Pale Flesh

Kai left Aiden's office, promising to meet up later. Once alone again, Aiden turned his focus to the work piled on his desk - important documents requiring his signature and approval.

As Aiden sorted through the files, his status display hovered at the edge of his vision, showing his vitals and abilities gained from consuming the assassin.

[STATUS]

HEALTH - 110%

STAMINA - 110%

HUNGER - 60%

INTELLIGENCE - 11

REFLEXES - 15

STRENGTH - 11

SPEED - 16

[SKILLS]

Stealth[LV10]

Fighting[LV8]

Marksmanship[LV 9]

Lockpicking[LV7]

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Disguise[LV6]

Poisons[LV8]

Interrogation[LV7]

Bloodhound[LV1]

-[LV???]

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Aiden's gaze landed on the [Hunger] gauge, ticking upward with each passing minute as his monstrous appetite grew:[Hunger - 60%]

Aiden realized consuming John Williams - who had betrayed him - could satisfy his hunger while eliminating a threat. The rationalization sickened Aiden though.

How far would he fall to feed this insatiable void? What lines wouldn't he cross? Aiden's work now seemed trivial next to suppressing the beast within, symbolized by that damnable countdown.

Aiden closed his eyes. For now, he could resist his primal urges. But how long until hunger took control, consuming not just John but Aiden's own humanity?

The status display continued its countdown - a grim reminder of Aiden's deteriorating self-control and the monstrous frenzy soon to come. But for now, Aiden focused on the work before him, pushing dark urges into the furthest corners of his mind.

...

As Aiden signed the last document, he received a text from Kai reminding him of their plans. Aiden finished his work and headed to the garage where his driver waited.

Aiden decided to find something to quell his monstrous hunger. He asked his driver to take him to a restaurant. Drawing stares for his physique and beauty, Aiden was seated at a private booth.

The waiter came and Aiden ordered a raw, rare and medium steak to test his new limits. The medium steak arrived but was difficult to swallow; Aiden's hunger gauge dropped only 1%. The rare steak was more palatable, dropping his gauge 4%.

The raw steak tasted better, dropping his hunger 8%. Yet it wasn't satisfying. Aiden reminisced about the flavor of the assassin's flesh he'd consumed - a taste he craved that no mere steak could match.

Aiden found himself licking his lips, hunger spiking as he remembered the assassins succulent remains. It hit Aiden then - mere animal flesh couldn't sate his transformed body. Only the mystical nourishment of human meat could quell his monstrous appetite.

The realization filled Aiden with revulsion...yet also excitement at the prospect of finally slaking this foul new desire. He knew he tread a dark path, yet an inevitable one set by his transformation.

[HUNGER - 47%]

Aiden paid for his unsatisfying meal and headed to his car. He called Kai and asked where to meet.

"Come to LUX," Kai said, naming a popular bar downtown.

As his driver wove through traffic, Aiden's thoughts turned to the revelatory meal he'd just endured. Animal flesh could not sate him now - only the tissue of sentient beings could fill his ravenous maw. The realization disgusted him, yet an inevitable truth set by his monstrous transformation.

Aiden arrived at LUX and spotted Kai at the bar. His old friend's familiar smile eased some of Aiden's inner turmoil, if only for a moment.

Kai hugged him. "Good to see you, old friend. You look..." Kai paused.

Aiden's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Changed?"

Kai nodded slowly. "More than I realized."

Aiden ordered a scotch though alcohol no longer affected him. He felt Kai's concerned gaze yet couldn't bring himself to confess his dark hungers, the unnatural path his life now marched. Not yet.

So Aiden fell back on the familiar rhythm of their friendship, grateful for a few brief moments of normalcy as Kai regaled him with tales of the music business.

...

John paced his mansion anxiously after his confrontation with Aiden, worry eating away at him. His plan to take control of ExoTech was falling apart.

The phone rang - it was Willem Grant, head of the criminal syndicate Fenrir to which John had turned for help eliminating Aiden.

"My man hasn't returned," Willem said gruffly. "And the job isn't done."

John's blood ran cold. The assassin had sent confirmation before disappearing, so Willem expected his payment: shares in ExoTech. But Aiden was still alive!

John clutched the phone tightly. "The, uh, assassin must have scammed me. Aiden is very much alive, I swear it!"

Willem was silent for an agonizing moment before responding harshly. "Don't lie to me boy. If what you say is true, I'll send someone to finish the job. But if you crossed me..." He left the threat unfinished.

John broke into a cold sweat, heart pounding. Willem knew where he lived, his secrets...

Regaining his courage, John replied firmly. "I'm not lying. Deal with the traitorous assassin as you see fit. But Aiden is still very much in control of ExoTech."

Willem growled a crude insult before hanging up.

John took a shaky breath. Willem would investigate, and once he discovered John's truth, more of Fenrir's ruthless soldiers would come. By turning to the underworld for help, John had transformed his life into a house of cards, threatening to crumble at any moment.

...

Willem slammed the phone down, rage coursing through him. That fool John Williams had lied to him!

Willem punched the wall, cracking the stone. He roared for his second-in-command, Moon.

Moon entered, bowing his head. "You called for me, my lord?"

Willem glared at him. "Find out what happened to Venom. The target still lives but our man is missing. Williams claims he was scammed."

Moon hesitated. "If the target lives...Venom has failed. He knows the price for failure."

Willem's eyes glowed bright blue with fury. "I don't care! Find Venom and bring me his head. No one makes a fool of the Fenrir syndicate and lives."

Moon bowed again. "It will be done, my lord." He left quickly, sensing Willem's wrath.

Alone again, Willem stewed in anger. How dare that incompetent fool Venom botch a simple job! Willem would make an example of him, show the syndicate what happened to those who failed.

And John Williams... Willem's eyes glowed brighter at the thought of repayment due for the man's lies. Pain. Suffering. Death, most certainly.

Willem smiled cruelly. Soon, Williams and the pathetic worm Venom would learn the full severity of his displeasure.