20 Home sweet home

Zach ponders what kind of freak he wishes to become, he feels uneasy.

It's almost like there is a comment war in some far off dimension questioning his decisions, he decides it's more efficient to pick now and get the benefits instead of forgetting about it and getting a random one.

Seven heads is obviously a no go.

Eyelids/Nictitating membrane is good for protecting the eyes from unexpected attacks, but if its unexpected then i won't be able to use them fast enough.

Gills provide poison resistance and water breathing, theoretically its possible to filter chlorine.. Which could be useful in the swimming competitions that are coming soon.

.Ill pick the gills.

[Initiating body mod]

A searing pain comes from under his armpits, the slicing and grating pain are like waves battering his body. He gasps for breath but stops as he feels he is about to burst, an effect of the gills is absorbing oxygen from moisture... It improves his lung capacity and efficiency in certain situations, although these effects may be limited if covered by tight clothing.

Eventually the pain stops and he feels like he grew another lung. He feels around the gills but find their are a lot smaller than he thought they would be, It seems the size has been decreased but the organ that has been newly added is more efficient than fish. No wonder since this belongs to a hydra... which means the tail belongs to an actual demon...

He flexes the gills trying to stop them absorbing the air and they gradually close leaving scar like lines under his arm pits.

"Hey, you alright in there?"

Zoey calls from outside the bathroom, Zach doesn't know how long hes been in here but he still hasn't relieved himself,

.Yeah, i got a bad stomach... I'll be out in a minute.

"Gotcha."

Zach sits on the toilet actually doing his business this time and opens his status.

[Zachary Miller - Human++ - Male

Condition - Injured

Strength - 17

Intelligence - 10

Agility - 11

Stamina - 15

Spirit - 11

Luck - 10

Skill: Quick retreat, lv4 Pain resistance, Unveiling eye, Language comprehension, Phase, LV1 Poison resistance,

Body mods : Prehensile tail, Hydra Gills

LV5 Exp: 35/100]

[Souls = 3]

.System, you got anything that could heal my injuries?.

[Healing poultice = 1 soul

Bone manipulation = 5000 souls

Rapid healing = 5000]

.What does the poultice do?.

[Speed up the healing process on those its applied on, single use only.]

.Ill take it.

Light combines and condenses into a small jar of green herbal paste, Zach puts his finger in and begins applying it to his arm and shoulder, then applies the left overs to his bumps and bruises.

A soothing feeling comes from it and eventually it dissolves into his skin disappearing,

.How long will it take to heal?.

[1 Day to reset and heal the bones.]

.Nice, should be enough to start training for the competition, until then ill study language.

Zach emerges from the bathroom still limping as he did when he went in,

.Is food done?.

"Yes it's on the table if your able to eat there."

.I'm not dead yet.

They walk into the front room where some spaghetti and meatballs are laid out on two plates, it smells good but how good can they be from a busy med student who doesn't spend that much time at home.

They sit at the table and start eating, unexpectedly its nice.

.It's good, thank you.

"No problem, i have only ever cooked for myself so i have practice."

.You have time for all that in between your job and studying.

"It's hard but i manage"

They quieten down and enjoy the meal, she turns on the TV that sitting in the corner.

"There was a body found in the woods located near Navel school, authorities think its part of a series of murders due to the state of the body. The autopsy discovered that the mummified corpse belonged to a young man named Raheem Shabazz. Teachers and parents are warned against letting children wander into isolated locations and being alone. Do not approach someone if you suspect that they are the perpetrators, contact the police immediately."

"Other than moisture being completely sucked from the victim he also has a broken neck and a severed carotid artery, the public seems to think this is the work of god and has started calling these killings retribution."

Zoey and Zach watch as the news shows the general location that Raheem was killed in,

"This guy killed two other people the other day didn't he."

.Yeah but the police said that he stopped a rape.

"Hes trying to play hero but is killing people, that's not a hero. Thats a murderer.

.We are murderers too youknow, if he didn't kill them then they would be out on the street again.

"We had no choice..."

.Unless that guy has super powers then neither did he, three guys vs one. If he had to worry about keeping them alive then he would have trouble i think.

"I guess..."

Zach argues his innocence as they eat and discuss the news, the news slowly changes the topic.

"The issue of human trafficking and child prostitution is still on the rise, many people think that muslim gangs may be the cause but the police are supposedly too afraid of being called racist to stop them. This news channel is fair to everyone but the gangs and crime syndicates that are being formed recently are getting bolder and bolder, a few colleagues of mine in this building have had children abducted by muslim gangs."

Zoey looks angry as he watches,

.You think those gangs deserve death?.

"I don't know, anyone who does that to children doesn't have a right to live i think."

.Then stop advocating for life over everything else, people are awful most of the time.

"You weren't when you saved me"

She flashes a smile and picks up her and Zachs plate to wash them.

.Can you pass me the French for idiots book please?.

"Yep"

She passes it to Zach and he starts to study while sitting at the table, Gaining understanding about language as a whole as he does so.