Round One

The Root of All Evil

I have no idea how or when we came into existence, but I know it was many centuries ago, on a world no one had heard of or even cared. Not until some foolish travellers had happened by at least. They thought that, just because our world was able to support life, they had the right to colonise it and claim it as their own. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before they discovered otherwise, but of course by then it was too late; one by one they fell to us, helping us feed on others before we consumed our hosts.

Yes, we. What, you thought I was alone? On the contrary, there were a good number of us last time I checked.

That, my friend, is our true form, for want of a better word. As I said before, beings without substance. With every rotting corpse about us degraded beyond use, there was nothing more we could do than hang in the air as we did before, waiting. For what we didn’t know, but at some point – no idea when, we had no means of measuring time – our next potential victims arrived. These were smarter however; on looking about them they realised very soon that this was no place to fulfil whatever needs they had. They swiftly turned tail and were already heading back to their vessel, and with one man so close I knew I could waste no time. Even if only one was claimed, that was all any of us needed, especially with use of a craft such as theirs.

Just as I’d hoped, his friends took him aboard where he remained unconscious. During that time I was slowly merging with his spirit, and with now easy access to his memories I indulged in a leisurely rummage – there was no rush, he would be out for a good while. It was then I learned of his origin, that he was sent along with his crew to find a place for his fellow humans to flee to, as their home world was dying. It was their own fault, but that was of no concern to me. I was merely licking the proverbial lips at the thought of all these other creatures following in their footsteps, not to mention whatever I would find on their next port of call.

I was far from disappointed. By the time Tyler awoke, this world of Narthania had been picked up by their navigation system. I was able to conceal my presence, allowing him some degree of control so as not to arouse suspicion, so he could continue to lead the expedition. I knew that if they were to find a native of this world, or any other they touched down on, they would bring them inside for routine questions, but the young man brought inside shortly after our arrival far exceeded my expectations.

He was but a boy; he and his world were only eight years old or thereabouts, yet he resembled a teenager. He told us his people aged very quickly, yet with their regenerative make-up they would never grow old. A five year old would look ten, a sixteen year old would be fully grown, but what I liked most about him was his strength. An immensely powerful being, who could survive an impalement on his spear, change shape and with extra-sensory perception… So much potential they could offer, so useful they could be… I had to have him, but how could I go about it?

It wasn’t that long before I found an answer. This man I inhabited was a scientist, all I had to do was draw on his knowledge and concoct a serum of some description, but only half-disguising it as an experiment as I was unsure of the outcome myself. I used a sample of Tyler’s blood – it had to be his as by now I was flowing through every part of his being – and tampered with the testosterone levels in the hope of making him that little bit more aggressive, and thus more helpful to my cause, as these creatures were naturally more placid than humans, except when threatened or needing to hunt for food.

I had also included a sedative to play safe, and while he slept I left the ship to take a look around, not venturing too far but enough to survey the scenery. We had landed in a clearing; some trees had broken as the ship descended, but I could still see the forest just ahead. I idly wondered what lay beyond, what kind of town this young man known as Kai’yan had left behind in his search for food. The sweet aroma of life energy wafted through the branches of the trees, teasing my senses. A smile played upon Tyler’s lips on my behalf in anticipation of what waited for me behind that thicket.

A little while later, I detected the faint sound of a scuffle from within the ship, and frowned in puzzlement as I wondered what could be happening. Perhaps Kai’yan was awake? This was confirmed when I heard a now familiar, deepish voice speaking in his native language, which in turn was translated by the device he’d procured from inside.
“There you are!”
I turned to face him as he approached, allowing Tyler’s personality to shine through as I used his vocal chords in order to speak.
“Ah, Kai’yan,” I acknowledged, “I wondered when you’d recover.”
“Recover nothing!” he snarled, walking right up to me, “What’ve you done to me??”

A cold smile flickered across what I could now call my lips as I eyed him. That serum seemed to have done what I’d hoped it would.
“You wouldn’t know if I told you,” I replied, and that was no lie. This world is a primitive one, I knew that even then. His response took me by surprise at first, however.
“I’ll just have to find out then, won’t I?!”
So saying, his hands rose to my temples. Not really mine of course, but I was one with Tyler, his body was now mine. I could feel the pressure placed upon his head by Kai’yan’s hands, the owner of which now slipping into a trance as I became aware of a probing feeling inside. The boy was roaming Tyler’s memories as I had done, and all I could do was let him. It would do no harm after all, he still would be none the wiser… at least I thought so at first.
His eyelids eventually slid upwards, revealing an anger burning in his eyes. Before I had time to wonder how he could understand even a tenth of what had happened, the pressure intensified to a point where it hurt. The pain became unbearable, and both Tyler and myself cried out in anguish for but a moment, before it ended as abruptly as it had started.

His skull had been crushed, and now he, like me before, had no body to call his own. To add to that, we were going somewhere. It was unlike any place we’d ever seen, with ghostly visions before us… those of our scientist friends. That commotion I’d heard earlier was of them falling foul of that youth’s strength and new aggression, not to mention anger. In the short time that I’d met him in his new state, it appeared that rage was now a big driving force. If he was capable of killing us with his bare hands, who could say what else he’d do, and to how many others?

That was of no concern to begin with. I hadn’t reckoned on this place existing that took in the souls of the dead where they would rest. I looked about me at the sight of these eight elemental female beings, who it transpired were the Goddesses of this world. The scent of power overwhelmed me, aggravating my hunger.

I sensed also that I was not welcome. Thinking quickly, as one held a hand aloft so did I, having gathered enough strength to attempt a direct “takeover”. Shada’s natural darkness made her the perfect candidate to help my cause, yet as I returned to terra firma and Tyler’s corpse it took a while before she joined me. We spent a lot of time together at first, but when we first went our separate ways I wasn’t concerned; she was sufficiently influenced for me to rest easy. There wasn’t much I could do to start with; my last meal was eons ago, so I was weaker then. To make matters worse, Tyler’s body was breaking apart, and eventually I had to leave it in favour of a fresher one. I couldn’t claim another soul as I already had a host, so my only option for now was the dead.

There comes a point when even creatures like myself can tire of such an existence. It’s so hard to feed when your only mode of transport is unstable. After the last body crumbled, I remained in the atmosphere for a long time, just waiting. I didn’t know what Shada was up to, but at that time I left on the air a message that I hoped she would pick up; that I had no body, could she please find me a more stable vessel?

She found one eventually. How it came about I don’t know; apparently the fallen Elf had betrayed her. Don’t ask me, I was just glad to have a better home. This is all I saw before I moved in.

He had use of dark powers before he died. They were gone now of course, but the remnants left behind were enough to revitalise me, giving me the strength I needed to more effectively embark on the hunt. The beings here are far more powerful than those last people who visited our world, and better equipped for the dangers here. This place is perfect; I can grow more powerful than I could have ever hoped, and with the knowledge of space travel acquired from my host, my friends and I have the whole universe at our disposal.

Mini-task - Reluctant Servant