Raptor One – Chapter 21
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I wake up, but don’t get up immediately as i let my mind wander a little.
“Hey, buddy, don’t let the flame burn out, you can do it...” I mutter to myself, but the feeling ins’t there.
*OP: Host, please note that you are getting on the first stage of burnout, after analysis i found out that you never rested properly, that is bad to your mental health, as your body will soon follow your burnout progress, i advice you to relax and be lazy for some time or adapt a different approach in your lifestile.*
Da, don’t worry... Just feeling the consequences of changing my laziness to hyper activity.
*OP: So, if analysis is correct you forcefully changed your core trait leading to increase in anxiety and stress, after that you did not have courage to show your true self leading to a burnout, you lasted long before you started burning out.*
A bad trait known as persistence, but that action is just like the ‘Inhibitor Charges’, as soon as it run out bad things happen, losing my cool with the Hunter strain was just a warning...
*OP: I advice you to return your core trait back to laziness, and avoid confrontations for a few days, and try to search for some food to restock the safe area, specially pancake mix as your reaction to it was pretty good as morale booster, even thought it does not give much nanites.*
Da, can’t say no to that...
Hey, what will i look like when i get old tech assimilated, and when the body conversion is done.
*OP: For the body conversion you will look exactly the same outside, but inside all of you will become Bio-Mechanical in nature, even your brain, as for old tech assimilation, depending of it, you will have external parts visible, but the core function will not change, a example is if you find a old tech that is good for you hands, the outside look will change, but it will look like you’re wearing it and not part of your body, and all external parts will have failsafe like external capacitor addons, all in all, you look cooler... And more intimidating...*
Ugh... Thanks i guess...
“Enough moping around, let’s start this lazy steam engine that i am.” I say as i get up from the sofa.
Giving a lazy stretch, something that feels really comfortable but a little odd for me right now, i go outside after confirming that my makeshift belt still have all my items.
“Hum... Water first, then I'll look for food here in the 4th floor, so up i go.” i mutter before going north where the staircase is located.
Some minutes later i get on the open area where the staircase is and climb it to the 5th floor.
“Now that i think of it, this persistent crying is making me depressed, but i know there is no living human in this city... What’s happening? Foe now i know it’s coming from the 6th floor, something to take a look when i feel a little better.”
I mutter as i arrive in the 5th floor and move south where i found the water dispenser, my plan is to move it to the area I'm staying before locating food as i know i have found two new unknown strains that I'll need to assimilate, and having a prepared area will be good for when i need to de-stress before i snap at the taste of infected brain.
I shudder at the thought.
Arriving at the workers rest area with no resistance i open the door and keep it open as i move inside.
Giving the place another look i see that the fungal growth have spread a little when i was sleeping, so it’s a good thing that I'm taking the water dispenser away, or sooner than i know I'm going to get out of water because of the fungal growth.
After removing the three fourth full water gallon, i pick it with one hand and embrace the water dispenser with the other and start walking my way back to the 4th floor again.
Because my steps are a little more heavy than normal the infected leaves their fungal beds, but after looking at me for a creepy minute, and following too, they return to their fungal beds.
“Ugh, not getting used to that, Niet.” I say as i climb down the stairs and move to my room.
“Anyway, when did the new infected repopulate the deserted area? And how?” I tilt my head in wonder at the speed the cleaned area was filled again.
Before entering i see that the cleaned area around my safe room have no close infected.
“Huh, they must be using the empty fungal beds to repopulate the area, or it is sending some signal so it can get repopulated...” I mutter as no infected is close by because i assimilated all the fungal growth close by, specially the fungal beds, giving my thought some confirmation.
Placing the water dispenser down i open the door to my safe room and haul it to a free place close to the kitchen and place the water jug in it again.
Now with my hands free i return back outside stretching, my mask conveniently depressurize for me to yawn before pressurizing again as i close the door.
Going south i enter room after room sniffing for the smell of powdered food and oxidizing metal.
After four empty rooms which i broke the door with a swipe of my claw to mark as looted i finally find a conveniently hidden box of canned food when i was exiting the fifth room as the micro sound waves mapped a small hidden compartment, of which i sliced open and took.
Returning back to my safe room after some good searching i place the box of canned food on the container after checking it.
Making use of the broken doors that i made i decided to change the broken handle of my safe room while I'm free, that takes just some minutes, nanites are pretty useful.
I lie on the sofa and just relax, but instead i fall asleep for some time...
Waking up i feel confused... Literally.
“What the heck do i need to do again?” I tilt my head as i sit up.
*OP: Rest and be lazy!*
*OP: And don’t forget the food.*
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“Oh... Right.” I mutter as i get up from the sofa heading out of the room after stretching a little.
Looks like i got a little too relaxed as i fell asleep earlier, that’s a new in this life.
Going back on the south corridor of the 4th floor where i scavenged some food out of it i pass by the same looted rooms and give it’s wall some knocks to hear if there’s anything i missed like last time before continuing my door breaking streak, knocking on each room wall too to make sure.
After three more rooms i stop, the smell of...
“Is that wine i smell?” I mutter as the smell catch my attention, so i ignore the room i was about to breach and head to the smell.
Some walking south later i see a door by the light and go to it.
The moment my body get in contact with the light...
I feel like I'm about to combust in flames!
With a shoulder slam i breach the door using ‘Wrath overdrive’, that was a good move because i felt not only the door fly, but also a luxurious book case as i run my way in.
Panting almost like a dog i feel my surroundings for further light and possible enemies as i talk with system.
“What was that...” I say exhausted.
*OP: Sorry host, i did not account for the ‘Zedspore’ light vulnerability, I'm searching the genome pool for it, at least the skin upgrade managed to reduce your vulnerability by 75%.*
“THAT reaction was only 25% of it!? No wonder i did not see infected even near anywhere that is above 5 celsius.” I sigh.
“At least i know it’s brightdawn right now... Same month or not, only regaining access to the grid network will tell, hate this jammer city.” I mutter before going into a bedroom where the smell is coming from.
Opening the door i see fungal growth... and a withered infected looking my way...
I look at it... It looks at me... It opens it’s mouth...
“Oh... Shit...” Is all i could say before getting hit by a shriek so high i howl in pain as i kneel on the ground.
Having four enhanced and upgraded ears at this moment never felt so regretful as it keeps the shriek for a full minute before stopping.
Only that shriek made me almost blind as i can’t hear anything for now, only smell, so i open my eyes as ‘Wrath overdrive’ activates.
Getting up from my kneeling position i grab it’s neck, too weak to resist i wring it’s neck off it’s body with no pity.
First thing, don’t, EVER, use a sound attack on Avali’s, what you get for doing it is clear to know.
Second, it was clearly a new strain, that means, aggressive, so it’s he or me.
Third, it was in bad shape even for a infected, and i know just by looking, so killing it was a act of mercy.
I sigh, red jets of smoke leaving my mask as i continue to find the wine, with the new strain’s head in my hand i know I'll need it to wash down the taste of brain off my mouth.
After some looking around the bedroom i finally find the the wine, not only one, but multiple tucked neatly in a bottle keeper, doing a simple counting i see that there is five wine bottles full and a sixth bottle with half it’s content, closed too.
I get the case of wines with one hand and head to the door only to be stopped by the system.
*OP: Hey HEY! Don’t do that or you will lose the New strain’s head, it’s going to burn in your hands so fast you will wonder if they are made of instant flammable components only.*
“Okay, that’s bad.” I say placing the head in a table close to the sofa along with the wine case.
Opening the door to take a look avoiding the light i see a staircase right in front of the door, a hole on the wall where the south corridor ends and a lot of normal infected out of line of fire of the light looking like i killed their entire family!
“God, how glad i am for this light right now...” I say as i place another note on normal infected.
-Infected
-They will avoid the light like the Prague.(Not sure if it’s the light itself or the UV rays from, it.)
Closing the door again i take stock of the wines, i know I'll need the best one for what’s next.
*OP: Before you start sorting it, give the new strain a name.*
“Da, the new strain’s name is Screamer, Or Screamer strain if you want.” i say as i return to checking the wines content.
*OP: Screamer strain, noted, will decode the upsides and downsides that is not known yet when you assimilate it.*
“Da, don’t forget to help me make a note about it.” I say, finishing sorting the wines.
Okay, i got two and a half grape wine, yes it survived till now it seem.
One Sweet apple cider, or i think it is because of the apple smell.
Two forest wine, good and healthy with low alcohol level.
*OP: Forest wine?*
“Wine made out of Pine dough or other natural resources that the nature can give.”
*OP: Noted, where did you learn this if i may ask?*
“Will you believe if i say i learned it in my past life?”
*OP: Nope.*
“Thought so.” I chuckle.
As i was preparing for the assimilation as i was breathing slower and relaxing more my hearing finally returns, so i close my eyes again and my mask starts to depressurize.
I take the Screamer’s head, pluck out it’s eyes, and place my hand on it’s withered face.
A last breath later i extend my nanite tentacle into it’s brain and start assimilating the New strain.
The first seconds goes okay, but the five seconds mark i start retching heavily, but with some will and looking at the roof i manage to keep the retching to a minimum.
Before my retching spiral out of control it finally ends and i throw the head with force on the wall on the kitchen side.
As the withered and empty head explodes into pieces i place my hand on the half full grape wine, open it with my finger and down it in several gulps.
The sweet yet a little bitter taste of alcohol distract me enough to forget the taste of brain as my mind immediately focus on the sweet taste.
I sigh “One time a sweet tooth, always a sweet tooth heh...” I sigh again, a big cloud of red smoke leaving my unlocked mask before it clicks closed.
“I always thought the smoke came from the mask...” I say in surprise.
*OP: Ok. Now that you’re better i can say this, and nope, it’s the ‘Zedspore’ virus influence.*
*OP: Screamer strain genome collected, upgrade? Yes or no.*
Right, forgot that... Da, do it.
I relax as i feel my body changing, the red lines getting brighter, my lungs better, my throat stronger, and finally, my vocal cords changing.
*OP: Upgrade complete.*
*OP: ‘Wrath overdrive’ upgraded to level 3, ‘Call Reinforcement’ acquired, ‘Shockwave roar’ acquired, ‘Neutrality pheromone’ acquired, Body consumption optimized.*
“What’s the use of ‘Neutrality pheromone’? Don’t talk about the rest as just the name make it clear.”
*OP: ‘Neutrality Pheromone’*
*Your body emits a smell that calms any smell capable being, less effective with intelligent beings, but prolonged contact with host showing no hostile intent will still work.*
“Huh.” I say in surprise, this is just my alley, specially with the infected waiting outside.
I grab the wine case, place the empty bottle of wine inside too and open the door.
Taking some breaths i run outside and away of the line of sight of the light into the infected horde.
They just keep looking at the open door as i shoulder slam my way out of the horde further north back to my simple safe room as the infected ignore me completely.
“Well, that’s useful.” I chuckle as i make my way to the safe room.
*OP: The good side is that it’s odorless and passive, so it’s being made at all times, and can be upgraded with the correct strain.*
“You’re not talking about the...”
*OP: Yes, the infected on the 1th floor being cared by the...*
“Grave keepers.”
*OP: Grave keeper, Noted.*
Reaching the safe room i open the door and enter after closing it.
With my small mission done i place the wine case on the container along with the box of canned food.
Taking a can of peach i easily open it with my claws and savor all it’s contents before throwing the empty can on the trash.
Giving a look at my makeshift belt i see that all my items are still with me and none show signs of breaking yet, so with a nod i plop on the sofa and close my eyes.
A small look on the nanite storage tell me all i need before i drift to sleep again.
*Nanite storage: 2400u/4000u*
Status:
Health: On Duty.
Day: ? (Brightdawn) Month: 12?
Age: 16 (Legal adult)
Credits: 10050 (No change.)
Nanite storage: 2150 units (Max 4000 units, 250u Needed per day)
Abilities:
Omega Protocol: Unlocked.
Path 1:
Alpha Protocol: 0% Decoded.
Path 2:
Scavenger Protocol: Unlocked.
Harvest Protocol: 0% Decoded.