A True Parasite

The bird's wings created powerful gusts of air dragging me further into the sky. My heart beat deafeningly loud and my jaw rattled, my fear of heights certainly didn't help me. And the bird knew I was scared, because I shrieked like a mad man, only growing louder for each flap. The bird couldn’t ignore me any longer and tightened it’s clench on me, almost squishing my organs. I quickly quieted down, but not too silent. I wouldn’t want the bird to drop me, being clenched so tightly had its safety in it.

The bird was small, its head the same size of a pebble. But its features were defined. Its jawline sharper than any other bird I have seen, its beak carrying a powerful hue of orange, standing proudly apart from the white feathers. Its wings carried grace, nothing like that of a fly.

The large blue grass below grew into a blur as we passed forest and plains. We eventually stopped at a large tree. There was a house made out of sitcks, with a little hole in the wall.

The bluegrass, that seemed gigantic to me only moments ago, grew into a blur below. We flew past the blue plains and into the blue forest, eventually stopping at a large tree. The tree reached the clouds, and the bird landed on one of the branches in the middle.

There was what looked like a little house there, camo flashed by big leaves. The house was a standard nest, except it had a roof of sticks to it, and the only entrance was a small hole in the entrance. A small circle of sticks covered the whole, one that the bird easily could pull open.

And the bird did exactly that. It opened the door and threw me inside, before closing the door. Leaving me utterly confused.

I was stuck.

When I realized that there were three white eggs laying there, the bird's intentions grew clear. The chicks would hatch ravenous of hunger, and they’d love a little grasshopper then.

And if I killed the birds, the parents certainly wouldn’t let me go. I can’t imagine that they’d say:

“You slaughtered my three children! Have a good night!”

I have to escape, and there was only one way out. Through the door. The bird certainly moved it easily, I reckon I could do the same.

I charge my legs, stretching them out and then contracting them until they stung. I released the most powerful jump towards the wall, twisting myself in the air as to kick the door open. The door did not budge.

Instead, one of my legs found itself stuck in the door. That made me hang off, with my back against the wall. I am particularly glad for not having blood. I was hanging on the back of the door, particularly glad that I had no blood.

Great, just wonderful. Those chicks would certainly be happy with fresh defenseless food. I can’t have that, I won’t let my life end so quickly. I need a plan, and I need it now.

I’m a grasshopper stuck to the wall. What can I do? Wait, I’m not a grasshopper. I’m a mind parasite. Could I swap host?

Index, is it possible for me to change host?

Yes

How?

Species unique skill ~ Host transmigration

Action: Swap to a new host, healing the new host completely.

Conditions for activation:

1. Brain must be fully intact

2. Host must be dead.

3. User must slay the new host without any outside help.

Cooldown: 168 hours.

This is my ticket out of this grasshopper body.

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The unhatched eggs will soon hatch. I have a feeling that they’ll hatch very soon since the bird didn’t kill me. However, if I kill them whilst they are still in their eggs, will host transmigration work?

The skill details healing the new host. But if the healed body can’t sustain itself then it doesn’t matter that it heals. In other words, I have to kill one of the birds as it’s coming out of its egg. That is the only way.

However, before that can happen, I need to get my leg free. Despite how many times I kick and jerk, it doesn’t budge. Oh well, I didn’t want to do this but it seems I have no choice.

Using my other leg, I start rotating my body. Round and round, until my stuck leg starts tingling. I am so lucky I can’t feel pain, that would make this whole experience excruciating.

My stuck leg pops, and I fall down to the floor, with only one leg left. I kick my way to one of the eggs, dragging my face through the sticks, and I wait for them to crack.

I hear the critical sound of eggs cracking. I hear it again, and then again. Fuck! All the eggs are hatching at the same time. I need to do this, and I need to do this now.

I turn myself to angle my remaining leg towards the closest egg. I see the beak coming out. I fire a kick, and then another one. I’ve kicked through the egg. I kick again, and again, I feel something taking my kicks, something moving. I kick over and over.

One of the bird's faces has come out of the egg. It eyes me with maddening hunger. I continue kicking. Whatever was moving has stopped. I see red blood pouring out of the egg. Perfect.

20 Xp gained

Level 3 reached. Pick your first spell!

“Skill, Host transmigration ACTIVATE!” I shout, for no clear reason.

My vision goes black. I’m inside a void, and suddenly I’m in the chick’s body. I can see the red blood in my egg. Many senses and emotions, that were not available to me before, crowd my mind.

I was right about the hunger they would experience, it plagues me like a small dagger stabbing my stomach over and over. A hunger that pervades everything else. I clack, and eat away at the shell. It falls, and suddenly I’m free from my own blood. My previous body lays on the ground, one of my brothers has already begun eating into it. I join him, screeching all the while. The pain is too bad.

“Mine,” he shrieks.

“No, mine,” I say.

Our sister joins the fray and snatches the bird away from both of us.

“Mine,” she says dismissively as she rips into my old body. Strangely, I feel no connection to that body.

“Mine!” Me and my brother shriek together, I don’t know why I’m talking like them.

The hatch opens, and our mother comes in. I didn’t know she was our mother up until now, I guess the new brain gave me that knowledge

“My beautiful children have hatched,” she says with joy, “don’t worry, mama’s brought food.

She bends down, forcing her beak into mine, and throws up. It is strangely delicious.

“More!” I scream, but my siblings are all shouting at the mother to give them some.

There’s something very wrong about this. I just killed their brother and now I’m acting as him. I truly am a parasite, a mind parasite.

Ehh, luckily I’m a parasite and not a human. Morality can go fuck itself.

Whilst they get fed, I can find out what the previous notification was all about.

System, let me pick my first spell.

Defense

Strength - Host gains a boost in strength for a minute

Cooldown: 10 minutes

Invisibility - Host goes invisible for one minute. If the host is touched by an offensive entity or their direct actions the spell is broken.

Cooldown: 24 hours.

Shield - Host gains a small shield around them

Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Offense

Stun - One entity of the user's choice completely freezes for a second. If the entity is much stronger than the host, the spell will fail to cast.

Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Blind - One entity of the user's choice goes blind for five seconds. If the entity is much stronger than the host, the spell will fail to cast.

Frighten - One entity of the user's choice becomes irrationally scared of the host. If the entity is equal or stronger than the host, the spell will fail to cast.

Passive

Perc-ection - Host’s perception senses grow more sensitive.

Passive spell.

Magical attunement - Host’s magical attunement grows.

Passive spell.

This is just too many good options to choose from. The last one is certainly the most interesting. Does this mean that if I take over a mage’s body, their magic will become mine? It’s certainly possible.

Another strategy I have is only picking passive spells. That would certainly make me really strong later in life. But maybe I won’t get there, mantises could fall from the sky at any moment and eat me alive. Same for many other creatures out there.

I think I need something that will aid me right now. The invisibility is too good to pass up right now. Especially since it can be used for both offense and defense. And, I think it really meshes well with me being a bird.

I picked it. Once again, I felt no change to me.

Suddenly, I felt the branch shake and I heard my mother scream. My own blood attracted a predator.