In life, we take many, MANY gambles. It's part of life. From the moment we are born till the moment we die. When we are born we trust and hope to be protected. As we grow we experiment with the world around us to see what is good, what isn't, what we like, what we don't, who we trust, who we like, who we love, who we hate, and countless other choices that would take me too long to list. The biggest gamble we take is who we trust with our secrets and our lives. Because death is the only gamble most of us don't wanna take. Death is the end and we fear it because we don't know what that gamble will end in. Is hell real? Is there life after death? Is it just the end? So naturally, most who fear death, take much caution in who they trust. Especially when they have lived through adversity most of their life. In Jason's case more so. However, one can't really live without willing to take a gamble, without courage. Yes, fear is a primal instinct meant to keep us alive as it tells us what's dangerous and also pushes us to survive at any cost. Even though Jason was fearful, he decided to take, a leap of faith. Granted the system helped give him some courage, but not because it revealed Luis's mental state but really because it had help confirm, to some extent, his hope that someone actually cared about him. That's all he ever really wanted. To matter to someone. In a world that hated him, having someone care was something he could only dream of. It was the equivalent of giving someone deprived of water for days, exactly what he needed to survive with just a simple glass of water. Now he just had to hope the water wasn't poisoned.
When Jason finished telling Luis everything, Luis was just stunned. He didn't say a word and couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was just too hard to believe. In all his years, Luis had never heard of someone like Jason. Sure, there were some who could cure or, to some extent, control a pathogen, but Jason 'WAS' a pathogen or at least a mix of one. As Jason described it, he was the virus and the virus was him, a Human-Virus hybrid. Such a thing was not just unheard of, but something that just seemed impossible to be true. It came more as a shock when Jason mentioned the system and that he had access to The Deep Collective Subconscious. What was once thought of as nothing more than a theory, was now proven by Jason. What really threw Luis for a loop, was how everything Jason had told him, and he told him everything, is that when he said it, he was telling the truth. Luis knew Jason when Jason was lying because he knew all his tells, but he also knew when he was telling the truth by the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice. Especially when he took a serious tone. Luis needed a minute to think and process everything as he brought his hands together and to his chin covering his mouth all the while his eyes wide and in shock. Jason just sat there frozen and reading Luis's emotion, quite literally in fact. Luis's emotions fluctuated and were all over the place even if he had a composed figure, and Jason came to realize how it was possible to read an approximation of Luis's emotions. He noticed how when he read an emotion his eyes would involuntarily move to look at different parts of Luis. The scan function was catching facial and body cues to approximately predict what a person was feeling or thinking. However, that didn't explain how Jason's scan could pick up on more information, information that was otherwise impossible to see with a naked eye. Then the system explained. The scan function was essentially a collection of abilities his ancestor had combine to create a new type of eyes that could see on a different level than humans. The next step in human evolution. Or rather the next step in the evolution of the eyes, and how humans perceive the world around them. This explanation was enough for Jason, as many humans in this day and age, had abilities that revolved around the eyes, so it wasn't farfetched that his ancestor, who was so adamant in human evolution. It meant that it was possible to turn abilities into something biological rather than an expression of a person's use of energy.
After minutes of thinking Luis finally spoke, "Jason. Everything you just said, makes no sense. It is completely impossible. Yet in the last two days, that is all I've seen so far. So what you have said, must inevitably 'be' possible." Jason just listened as Luis went on, "I have no idea, how it is possible, how your body works, or for that matter, how your abilities work at all. So I have no idea how to help you grow or how to train you. The only thing I can offer you is what I do know over years of training and how to fight as a human martial artist and swordsman." Jason then said, "Well according to the system I 'can' learn pretty much any human ability and skill, and train like any human would. As for my viral abilities that's just something that I'll have to learn as I go and trust my instincts." Luis nodded and said, "Then that's how we'll explain it. We hide the fact of your viral abilities, and that you're just very talented with learning abilities and skills. We'll also hide the fact about your genes. I'll speak to Bry about finding a way to get you registered, without your genes being revealed. For now, we'll just pretend everything is normal and hide your progress as much as we can." Luis explained standing up as he added, "However, I think is best we keep your viral nature between us. I trust Bry and Maria, but the slightest slip-up will put you at risk, and I don't plan on letting anything happen to you. If we minimize the risks we can control the situation better." Hearing this, Jason thought it was amazing how Luis had thought almost the same as Jason's. Perhaps the old saying of 'Like father, like son' had some weight to it, or perhaps it was osmosis from Jason being around Luis for so long. Who knows? Jason stood up with Luis and had agreed to everything Luis had said. Having agreed on their course of action Luis lead Jason back to the cave to train. On the way, however, Jason spotted a potential host, getting excited and clearly showing it, as he thought, 'Bunny'. The scan had made it clear it was possible to infect the little mammal and that the success rate was 100%. With that in mind, Jason sprinted towards how little prey and the hunt began.
It is not easy to catch a rabbit. Even for a very fast human, like Jason. They were both pretty matched in terms of speed but the rabbit is small and close to the ground making it difficult to catch without bending down. Luis saw this as good training for Jason, despite the weird reaction when he saw the bunny. Jason was chasing after it like a predator hunting its prey, rather than someone trying to just accomplish a goal. He allowed it to continue as it would serve for Jason's growth in terms of reflexes and endurance. It took a good 20 minutes before Jason finally caught it with a tackle. He had launched himself and managed to grab his back leg with his dominant right hand. Once he had a firm grip on his little prize, Jason stood up and lifted the bunny who tried to shake loose but Jason's grip was just no match for it. Without hesitation, Jason quickly bit down on his left hand just under the thumb and grabbed the bunnies back with his open wound trying to get as much blood to increase the number of viral cells entered the bunny's little body. To increase the speed of the spread, Jason took this as actual warfare. Even if his opponent was weak, he didn't want to take any chances as this was his first infected host, and he wanted to test how effective his strategy was. His commands were simple but very effective, 'Create a base at the point of entry and multiply as fast as possible.' Then when on one by one, 'I want 5 groups prepared, immediately before entering the host. First group; Trappers and Wall-spiders, spread from the base area as much as you can and as fast as you can. Second group, Infiltrators travel as far as you can and as fast as you can, avoid any contact with agents of the immune system and make bases with Trappers forms and Wall-spider forms. Third group, Trappers capture and disguise yourself, and make your way to other parts of the host body while hiding and disguising. Fourth group, Trappers and Infiltrator, distract the immune system however you can, I want them trapped in between bases, and focused in as few areas as possible. Those at the entry point, once that area has been fully conquered and turned into a troop growth section, continue to spread. Fith group, those of you at different bases, spread in the direction of the entry point and join group 4. Attack and spread every white blood cell, every agent of the immune system and trap them, cut off any, and all, escape routes. Continue to great the mentioned groups and spread. Don't let up I want every inch of this bunny infected.' Jason's orders and methods were ruthless, strategical, and very effective. He was mixing human warfare strategies with viral warfare strategies. A virus can multiply by invading cells and then bursting more viral cells which meant explosive growth and a near-endless supply of troops. That mixed with being able to disguise and hide meant that, like human warfare, he had spies that could further increase his area of control, while using attacks to distract the enemy. He had the superior mental intellect of human warfare couple with an army that followed every command to perfection, and against an enemy that didn't share human intellect. It was a battle that was won in seconds. Once the bunny was completely taken over he decided to name this strategy and save it into his system as the 'Scout-spy trap' strategy. As simple as that sounds the strategy itself is quite literally sending scouts and spies to build bases across territories and then going on the offensive to trap the enemy like an encirclement military maneuver. However, the success of this strategy relied on speed, distraction, and successful disgusting and hiding to build more bases. It might work on weak hosts, but stronger hosts would present a challenge. Jason was definitely going to study more about warfare after he got home.
In any event now that he succeeded taking over the bunny he got a few messages from the system.
[First infection successful!!]
[Secret quest completed]
[Reward: 10 Viral Strength points]
[Full infection successful]
[Analyzing difficulty and being infected]
[Preparing rewards]
[Exp. gain 20]
[Infect Lv.1 -> 2]
[New transmission method gained]
[Saliva and mucus transmission added to arsenal]
'. . .Ok, that's just disgusting. Helpful but disgusting.' Thought Jason.
[For further rewards please consume the host's genetic material]
'Ok, let's get started!' Jason thought excitedly as he turned to Luis and said, "I won!! I managed to infect it to perfection!" Luis had a bit of grimace but smiled as best he could and said, "Congratulations." Jason then said, "Ok so it's weird and my powers sound like the perfect powers for someone evil. I didn't exactly have a choice so let's just pretend for a moment this is just me hunting and collecting loot or rewards like in video games." Luis nodded and asked, "Very well. So what did you get?" Jason smiled and answered, "I got 10 points for my VS and 20 exp. so now I just need 30 more to level up. Also one of my abilities leveled up giving me a new method to . . ." Jason stopped himself from finishing that sentence when he realized how strange it would sound, so he changed it, "Let's just say I got a new method of attack." Luis seemed to understand and nodded but it was still a rather awkward conversation. Luis then asked, "Is that all?" Which Jason responded with, "No, I just need to. . . Um collect my loot." Luis then said, "Ok then hurry up. We're burning daylight and you still need to learn how to use Qi." Jason then looked at the bunny and was about to call back his cells, but then a message appeared.
[Notice: Every inch of the host has been completely infected.]
[You are capable of consuming the host.]
'. . .What?' Jason thought stunned as he went wide-eyed. Seeing this Luis got worried because the look in his eyes showed a tinge of fear, so he asked, "Jason what's wrong?" Jason looked at Luis then back at the bunny as he didn't know how to tell Luis. He didn't know what to do and he needed advice. "T-the system. . ." Jason started with a shaky voice, "It says I can. . . Consume the bunny." Luis was a bit confused as he thought it just meant eat so he asked, "You mean eat? I don't see the problem, you've eaten meat and rabbit meat before." Then Jason looked into Luis's eyes and said, "Not eat. . . Consume." He then swallowed hard as his instincts and mind formed a picture of what it might be like, and looking down at the bunny who looked completely stiffed and his eyes hallowed. "I think it means the bunny will just be absorbed into me. . . All of it." The thought and image in his mind shocked him for a moment as he dropped the bunny but the bunny was still stiff and didn't move at all. It looked paralyzed and Jason felt like he had already killed it but he knew it was alive, his cells told him this, and his Scan function confirmed it. What scared Jason was not the image or the fact that he could do it. No. What scared him was how easily he was gonna say yes and how natural it would be to do so. Luis's eyes had gone wide as he heard what Jason said and when he saw how scared Jason was, he quickly went to hug him and turn his face away from the rabbit. Jason was shaking but Luis didn't know what really scared him wasn't his power but himself. "Is there a way to remove your viral cells?" Luis asked in a calm quiet voice and Jason nodded. He had already asked the system before Luis did and Luis had said, "That's good, you don't have to worry then." Then Jason's shaking worsened until he slipped from Luis's hug and dropped to his knees. He felt like he was about to be abandoned if Luis knew the truth that he actually wanted to go through the consume option. However, just as Luis had sworn to Jason to protect him and his secret, they both sworn to tell each other the truth. Now Jason had regretted going through that as now all he wanted to do was lie and protect the little hope he had gained and the only one he had left for humanity. The only hope he had that someone in this wretched world cared at all. Inside Jason was an internal struggle as he debated whether to go through with it or retrieve his cells and free the bunny, 'It's just like eating. No, he didn't do anything to you. But I'm a virus it's natural for me to consume hell I'll do it with beasts. Will you also do it with innocent humans that did nothing to you? This isn't a human. Then why are you debating this? Because Luis is here, if he knows and sees this, then he will think I'm a monster.' The fight went on and on, as his fear grew over losing one thing over another. Over losing hope over his power. 'Funny. . . The thing I've wanted for years will now take away the hope I wanted.' Jason thought and continued, 'I guess everything comes with a price. . .' Luis squatted down and placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. Jason broke, "That's not the problem. . ." Jason began ready to give up his hope over his power, "Part of me 'wants' to go through with it. . ." He said his voice breaking, "To justify it, or to turn back and remain the innocent little boy in your eyes." Then just like that his voice and shaking stopped as he realized the real issue. "You know what? I don't need to justify my actions. I am what I am and I don't have to pretend to be who or what people want or expect of me. I will hide what I am for my survival, but I will not apologize for 'what' I am." Jason said as he grabbed the bunny, and adding, "You can look away if you want. If it makes you feel any better I decided on how I will operate. Humans that don't harm me, will live. The rest I will treat as they treat others." Jason then stood up and finished his declaration, "No longer will I let the world be ruled by bullies. 'The weak are sheep, and the strong do eat'? Not any more, 'The bullies are sheep, and 'I' will eat.'" Then without a second thought, without even activating through the system he consumed the bunny. The rabbit's body was collapsed with the sickening sound of bone and flesh being crunched while it collapsed on itself, almost like the rabbit imploded as it was wrapped in blood-red tendrils turning black before being absorbed into Jason's body along with what was the rabbit.
[Genetic matter successfully absorbed]
[Consume Lv.1 -> 2]
[Proccesing matter to identified gains]
[Proccess will take approximately 20 minutes]
Luis has seen many things in his life, many wonderful and many terrible things. In his youth, he used to be stunned a lot, and as he went on, less and less things stunned him. Yet in just 2 days he had been stunned repeatedly. Now there were three things that he had seen and had him once again stunned. The was Jason's declaration of what he would do, the second was what had happened to the rabbit, and the third was tears going down Jason's cheeks. Then there was the look Jason gave him. It was as if he had died inside, his eyes hollowed and mixed with indifference, almost like saying he gave up on the world. Luis stood up and told him, "Jason. . ." Really Luis didn't know what to say but he did know what to do. He had been a father and a grandfather, and he had years of experience. He pulled Jason in for a hug and told him, "Is ok. Is ok." . . . What is it about parental love that breaks through some of the defenses of a child? Jason pretty much revived just a tiny bit. Just a few minutes later Jason had returned to a bit of himself but there was still an air of tension in the air. Luis was no stranger to this. Back when his son and daughter were still young they had lost their older sister at the claws of a beast. The son grew distant and fueled by rage almost lost his humanity hunting beasts, the daughter became hollowed because her sister was the only one she had shared a secret with, and after she was gone the daughter felt like no one would love her if they knew she was a lesbian. It's amazing such prejudice still exists after so many, MANY years. She wasn't wrong but she wasn't right either. Luis didn't care and accepted his daughter regardless. The mother is a different story altogether, and one for another time. Seeing as Jason was somewhat a mixture of both Luis had an idea of how much of a weight was on Jason and how much he needed someone to believe in him, support him and help him heal. After reassuring Jason that he wouldn't be alone and that his decisions were his to make, as well as the consequences but Luis reiterated that as his Father, even if adopted, he would tell him when he was in the right or the wrong. Luis was a man who built his reputation on his honor and his integrity. If he ever killed a human if because he absolutely had to, not out of desire or something as revenge. So Luis asked Jason to at least, as respect for life, to only kill if his life was in danger. He proceeded to explain how sometimes cutting off a limb or crippling his opponent was enough if the battle was of a personal nature. While Jason didn't fully agree with Luis since he had exceeded his expectations he decided to honor the agreement, even if it went against Jason's own beliefs. In Jason's opinion, there were just some humans who deserved to die on the spot. People he read about in history books, and people who he saw as they took pleasure in tormenting others for no reason other than entertainment or just to vent out their own anger and frustrations. In his eyes, most humans were a wretched and disgusting excuse for a species, but he also knew not all humans fell in that description. Humans that in history had done so much good and like Luis who was kind. Although, as sad as it sounds, only Luis, Bry and Maria had shown him some kindness. In respect and repayment for Luis's kindness, he decided to agree on only killing humans explicitly if his life was in danger. . . But~ that didn't change the fact that more than a few people would end up losing a limb or . . . well all. No one said anything about him not repaying cruelty with cruelty, he could only do so much to suppress his vindictive nature.
After the mushy stuff was over they headed on back to the cave in silence. While walking Jason received a message from the system.
[Assimilation completed]
[Rewards received]
[Enhanced Senses Lv.1]
[Dex. has gone up by 3. Dex. 23 -> 26]
[Cell Duplication Lv.1 -> 3]
[Cell replication Lv.1 -> 2]
[Cell Manipulation Lv.1 -> 2]
[Symptom found and added to arsenal]
[Symtopn: Tachycardia]
[Last reward placed in storage until Shapeshifting has reached Lv.5]
[Biological mass also placed in storage.]
'Hu? I have a storage? What's this about Shapeshifting?' Jason asked.
[Storage function unlocked. Storage will allow you to store genetic information you'll be able to use for Shapeshifting forms.]
'Wait, I'm not gonna turn into a bunny, am I?' Jason asked concern at first but then excited at the thought of being able to hide in plain sight if he can get other forms. 'Although I was kinda hoping I could have one of those inventories from videogames to carry my stuff and say goodbye to carrying backpacks. Oh well, can't have everything.' Jason thought before an idea popped into his head, 'Or can I?~'
[Tabulating all A&S points so far]
[90]
[A&S points: 290]
'Well, I think is clear that the fastest way I can grow is with Infect.' Jason thought as he walked. 'Should I hunt more bunnies? Or is it just like a one-time deal?'
[There will be diminishing rewards until the only reward is biological mass.]
'Ok, but what is this biological mass you're talking about?' Jason asked.
[It will facilitate certain abilities related to Shapeshifting]
'Why do I feel like you're making Shapeshifting something I should focus on?' Jason asked concern.
[Shapeshifting is perhaps a virus's greatest weapon as it facilitates replication of cells and disguise. The same would apply to you but your ancestor has deemed it as a surprise so I'm prevented to reveal information until your Shapeshifting ability reaches Lv. 5 and you reach level 10. The shop will also be involved in the future.]
Jason leered as he tried to figure out what the system meant but he also got excited as he made a little skip. Luis noticed then asked him what that was about, and Jason just told him he was excited to see what he would later be capable of once he got stronger. Luis was a bit skeptical but wrote it off as youthful excitement. Growth is always exciting for someone like Jason, especially after years of being powerless. After a little while, they finally reached the cave, and Jason sat down on the mat once more waiting for Luis's instructions. Luis lit up the candles that had gone out then sat down in front of Jason a few feet away. "Are you ready?" Asked Luis, and Jason nodded. Luis then straightened himself and began his explanation, "Very well. First, you need to understand how Qi works and what it really is. Qi flows through your body, this much you know, but Qi really begins to grow in your heart and your lungs. From there you need to move it around your body to strengthen it for the strain it will be under as you train. Of the three energies, Qi is considered the hardest because it puts the body under more strain than the others. Which is why it's called the true combat energy. Once you learn how to bring it in and how it flows throughout your body, I will teach you martial arts that will allow your body to learn how to use that flow in combat." Jason then asked, "What about the martial arts I've already learned? They can't be useless, can they?" Luis smiled as he said, "Of course not. They provide an essential foundation. You've learned to use your hips and footwork to your advantage in producing powerful strikes. You've also improved your balance and you've learned the essentials of topping your enemy as well as moves that might save you sometime between skills." His face returned to a serious one as he added, "However, there are moves and attacks that surpassed what you already learn as they allow for a variety of ways to fight you previously didn't have." Jason interjected with, "Like adding speed, closing distances, and increasing attack power through something like an elemental attack." Luis smiled again, "Precisely. Qi will open up a whole different way of fighting for you. However, it doesn't mean it'll be easy or fast to progress. It takes time and a lot of effort, and while I do agree that you should learn to use all energies, I also think you should focus on one, as all while take time, and trying to do everything at once will probably slow your progress." Jason nodded letting Luis know he understood and then the real lesson began. "Now close your eyes and try to focus solely on your heartbeat for now." Luis said, and Jason followed his commands step by step, "Try to picture a little ball of glowing light inside it, pulsing with your heartbeat. Give it form. Give it color, it doesn't matter what color, but let it help you picture it. Can you see it?" He asked Jason to which he nodded saying, "It looks strange. I mean it's red, that's pretty easy, and the basic ball shape is fine, but it looks like it has a second layer over it, and it keeps changing like it can't decide on what shape to take." Luis just told him, "Don't worry about that. The shape will become more solid as we go on. Now try to feel it, detect its nature. Is it cold, or warm, electric, or heavy? This will tell you what might be your aptitude. What kind of path you can take that will grow faster. Can you feel it?" Jason tried as best as he could and it was quite difficult. "It. . .It keeps changing. I feel something rough like stone, then something smooth like metal, maybe? Wait no, it's changing into something sticky. No, not sticky, it liquid, kinda like blood or slime, liquid but heavy. Wait, it's changing again, it's hot. No, fuck it's burning, what's going on?! It's changing again! It feels like I'm getting shocked. Like that time I touched that little wire, but this feels bigger! Ack!" Then Jason held his chest as he yelled, "Spikes!! I feel like I'm being stabbed!!" Luis stood up scared for Jason, but Jason then lifted his hand to stop him as he said, "Wait! It's easing up. It feels like all of it it's mixing into one. The spikes don't hurt anymore, but they're growing. No, wait a minute, the whole thing is growing!" He was holding his chest as it felt tingly, "It's warm this time. Not hot or burning but like when you get into warm water and it's tingly." When the ball had grown enough it abandoned its ball form and took the form of his heart with spikes and now tendrils forming each one looking and feeling different but all retain a deep red color, not like blood but just a tad darker. Then suddenly a message appeared in his mind.
[Contgratulations!! You've learned to sense Qi.]
[Energy sensing:
Qi Lv.1]
[Energy has gone up by one. E. 1 -> 2]
[Update: Qi 1/1]
"Um, I think I can sense Qi now. My system says I got that ability now." Jason said opening his eyes in surprise as he looked down to his chest with his hand over his heart. "Actually I can feel it around my heart. It feels very weird. Like an organ. Is that normal?" Jason asked looking up at Luis who was once more shocked and confused. This is the first he heard of Qi feeling like an organ. Most say it feels like water or air. Some even go as far as to say it's like fire. He could only think that it had to do with Jason's nature. "Hu," Jason said as he looked down and moved his hand to his stomach, and added, "I feel something in my chest. It's like there are tubes are connecting heart and heart and my lungs." He then made a face of grimace, "My breathing feels weird." Luis got close and kneeled just outside the ring of candles and asked, "What kind of weird? Can you describe it?" Jason took a few deep breaths before he answered, "Like the air is carrying something. No, it's like something is growing in my lungs the more I breathe. It's moving to my heart now." Luis let out a sigh of relief as that was the only normal thing he's heard so far. "Your lungs are taking in the energy around you and it's being turned into Qi. Honestly, I'm so surprised you managed to do it on the first try. Then I remembered you aren't exactly normal and all you're 200 genes are awaken." Then a thought hit Luis as he brought up his right hand to his chin and contemplated for a moment the implications of Jason's potential. He had made a mistake in assuming Jason would struggle like him and his family. Jason was outside the bounds of normality and the conventional, so the method of his training needed to be unconventional as well. The question was, how unconventional?