His target was acquired: a fairly standard Mudokon. Steef were perfect, unfortunately no races close to them lived out here. Still, he was a resourceful man, he could make do with the people available. This mud was young, healthy, and seemed to be a loner nobody would miss for a while. He’d followed him for a couple weeks, and the mud had only spoken once, to someone else who seemed inconsequential.
This battle would be easy, the mud had no idea what was coming. During the morning, he waited until the mud came to the river to get water for the day. He hid in the rapids, waiting for the perfect time to strike. The mud knelt down with his jug and he leapt, tentacles outstretched to wrap around his head. They struggled for a while, but his suction was far more powerful than the mud’s large paws. He took a few uncomfortable blows as he repositioned, and sent a couple thin probes through the mud’s ears and into his brain. This was going to be difficult work, this brain was shaped differently, he was having trouble finding what he needed. Fortunately the mud was only using his fists, and hadn’t thought of grabbing a weapon. His flesh could take the blows with only minor damage, he’d heal. But he still had to work quickly. Finally, he found what he needed, his probes shot out thousands of tiny fibers, making new connections with the mud’s nerves. He sent out a large shock to take the body out so he could finish his work. The mud fell, seemingly lifeless on the ground, breathing shallowly.
He sent another few probes, these ones sturdier, up through through the mud’s nostrils and mouth, now that he was passed out and so wouldn’t be accidentally gagged. Rather than going down his throat, two probes he sent up, carefully carving a hole through the top of his nasal cavity, and back towards the brainstem. These two opened like umbrellas, sending out even more fibers, carving out the connections he would need to fully use this body. The probe he sent through the mouth went down through his stomach, so he could feed of the mud’s food.
He tested his handiwork slowly, first twitching his new fingers and toes. Seems he had guessed at the mud’s anatomy correctly. Slowly he sat up, then stood up. He would need to act fast, if anybody saw him uncovered like this his reputation in this area would be over, he might even be killed. However, if he acted too quickly, he could easily topple over. He’d gotten used to having to control six limbs, so four should be easier, but the weight distribution was completely different. He took a few cautious steps, felt how the heavy paws weighted his arms down, made it more comfortable to slouch forward and swing them around.
Of course, this wasn’t his body, so who said he had to feel comfortable? As he walked home he stood up straighter and found a more refined gait. He arrived at the mud’s home...his home now. He had a lot of work to do to find a way to mask his identity, but he had as much time as he wanted to do it. This was the most fun part: deciding how he would present himself to this new world.
The mud had a crude piece of metal hung on the wall to function as a mirror, so he took a moment to inspect his new handiwork. He preferred the hulking mass of a steef, but with a good suit and scarf this mud would do.
He was Sekto, and he had finally been reborn.
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