I learned today that I can still forget things when I get involved in other priorities, so I shall research to improve that later. Also, I have discovered that I need to have a proper form of telepathy rather than switching who controls to express myself to others or that my hosts must speak to talk back to me. It’s not extremely high on priority at the moment but it would help things.

Well since I learned yesterday what happens when I just let things carry on without making contingency plans. So today I made sure to make every effort to prepare for this meeting. Not only did I make the strongest monsters I control on standby I also had some lesser one’s prep traps and ambushes all around the meeting spot except where they will enter. Once they are in place, I will even trap that direction as well. I'm leaving none of this to chance. Chia insists she can handle it without all this but if it comes down to it, I may have to kill instead of capture for the first time since I came to this world. It’s not that I have a grand aversion to killing but it is a massive waste to me.

At dawn they had already packed up and were heading this way. I will let Chia have control for this interaction, since if I interfered, they may notice something different about her. Chia is preparing to make a breakfast of whatever animal I can get with my panther self. I could use one of my selves for this and change the organs back to how it should be but I’d rather not if possible. It just feels creepy to re-assimilate your own self. Personally, I think even the loss of small creatures a waste but its important to keep up appearances for her plan. I'm currently back to being her helmet and I've made Chia look like she did before we met but left the horns since they appear to be a part of me rather than her. Maybe one day I can be the horns as well as a full body armor but for right now I'm only this big after all. Ah speaking of armor I forgot to get Chia’s replaced! Well its not so terrible that she can’t be seen in it but its been beaten up quite badly. We will have to come up with an appropriate story for this.

Shortly thereafter Jeff came out of the woods followed by Tanya. When they saw our ‘camp’ and Chia sitting in front of the campfire they immediately called out and headed her way.

“Chianne darling I'm glad your safe! Let’s hurry and get out of here before the things go sideways!” Jeff said before they were even close enough to talk properly.

“Can it already ya pest! Chi dear I'm happy to see you’re well I was so worried when you didn’t return after 9 full days, I made this lazy ass pack up so we could check on you. And good heavens what has happened to your armor? You look like you’ve been through a war! Not to mention your scary looking helm, where did that even come from?” Tanya practically shoved him aside to speak with Chia.

I guess she went by Chi with her friends. Good to know. That alone also showed the difference between Jeff and Tanya’s relationship with Chia. Well I think now is a good time to interrupt and make explanations easier. With a growl the panther-self stalked up from its hiding place with a dead rabbit in its mouth, now that’s irony. We had agreed it would be weird if it was friendly from the start to strangers.

“Easy Kay, its ok they are friends.” She looks at Jeff “Well, kinda friends.”

Kay? Huh I guess I never named the panther, so it works for me. I had the Kay stop growling and leave the rabbit at her feet. Everyone was ignoring Jeff’s muttering something about some King’s revenge coming while the girls butchered the meat and made a soup out of it. They seem to get along really well. I'm wondering if Chia would really help me infect them when she dipped her finger in the finished soup. Taking my hint, I added contagion to the soup though I still don’t know what exactly she has planned.

Along the way Chia explained the back story about her new panther partner Kay and her as something like this.

“So, on the 3^rd day out me and him met like any human and monster. We fought for quite a while until we both were hurt and tired out. Then something even stronger than either of us forced us to band together. We kinda just stuck together ever since, with goblins and all sorts of monsters coming at us we ended up bonding quite well. At one point we ran into a large goblin nest and that’s where I got so beat up. Some how those darn pests managed to get a bunch of spears with sharp stones and even arrows with stone heads and they were a pain to put down! I was really worried there would be a Goblin King, but it was only goblins there.”

At which point Jeff proclaimed, “the Bunny King has even recruited the goblins and is arming them as we speak!”

“What?” was all Chia replied with.

“The daft dear hero found a bunny he claims is a Bunny King and is plotting world destruction or some tripe last night and still hasn’t shut up about it. You and I both know that if he really found a King of any kind you could hear a little girl’s scream for miles while he fled without paying any mind to where he was running. You remember the last time we were a team and he found the target for the hunt ended up being B class instead of a C? Where he tried to get us to run away then and there in the middle of the fight, AFTER we had heavily wounded it? Would that coward really, really, re-a-l-ly be standing here if he met a King and its army within an hour’s walk from here?” they both just looked at him and laughed while he protested.

I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Jeff at this point. Even if he is a coward there must be a more solid reason for their scorn, right? For that matter how did a coward end up in this profession in the first place? Well they have eaten the meal so I'm ready to start but for some reason Chia is whispering “wait, please” to me. Why? Wasn’t the point to silence them without violence? With 2 days of loyalty conditioning I'm confident they at least wont cause us an issue and I can let them go about their lives like nothing happened. It’s not like I need to keep them by my side. I may make them slightly more curious about how things work in this world and want to learn magic but otherwise same as usual. After all, if people suddenly disappeared or acted differently when they come here there will be someone who wants to look into it. And as much as I would love a steady stream of lone researchers, they aren’t likely to come alone or easily tricked. Back to the issue at hand though.

“So, Tanya and Jeff I want to have a serious conversation for a moment if you don’t mind.” Chia said erasing the smile she has had till now for a very serious look. Both of her friends also became serious.

“Of course, sweety you can always be serious with me. Lay your heart out I’ll listen all you want.” Jeff replied. Is he really being serious?

“Us you toad. You can always be serious with us. Though he is pretty worthless in that department.” Tanya amended

“You both trust me, right? After all we have been through together you know I wouldn’t want to hurt either of you. Yes, even you Jeff.”

“Why do I gotta be singled out? And yeah I trust you.” Jeff protested

“Of course, I trust you dear! You’re like a sister to me! What’s this about, all of a sudden?”

“Well I want you to trust me now. So, I didn’t just get Kay as my partner. I also got another partner that is far more personal and kinda became like a part of me.”

What are you doing? This will just make them raise their guard wont it? I don’t feel any intention to betray me, but I don’t understand.

“Oh, my goodness! You got yourself a boyfriend!? Out here? Where is he? Come on come on show him! From your introduction is he a demonkin? Come on dear you know I'm going to be behind you 100% no matter what. Sure, Casanova over there may sulk for a while but he won’t condemn him and try to make an execution. So, come stop hiding him and let me see!” Tanya was nearly bursting with enthusiasm

“No not exactly. It’s really quite complicated. It would be incredibly hard to explain so I will show you instead.” as soon as she finished speaking Chia took the still bloodied knife that was used to butcher the meat and in front of their stunned gazes swung the knife at her other arm without hesitation.

WHAT the HECK are you doing!! I screamed in her head while I quickly thickened the bio-armor where the knife would hit even replacing the outer skin due to the lack of time. Her forearm turned fully black with red veins pulsing along it. With a grand ‘CLAN-G!’ The knife bounced off without the slightest harm. Well to her arm at least. The knife lost a large portion of its edge that will have to be resharpened. But enough about that! What in the raging insanity are you doing Chia! I see nothing but horror on both of their faces!

“That was just a small part of what he is capable of. I want to share him with both of you as well. I’d also like you to keep this a secret between us. Rather after both of you saw that, I'm sure he is extremely eager to make SURE you won’t be able to talk about this. I don’t want things to go that way. I know it seems like a threat but both of you risk your lives every day, I'm sure you understand that you can’t get gains without risk. And you both know what those with power that are hiding are like. All of them are the same way, if you find out you will be silenced. Well fortunately this one would rather have partners than kill. So, I beg you, please join us. I know he could keep both of you safe in all the dangerous places we go, and I know he won’t harm you. Please?”

“This is… well.” They look between each other for a second.” This is quite sudden so give us a moment.” They huddled up and began whispering with each other.

Was all that necessary? Wouldn’t it be easier just to take them over while they are none the wiser? And your methods are downright reckless!

“I knew you’d protect me. I may not have known you long, but I saw the panicked reinforcement of the dungeon when you found out I couldn’t defend it. Even though you could have just had hundreds of bio-armored goblins shell out magic like it was candy while fighting the invaders, you still spent an entire day on making sure it would be safe. And again, even though my plan called for a sacrifice you stubbornly insisted on finding a non-infected animal rather than give up one of your own. I want them to start off looking at your good sides rather than cursing you for however many days until you make them loyal. Yes, I am aware it was you that forced me to feel loyalty to you, but I realized that was all you did against me. You didn’t even try to make me like you! Everything else was improve this. Increase that. You got rid of all my needs for survival, yet you still left them as an option should I want food or sleep. At the rate you regenerate me I wouldn’t be surprised if I'm as long lived as the elves of legend. I realized that for all you did for me, all you’ve asked in return is help you spread to a bunch of animals and monsters, go through a dungeon, and help prevent people from finding out about you. I realize you want more people to join yet you never even tried to make me go into town to try and make people join.”

Chia seems to have gone on a rant. Umm you know they can hear you right?

“Yeah I know. I'm sure they can figure out who I'm talking to and I don’t mind if they hear.”

But… I mind? I mean implanting loyalty is kinda hard if they expect it right? And you realized I did that? I need to improve my methods it seems.

“There you go trying to be the villain again. You know one thing I've learned about you after all this time, you would feel the need to improve even if you were perfection itself. Can’t you… I don’t know just enjoy the moment?”

Your being illogical. Where is there ever a parasite that’s not the villain for one. And two I improve to survive! The universe isn’t going to stop its march for me to ‘enjoy the moment’. I'm sure you’re already forming some reply about persecution complex or paranoia. So, let me stop you there. Where in your entire planet has there EVER been a race that would actually accept a parasite that can even usurp control of the host? None, they would fight such a thought to the last! And I for one don’t blame them, but its us or them and it won’t be me on the chopping block this time! I notice you neglected to mention THAT to your friends.

“This time?”

Enough, your friends have already stopped their meeting in favor of watching us argue even though they can only hear your side. And why the heck are you such a chatter box now when the last 7 days you barely said a word? It’s not like I had always taken over control of your mouth. There is a time and place for these conversations, and this is not one of those.

“Fin-e, but I'm holding you to that. And I was observing, trying to get a gauge on your personality.” Chia said before switching gears and focusing on Jeff and Tanya. “So, have you two made your decision yet?”

They kinda looked at each other again before Tanya spoke up.

“It is you right Chi? I don’t mean to doubt you and you definitely seem like our Chi but all this kinda has us a bit freaked out.”

“Relax I'm just as free and myself as you are, Tanya. Though I might be happier with my ball and chain than you are.” Chia said with a wink.

Huh, what do you mean by that? Wait don’t stop the conversation to answer that I’ll just look it up…... She’s his slave?? And she can still talk down to him like that? Now I got to hear this story when we have spare time. At least it will give you a focus to talk about rather than argue with me.

“I see. Well if that’s really the case then we will join you two. It will be just like old times.” Tanya said seemingly speaking for both of them.

Is that ok? Isn’t that kinda backwards of how it is meant to be? Well whatever.

“Ok then all you have to do is don’t resist. He will take care of the rest.” With that prompting I had my contagion that was laying dormant spread and take over.

“So, is he gonna start soon?” Jeff asked

I have already taken over all but the brain. It seems the silent takeover research works well for targets that aren’t resisting at least. I managed to fully take over both of them without either seemingly noticing but once I started changing things internally, they had a reaction.

“Oh, that feels so weird! Like something moving under my skin. nehaha” Tanya said with a shiver.

Jeff however seems to be trembling in terror. Well almost done so hang in there.

“”The heck? Who said that?”” Both jumped and asked at the same time.

Ahh hi? That’d be me. Don’t worry about it. Chia help.

“Hehehe it takes some getting used to. But the weird voice in your thoughts is my-our partner. You’re not crazy, nor are your minds playing tricks on you. He should be done by now, so I’ll start telling you all the changes as I understand them that he just did to your body. Don’t worry your going to be blown away in a good way.”