The wolf was dead. Skull shattered, body limp in a spreading pool of its own blood and the hobgoblin's. In those final frantic seconds of the override, as the club came down and bone gave way, I didn't stay in the wolf.
I acted on instinct—deeper, more primal.
While the wolf's jaws were still locked on the hobgoblin's upper arm, teeth buried to the gum, I released my anchor from the cervical vertebrae. A quick, slick surge forward through torn muscle and spraying blood. I followed the hot flow straight into the open bite wound. Past ripped flesh, into the gushing artery. Tentacles latched onto inner walls, hooking ligament, burrowing deeper toward the elbow joint before the hobgoblin even registered the fresh sting amid his rage.
The wolf's corpse collapsed. I stayed inside the new host. Hidden. Feeding.
Time blurred.
I siphoned what I could—trace nutrients from the hobgoblin's blood, stolen essence seeping through my skin like osmosis. Enough to dull the edges of weakness. Enough to think clearly again.
I coiled tighter, sliding upward through muscle and along the bone until I reached my preferred spot: the nape of the neck, right before the base of the skull. A natural hollow where vertebrae met spinal cord, protected by thick muscle and close to the brain stem. Tentacles spread thin, anchoring gently. The hobgoblin's heartbeat thundered here, erratic from pain and adrenaline. His neck throbbed around me, hot and swollen.
I tried to gather my thoughts. Fragments, the bite, the club, the crack. The system notification. Hunger. No name. No past. Just the hum of "survive".
A word rose half-remembered from a life I couldn't grasp.
"Status."
The void in my mind ignited.
Letters burned into place—not cold and mechanical like before, but warmer, almost personal. A voice that echoed from somewhere inside me.
—--
[You finally said it.
This was tied to that word. A last piece of advice from me to you.
You traded everything.
Memories. Name. Past. All the fond times and bad times.
For this.
Power. No chains. No regrets.
You gained four unique gifts in the deal:
Evolution. Hivemind. Assimilation. Bio Codex.
One more is still yours to pick. A single skill of your choosing. Make it count.
No more messages after this.
Embrace what you've become.
— ME]
—--
The words lingered, fading slowly like ink dissolving in water.
I felt... surprised. The message was blunt. Short. No hand-holding. No warmth. Just a final echo from whoever I'd been, signing off forever. It felt like a note left on a table by someone who knew they wouldn't be coming back.
I focused again. The main panel resurfaced beneath the echo.
—--
[Unique Skills]
[Evolution]
- Allows the user guaranteed evolution of race and acquired skills when conditions are met.
[Hivemind]
- Establishes a centralized consciousness capable of managing connected entities. Enables coordination, intent transmission, and shared perception across the network.
[Assimilation]
- Allows the host to absorb compatible biological matter. Assimilated material may reinforce the host or expand biological capabilities.
[Bio-Codex]
- Provides anatomical information on any observed organism and understanding of its biology.
—--
Each one settled into place like keys turning in locks I didn't know I had. They felt "mine". Designed for me by none other than myself.
I started to probe deeper—looking for personal stats, current biomass, the free skill choice—when a jolt ripped through the neck I occupied.
The hobgoblin stirred.
A low, pained growl rumbled from his throat. He sat up abruptly on the bloodied ground, clutching his injured upper arm. His scarred green face twisted in confusion and fury. The dead wolf lay beside him, skull caved in. Other goblins hovered at a distance, muttering, clubs ready.
He snarled something guttural, eyes narrowing.
He prodded the bite wound on his arm, wincing. Winced again at the dull ache in his shoulder and neck. But he didn't look down at his neck. Didn't notice the faint, unnatural presence coiled at the base of his skull.
He just grunted, shook his head like shaking off flies, and staggered to his feet.
The other goblins chittered nervously, backing up a step.
He barked an order, voice rough.
They scattered to obey.
My host stepped fully into the cavern, his heavy steps crunching on scattered bones. The air thickened with the stench of sweat, blood, and release. The scene sharpened through his senses: three hobgoblins dominating the center, their massive frames heaving as they claimed the captives. Goblins swarmed like rats, grabbing at limbs, thrusting into whatever opening they could find.
Among the five human women, three still fought. A brunette with matted hair thrashed against the goblin pinning her arms, her legs kicking wildly as another forced himself between her thighs. "No—get off me, you filth!" she spat, voice raw and breaking, nails raking green skin until blood welled. Beside her, a redhead twisted away from a hobgoblin's grip, protesting in choked sobs: "Please... stop... I can't..." Her body bucked, trying to dislodge the intruder, but the weight was too much. The third, a blonde with bruises blooming across her pale skin, screamed outright—a high, desperate wail—as two goblins held her down, one violating her while the other mauled her breasts. "Monsters! I'll kill you all!" Her struggles weakened with each thrust, but the fire in her eyes hadn't guttered out yet.
The other two women were broken. One, a dark-haired beauty with vacant eyes, lay limp beneath a hobgoblin, her expression slack and defeated—lips parted in unwilling moans as her body betrayed her. "Ah... yes..." she gasped, hips rolling involuntarily against the invasion, tears streaking her cheeks. The last, a curvaceous woman with freckled skin, arched into the goblins' touches, her moans low and throaty: "More... gods, more..." Her face was a mask of shattered will, eyes glazed with forced ecstasy, body writhing in submission.
The kobold females fared no better—scaled bodies pinned, tails thrashing weakly, their hisses turning to whimpers under the relentless assault.
My host growled, a deep rumble that vibrated through his chest and into my anchored spot at the nape of his neck. He shoved forward, swinging his good arm to scatter a cluster of goblins like vermin. They yelped and scurried back, chittering protests but yielding to his bulk. He claimed his place in the orgy, zeroing in on one of the struggling human women—the brunette. He grabbed her by the hips, yanking her from the lesser goblins' grasp. She protested louder, kicking and clawing: "No—don't touch me!" But he pinned her down effortlessly, his scarred green cock—thick, veined, and already rigid—pressing against her entrance.
He thrust in without mercy, burying himself deep in one brutal motion. She cried out, body arching in pain and shock. He rutted like an animal, hips slamming forward, each plunge stretching her wide. His hands roamed rough—squeezing her breasts until she gasped, fingers digging into her thighs to hold her open. She fought at first, twisting, but the rhythm broke her protests into fragmented moans. He flipped her onto her stomach, taking her from behind, one hand fisting her hair to arch her back. The cavern echoed with the wet slap of flesh, his grunts mixing with her reluctant whimpers turning to cries of unwanted pleasure. He finished with a roar, spilling deep inside her, then pulled out, leaving her trembling and spent on the dirt.
The host didn't stop after the first release. He pulled out, still hard, semen dripping from the tip, and grabbed the brunette again, flipping her onto her back this time. She barely protested anymore; her body trembled, legs parting almost automatically as he thrust back in. The rhythm built once again hard, relentless until he came a second time, flooding her deeper, growling in satisfaction.
But even that satisfaction faded quickly. He moved on to one of the broken women next—the dark-haired one with the vacant eyes. She moaned eagerly as he entered her, hips rocking to meet him without resistance. He rutted faster, hands bruising her hips, and finished with a grunt, pulling out to spill across her stomach. The goblins cheered, some licking the mess from her skin.
He took her again minutes later, then switched to the redhead who'd been screaming earlier. She still whimpered, but her struggles had weakened to token twitches. Each thrust drew softer cries, her body yielding more each time. He climaxed a third time inside her, then a fourth on her thighs when he pulled out at the last moment. The cavern reeked of it—sweat, seed, exhaustion. The other hobgoblins mirrored him, cycling through the captives like meat on a spit. The same holes, the same moans, the same eventual limp surrender.
Through it all, I shared the sensations. The Sense Sharing skill pulsed faintly in my mind—a bridge between us. The tight heat enveloping him echoed in me, a distant but vivid throb. The rush of dominance, the slick friction, the clench of her body around his shaft—it bled through like heat from a fire. Not full, not mine yet, but enough to stir something primal. Pleasure without the body. A taste of what could be.
Enough. This was... interesting. But boring. The same broken toys, over and over. I wanted more. Fresher prey but also levels. I focused inward, probing the Bio Codex. "How do I tamper with his brain? Drop suggestions, thoughts?"
The skill activated instinctively, flooding my mind with knowledge. No words—just a surge of understanding. The host's anatomy unfolded like a map: the brain stem at the base of the skull, where I was anchored. Neural pathways lit up limbic system for urges, prefrontal cortex for decisions. To suggest, not command, extend a tentacle filament into the spinal fluid, tap the hypothalamus for impulses, release micro-bursts of my own slime to mimic neurotransmitters. Subtle. A whisper in the dark: plant the idea as his own.
I did it. A thin tendril uncurled from my body, piercing gently into the neural sheath. A pulse of slime—aphrodisiac-laced, but tuned for thought. The suggestion dropped: "Let's go hunt fresher women."
The host paused mid-step, cock still dripping. He shook his head once, then grunted. A slow, wicked grin split his face. He barked orders at the other hobgoblins, gesturing toward the cave exit. They nodded, pulling away from the captives with reluctant growls.
It worked.
Satisfaction bloomed—cold and sharp. I hadn't told him to stop enjoying his woman outright. That might have jarred him, made him ignore the whisper as foreign. Better this way let the urge build naturally, twist his lust toward something new. Fresher prey. For both of us.
The host lumbered out, the others following. The hunt was on.