Chapter 5: Newfound Strength
The first thing to hit Arya was the excruciating smell. Even before he opened his eyes, Arya felt the stench of rotting meat overwhelm his olfactories. The feeling was suffocating and he opened his eyes desperate to see the source of his misery. What greeted him was carnage.
He lay in the depths of the forest far from where he remembered. Two massive carcasses belonging to an unidentified animal were dominating his field of vision. While one of them could still be called a complete carcass, the other had no flesh to speak of. The terror in his heart at seeing monsters with sharp horns and armored skin laying there helplessly was unimaginable. He may be a courageous individual but, the unknown would cause anyone to be frightened.
Breathing slowly and forcing himself to withstand the stench, Arya analysed his environment. He inspected himself and first noticed that he was covered in dried blood. Then the darkened skin tone came to focus. He recalled that he had been injected with some form of toxins during his hunt for the rabbit like creature. The wounds he had suffered during the venture were already healed leaving not a scar. He also felt a sense of fullness in his belly as if having consumed a feast.
He clenched his fists and felt a power coursing through his veins. Strength he had never felt before was now at his command. This feeling excited him. But the sight of the beasts beside him burned away the hint of arrogance about to bloom in his heart. He first checked the visible empty hide of the first beast. His inspection awarded him the opportunity to understand how ferocious the attacker of the beast must have been to even chew clean the flesh from the bones. The empty bag of bones was connected to six hoofed feet and the head. The assailant had spared the neck and head from its fate of being eaten. But that was where the stench was coming from.
The uneaten part was rotting and infested with maggots. Arya though, didn't feel the urge to retch he would have usually felt. Instead, he felt nothing upon looking at the disgusting scene.
He turned back and looked to the other corpse. He wondered why no other animal had coming attracted by the smell of meat. There were obviously plenty of carnivores around. But, none had come to pay him any attention. Even when he lay incapacitated near his earlier hunt and now when he woke up in a place that should easily be the target of any predator.
Why was it that he was left alone. This was a good thing, yes. But, Arya needed to know the cause. The reasons for something happening make up all the difference. Despite considering many probabilities, none actually seemed too likely. Such as, even if the creatures here were not scavengers, that did not mean they would avoid such a large beacon. Similarly with the case that this was the territory of a superior predator. Where exactly was it? He had been unguarded and unable to retaliate if something were to happen twice. Why would the lord or king, if there were any, of the territory not pay him, a foreign element, any mind?
Unable to fathom the situation and finding no clues to resolve his confusion, Arya gave up on that train of thought for the moment.
Instead, he focused on more pressing matters. Like how he had killed these beasts. Yes, he understood that he was the one who had killed these monstrosities. The clues were all around him. He was covered in dried blood. His mouth held the distinct taste of raw meat, which for some reason didn't seem that bad.
'My body has changed greatly.', for the first time since awakening, Arya had a monologue to help himself digest the information.
'Also my mind is clearer now. I can actually vividly picture my thoughts. This cant be the effect of a simple neuro toxin from a small creature like that. I need more information.'
Arya focused on the remains of the eaten beast again.
'As much as I hate to admit it, this seems to be my doing. With my new strength, it is technically possible for my to bite through the soft tissue of it's neck. This would allow me to kill it with a bit of difficulty.'
After accepting that it was possible for him to take to life of such a fearsome creature, a shudder ran up his spine. He had thought that these beasts seemed mighty. That thought was what allowed him to cool his mind and not get carried away by his new strength. But after his analysis, it turned out that he was the one who had killed them. This brought a fear to his heart since he had no recollection of the fact.
'I also think that I was the one who ate this. How the hell did I eat this animal which is more than twice my size. Maybe its nutrition was completely absorbed by my body as i ate? That is why I feel stronger. But that would mean that i can eat to increase my strength infinitely. That should be impossible. Maybe there is a limit and I have yet to reach it.'
Arya turned to the beast which was still whole and approached slowly. Cautiously he stretched his arm towards the carcass and touched the wounded place. He discovered that unlike the other beast, this one was not at all rotten. Instead, despite being cold and its blood dry, it gave off a feeling of fresh meat.
He tore through the innards when he pulled a bit. Surprised that it gave way so easily, Arya became a bit more careful as he operated. His aim was to remove every single organ in its body and study it. He hoped to discover anything unique about it that would allow for his body's change to be even greater.
He removed the damaged heart first as that was close to where it was injured. Then came the liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach, intestines, kidneys etc. The organ proportions were similar to that of a bull. But the bright violet color with hints of green proved that it was most definitely not so.
The sickly bright hue also told him that this was most definitely not similar to the organs of any animal he had previously dissected. Finally, he found a semisolid ball of the same color as the organs but, concentrated. This seemed to be the source of the anomaly as it gave off a strange feeling which was both hot and cold and at the same time, neither. Even more eerie was that it vibrated slightly in response to the pressure applied on it.
The ball had moved around freely through the body evading his touch hence he had missed it till now. He placed it aside to study later. Now that He had removed all the major organs of the beast, he moved onto the flesh. Tearing off a piece, he had the sudden urge to eat it but resisted. Instead, he mechanically removed every piece of flesh and bone from the body.
Then, he used a sharp rock to cut the skin from the head and the four limbs. He could wield the stone due to his increased strength. He put the organs and flesh along with the leather and bones from the other beast after removing its head. He pulled the first piece to cover over the contents. It stretched easily as he closed the gap and made a makeshift scaly bag.
Now he was ready to move out of here so as to not attract attention. Despite having no company, It didn't sit well with him to stay in the same place for a long time unless in was a safe place.
'Now, I have two objectives. One, make myself some clothes and two explore.' Arya thought to himself as he made his way through the forest no longer fearful of the trees or rocks in his way.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone