That night, Cecilia tossed and turned while she was asleep. She was in such a deep sleep that despite the pain coursing through her body, she didn't wake.
Why was she in pain?
Rogork was in the process of advancing the parasitic infection. One of the "Goals" of this Story was to take over the host's body. If it could do so while she slept, without her awareness -- and then intentionally allow her to control the body while she was awake -- then that would be the ideal situation. This way, Rogork could fulfill the Story's Goal without risking exposing itself (and the Goal) to Cecilia, Guinevere and the Supernatural Forces as a whole.
Honestly, Rogork was astonished at how difficult it had been to resist the instinct to grow for the duration of the day. It had given in just enough earlier to connect itself to her digestive system and therefore safely harvest nutrients; however, the instinct to grow had been surprisingly strong even after that.
Aside from that instinct, Rogork had been shocked to discover that, since Alesha's role was specifically that of a "parasite," it was able to control her body -- the parasite's body. It wasn't sure how or why being a parasite was different from being a regular organism, or a sword for that matter. Yet somehow, Rogork was now able to control their shared "parasite" body as if it was its own.
It was such a thrilling sensation.
Almost addictive.
Rogork felt ashamed of itself, even as it gave into the parasite body's need to grow, to infiltrate every aspect of the host's body, to take it over. Why was this sensation so delightful? Why did Rogork enjoy having its own body, despite how hard it had brainwashed itself into thinking it didn't want one? This was just a sign of weakness, yes, that was it. Rogork simply wasn't strong enough to resist the temptations of the flesh (of having flesh, that is).
By the time Rogork had exhausted its energy and could grow no further, it had taken over roughly 25% of Cecilia's body, including her heart, lungs, digestive system and spinal cord. It had touched her brain but left it mostly as it was. After all, if Cecilia disappeared once the brain was overtaken, that would be a disaster for it. Guinevere would almost assuredly notice if Rogork attempted to imitate Cecilia's consciousness.
Still, 25% in just a day? Was it meant to progress this quickly? Why, then, was there a whole week to this Story?
The answer to that became clear the next morning.
--
Alesha felt as if she were in a great, wide foggy expanse. Or rather, that her mind was. Gradually, the fog lifted, and though she could not see anything, she could feel. First, there was warmth, and then:
Tha-thump, tha-thump.
Tha-thump, tha-thump.
Hm? She was pulsating to a rhythm; was that the rhythm of a heartbeat? The habitual sensation occurred naturally, without thought, yet she somehow knew that it was her who was doing it. As Alesha expanded her senses, she could feel various… slimy sensations… where was she this time, exactly? What "Role" had she been given?
[Well, well, well, look who decided to wake up,] a familiar androgynous voice mocked. [Morning, sleepyhead.]
Rogork?? Alesha asked mentally, finding she couldn't speak.
[Yup, 'tis me! Welcome to the land of the living. Not that you died, I guess, but whatever.]
Alesha would've rolled her eyes at that point, but she couldn't. She had no eyes at the moment.
So anyway, she asked, Why was I asleep? What's going on, do you know?
[Hah! As if the great Rogork wouldn't know the answer to such an easy question! And, well, since our lovely hostess is probably going to wake up soon, I guess I'll deign to explain quickly.]
Hostess?
[To be frank, right now we're a parasite in a human's body; the setting seems to be old Earth. We need to alert the Patrons of Zorhellian's Games that we're Participants while also hiding from the Supernatural Police, which unfortunately for us, seems to include our hostess's closest friend, Guinevere Holmes. The time limit is one week.]
… That doesn't sound good. But why mention her friend by name?
[I forgot. You're an uncultured idiot who doesn't even know who the Holmes family are.]
Hey!!
Ignoring her displeasure, Rogork continued, [They're super-sleuths who specialize in unsolvable cases. Meaning, you let me take the lead on this one, got it? You can look over the Role/Goal window and check the skills you got from the Boon in the meantime.]
What do you mean, you take the lead? Last I checked, you're just a stupid parasite who can't even control my body!
[Maybe that's precisely why I can control this one!] Rogork snapped. [I'm fed up with you thinking I'm just a parasite! Do you even know how much I've done for you, you ungrateful brat??! I'm always slaving away, giving you abilities and quests, filling you in on important things you missed, giving you advice and saving your ass! Shut up and let me take the wheel for once, okay!?]
Surprised by Rogork's vehemence, Alesha stopped protesting and tried to think rationally. Obviously that bit about quests was an exaggeration at best; exactly how long had it been since the System had given her one? Besides, they rarely benefited her. Most of the time, quests were poorly-disguised attempts for Rogork to pursue its own goals. As for the abilities, they'd been more or less helpful -- at least until they were taken away by that horrible, meddlesome Game Master, Zorhellian.
Come to think of it, comparing the two, she much preferred the way Rogork operated to the way Zorhellian did. Both were rather demonic in their attitudes and behavior, but at least Rogork had a reason to care about her survival and pretended to help. Zorhellian was just plain evil.
It was then that she noticed something it had said. Wait, did you say you can control this body?
[Yes, damn you!]
Alesha wasn't sure what to think. Since Rogork could move the body, what about her? She tried to do so and found, to her horror, that she could not. She could feel its sensations, detect its motions, but could not control it.
Somehow, the sensation reminded her of a rumored material back in the Human Alliance -- the special Hi-Security Gel that was supposedly developed to restrain dangerous criminals. According to hearsay, after dunking a person in a vat of the stuff, it would infiltrate the human body and interrupt commands from the nerves to surrounding tissues, leaving the criminal able to feel but unable to move. The effect was said to be much more secure and stable than subduing them with drugs.
What did this mean? Was Rogork able to control this body because it was a parasite body, like it said? Or was it something else entirely? Alesha wondered if it had anything to do with how Zorhellian claimed that her core essence had become that of a sentient sword. Had her ability to control a body become lessened, causing the balance between her and Rogork to shift, allowing it to control a body without a quest penalty? What implications would that have if the balance remained such permanently?
From there, her thoughts went down a spiral, and she began to fear that her and Rogork's roles would eventually swap completely -- Rogork would become the main existence, and she the parasitic, formless entity.
The thought terrified her.