I blinked against the sunlight as my new body stirred to life. Human. I was human again, or, well, sothing close to it. The sheer sensation of standing upright, feeling the cool breeze against my skin, was almost overwhelming. Hands. I had hands again! Fingers that could curl, grasp, and flex. Legs that felt sturdy and purposeful. A face unmarked by fur or whiskers. I could almost cry with joy if I hadn't been so focused on testing this new body out.
I stretched, taking a mont to revel in the simple act of movent. My shoulders cracked, and I winced slightly at the dull ache in my legs. It seed my new host had been through a lot, likely more than just the encounter with . The more I ca into my new form, the more I hurt. I really did a number on , and I would need to figure out how to heal this body before I passed out from blood loss. I was able to recover my true leader self, but my host didn't have the sa benefits. Still, this body felt strong, youthful, and full of potential.
"Alright, ti to figure out who I'm supposed to be and how to heal these wounds." My voice ca out of my throat and I nearly squealed in excitent. I could talk! I didn't have to stick to my head, I could vocalize whatever I wanted. "Fuck yes!" the voice was soft and young, but it had a slight rasp, probably thanks to constant exposure to the wild environnt. It wasn't unpleasant, and not entirely different from how I sounded when I was younger, at least from what I rembered.
I rubbed my hands together eagerly, feeling the rough callouses of soone used to hard work. My HUD was already lighting up with information, and for a mont, I thought I'd get a convenient backstory to go with my new form.
Except... nothing. No helpful narrative, no past mories flooding my mind. Looks like the faint and vague mories I received were what was left of his brain, as it spilled its lingering recollections into the ether.
Oh no.
I stopped dead, the giddiness draining from . "System? Do I get... anything here? Like, a clue? A na? A hobby? Anything?"
[No relevant mories available. Would you like to view the mory-related skill tree for future selection?]
The system's response sent a cold wave through . Of course, I hadn't picked anything related to mory. I'd been too focused on shiny, powerful abilities. Because why wouldn't I? Every host I had found was a beast, I didn't think I would get to a humanoid for a couple more weeks, and then this guy walked into my path. But wait, I had levels, didn't I? I could acquire the skills right now! System? Let's level up and figure out who this kid is.
System, let's level up!"
Na: Lucian
Level: 10
Race: Parasite
Health: 21/21
Mana: 42/42
[Experience: 6,692/12,800]
[Current Attributes]
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 17
Constitution: 19
Intelligence: 22
Perception: 14
Willpower: 30
Host Health: 150/150
Host Mana 50/50
[Skill Points Available: 4]
[Attribute Points: 4]
[Bonus Attribute Points: 4]
[Attribute Points Available: 8]
[Current Abilties]
[Host Bond: Level 2], [Neural Suppression Toxin: Level 4], [Numbing Bite: Level 1], [Regenerative Feast: Level 1], [Flesh Tunneling: Level 3], [Nerve Surge: Level 1], [Chitinous Armor: Level 1], [Shadow Pounce/Dance: Level 3], [Pulse of Will: Level 1], [Wounded Prey: Level 1].
[Available Abilties]
[Hive mory], [Mitic Adaptation], [mory Echoes], [Adaptive Physiology]
[New Abilities]
[Life Leech (Passive): A parasitic ability that allows you to siphon a portion of life energy from any enemy he damages. Restores a small amount of health proportional to the damage dealt.
Effect: 10% of damage dealt is converted into HP for host.
Cost: Passive ability, no mana cost.
[Neural Overclock (Active)]: Temporarily enhances the reaction speed and coordination of the host by overstimulating their nervous system. Cos at the cost of stamina. Lasts for 10 seconds.
Effect: Slows perceived ti by 25%, allowing you to react to otherwise unavoidable situations.
[Parasitic Reserves (Passive/Active)]: Allows you to store a portion of your parasitic form's unused health or mana to release into yourself or your host when needed.
Effect: Store a specified quantity of health and mana an indefinite number of tis. Can be instantly released as healing or mana restoration for ergencies.
Cost: The entirety of your reserves are consud when used.
This must be what nirvana feels like. Everything is as it should be. I'm a tough little worm, with a resilient human host, and abilities that are, at least, extrely overpowered. The question is, what do I spend my points on?
Well, I got 4 points, so no need to be stingy. I'll take Neural Overclock, because ti magic, fuck yeah. Parasitic Reserves, so I don't have to struggle with mana and can heal at will. The kid is poor, I doubt I could just go around buying health potions if they even are a thing here. Oh, again with the healing, let's grab Life Leech, that should bring up my survivability by quite a bit. Now to figure out who this kid is. Let's see...
I looked at the skills before , and to future-'s absolute horror, I took mory Echoes. In my defense, Hive mory sounded really buggy, and mory Echoes sounded like just what I needed. I had figured they couldn't be too different, but this was a great reminder to always double-check and read the fine print.
[Neural Overclock Acquired]
[Parasitic Reserves Acquired]
[Life Leech Acquired]
[mory Echoes Acquired]
Can't forget my delicious stats, let's throw it all in–no, wait, I have a human, and I can get more kid-level humans at any ti. I don't need to supercharge that stat anymore. Let's go for 3 points strength and 5 points constitution, so I can tear through tissue and not die so easily.
[Strength Leveled to 17 from 14.]
[Constitution Leveled to 24 from 19.]
Health: 24/24
I cackled maniacally as I now likely had as much health as a worm as the crow did, as a goddamn bird. Who's catching who in the morning now, you asshole!?
Okay system, give those sweet sweet mories. Activate mory Echoes!
[Unable to activate. mory Echoes: Temporarily accesses recent mories from the host before or during domination. Further levels will improve the quality and duration of mories. Costs 8 Mana.]
I groaned, clutching my head. "Great. So I'm just so random guy now. I don't even know who I am, or where I live. This is so bullshit, you could have warned that I was being stupid."
Resigning myself to my fate, I figured I might as well scan my surroundings. I didn't get a lot of info, my senses were dull compared to the others. There was a gutted elk and my forr host.
Right, priorities. I could lant my lack of foresight later. First, I had to figure out what I was working with.
I rifled through the young man's pockets, searching for anything that might give so context. A small coin purse jingled faintly, its contents underwhelming but functional. A closer inspection revealed a few copper and silver coins, enough for maybe a few nights at an inn, if the local economy wasn't outrageous.
There was a hunting knife, still sharp, and a small hand axe strapped to my belt. The boy's leather armor was basic but well-made, patched in places where it had seen wear. There were also a few field rations tucked into a pouch on my side, dried at, and hard biscuits, just enough to last a few days. I searched for anything else and managed to find a piece of flint and a basic tinderbox, which should help if things get too cold. I shuffled through my bag and couldn't find any more until I checked the exterior. There was a bulging pouch with sothing hard inside. I slipped it off the button that kept it sealed and pulled out a large red vial of liquid.
"Oh thank god, this is probably a health potion." It might not be, but I can't really risk bleeding out knowing that maybe I had a solution. I uncorked the vial, sniffed it, and chugged the liquid. It was absolutely vile, and I should have sipped it, testing the results, but I'm not a smart man and soon lucked out as I could feel my skin stitching itself together and my body repairing. My HUD showed my HP rising from yellow to green, showing I was now at 100% HP.
I glanced around before I focused on the elk. The massive, half-dressed carcass lay sprawled before , its lifeless eyes staring into nothingness. The human had worked quickly, but there was still much to do if I wanted to make use of the at. I needed to butcher it properly, cook so of it, and figure out how to preserve the rest.
"Okay," I muttered, more to myself than anything. "No mories. No identity. No ho. But I've got a body, an elk, and a little coin. That's... sothing."
I got to work, my hands moving with clumsy determination as I continued where the boy had left off. The knife fit well in my grip, and while I lacked the skill to make clean cuts, the body's muscle mory seed to take over here and there. It wasn't perfect, but I managed to section off large chunks of at, setting aside the choice cuts to cook imdiately.
Next ca the fire. My lynx host had so experience with survival skills, but little helped with human technology and needs. I fumbled with the tinderbox, but once I had a small stash of kindling I found lying around, so larger sticks, a few logs off to the side, and thanks to the tinderbox I had a bit of dried plant fibers I could pull from. Within minutes, a small fire roared to life, smoke curling into the sky as I arranged the at for cooking and smoking. It definitely paid off when spent those sumrs getting into grilling and smoking.
The savory scent of roasting elk filled the clearing, making my stomach growl. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now. Who knows the last ti this kid ate? He had basic rations, but I sensed that he was uneasy about using it, hoping to find sothing to hunt before digging into his precious remaining food stock. Sitting by the fire, I stared at the boy's belongings laid out before . They told a story I didn't know how to read.
Who was this kid? A hunter, obviously, but where was he going? Did he have a family? A village? Friends who'd co looking for him? I had nothing to go on, and for the first ti since taking this body, I felt the weight of what I'd done.
"No use worrying now," I said aloud, forcing myself to focus on the imdiate. "First, eat. Then, figure out where to go. One step at a ti."
I tore into a strip of cooked at, savoring the flavor. It wasn't perfect, I'd overcooked it in my haste, but it was sustenance. My thoughts raced as I ate, trying to piece together a plan.
I'd need to find a town, blend in, and figure out how to survive. But with no backstory, no connections, and no idea of this boy's life, I'd have to wing it.
For now, I had food, a little money, and a body that could carry through the next steps. It wasn't much, but it was a start. And as long as I kept moving forward, I'd figure it out. One way or another.
Hours had passed, the air now heavy with the rich, savory aroma of roasted elk at mingled with the sharper tang of smoke. The forest was quieter than before, the occasional rustle of leaves or chirp of birds serving as the only reminders that life went on outside my small clearing. I stretched my limbs, testing the new body again. It was strange, solid, human, but still unfamiliar. It was pretty odd to return to being human, I almost didn't rember how to use my legs, but like riding a bike, it all ca back pretty quickly.
The fire crackled softly as I turned over another strip of at hanging on a makeshift rack. The elk had been an enormous blessing, but also an exhausting challenge, and that was after this kid did most of the work. Smoking and cooking enough at to preserve it had taken hours and the sun had begun to descend, though still a few hours of daylight lasted. Still, I could now sit back with a well-earned al and a steadily growing supply of jerky to carry with . The first bite of roasted elk was heaven, tender, smoky, and filling in a way that the raw diets of my previous hosts could never be.
[Experience Gained: 50 XP]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 50 XP]
[Experience Gained: 50 XP]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 50 XP]
[Experience Gained: 50 XP]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 50 XP]
[Total XP: 6,992/12,800]
Once I'd eaten my fill, I turned my attention to the lynx. Skinning it was... unpleasant, but it needed to be done. The pelt was surprisingly soft and dense, the kind of thing that could fetch a decent price. If people still traded in pelts like they used to, then maybe this would help offset my lack of money or connections.
The process was tedious, but I worked carefully to avoid damaging the hide. By the ti I finished, I had a decently prepared pelt folded neatly into my pack alongside the jerky and other supplies. A quick inventory check revealed what I already knew: my resources were minimal. A small purse of coins, a basic knife, a bow, arrows, and a set of worn leather armor. Hardly enough to call a fortune, but it would have to do.
"Right, no more stalling," I muttered, adjusting the straps on my pack and slinging the bow across my back. Ti to find a town. Wherever that might be.
It took longer than I'd like to admit to find the main road. The forest was vast, the trails barely discernible, and my senses as ntioned earlier, were essentially shit. A tradeout for my superior humanity and use of tools. Eventually, I stumbled upon a dirt path wide enough to suggest regular traffic. Standing there, I glanced left, then right. Both directions looked equally uninviting, the trees framing the path in shadowy walls of green and brown. There were no signs, no markers to give any clue about which way led to civilization or danger.
"Left or right..." I muttered to myself. "Of course, it couldn't be easy." I thought about flipping a coin but realized I didn't care enough and when I really thought about it, it hardly mattered. Left it was.
The road was lonely at first, the sound of my boots crunching against the dirt the only company. The weight of my pack pressed against my shoulders, but it wasn't unbearable. The hours dragged on and the sun drew desperately low, cascading shadows over the road and making it harder to press on forward; though, slowly, signs of life began to appear. A farr with a mule cart passed by, giving a wary nod before continuing on. A young woman with a basket hurried past without eting my eye, clutching her goods tightly.
The atmosphere shifted the closer I got to other people. So faces were friendly, offering nods or quiet greetings. Others were guarded, their eyes darting to my bow or armor with suspicion. It was clear these people were accustod to guarding against threats. Sothing was making the people uneasy, but even after trying a few tis to strike up a conversation, no one would answer . As the sun dropped below the horizon, the citizens of this realm hurried their steps to get ho as quickly as possible.
The road ahead dipped into a narrow stretch flanked by dense trees, the kind of place where visibility was limited. I didn't notice the signs at first, the faint scuff marks in the dirt, the broken branches along the side. It wasn't until the voices carried on the breeze that I realized sothing was off.
I slowed my pace, ears straining to catch the conversation.
"...just wait for him to get closer," a gruff voice said, barely audible.
"Doesn't look like much," another voice replied, this one higher-pitched and cocky. "Still, a bow and armor ain't cheap."
Great. Bandits. Because of course, that's how this day was going to go.
I took a slow, steady breath, scanning my surroundings. Three, maybe four of them? I couldn't be sure without seeing them, but the voices were coming from both sides of the road. They were waiting for to step into the bottleneck, where they'd have the advantage.
But they didn't know what I could do, or what I really was. Best best-case scenario, is massive XP. Mid scenario, new stronger host. Worst case scenario, I wait for soone to try and move my host's body and hope I can take them over.
I shifted my weight, gripping the bow in my hand and nocking an arrow. "Alright," I murmured under my breath. "Let's see how this body handles a fight."
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