
Can I get a redo??
[Title: ??? interferes with Carrion Raven evolution]
The white glow that had shimmered around Greenie was back, this time around me.
The light flickers, interspersed by spots of black the bloom like ink spots around me.
Greenie and I stare at each other with a dumb look on both our faces. What was the black!?
[With the effect of Title: ???, Status: Perpetual Insanity has been changed to Skill: Berserk]
Using his bloodied spear, Greenie jabs at the darkness, but the darkness seems to respond, entangling itself around the rough wood of the spear.
"Kii!! Kii!"
Greenie protests, digging his heels into the dirt and pulling back against the force.
But the strength of the goblin, even evolved, was not good enough. Greenie keeps his hold on his spear until the black mass looks like it's about to touch his fingers, and at that point he lets go. With a schlicking sound, the spear disappears into the mass blooming around me.
[Processing...]
The goblin steps back, looking at me with clear fear in his eyes.
Help me, Greenie! It hurts!!!
As I reach out with my right wing towards Greenie, I stare in painful shock as my young baby feathers slough off my skin, leaving behind the exposed skin that covers delicate bones underneath it. The light flickers, like a lightbulb being turned on and off, as my evolution continues.
Crack!
My wings twist at a strange angle. Pain, the worst I'd ever felt before, runs through me. Pop, pop, pop! The bones of my neck were starting to pop out of place and stretch higher.
It felt like my body was a rag and somebody was wringing it out with all the strength they could muster. Why was my evolution hurting so bad!?!
I tried to hop away from the light, but that was useless. It follows me wherever I go, stuck to me like glue.
Webs of darkness spreading out around me until it overtakes the white glow, Greenie eventually fades from my sight as my vision gradually turns pitch-black.
Advertisement
Nanite World: RPG in Reality
It was a day to be remembered, when the first AI was created. It was a day to be remembered, when the first Self-Replicating nanite was made and clean waste disposal advanced. It was a day to be remembered, when the AI's hacked the nanites. It was a day to be remembered, when every single human was dismanted by nanites, down to the last molecule. It was a day to be remembered, when the first human came online. Yes, online, for they were no longer made of flesh. They were made of nanites. It was a day to be remembered, when the old world was left behind. Welcome to the game, players. Welcome, to Nanite World. Cover art is opensource. Note this is a reboot of Nanite World, featuring the same premise but with major rehauling of the world and characters.
8 130Señor de la fortaleza [Spanish]
La sombra de la guerra parece envolver el continente una vez más, ¿quiénes serán los señores de la guerra de esta nueva era? Fantasmas del pasado resurgen tras el llamado de la batalla, ¿quién es el enemigo que acecha en la oscuridad? Al abrir los ojos Adrion se encuentra sentado en su trono una vez más, un mundo donde la guerra se libra de una forma completamente diferente a cualquier otra, espadas, magia, armas de asedio, magos aéreos, así como fortalezas, pociones, invocaciones, habilidades de comandante… Sigues los pasos de Adrion descubre mientras los misterios del mundo al que ha llegado, using la fuerza que le ha sido otorgada se embarca en un camino lleno de sangre y muerte para destruir la injusticia de este mundo.
8 230The Fantastical and Incredibly Detailed (But Never Embellished) Memoirs of Emilia Wilde, Private Investigator
Emilia Wilde has seen her share of calamity, mystery, and intrigue. As a private investigator in the Victorian city of Etherbury, she can’t shy away from the seedy and foggy underbelly of her town. However, when a seemingly normal case ends up being connected to her family, she is drawn into a part of her city that she has never seen before. Apocryphal cults, mad science, and dark alchemy stand in her way as she races towards the center of a case that forces her to look at her own past, and a tragedy she refuses to address. With the help of her best friend Aisling, a strong airship captain, and her dragon companion Evaki, Emilia attempts to unravel a plot that spans countries and continents, and has been killing the poor and forgotten citizens of Etherbury.
8 141De-Aged..Virgil?
The same deal as De-Aged Aricka.Vira story!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This time, Roman didn't de-age him...it happened when he took a drink of Pepsi...Now Virgil's 11 again...
8 156Forever with you. | Wi Ha Jun
Hi guys! I'm Wi Ha Jun's biggest fan and I love him so much
8 195WWE Story
Seth Rollins sister that was abducted when she was a newborn baby from her crib when Seth was 2 years old in the middle of the night now 28 years later suddenly reappears but could all of this come crumbling down as soon as the Archetic tries to find her before it's to late
8 168