yakatin

I wanted to make a SS from Chianne's POV but this ended up being way too long for a single chapter so i had to break it up into parts. this part alone is nearly 2 chapters worth of words

My name is Chianne though my few friends call me Chi like the life force. Though I don’t know why, it’s not like I'm that energetic or something. Anyway, I was in my room on the second floor of the inn I'm currently staying at, watching the storm carry on outside. I think I was just in the mood to wash my problems away with the rain.

Things haven’t been going well for me recently. I nearly lost my life twice the last adventure to the frontier, first I got ambushed by a group of goblins. They are weak little buggers but when they outnumber you and can get the drop on you, they are a royal trouble. Then not too long after that I ran into a poisonous snake. Or should I say it ran into me, when it fell from a tree and onto my shoulder! And worst of all is I found nothing of worth that trip so I couldn’t even cover my expenses! If not for the money they pay for what little I can map on the trip I would say it would’ve been the same as if I had just laid on the bed in the inn.

As I looked out the window that happened to face the same southern direction as my usual scouting direction wondering if I should try a different direction next trip. Suddenly lightning struck and the storm was ripped open like a bolt from Heaven was shot through it. The sunlight that was covered by the clouds shone through the expanding hole like a beacon. It was as if Heaven itself was saying to me to follow.

As soon as the storm stopped, I started gathering my things and supplies for another journey. I also told Tanya all about it in my excitement, but she just encouraged me rather than tried to take it from me. She’s such a good friend! If I get a big break from this, I will be sure to share it with her. It looked around 2 days journey to reach the spot but it is guaranteed I’ll miss the exact spot so I will have to spend a few days searching the area. So, with that in mind I will plan to spend a maximum of 3 full days on it. If I still can’t find it after all that then I wasn’t meant to have it, I guess. I really hope I won’t run into anything too strong on the way or at least make it back alive again.

Two days in and so far, so good. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself by thinking that. Anyway, having expected to miss my aim by a bit regardless of what I do, I steered to the left a bit of where I thought the beacon site was. So instead of going directly south I’ll go slightly south east and do a sweeping search to the west. The ground is still slightly marshy from the storm but not so bad that I can’t navigate it. Finally, it’s time to call it a night. I climbed a nearby tree and curled up on one of the branches. I've made do but I really miss the days I was with Jeff and Tanya where someone can take a shift at watches. I sleep so lightly that it’s a wonder I get any rest at all. From here, tomorrow, I will start my search. I hope I find it soon.

Its near the end of the third day and still no luck. I've ran into mostly weak monsters until a bit ago. Here I get the impression that they are avoiding this area. That cant be a good sign. I hope its just my imagination. Still to be safe I cast a few minor reinforcement spells on myself. This area in more of a plain than woods so I can see any large monsters that approach but the knee to waist high grass makes it a hazard from the smaller type monsters. I just hope its not a goblin ambush again. I really hate those darn perverts.

I'm really glad I noticed the signs and cast reinforcement magic when I did, because while I was fearing goblins, a panther leapt out of the grass at me! I jumped back as quick as I could while raising my shield in case, I didn’t make it in time. That precaution saved my hide as I felt something try to hack at my shield. A Wind Stalker! These darn things are a high-level C rank! If it matures it can even reach B level. I'm already batting out of my ‘league’ as far as my adventurer rank goes, since it usually takes a team of 2-5 C rankers to hunt a C rank monster. But if I was that timid, I wouldn’t be out here at the frontier in the first place.

Having failed its ambush and surprise wind blade attack, the Wind Stalker seams to be aiming for the long haul as it paces around me. Seemingly finding an opening it likes it lunges for my sword arm. I roll to the side then slash at its hind legs as we pass each other. It wasn’t much of a blow, but it will bleed and make it weaker in the long run. It lunges at me again and this time I failed to avoid it completely as the wind blade digs a cut out of my arm. In return I managed to give it a good bash on the head with my shield. As it staggers from the hit, I went to end this with a slash on its head. It must not have been as stunned as I thought because it caught my sword in its mouth. I gave it another solid shield bash on the nose and just as it released my sword my whole sword arm goes numb with a large spike of pain! Crap it matured to a Storm Stalker! Its rather rare that they mature and get lightning as its second element but what’s important is that makes this a B rank! Wonderful can my day get any better?! The only luck I have is that it must be recently matured otherwise that lightning would’ve fried me into a tasty snack! This wasn’t here last time I explored the area! While I wait for my arm to recover, I can only leave small cuts when ever it comes close while I did my best to keep it at bay by spamming stones at it with low rank earth magic. This is going to be a long fight.

The sun has started to go down while me and the Storm Stalker duke it out. I've started to make progress in pushing it back, but I have to hurry! If the sun goes down completely the black panther in this tall grass will easily finish me with its superior night vision. Even if its just to drive it off I must do it soon! The Storm Stalker backed into a clearing, where all the grass is ripped out or mowed flat, from my rushed pushing. In the center of the clearing is a blackened crater! This must be where heavens bolt landed! I'm glad to have found it but things are looking bad. Even if I drive this Storm Stalker off, I won’t have time before night to find a camping spot. And there is no guarantee this monster won’t just hunts me in the night.

As soon as I managed to drive the Storm Stalker into the crater there was a change in its behavior. It seemed to freeze up while tensing its legs before going slack a moment later. What are you up to now? Just as I wondered that it turned and ran off without looking back. Hmm I have no doubt it will be back, but I’ll try and grab heavens bolt and get out of here before then.

I looked into the crater and found a black stone with red streaks. Is it some type of metal? Or maybe a gem? I looked around to see if the Storm Stalker came back yet but out of the corner of my eye it looked like the red lines on the stone moved! I focus on the stone, but it showed no signs of any sort of movement. Cautiously I pick it up not knowing that simple action would change my life and perhaps the world forever.

Suddenly I lost feeling in the hand that held the rock! Not like it went numb lost feeling but like it no longer existed. Like it was someone else’s arm that somehow was where mine should be. I couldn’t drop the stone no matter what I did. And worse the feeling of loss SPREAD! First the hand and wrist, then the forearm and elbow. Now my entire arm from the shoulder down doesn’t obey me! I feel it moving to my chest and when it reached my heart, I thought sure it would kill me. Instead its spread accelerated and it raced up my neck leaving me not even able to shake my head nor scream. Then I heard a voice that sounded like more than 10 people speaking at the same time scream ‘WE WILL TAKE YOU!!’ in my head as if it was my own thoughts. I consider it lucky that I didn’t have control of my body at that point, because if I had, there is no doubt I would’ve leaked right then and there!

I could do nothing but watch in horror as my eyes moved on their own and my body started to move like it was testing the feel of its abilities. Doing stretched that would’ve left me in tears and moving on as if it was nothing. All the while it never let go of the rock. At some point the Storm Stalker came back but it seemed to be doing the same thing. I see so you were taken over as well. I'm just glad I'm not alone. The voice(s?) never stop commenting about bone structures, joints, muscles, and all sorts of other observations. But they are about both me and the Storm Stalker. So, this entity controls both of us at once? Honestly the voices are terrifying but the content itself doesn’t seem malicious. Its almost like how those researcher mages mutter during their craft. At times the voices are too quiet to understand but it’s always there. At one point it called me a human, so I muttered ‘I'm an elf dang it!’ in my thoughts. To my shock it began calling me an elf! It can hear me think? I'm uncomfortable with that on so many levels!

It seemed to reach its conclusion as it sat me back to back with the Storm Stalker and seemed to focus on something. At this point I somehow had gotten feeling back somewhat. Not much but at least enough to know my body still existed. Then I felt something move! It was like my insides were squirming within me. If I could move, I’d be scratching at my skin trying to make it stop but I could only bare it. The voice just kept saying things like ‘don’t need this, that’s inefficient, worthless, huh what is that? Guess I’ll keep that for now, and I’ll need to make that.’ Which didn’t help ease my stress. Then it felt like my mind was being put to sleep from lack of air as I stopped breathing. As things faded suddenly my mind was hit by an intense jolt like lightning hit me. As I recover- no as I was adapted to it, if the voice is to be believed, I felt a sense of clarity that I’ve never felt before. Like a wall had come down in my mind giving me more ability to think faster. I didn't have time to dwell on it though.

WHAT in all that is Holy is THAT! My entire skin tone just changed to the same black with red as the stone! But now I can clearly see the red lines pulse and move under my skin. The Storm Stalker then suddenly attacked my arm! At first it was a weak attack but now its firing wind blades repeatedly! Why haven’t I lost my arm yet? This is easily enough force to cut me in half, yet I only see a thin layer of skin get cut before healing right back. So, it changed my skin color for defense? How does that work? It keeps muttering how it’s a failure for some reason though. It began examining the Storm Stalker next and other than its paw pads, eyelids, and skin if you spread its fur there were no changes in how it looks. That one it said is passable. Ah so because I changed so drastically, I was considered a failure?

A ton of thoughts and images began flashing through my mind out of nowhere. Is this the true meaning when people ask to pick your brain about something? It doesn’t seem to even focus on same things nor does it sift through all my memories. Its more like its following whatever fox hole caught its eye for a second then moving on. Honestly, I think I should be freaking out more, but I've always been sensitive to intentions and I don’t feel any to harm me from whatever this is. The only thing I feel is a hunger for knowledge that is being restrained. Almost like its scared to let it run out of control.

With a mutter of ‘lets try this then’ I felt something draw a small amount from my mana pool and cast a focused spell right at where my heart is. Or was, if it had gotten rid of it as worthless. There was a second jolt far weaker than the first but this time it felt… pleasant. Like a breath of fresh air after a workout. The voices celebrated whatever it just did as a success so it must have done something. At this point its too dark for me to see more than my black hands over the nearby grass. But again, with a mumble from the voices my eyes felt something change within them and I could see as if it was mid-day! It seemed slightly blurred and the colors weren’t quite right but even that was fixed after a few seconds. This was the first change I could actually understand, though some others would be apparent very soon.

The rock started to change shape as I found my body bringing it closer to my neck. It changed to a collar much like slaves have to wear! What’s the point of making me your slave if you already completely control my body!? What came back was a puzzled curiosity about slaves, followed by another mind picking session about slaves.

Both me and the Storm Stalker had moved to a cave that was in a nearby hill. All along the way the Storm Stalker repeatedly caught various critters and released them right afterwards. Strangely I could feel a connection form between me and them like we were now together somehow. When we had arrived, the cave was inhabited by a pair of earth bears, but it was a very short fight before they suddenly seemed to be connected with us as well. Even that short fight proved how insane our new skin and bones are. I had stopped a bear strike with my bare hands like it was nothing. That should’ve snapped my arm like a twig! While the bear was stunned by this turn of events just like me, the Storm Stalker managed to bite through its tough hide. Apparently, that was enough to take over the bear while its mate had already joined before I noticed.

Once we were in the cave, I found I could move my body again! I immediately bolted for the entrance but the moment I took a few steps in that direction my body was lost to me again. It walked back to the same spot and again I got control. I tried going deeper into the cave this time and made it all the way to the end with no issue. I tried to jump or roll or anything else I could think of to see what this things response would be. In doing so found I was far faster and stronger than I ever had been before. But other than when I tried to ram my head through the wall or escape, I was allowed complete freedom. I noticed that the panther just laid there and watched me with what I could only describe as amusement and curiosity. I should’ve been completely exhausted since it was a long day and all the activity, I've been through but here I am in the middle of the night after all that work out none the worse than before. No, I was better in fact, it was like my body was fine tuning itself through out that entire, well let’s be honest, fit I had. I didn’t like that something could control my body and that was the main reason for my exercise, to vent that unpleasant feeling.

Finally, I just sat with a plop and shouted that I was hungry. But the voices just responded with confusion. Thinking it didn’t understand the need for food I tried explaining that I needed to eat to survive but about halfway I realized- I wasn’t hungry. Even though I hadn’t eaten since breakfast I didn’t feel the need to eat. Finally, the voices said ‘no need for food. Inefficient, converting food to chemical energy then again to electrical impulses. Then using impulses to acquire more food. Instead only need electrical impulses and made generator for power. Generator uses excess regenerating cells while all your new cells are self-sufficient. You can still eat to add to yourself but is not required and was more left in place to blend in and for leisure.’ Then went quiet again like it was waiting for me to understand that. What do you mean eating is only for blending in and leisure? And what the heck does “add to yourself” mean? Then what about water? No not thirsty either. I belatedly noticed even after all that workout there wasn’t a drop of sweat on my skin nor did I feel sore. Just what did this thing do to me??

Three days passed like that with only the occasional time it took over to catch some animals and monsters. And recently even that it lets me control my own body for. I've also noticed that unless it directly controls my body it can’t hear my thoughts so much as feel my motive. I've tested it several times so that should be correct. Strangely I’ve been feeling protective of this collar of mine. And that I never want to reveal it to the world. Come on man if you are going to implant suggestions shouldn’t they be more subtle so I wouldn’t notice? For that matter how come I CAN notice? If you can implant suggestions into my brain, why stop there? I can feel the feeling of having to protect and not betray getting stronger yet there is still nothing else. Surely it has felt my hate when it takes over my body right? Why not reverse that feeling and make me WANT to give my body to you? Not that I want that mind you, but I don’t understand why I’m left intact at all. It has my body and mind under its thumb, yet it gave me back control before even trying to remove my will? Does it need me to be me for something or is it just taking its time to finish the job?

In these three days I haven’t eaten, drank, or slept after my initial test to see if in fact they are still possible. And they are possible, but I feel no different afterwards. I've somehow gotten used to the voices in my head. At least they don’t freak me out when they suddenly give instructions anymore. I've pretty much given up trying to put up resistance and did what it wanted. Strangely the less I resist the more it just lets me do what I want. Which these days is wrestle and play around with the Storm Stalker. We have been together for this entire time and I’ve even secretly named him Kay. He has been a source of comfort that I'm not going through all this alone and we kinda clicked since the start. Of course, it’s hard to tell how much is Kay and how much is the thing that controls us, through Kay. But I found Kay has many of the cat like tendencies that make him the cutest! Like he loves chin scratches and if you leave him alone for too long, he will MAKE you pay attention to him. I’ve never been much of a pet girl, but between being half out of your mind and alone with psycho sounding voices in your head, I think I may have converted to being one! I don’t think I could survive without my Kay if I went back to the city.

Today it has started to call me Chia for some unknown reason. Though I feel it could also be referring to itself. But anyway, I sat down and let this thing rummage around in my head about magic. It seems it can only look at specific memories at a time, so it has to sift through a mass of information each time it wants to learn something. Previously I tried fighting it due to the invasion being unpleasant but recently I found it gets done and lets me free far faster if I just let go and reminisce on whatever it wants to learn for a bit. It even seems to be getting more skillful at accessing my memories without interrupting me. Like it is the difference between a dream that your fully focused on and just a fleeting thought in the back of your head. It seemed to take a very focused interest in my statuses. So, I let it try it out. What could it hurt? And I was curious what my new values were.

What the heck? I've never seen any bugs in the status magic before. Its been used for so many years that it should be near infallible yet here is evidence to the contrary. Well if we let it debug itself, I'm sure it will be fine. The only thing it got right was my adventurer guild rank.

Well…. I don’t even know what to say. To think the status magic could even tell I was invaded and taken over. I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad when I felt this thing destroy the magic before it could report. To my predecessors and the great Dion, you have my extreme respect for making the system so capable. I'm sorry that this creature is so far outside of common sense that it could destroy you before you could complete your mission, system. You have been with me and helped me for my entire life. Maybe one day we can add a patch that will make you resistant to internal tampering. Well if anyone ever finds out about this thing.