Chương 15: Chapter Fourteen

From long practice, Bob ignored the silt-filled waters as they raged outside his hidey-hole. Lost instead in a game of his own devising. Trying to bite down on the piece of iron scrap he'd carried with him in rhythm with some of his old life's favorite songs. Not the most entertaining of activities he would admit, but it did make the time go by faster.

'And better than that, it's productive.' Bob thought to himself, taking a quick glance at his Skill Page. Unarmed Path Skill: Bite (F) Level: 9 - Exp: 99/100% The most common attack available to a living creature. Damage and bite force are increased per level. It had probably been around three or four days since he'd made it to the lake's edge, and Bob was ashamed to admit that it had taken him almost the entirety of the first to remember that 'Bite' could be leveled up without needing an opponent.

Something which seemed far worse when you realized that he'd spent a large portion of it bored out of his mind. The brief lull he'd encountered was unfortunately just that. A pause between what seemed an unending series of storms. The area he'd reincarnated in apparently being in the midst of its rainy season. He'd made progress, inching that much further around the lake every day, but it felt like the greater portion of his time was spent hidden away or keeping watch for the coming floods.

Cover was almost always easy to find, luckily. But there had been a few occasions where Bob found himself stopping even during travelable weather. Unwilling to leave 'perfect' cover behind when he knew a storm would eventually arrive. Still, it at least gave him time for self-improvement. Even if the last percent of 'Bite' was being particularly stubborn about rolling over. Which was a shame, because he was quite looking forward to the results.

Admittedly, Bob had no evidence that the skill would evolve at level ten. Or even at level one hundred. They could span off into absurd numbers for all he knew, given that the system had done surprisingly little in the way of explanation. But he did know they would evolve. And that little detail made the coming level deliciously alluring. Though, admittedly, part of him wasn't sure what he was going to do once he ground out that final point.

Losing his primary form of entertainment in this situation sounded less than pleasant. And it wasn't like he could simply transfer over to one of his other Skills.

'Dodge' required an opponent and spamming 'Taunt' seemed like a quick way to find himself in a very bad situation. He was going to have to figure something out soon though, as with one final 'chomp' the Skill finally hit one-hundred percent. A system alert immediately popping up in front of him. Ding! Bite (F) LV: 10 Has reached maximum level! Bite (F) Can be evolved!

Possible Evolutions: Improved Bite (E), Toothless Grasp (E) Worries and concerns about the endless storm withered away immediately as he was given the notification. A mixture of adrenaline and euphoria ripping through him as he forced his mind to still itself; not wanting a repeat of his first auto-selection. He could feel his form nearly shaking as he sent out a request for elucidation from the system. Though, of course, that could simply be due to the raging floodwaters.

Improved Bite (E) The basic evolution for Bite (F) Improved damage and bite force as compared to Bite (F) End of evolutionary route Requirements: Bite (F) Level: 10 Toothless Grasp (E) Opens 'Capture' Path for 'Bite' Skill All damage negated Malleability improved Requirements: Bite (F) Level: 10, Majority of 'Bite' exp gained without dealing damage Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Unfortunately, as Bob read through his options, he felt his enthusiasm begin to fade. The choice between losing his only combative skill and plateauing it at such an early stage not exactly filling him with joy. Still, as far as decisions go, this one wasn't exactly 'Sophie's choice'. The mere fact that 'Toothless Grasp' could evolve further making it the obvious go-to. Besides, the only things he'd actually managed to use 'Bite' offensively on were a petulant teen and a sardine-sized fish.

Both of which had willingly placed themselves inside his mouth. It also improved his primary use of the skill – that being as a sad replacement for a human hand – and opened up the possibility that, potentially, the Skill would continue to Level up in the same manner he'd managed with its predecessor. Something which might help him keep his sanity while waiting for the current, longest, storm to pass. It was named 'Toothless Grasp' after all. So, Bob assumed it would gain experience by, well, grasping things.

He still stressed about it, numerous voices inside him screaming about the dangers of locking himself into an unknown and potentially worthless Skill Tree. Enough so that, were he viewing this situation from the other side of a monitor, he might well have held off. The window was easy to dismiss and then find again in his skill menu, so it didn't seem imperative he make his choice right that minute. The possibility of eventually finding another evolutionary path was pretty tempting, all things considered.

Unfortunately, the only way Bob imagined he'd get any other options was to engage in some kind of combat. Something which he felt had been proven, fairly unequivocally, to be a bad idea. … And he supposed if he didn't intend on attacking anything, then lamenting the loss of an offensive Skill was fairly ridiculous. This, plus the fact that he figured something called 'Toothless Grasp' might be useful for dragging himself out of the water, eventually cemented his decision.

After which, Bob steeled his mind and affirmed his choice. Ding! You have chosen to evolve Bite (F) into Toothless Grasp (E)! Skill Damage Negated Form Malleability increased Restricted to 'Capture' route for 'Bite' Skill Bonuses received for Skill Evolution! +2 Strength +2 Dexterity As the alerts crashed down, Bob was only briefly allowed to celebrate the unexpected attribute points before he was otherwise distracted by a sudden change occurring in his body.

One noticeable even over the massive sensory overload that was his current situation. As soon as the Skill was confirmed, he felt a ripple of energy pass through him. A sudden encompassing warmth – like pulling on a sweater straight from the drier – which flowed through his form and left the places it had ventured feeling not only looser and more flexible; but somehow also more fully under his control. Especially the regions surrounding the mouth of his bag.

He flexed his 'jaw' slightly, reveling in being able to contort the material into shapes and poses which had previously been impossible for him. Though, admittedly, it was a bit hard to do so in his current cramped conditions. Still, the sudden and unexpected improvement to his physical form left him far more excited about his choice in Skill evolution. As well as leveling up Skills in general, given the attribute bonuses that apparently awaited him.

The only thing that left him a bit nonplussed was that the Skill no longer seemed able to be turned 'on' or 'off'. It seeming to be constantly active, unlike the previous ability. Still, while it was something he found a bit strange, it certainly didn't seem complaint worthy. Especially when you considered that 'timing' his bites had been the hardest part of making use of the Skill. Bob frequently flubbing it during his attempts to retrieve the silver currently rattling around in his stomach.

After that, he spent what felt like endless hours attempting various things to gain more experience for his new Skill; limited though he was by his situation. Unfortunately, none of them succeeded in raising the experience counter by even a single percent. Bob eventually giving up. Hoping that he might have more success once the storm had passed and he had more room to practice. Only the storm didn't pass. The waters continuing to rage around him for hours after his final attempts.

Long enough that his mind became almost inured to the horrible conditions. Attempting to spot figures in the passing sands as he allowed himself to drift in an endless haze. A haze which was only interrupted when he realized that the ever-present 'hum' he was surrounded by was beginning to grow louder. It took him awhile to notice it. His mind lost in a daydream as he did his best to ignore his horrible surroundings.

By the time the hum was loud enough to pull him away, it had become less of a sound and more of a sensation. The tone beginning to literally vibrate the waters around him. A roaring which was ever increasing as it seemed to draw closer to him from somewhere far above. It was only then that he realized the fallacy he'd unknowingly fallen under. The storm had been raging on for so long and so powerfully that he genuinely hadn't fathomed that it could get any worse.

There only being so much water that could fall from the sky, after all. He didn't take into account that all of that water had been similarly falling on everything else in the general area. Every stream, lake and river now bloated to overflowing. And each and every one of those excess drops of water was now running down the path of least resistance. Running down valleys and into empty cracks in the earth. Running towards Bob.

Adrenaline briefly filled him, his mind feeling like it had just woken up to news of a house fire. Unfortunately, he quickly realized there simply wasn't anything to do. Especially as the sounds continued to escalate and he began to realize the magnitude of the situation. Bob had seen all the signs of massive flood damage previously, of course. Had even held in his mind the idea that he needed to get out of the lake before 'the big one' arrived.

Yet, at the same time, it was as if he never really thought it would come. Perhaps it was the consequence of living his past life in a prosperous country. The penchant to simply assume horrible things wouldn't happen to him. He remembered, previously, all the people who continued to build their houses in areas affected by hurricanes or down tornado alley. Each seemingly certain that they could beat the odds; that their home would be the last one standing.

He wondered if they felt the same sort of detached horror he felt now, when they saw the clouds begin to spiral in the distance. In the end, he did the only thing he could. Trying his best to wedge himself more firmly into the small hollow he'd lodged himself in while praying that the surrounding rocks would provide cover from whatever was about to happen. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that they very much would not. When the first real rush hit, he wasn't expecting it.

For some reason he'd subconsciously assumed that the currents would keep steadily increasing at some set pace. Give him a bit more time to brace himself for what was to come. Due to this, when the unstoppable mass of water ripped him instantly from his cover and slammed him into the nearby stone boulders, he was caught completely by surprise. Alert! - 2 Health! He added another reason to be thankful for his inhuman anatomy as he experienced both himself and his bracer be crushed near completely flat upon impact.

Bob grimacing internally as he felt the coins within him tear and scratch at his inner lining, but quite aware that were he made of meat, he would have been squished out his of armor like a dollop of toothpaste. After that, he felt himself be torn through the water, debris continually pelting him from all sides as he was run roughshod through the lake, direction completely unknown.

None yet had managed to get through the bracer which he'd thoroughly wedged himself inside, but he could feel the armor beginning to break apart around him. The center slash, having been further damaged by his encounter with the slime, feeling like it had torn completely open. Leaving him the only thing currently keeping the two pieces together. The sounds, intense speeds and shifts in direction eventually became too much.

Bob's mind shocked into a state of blankness after only a few moments of fully being caught in the carnage. He would later wonder if a World War One artillery barrage felt in anyway similar. The world lost in a mess of pain and too-intense sensation. After an unknown amount of time in that deadly spin-cycle – his existence a blur of pounding impacts and near misses – things began to level out. His mind slowly coming back online as the world smoothed into something approaching understandable.

Bob seeming to have somehow found his place in the chaos of his surroundings. He briefly peeked his eye outside of the bracer, but could see nothing. The world completely obfuscated by silt and tumbling debris. Whatever cataclysmic downpour was causing the flooding still in full effect, despite the peaceful seeming transition. Even without seeing anything however, there was an undeniable sense of rising tension. A core of painful silence at the heart of the roaring cacophony swirling around him.

One just waiting for the proper moment to make itself known. Finally, that moment happened. However, it did so not with a great roar or the thunder of shattering stone; but instead with the greatest and most vile gurgling thump that Bob had ever heard. Like the sound of a million grease-filled pipes and overflowing toilets finally coming unclogged all at once. A comparison which felt all the more horrifyingly appropriate as Bob felt the current change.

His pace not slowing, but instead increasing as he felt himself be pulled with ever accumulating force towards the direction of the sound. A sound which, even while blind, battered and completely unaware of his own surroundings, Bob knew could only be coming from one place.