The undergrowth and trees of the forest grew denser as she moved away from the site of the massacre.
Her legs were trembling with exhaustion, each step throwing her off balance. Her injured hind leg was sending frequent waves of pain with every step she took.
But she didn't want to stop. Not until she was safe.
-(Fuuuuuu... I need to keep my distance... get far enough away from that monster...)-
[Precise Movement][Agility][Vigor]
To minimize the pain, she adjusted her body weight for better balance, moving between the twisted trees with impressive efficiency. This wolf's body was much smaller than her previous one. But it was much faster and lighter. Despite this limitation, she didn't mind—it was a living vessel, and that's what mattered most.
After a long time that felt like almost an eternity, she had finally stopped beneath the shadow of a group of moss-covered overhanging rocks. She laid her body on the ground, calming her heavy panting.
[Enhanced Senses][Smell]
She began to carefully smell the air around her, analyzing the subtle changes in scent: damp earth, tree resin, various distant scents of small animals... but there was no scent that caught her attention, nothing that smelled of danger. Not like that beast.
-(Good. For the moment, I'm safe.)-
She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her body's breathing calm down.
-(I'll need another viable body. This body is badly injured and not very strong. Another encounter like that, I couldn't afford.)-
She opened her eyes and began to look around more cautiously and attentively. The area was very different from where she had been before. The trees appeared older, more twisted, with roots that sank deep into the ground and ran across the forest floor like tangles. Sunlight was barely visible—a faint ray penetrating the canopy, creating an atmosphere of perpetual twilight. There was also a fog, barely visible, only covering up to the wolf's feet.
-(An area that's at least safe... a place where I can catch weak prey. Something manageable for this body in recovery.)-
She got up carefully, ignoring the protest of her injured paw, and began to walk at a slow pace this time, methodically exploring the terrain.
Nearly an hour had passed of walking—perhaps she had covered a kilometer and a half—when something in the environment caught her attention.
[Sniffed][Enhanced Senses]
The ambient smell around her had a faint trace... of something. A slight sensation that sparked curiosity.
She stopped, instinctively crouching among the undergrowth.
And that's when she saw it.
The ground, beyond some bushes, was disturbed. There were marks that weren't from animals. They were footprints, humanoid bipedal footprints.
-(Humans?)-
Curious, she approached cautiously, examining the marks left in the mud.
-(No. They're not human.)-
These creature's footprints were smaller, wider than a common person's. And there was something very notable: they only had four rounded toes.
-(A biped with four toes? There are few animals that walk on two legs and have four toes that I can remember. Well, this is another world—there's a possibility there are more creatures with that number of toes.)-
Following the trail of footprints with her senses, she noticed there were multiple tracks together. There were at least four pairs of slightly different sizes, but there was no variation. They were moving in a coordinated manner toward the same common direction.
And in one area, there was something interesting.
The surrounding area showed clear signs of a fight: disturbed earth, some broken branches, dried blood stains on leaves and some bushes.
-(There was a recent hunt for an animal here.)-
[Smell][Enhanced Senses]
The smell of blood was dry and old. It seemed the place had been half a day since the fight occurred. But the place also had other mixed scents: sweat, something metallic, and an acrid smell she couldn't identify.
-(These creatures seem to have developed enough intelligence to be organized enough to hunt in groups. Maybe they're nomads.)-
She felt a part of her mind—the part that still remembered her previous life—feel a flash of curiosity, an almost uncontrollable curiosity.
-(This is a fantasy world. If there are beasts that aren't considered living beings... that gives the possibility that there might be...)-
Without a doubt, she made her decision without questioning whether it was dangerous.
-(I'm going to follow the trail.)-
The creatures had left an easy trail to follow. It seemed they weren't concerned about hiding their tracks marked everywhere, moving with excessive careless confidence. The path led her to a deeper place in the forest, toward an area where the ground rose slightly, where the trees separated slightly, creating multiple small natural clearings.
And in one of the clearings, at the end of the trail, she found the creatures that had left their trace. And she saw them.
She stopped behind a thick tree, peeking her head out just a little to observe.
There were four silhouettes.
And they didn't look like humans.
-(Those aren't...)-
She stared fixedly, letting her mind process the image before her with a mixture of disbelief and fascination.
These creatures had dark green skin, resembling the color of leaves and old moss. Long, pointed ears that moved independently, capturing sounds from their surroundings. A pair of large eyes that had no visible pupils—just absolute white corneas that somehow still seemed to follow the movement of the environment. They had wide, long noses, and when one of them opened its mouth to yawn after their walk, she could see rows of small but sharp teeth, with lower fangs protruding prominently.
Both the hands and feet of the creatures were barefoot and covered in dirt, with only four long, leathery, flexible toes.
The heights of these creatures were irregular in the common sense—the tallest of them barely reached a meter and a half, while the smallest perhaps didn't exceed a meter twenty.
-(Goblins...)-
A mysterious creature in the scientific realm. The word repeated like an echo in her mind, a fantastical creation from books she had in her world, which she had read in her free time. A creature that resembled a human but was an insult to humanity.
-(Hoho, so there are these types of interesting creatures inhabiting this forest.)-
She began to observe these creatures more attentively, analyzing their behavior.
The four individuals were in the middle of the clearing, seemingly preparing to have an improvised mini-camp after the hunt. In the center of the place was a carcass of an animal that looked like a boar, larger than usual, with spear wounds in its side. The goblins had tied it with rudimentary ropes and were using a long stick to drag it.
Two of the goblins were collecting branches and dry wood from the surroundings, piling them up. Another was sharpening what appeared to be a crude stone dagger. The fourth, the largest, was sitting on a rock, watching the others with what seemed to be authority.
-(They seem to have rudimentary tools, not very elaborate weapons, and very primitive coordination and hierarchy.)-
One of the goblins grunted something, a series of guttural sounds that almost seemed like words. The other responded with a shrill cry, and both began to stack the wood more organically.
-(And moreover, they have a language that's just sounds and gestures, but it's a developed language.)-
Her mind worked quickly, processing the information.
-(They have low intelligence. They're not similar to humans, but they're more useful than simple animals. This makes them... much more viable to possess.)-
The largest goblin—apparently the leader—got up from his rock and walked toward the dead boar. He pulled out a bone knife from his improvised belt and began to cut the meat with experienced movements.
-(They're a developed mind capable of hunting; they even know how to process food. It's very likely they can use fire.)-
But there was something else that caught her attention.
These goblins didn't move with the pure instinct of wolves. There was calculation in their actions. Decisions. One of them even stopped to scratch its head, apparently thinking about where to place the next branch.
-(Conscious creatures—they have their own free thought.)-
A question arose in her mind.
-(Will I be able to take control of one of them?)-
If they were so different from the animals she had encountered so far... would the system recognize them as valid hosts?
-(There's only one way to test my hypothesis.)-
She needed to get closer. But doing so without being detected would be complicated.
[Enhanced Senses I][Danger Detection I]
She analyzed the situation. The goblins were distracted with their tasks. The wind was blowing in her direction, carrying her scent away from them. And there was enough vegetation between her position and the clearing to move stealthily.
-(I just need to get close enough. I could attack them, but this body isn't suitable for a fight—or let them eat me. Hmm, better not, I don't want to feel death. I just need an opportunity to infect one of those goblins without the others noticing.)-
She waited patiently, observing the movement patterns.
The smallest goblin—the one who had been collecting wood—eventually separated from the group, venturing into the nearby forest in search of more branches.
-(In position.)-
She moved.
[Precise Movement I][Agility I][Cowardice I] (suppressed)
She circled the clearing silently, staying crouched among the undergrowth. Her injured paw protested, but she forced herself to ignore it. Each step was deliberate, avoiding dry leaves and breakable branches.
The small goblin had its back turned, leaning over a fallen tree, inspecting some dry branches.
-(My moment is now.)-
She lunged from her hiding place, not to attack, but to get close enough.
Applying [Saliva Transmission I]
She released a small amount of pathogens, letting them float in the air just in front of the creature. The goblin, completely oblivious, inhaled while grunting to himself, trying to tear off a particularly stubborn branch.
The pathogens entered.
She immediately retreated, disappearing back into the vegetation before the goblin even realized something had happened.
From her hiding place, she waited.
A buzz. An announcement.
New host infected.
New abilities acquired from the new host: [Manual Dexterity I] [Teamwork I] [Hunger Resistance I]
New symptoms acquired from the new host: [Cough I] [Fatigue I]
New infection types acquired from the new host: [Contact Transmission I]
-(Phewww! They're Animalia. It was obvious these little ones could be infected.)-
The relief was immediate. If it had been like the previous creature...
But no. These goblins were normal living beings. Infectable. Dominatable.
-(But... would it be a good idea to take control of the body right now?)-
She watched the small goblin return to the clearing, carrying an armful of branches. It looked completely normal. The virus was replicating inside it, but it still showed no visible symptoms.
-(No. Not yet. First I need to understand more about them. Their behavior. Their intelligence. How useful they could be in this forest.)-
She settled into her hiding place, preparing for a longer observation.
-(Besides... if they're intelligent creatures with language and tools...)-
An idea began to form in her mind.
-(Maybe I don't need to just dominate one. Maybe I can... use them another way.)-
The goblins continued with their tasks, oblivious that one of them now carried an invisible passenger. The fire began to light, flames crackling as they devoured the dry wood. The smell of roasted meat soon filled the air.
And Rain watched. Learning. Planning.
-(This world has more than I thought. And if there are goblins... then there are probably more. Much more.)-
-(Civilization. Villages. Maybe even cities.)-
-(And if I want to condemn the life of this world and fulfill the deal...)-
-(I need to understand this world. All of it.)-
The infected goblin coughed lightly, scratching its chest in confusion before returning to its work.
No one else noticed.
And Rain smiled to herself.
-(First step completed.)-