As exciting as a new level was, a strange feeling in the back of my mind was gently telling me that there were more pressing concerns than optimizing my stats and picking a new ability. It was either that or the shards of skull crashing down around me and the massive teeth reaching down to bite me in half. I knew I could get pecked at a couple of times and survive, but maybe losing half of my body would be a little more than I could handle.
I mustered every last one of both of my strength points, threw in some crazy maneuvers thanks to my three dexterity, and created a brilliant combination of strength and speed. With one deft action, I violently squirmed my body around until by pure chance I flopped past the row of ivory death and into the creature's hungry maw.
Hah, just how I had planned!
The teeth slammed shut behind me before pulling the chunk of brain and bone out of the crow's body. The animal raised its head and began to chew, and between bites, I saw them. There were about three other wild boars fighting over the fresh remains of my last host. I tumbled my body around but it seemed like it would be a while before I could actively direct myself. I could probably manage to move in the right direction, albeit rather slowly, if it weren't for this massive greyish-pink tongue tossing me about. I just had to have faith in the process and hope that my size was enough to avoid being ground up like so much brain matter.
The boar went down for another bite and I could feel myself being forced with the other debris down its gullet. I was prepared to speed up my domination. As the creature's esophagus began pulling everything down, I did my best to fling myself at it with the aim of sticking against its wet surface. I was little, like, really little, so I didn't seem too crazy of an idea. With a wet thwack so minuscule that only I could hear it. Okay, I couldn't hear it, I didn't have any way to perceive sound, but I could feel it, and my human memories tend to associate these things with sound.
With no time like the present, I tried to adjust my body so that my mouth was facing the throat and, Numbing Bite! No idea how long I have to wait for it to take effect, but I decided to start digging in anyway. It's kind of tough to break through, not just because the meat is tough in general, but the slippery slick surface made for a few missteps. Eventually, I carved out a little groove and kept working at it. It doesn't take long until I've fully immersed myself inside the muscles of the esophagus.
[Experience Gained: 5 XP.]
I gnawed and wriggled, burrowing deeper into the slick muscle. The texture wasn't ideal, but at least it wasn't actively trying to grind me up like those bird bones earlier. A win's a win, I suppose. The boar let out a sharp grunt, probably realizing that something was wrong, that or it could be the fighting for food, regardless, I kept pushing upward. My body carved a squirming path, leaving a trail of gore and chewed tissue behind me..
[Experience Gained: 5 XP.]
Once again that voice rang in my head.
[Skill: Flesh Tunneling (Passive) leveled from 0 to 1.]
[Progress: 75%. Neural Tissue Proximity Detected.]
Progress! Not exactly celebratory fireworks, but it gave me a surge of motivation. Each bite, each pull of my body forward felt like a small victory. The soft tissue began to change, becoming firmer and more resistant. The surrounding muscles gave way to denser matter, maybe I was into the thicker parts of the neck? I was never great at biology, so I had no idea where I was going. I just knew that when the numbers went up, I was getting closer to the brain.
I kept moving, the boar seemed otherwise unaware of my presence as I burrowed through its tissues. Each bite and wriggle carried me higher. The system chimed in my mind again.
[Experience Gained: 5 XP.]
[Skill: Flesh Tunneling (passive) leveled from 1 to 2.]
I didn't get a single level with the crow, but maybe because this thing was so much bigger and tougher, I was racking in the XP.
I couldn't sense much beyond the warm, pulsating tunnel I gradually carved out. I was entirely submerged in my work, a single-minded mission to make my way to the tender, juicy morsel that was the brain.
[Experience Gained: 5 XP.]
After what felt like an eternity, the texture around me changed. The walls became thinner, the flesh softer, almost delicate. I started to feel something else though, it was almost electrical, it thrummed through the tissue around me seeming to concentrate not far away. Were these signals from the nervous system? I can also see them flowing up toward the brain. If I could improve my senses this would make navigation so much easier.
The system chimed again as I bumped into something hard.
[Progress: 95%. Neural Tissue Proximity Detected.]
The skull, excellent, I found it! Now I just have to figure out a way to get past it without damaging anything too much. I chewed forward, following the flow of faint echo of impulses until I finally located my next landmark: a dense, cord-like structure vibrating with energy.
This had to be the spinal cord! Now we're getting somewhere!
I latched on, clinging to the slippery bundle of nerves and blood vessels. My senses flared as I felt the electrical hum coursing through it, carrying commands to the rest of the boar's body. It was a highway, and I was the unwanted passenger. I broke through the last barrier and felt my body sink into the gelatinous expanse of the brain.
It seemed like no matter how much I wriggled, I couldn't reach the other end of the brain. This place is huge compared to the crow! Provided I can keep the boar alive longer than the crow, I might even be able to hone some of my skills. Speaking of skills, I'll need to take at the new skills here in a bit, but for now, the brain!
I tore through the protective layer and slipped into the warm, gelatinous mass The rush of sensory input was immediate—an overwhelming flood of light, sound, and motion, all distorted and incomprehensible.
[Skill: Flesh Tunneling (passive) leveled from 2 to 3.]
[Host Domination progress: Neural Integration—10%.]
The system's words barely registered as I focused on embedding myself deeper. I could feel the neural pathways sparking around me, and was unsure if that was just how brains worked, or if it was in response to my invasion. None of that mattered, I was too far in to be stopped now.
[Host Domination progress: Neural Integration—50%. Consciousness Sync Initiated.]
The confusion gave way to clarity, I could feel the boar's instincts bubbling beneath the surface—its hunger, its territorial aggression, its primal urge to survive. It didn't seem to have any specific thoughts, just impulses that drove it to the next task that would help it stay alive. I should pay attention to some of these, I don't know the first thing about raising a boar, let alone being one.
I pushed harder, forcing my will into the core of its brain.
[Host Domination progress: Neural Integration—75% Paused. Insufficient Will to Dominate Host.]
Oof! Great… I guess let's crack open these notifications and see if I can brute force this beast, or if I need to spend a bunch more time chowing down on my home before I can even use it.
Experience: 71/100 XP
Name: Lucian
Level: 3
Race: Parasite
Health: 8/8
Mana: 12/12
Attributes:
Strength: 2 increased from 1.
Dexterity: 4 increased from 3
Constitution: 5 increased from 4
Intelligence: 10
Perception: 3 increased from 2
Willpower: 6 increased from 5
Attribute Points Available: 3
Skill Points Available: 2
Please Note: Skill Points may be used to level up previously acquired skills.
At least the choice isn't difficult this time. I kind of need to control this pig, so put all three in Willpower.
Willpower: 9 increased from 6
[System Notification].
Willpower has increased from 6 to 9.
Your mental resilience and focus have significantly improved.
Total mana has increased from 12/12 to 15/15.
Mana efficiency and recovery have been enhanced.
Abilities relying on mental strength, such as Neural Suppression Toxin, are now more potent and difficult to resist.
I really hope that's enough. Maybe there are some skills that can help out?
Mimetic Adaptation (Passive): While dominating a host, gradually adjust your parasitic body to better align with its anatomy. This reduces the health drain on severely wounded hosts and extends their functional lifespan. Scales with Intelligence for optimization.
Memory Echoes (Active): Temporarily accesses recent memories from the host before or during domination. Further levels will improve the quality and duration of memories. Costs 8 Mana.
Intelligence increases clarity.
Nerve Surge (Active): Send a surge of adrenaline through the host's nervous system, granting a temporary burst of speed or strength at the cost of the host's stamina. Costs 6 Mana. Prolonged use may cause host damage.
Effectiveness scales with the host's Constitution.
Chitinous Armor (Passive): Develop a thin layer of protective chitin, reducing incoming damage by 10%. The armor hardens further while inhabiting a host.
Hive Memory (Passive): Each host you inhabit leaves behind faint memories and instinctual habits, which you can draw upon to enhance your problem-solving and combat skills.
Looks like Nerve Surge and maybe…
[Nerve Surge has been acquired.]
I think to be safe, I should level up Neural Suppression Toxin. I don't want to do all this and still not be able to control this boar.
[Neural Suppression Toxin 1 has increased to level 2.]
I concentrated and released my Neural Suppression Toxin, letting it seep into the boar's mind.
[Neural Suppression Toxin 2 Activated.]
The toxin spread rapidly, working to sedate the creature, to make it more open to outside forces, or in my case, inside forces. I couldn't see its reaction, but I felt something shift in its consciousness. The inner workings of its mind were cloudy and distant, but slowly began to clear. I was starting to see different shades of light through its eyes, I could faintly smell the aroma of blood and dirt.
[Mana: 11/15]
[Host Domination progress: Neural Integration—85% Paused. Insufficient Willpower to Dominate Host.]
The boar hesitated for a second, staring off into the distance, its eyes dull and placid, before resuming its chewing. The resistance was still there, but weaker now, I could feel the willpower of the pig starting to fray. I didn't stop. One dose wouldn't be enough.
I released a second wave of the toxin.
[Neural Suppression Toxin 2 Activated.]
Mana: [5/15]
[Host Domination progress: Neural Integration—95% Paused. Insufficient Willpower to Dominate Host.]
This time, the boar's thoughts slowed further. I could feel its instincts dulling. The creature paused again, it became confused and stumbled, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to sleep. It wandered away from the remains of the crow, which at this point were barely bones.
Good, good, don't notice your little brain worm, just go off and take a nap, it will all be okay. One more push.
[Neural Suppression Toxin 2 Unable to activate. Insufficient Mana.]
Mana Required for Third Cast: 8.
You've got to be fucking kidding me! I can't believe this, 5% from complete domination and I'm three measly mana points away from obtaining it?
I smashed my worm head onto the squishy brain around me in a sad attempt at a tantrum, but from an outside perspective it probably just looked like a parasite squirming around in place.
Okay, system, are you there? How fast do I restore mana on my own? I don't have any fancy skills to recover it like I did with my health, so how much time are we looking at?
[Processing Request…]
Total mana: 5/15
Willpower: 9
Willpower restores mana at a rate of 0.9% per minute.
74 minutes until mana is restored to full.
B-b-b-but, that's more than the hour the spell lasts! My entire plan hinged on this moment, Morgana you spiteful bitch, just wait till I go to sleep, I'm going to give you a piece of my mind!
Mana Required for Third Cast: 8
You already said that! Useless system, I don't see how– Oh… I only need to restore three points. That's only… I don't know how much that is.
22 Minutes are required to restore 3 mana points.
Jackpot! Now for the boring part… Waiting 22 minutes.
After 22 minutes of intense philosophic contemplation and a few flashbacks to the bare breasts of the Goddess of Death, I released the toxin a third time, emptying the last of my mana into the spell.
Mana: 0/15.
It was nearly instantaneous. I poured my will into the placated creature's mind, and despite its natural instincts to fight back, it was not a clever creature, nor did it understand what was happening. It was a valiant attempt Pumba, but it was too late.
The mental barrier shattered, and I flooded into its mind, extinguishing its thoughts as though snuffing out a candle. For a moment, there was only stillness. Then, I felt it, absolute control.
I opened the boar's eyes, its world now my world. The body felt heavy and solid, far stronger than anything I'd inhabited before. If I were to be honest, it was likely a few tiers above the strength I had as a human, all bundled up into this little ball of charging death. I flexed its limbs experimentally, feeling the raw power in its muscles.
I snorted softly, as close as I could muster to a laugh before trotting about, disrupting the others in what must have been its pack. Did boars have packs? Herd? Irrelevant! Shaking my head to clear the remnants of its identity. The forest stretched out before me, ripe with opportunity. This host was a good one for sure. I just hoped I didn't kill it before it could level me up a few times.
Time to see what's under the hood of this baby! Baby? No, no, no, keep your eyes open! Argh, the toxins, they're still active! So tired… Must… Ugh… Fuck you, Morgana!
I collapsed onto the ground and immediately fell into a deep slumber.
[Neural Suppression Toxin 2 has increased to level 3.]
[Neural Integration Successful. Host Fully Subjugated.]
[XP Awarded For Subjugating Medium-Sized Beast: 25.]
[Total XP: 96/100]