V-00000.3 - Mutant
Slowly I began to return from the void of unconsciousness; thoughts flowed slowly as if each idea was trapped in molasses.
Where… What happened… Oh gods, the pain, it... the darkness... I thought I died.
I began opening my eyes, and I felt resistance, along with a tugging sensation on my eyelashes, trying harder as I felt the strength slowly returning to my limbs. I heard a soft cracking sound.
Light burning white, searing light dug into my retinas as my eyes creaked open. More cracking noise sounded as my eyes fully opened as I saw tiny glimmers of black dust and crystal falling from my eyes.
With every movement and the tensing of my body, I could feel more of the strange black substance cracking off my body when I stretched; my joints snapped and popped violently, sending shudders up and down my body as I endured the spasm-inducing pain.
“What the fuck is this dust? How long have I been on the ground for my body to be bent this out of shape?” I said aloud, feeling more of the black crystal turn to dust falling away as I spoke and began to stand.
Looking around, I noticed something strange. My vision was crystal clear in a way it hadn’t been since I was a child; I could see the black glass like dust gathering on the ground; the lines between the floorboards were equally clear to me; and so was the dirt and grime in my apartment that I never paid attention to because I simply could not see it.
In the midst of looking around, I took note of another sensation. I felt like something that was intrinsic to my existence had been carved from my life, and only now did I realize the absence.
That was when I noticed the soft red glow just at the edge of my vision, and when I twisted to face it, it moved with me, always staying in the corner of my peripheral. I kept turning, slowly growing frustrated.
“Oh what the fuck, just give me a break, would you? oh. I’m the dumbass, fair enough.
When I focused my eyes far left and focused on the red with my sight instead of twisting to face it, the glow immediately expanded, bringing up a Crimson screen that looked a lot like a notification window.
GENESIS ENGINE LINK ESTABLISHED
SUB-SYSTEM: IKARUS-PROTOCOL STATUS... ACTIVE
Congratulations! You have successfully been initiated in the Ikarus Protocol.
PLEASE DO NOT RESIST.
System integration 0%
22%
47%
7…rror
Error
Integration Sabotage detected
Cause: Mutation of DNA Repair Genes
Sabotage deemed unintentional
Requesting Intervention.
Approved.
Genome recoding in progress, isolating MSH2, BRCA1, and BRCA2.
MSH2, BRCA1, and BRCA2 were successfully replaced with standard variations.
Unique MSH2, BRCA1, and BRCA2 functions compiled into a new mutation
Request to Genesis Drive allow monster-specific function to Creation 3 universe 743 Plane Elevation: Physical Human-PI-VB003421256.
Approved.
Exception made VB003421256 classification updated HYBRID
Mutations Unlocked
Mutation Expanded
New Mutation: IMMUTABLE (UNCOMMON), MUTAGEN (UNCOMMON), TRAIT EATER (RARE), SELFISH GENE (UNIQUE)
Integration 100%
Please choose your archetype.
I could feel my heartbeat raising as I read through the notifications. Seeing the error brought both a slight feeling of hope and fear to me—fear that I was broken and hope that I had escaped whatever this was. Those feelings both, however, began to fade in the wake of how angry and violated I felt.
This... thing just reached into my life, and what did it even do? Make me a monster? A "HYBRID,” am I even human anymore?
I said, looking down at my hands and turning them over, everything looked normal—rough palms, clear nails, blue veins, striking a contrast to my deathly pale skin.
Looking back to the system screen, I asked, “What an archetype?” and without wasting even a moment, the screen expanded, showing a list of options along with a symbol alongside each description.
Archetypes determine the type of being you are in the world and how you will advance.
Compatible archetypes:
[Occultist: Occultists study magic and mana, seeing how it interacts with themselves and the world to grow their arcane prowess. They are naturally in tune with the tides of energy and laws that enforce magic. Compatibility: Extremely High]
[Warrior: Warriors Train their bodies and discipline the mind, growing their martial prowess and repertoire of techniques and abilities with dedication and training. They are preternaturally in tune with their own bodies. Compatibility: HIGH]
[Ranger: Rangers live with and by nature in symbiosis; they grow by surviving Mother Nature’s harsh blade and by being her sword. Rangers live in sync with nature, able to sense what it needs and what they need from it. Compatibility: Medium.]
Reading through the options presented to me, I could feel excitement and anticipation blooming within me—a sensation I hadn’t enjoyed in a long time. This felt different—different from the drab college and job applications that I cared nothing for, different from the motions I had been going through my entire high school career. I studied each option carefully.
Warriors obviously out; sure, I might be a pretty kickass in a brawl, but let’s be real, my bodies have been falling apart for a long time, and yesterday just hammered that point home, barely even a fight, and I was aching the whole way back.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Honestly, Ranger appeals to me; I love the woods. I love camping and bushcraft survival type stuff, but... it’s not right and doesn’t feel like me... I don’t want to settle into the woods and just become a part of nature. I want to do something myself; I want to choose my own path, not become part of another.
I could feel a draw to Ranger, and it was a powerful one. However, magic was something I’d wanted my entire life. I felt an instantaneous sense of connection to the occultist archetype, as if it were calling out to me. I felt it was promising to fill this void in me. I’d only just noticed
I felt a weight in my voice; I hadn’t expected my choice to solidifying within my mind.
“I select Occultist as my archetype.”
Congratulations, archetype Occultist set! Skill gained Mana Sense.
Displaying Status.
Name: Viktor Bloodstone
Level: 1
Age: 18
Species: Human (HYBRID)
Archetype: Occultist
Classes:
==== ATTRIBUTES ====
Strength: 7
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 4 (-4)
Vitality: 4 (-3)
Sense: 10 (+3)
Wisdom: 11
Intelligence: 10
Glamour: 5
==== SKILLS ====
Animal Instinct – 1
Mana Sense – 1
==== SPELLS ====
==== ABILITIES ====
Parasite – 1/7
==== MUTATIONS ====
SELFISH GENE (UNIQUE)
TRAIT EATER (RARE)
IMMUTABLE (UNCOMMON)
MUTAGEN (UNCOMMON)
“Holy shit, that’s… a lot,” I said with a chuckle. “After all that shit, I said about how dumb it was that your whole life gets decided by numbers on a test when you’re a teenager. Here I am, my entire life summed up into numbers as a teenager.”
I began reading over my stats, trying to understand what each of them meant and why I had pluses on some and minuses on others, when during my thinking a set of boxes began to open.
[Strength is your capacity to exert raw and explosive force through your musculature; higher strength increases your muscle mass and enhances your capacity to exert raw force on the world around you.]
[Agility is how fast you are and how keyed your reflexes are through your nervous system and twitch muscles. Higher agility makes you faster and hones your reflexes, improving your nervous system and the power of your twitch muscles.]
[Dexterity is how nimble and deft you are. Higher dexterity increases your fine motor skills, steadies your extremities, and makes your movements more precise.]
[Vitality is how healthy and resilient you are and your body’s capacity to heal; higher vitality increases your muscular skeletal strength and healing capacity.]
[Sense is how much information your six senses can gather and how effectively your brain is able to process the gathered information. A higher sense increases detail and distance in all sensory organs, as well as making them more efficient at honing in on specific details.]
[Wisdom is how flexible your mind and spirit are; it is your ability to rewire and adapt and resist, as well as your capacity to draw in mana and work it in complex and creative fashions. Higher wisdom leads to more resilient minds, more adaptable personalities, and greater control over magic and mana.]
[Intelligence is your mind's raw processing power, memory, and speed, as well as your capacity to use more complex magic and empower it. More intelligence leads to more powerful complex, perfected spell structures and vast increases in memory and IQ.]
[Glamour is your ability to attract command and persuade; higher glamour gives better physical features, stronger, more effective pheromones, and more likable and commanding vocal abilities.]
I processed that information with a bit of confusion, especially about the glamour, getting a bit concerned that there was going to be people who could just mind control other people with waves of pheromones or similar, then I moved onto questioning the weird brackets next to my stats.
Dexterity 8 – 4 = 4 (-4) You are receiving a penalty to your dexterity from extreme damage to your joints and nervous system.
Vitality 7 – 3 = 4 (-3) You are receiving a penalty to your vitality from extreme damage to joints and nervous system.
Sense 7 + 3 = 10 (+3) You are receiving a bonus to your sense from the SELFISH GENE mutation.
Huh… how delightful the amount that my disability is fucking me up is actually quantifiable; it’s actually halved my vitality and dexterity, which explains a depressing amount about my life.
“Any chance you’ll tell me what the average is for a human?”
Humans average 4–7 for physical attributes, 6–8 for mental attributes.
Well, Fucking A? I guess even crippled, I’m still at least on the low end of average, and I’m pretty goddamn awesome everywhere else; hell, I'd be above average across the board if I wasn’t being consumed from the inside by this whatever the fuck, now for the good shit, I suppose? What does animal instinct and mana sense do?
Animal Instinct – 1:
When my reason faltered, I abandoned the civilized animal and found my instincts awakened in the wild. I found clarity in chaos; I found order.
Your senses are more acute when tracking and foraging.
You have a vague sense for the strength of your opponent.
Your natural instincts for danger have been heightened.
Mana Sense – 1:
I’ve seen beyond the veil that my sixth sense will be my guide on the path to power and understanding.
You are capable of seeing, smelling, feeling, tasting, hearing, and sensing mana in all its forms.
Alright, I’ll admit it, that’s pretty fucking awesome.
“Last but hopefully not least, what’s up with these abilities and mutations?”
Parasite Rank – Leech – 1/7:
In the shadows of dependency, I thrive; I take what you cannot bear to lose, and in your weakness, I find my strength.
You can leech the vigor and energy from living beings by consuming their blood and flesh; complete consumption of prey can give permanent gains.
Selfish Gene – UNIQUE:
In the dance of survival, I am the solitary predator; I evolve for myself, knowing the strongest thrive alone.
Sense + 3
Ability: Parasite
skill: animal instinct
Trait Eater – RARE:
I am the silent collector of traits, absorbing your essence and weaving your strengths into my own, a tapestry of inherited power.
Through the consumption of living creatures, you can learn their traits, making them available for mutation.
Immutable – UNCOMMON:
In a world of constant change, I am unyielding; I am the anchor in the oceans of mutation.
Extreme resistance to malignant mutations and decay.
Mutagen – UNCOMMON:
From chaos springs creation; I am the catalyst of evolution.
Extreme resistance to rejection of all forms; become compatible with all forms of mutation.
I finished reading the status report in stunned silence, simply processing the new information that I’m apparently now capable of consuming things life-force with my ghoulish ability parasite, and that I am apparently able to mutate at will and immune to... Cancer? I guess.
I looked left and right a few times, almost expecting something to just happen, as if suddenly a band of ogres was going to appear or I’d get summoned to fight the demon king... and after a sufficiently long time passed that I was pretty sure no shenanigans would take place, I relaxed, letting out tension I wasn’t aware I had.
Bringing my hands up, I combed my fingers through my long hair, feeling it was a little longer and that my stubble had progressed to a full-on depression beard.
“How long have I been passed out... It must have been days at the least for my stubble to have grown this far out.”.
Walking through my apartment, I stepped into the bathroom, looking myself in the mirror.
Long black hair fell down my face in a mess coated in the strange black dust that covered my unconscious form; my hazel eyes shone in the dim sunlight, a deep emerald for the outside ring with amber on the inside; my lips were cracked and dry quite possibly from laying on the floor for days.
I stretched and yawned, feeling my back crack and joints snapping into place, allowing me to stand straight. That’s when I saw myself yawning in the mirror; my mouth opened wide enough to easily fit my entire fist in, and my tongue was hanging out past my chin, seeming thinner and having a somewhat pale blue tint rather than pink.
Holy shit is that creepy... What the fuck! I guess they call it a mutation for a good fucking reason.
Examining the rest of my mouth brought nothing new to light; my teeth, throat, and roof of my mouth all felt and looked completely normal.
Looking out my window, I stared down at the streets that seemed a little less vacant than previously. Staring out to the horizon, I wondered to myself.
What am I becoming?
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to ponder my current situation. With my eyes still fixed on the streets below, I noticed some familiar faces in the crowd. Taking note of my ex-associates, I quickly noticed, to my utter chagrin, they were heading straight for my apartment.
They walked into the windows blind spot and shortly after I heard a set of loud heavy knocks against my door.