3 Chapter 3 – Mysterious absorption at work

While One was slowly wiggling through a desolate, small tunnel, Two started moving in the direction of that smell of blood.

I still couldn't sense nor see in any way the origin of that smell, but it didn't seem like the blood was spilled since a lot of time.

My intuition told me that getting in touch with that blood could have brought nice gains.

After a while (I can't really say how much time had passed… Maybe half an hour?), I started seeing something like a dead carcass through Two's eyes. Not really sure about what it was in that moment… Maybe something like a dog, or a wolf? Wait, that was a rather big carcass, considering my new bodies, but… Not that big! Maybe… Hmmm… A rat?

'ARS, Can you tell me what species that carcass belongs to?'

[CALCULATING…

USING HOST'S DATA, THERE'S A 63% CHANCE THE OBJECT REFERRED AS "THAT CARCASS" BELONGS TO A RAT SPECIES.]

Well, fair enough.

I noticed my brain got a little more lively, as I was approaching the dead rat thing.

I started seeing a lot more stuff, most of this being… well… Me.

The other eight bodies woke up as well. I left my control over Two after it reached very near to the carcass and switched to Three, and started eating the cocoon again.

Not that I was this much hungry, well I was, but I was also very eager to grow at least a bit.

I mean, being a few millimeters long, after a whole life as a human… Now that I think about it, it doesn't make any sense, I didn't even remember how tall I was…

This time it seems like my appetite was hugely augmented: I ate until I felt full, using only Three, and I noticed I ate almost half of the cocoon. Then all the other bodies started sleeping again.

'If I have to eat this much again, or even a lot more, what do I eat?'

I started considering a source of food.

I mean, dying of starvation doesn't look like a nice way to die… ah-hem.

I stopped One at a crossroad.

'Now I don't have time to decide whether to go on the left or on the right', I thought.

I switched my attention to Two again.

Two touched the carcass with what seemed like sensory… hair?

Anyways, it happened something uncanny.

[SOURCE OF MUTATION DETECTED.

DO YOU WANT TO ACTIVATE "MYSTERIOUS ABSORPTION"? (YES/NO)]

'Wait, what?!'

'Please explain'

[INSUFFICIENT DATA.

HOST HAS TO COLLECT MORE DATA ABOUT THE "SKILL" REFERRED AS "MYSTERIOUS ABSORPTION".

DO YOU WANT TO ACTIVATE IT? (YES/NO)]

'Well, let's try it. Yes, activate it'

Little did I know about the weirdness I was going to experience.

Suddenly, each body belonging to the new me switched off. Or so it seemed.

For a time I don't really know how long, I was in the same darkness as before my reincarnation.

[COLLECTING DATA…

…

DATA COLLECTION FINISHED.

NEW INFORMATION ABOUT "MYSTERIOUS ABSORPTION" READY.

MYSTERIOUS ABSORPTION: – INSUFFICIENT DATA – BODY CAN MUTATE BY MERGING WITH OTHER BEINGS OR ABSORBING DEAD BODIES. HOST CAN CHOOSE TO HIDE THEIR SWARM BODIES INSIDE A WIDER BEING OR MUTATE ALL THE BODIES AS SPECIMEN OF THE NEW BEING.]

'Oh, this is silly… But it's also useful maybe. And easier to control'.

'How do I choose one of the two options? Can I switch from one option to the other?', I asked.

[CALCULATING…

1.IT IS POSSIBLE TO CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS AT WILL.

2.IT IS POSSIBLE TO SWITCH OPTIONS AT WILL.

EACH OF THESE TWO OPTIONS REQUIRE SUFFICIENT BIOLOGICAL ENERGY.]

I was a bit surprised. 'What the hell is this new "biological energy" now?'

[CALCULATING…

USING HOST'S DATA, IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT "BIOLOGICAL ENERGY" IS, BUT IT REQUIRES A LONG THEORETICAL EXPLANATION. ESTIMATED TIME OF EXPLANATION: 23946471 SECONDS.]

'No thanks. I don't even wanna know what all that time is in days…'

'Well let's use the first option for now'

[ALL THE BODIES WILL MERGE WITH A "MAIN BODY" AND CAN UN-MERGE FROM IT AT ANY MOMENT, AT WILL. PLEASE CHOOSE WHICH BODY SHOULD BE THE "MAIN BODY".]

'Huh?'

I thought for a bit.

OK, I thought for a little longer while...

I chose Two as the main body.

I woke up feeling as I had one whole body, but at the same time not really.

What I noticed is that my field of vision narrowed terribly.

I tried using the other bodies inside the "main body", as to let just the eyes get out.

A weird itch went through all my main body, but hey!, now I had a 360° view.

And I noticed something I didn't before.

Apparently, as a larva I had black and white vision.

As a rat (?) I had somehow a more colorful vision.

'What species is this rat I absorbed?'

[COLLECTING DATA…

SPECIES: RAT

STRENGTH 2

DEXTERITY 5

TOUGHNESS 3

INTELLIGENCE 1

WISDOM 1

CHARISMA 1

LUCK 1

MANA 1

LIFE FORCE 10

SPECIAL FEATURES OMNIVORE - CAN EAT EVEN ROTTING ORGANIC

MATERIAL WITHOUT ISSUE]

'Hmm. Seems nice... Apart from the rotting part'

I started moving using this new body.

Actually, it was easier than I thought: maybe it's one of the effects of that Mysterious absorption?

I wandered around trying to sense new smell trails or something like that.

Nothing new, though.

So I went back to the tunnel where there was the cocoon.

Even if just half of it was still there, it seemed way smaller than before.

Well, not knowing when I would have to eat after that moment, I ate it.

I don't like to waste food.

It didn't taste of anything, honestly.

But it filled my shared stomach and I didn't need to sleep in this new form.

I then went to the left side of the tunnel, until I reached the crossroad.

It took only a few minutes go get there.

Definitely handy.

I decided to try and leave behind one of my bodies here.

'Having a swarm body, if one of them doesn't die while the rest does, I might not die. Right?', I thought.

Worst case scenario, I'd die again.

I willed one of the bodies… Three?... out of the "main body", I left it on the left side of the crossroad.

Then I took the right path.

I still had that 360° vision, but now in a back corner of my mind, I could also look at the left tunnel and could turn Three's head and look at the original tunnel if I would.

Now that I had this new form, I noticed a new source of information I didn't in my larva form.

Sounds.

There weren't many sounds down there, but there definitely were.

Some of them were kinda far, some were instead quite near.

Or at least it seemed so.

Why though didn't I get sounds until that moment?

Maybe I was still adjusting to the new body form.

By the way, after a long time walking, I noticed a strong light at the end of what seemed like the only tunnel.

'That could be the surface, it could be good to get out of here and explore a bit'.

At that moment, I noticed again different sources of smell.

Dead bodies, of different species.

And some herbal scent… Or rather… Like when you mow the lawn, but more intense.

And variegated.

I hastily arrived at the exit of that tunnel, but before going out, I peeked.

'What the hell is that huge thing?!'