Virus: Origin of Blood

Rakin scanned the files lying on his desk, humming and tapping his fingers as he worked. The numbers weren't perfect, far from it, but for the first round of the Virus Wars, they didn't look too bad either. He just silently lamented the fact that two of his planets had to go against each other from the get-go.

"Such a waste of resources," he grumbled, setting another document aside. He was about to grab the report on every recent minor leak when his new communicator flashed twice.

He let out a snort.

Later than I expected, he thought, a light grin tugging at his lips. Leaning back in his armchair, he picked up the device and allowed the call to connect. Right away, the feathered visage of Overlord Broadcast appeared before him.

"Fisk, my dear friend," he greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

His fellow Overlord scoffed, crossing his arms. "Spare me the pleasantries, Chaos. You know well why I'm calling. They want it out, now."

The grin vanished from Rakin's face. "What an overreaction to a mortal battle," he muttered. "How long until his PoV goes live?"

"With how fast the interest is growing? A cycle at most," Fisk stated. "This is the first major assault that ended in success. You should have known this would happen."

I did. I sent him there for a reason, Rakin thought, nodding. "Very well then. Delay the live for as long as you can, that's all I ask for. Afterward, don't hold back anything. There's no point."

Fisk arched an eyebrow. "Even the pre-war recordings?"

That gave Rakin a pause. He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Unless somebody asks for them first, leave them be for now. Nothing interesting there anyway."

"Very well, that's one issue solved," Fisk said, looking at something off-screen. "Protections then. Standard VIP package with your name attached?"

"No," Rakin replied instantly, a feral grin returning to his face. He bathed in the surprised look his fellow Overlord shot him.

"No?" Fisk echoed. "You want one of your chosen to die this quick? That's a new low even for you. Especially after what the guy just pulled off."

Rakin rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant, you dumb bird. Give him the usual protections that everybody of a bit higher interest gets. Just leave the bonus stuff out. Including my name. At least for now."

After a silent moment of just looking at each other, Fisk chuckled. "You want him to get the bounties."

It wasn't a question, just a cold truth.

Rakin shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Got a problem with that?"

"No, of course, not. More quality material for me. But you are still a right bastard, Chaos," Fisk said, smiling now. "I even pity the guy a little now. He won't be getting a moment of rest once everybody realizes he cannot be bought."

"He will be fine; he is one of mine."

Broadcast let out a huff. "I recall you saying the same thing about at least two of your chosen every single Integration. Didn't end so well for them."

Rakin's grin became strained. "We will see who is right soon enough. I'm even willing to make a bet."

Fisk leaned forward. "A bet you say? As long as the Overseer enforces it, I'm game. But before that, one more thing. The Host who helped our new celebrity. He is yours, too. It's only a matter of time before they demand his feed as well. Any requests, so I don't have to call you again?"

"Talk to Narin," Rakin replied. "That's her pet project."

"Oh? Giving away your chosen? That I have to hear about."

"But you won't," Rakin said flatly, ignoring the glint in Broadcast's eyes. "It's none of your damn business. Just wait for her message and treat her words like you treat mine."

"With disdain?" Fisk shot back.

This fool… Rakin shook his head, not even dignifying that with a response. Instead, he switched the subject. "So about that bet."

And just like that, his fellow Overlord lit up, forgetting all about Narin and the second Host. Embarrassing, really, how someone so powerful could be so addicted to gambling. Not that Rakin minded. It made his life much easier after all.

You better not disappoint me, Isaac. You came this far. Show me you can go even further. This is your chance.

Isaac sighed, watching the gray castle crumble around him. Soon enough, he was left standing in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dunes of ash—the only trace of the nest that had once stood here. Well, that and the few Ember Moths that had survived the massacre. Though he didn't bother chasing them.

Instead, he looked to his left and nodded.

Finish them, he ordered.

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The Inferior Ash Wyrm floating at his side roared and shot straight toward the escaping moths. In seconds, a cloud of ash swallowed all the creatures, followed by a bright explosion of flames.

The link to his puppet vanished.

Isaac smiled.

"Good job," he muttered just as the smoke cleared. Nothing remained of the moths or Wyrm. Just as planned.

He summoned his notifications, ignoring all the ones about individual kills.

Well done, Host! You have managed to destroy the core of this nest. Without a source to sustain it, its collapse is imminent. Your reward shall arrive soon. Level progression distribution in progress.

[88 Invader Points awarded for Nest destruction.]

And that was it. Not much, but he hadn't expected more. It was just a simple nest he had just destroyed, after all. Some creatures in it didn't even give him points, which was saying a lot in itself. Still, it was more than enough to test his new skill.

Red Puppeteer… an interesting ability, to say the least.

He had first tried it on an Ember Moth. The results? Less than impressive. His puppet died again about five seconds into a clash with another of its kin. Sure, the other beast had two levels on it, but still…

This was why Isaac decided to experiment on something a bit stronger. Or, well, much stronger. The way his resurrected Wyrm had slaughtered half of this nest by itself showed just how powerful the thing was compared to other beasts here.

Controlling it, though? Far from simple.

It listened to him just all right. The issue, however, lay in Viron consumption. At first, he could barely feel it, just a harmless trickle that didn't even affect his reserves. But as minutes passed, the flow increased, draining more and more out of him. Worse still, the connection between him and his puppet grew unstable and erratic in the later stages.

It reminded Isaac a bit of a tug-of-war.

The puppet would demand more energy—far more than it needed—and he would have to fight back to limit the flow. It was that or letting the connection drain him dry.

Hopefully, it gets easier with time and practice, he thought, just when a chest appeared before him in a flash. Definitely gotta be careful when I try controlling more than one puppet.

With a shake of his head, he dismissed these thoughts for now. He had about five minutes left before the next location reveal, and he still had the loot to deal with.

Not that the chest held anything that exciting.

Some Virality Gems. A Superior-grade energy potion he stashed for later. A pair of wicked-looking daggers that could ignite. And finally, a few Blueprint Shards.

Isaac combined them with the ones in his Storage Brand and grinned at the result.

Finally.

He used the Blueprint right away.

You have obtained a new skill, Burst.

[Burst | Grade: Superior | Tier I]
A fundamental movement skill used by the majority of beginner Hosts. By releasing Viron in quick bursts, you can now perform high-speed dashes in a straight line. Often combined with the Host's Origin once mastered.

Same thing Elaine has. No surprises there, Isaac mused, dismissing the description. He glanced at the timers and shrugged. Might as well.

He rolled his shoulders, positioned his body in a way like he was about to start running, and began gathering Viron in the soles of his feet. Thanks to Elaine's teachings, he already knew the basics, but now that the skill was officially his, the missing pieces clicked into place.

Okay. Three. Two. One… Burst!

The Viron in his feet erupted, and Isaac went flying—literally. He landed a few feet away from his original position, face-first in the ash. A groan slipped past his lips.

Way too much energy. Got it…

As much as Isaac wanted to try again and at least get to the point where he could use the skill without falling, there was no time for that now. The location reveal timer had less than a minute left, and breaking his own safety rules for practice wasn't worth it.

Besides, Burst ate a lot of Viron. Not as much as Elaine had described, but still more than enough for him to notice the dip in his reserves.

Better get going.

With that, Isaac transformed and flew toward the border of the lands of ash. He had a meeting to get to after all. Though in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder just how Burst would work in his Legacy form.

Later.

"So are we in agreement?"

"We are, my friend," Harry said, smiling wide. "We shall paint Reprizem with the blood of our enemies. Nothing will stop our hammer of judgment! Victory will be ours!"

Isaac stifled the roll of his eyes. He hadn't decided yet if the man was insane or just weird as hell, but the more time he spent in his presence, the more he leaned toward the former. At the very least, Harry's insanity was directed at Zerians and not other humans.

And apparently we're friends now… because we slaughtered hundreds of aliens together. Great… This is my life now.

Still, there was a reason why he didn't just tell the man to leave him alone. Harry's Origin of Dreams was just too powerful to ignore. A perfect tool for controlling a battlefield and setting up ambushes.

Isaac sighed and looked up toward the sky. Still plenty of daylight left. Exactly what they needed for the next step of his plan.

"Follow me then," he said, transforming into his Legacy.

Within seconds, they were back in the skies, soaring high above the final stretch of the land of ash. Ahead, an endless field of blue awaited, an ocean or maybe just a sea. Isaac didn't care. This place would be just another afterthought on their journey to find the next major Safe Zone.

Why do such thing?

Simple. Staying here was getting too dangerous. Over the past few hours, he and Harry had ambushed six Zerian squads. And only one of those encounters ended with a total wipeout.

The other five? They were forced to escape after killing just a few aliens.

Between the ultimates, Legacies, and sheer numbers, there wasn't much more two humans could accomplish. Not when the Zerians were always expecting them now. They were lucky to walk away with just a couple of cuts and bruises each time. If not for Harry's illusions, the results could have been much worse.

Thus, the plan to find another Safe Zone was born.

Would it work? Especially with how often Isaac's location was revealed?

Maybe. Maybe not.

All he knew was that staying here was asking for disaster. A single mistake, one wrong step, was all it would take for a random arrow, sword, or skill to take him down forever. And with how heated each following battle was becoming, Isaac didn't trust himself not to slip sooner or later.

Not anymore.

Have to know your limits. And then find a way around them.

He just had to be quick about it.