Chapitre 10: Shapeshifter
"Uh Luna, what is shapeshifting?"
She didn't respond, but he swore he could feel her eyes rolling in his head. Instead, a new screen of information appeared.
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Shape-shifting (Tier 1)
Able to transform into any person witnessed with a thought.
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"I'm sorry did it say any person. Wow... well honestly, give me enough make up, and I can do that anyway."
"Are you telling me, being able to change your appearance with thought isn't amazing to you."
"I understand what you mean, but you know it's as simple as it looks."
Looking at himself in the mirror, Vara took a deep breath, and his appearance returned to normal. Feeling his face, he smiled and nodded.
"Wow, I didn't realize how much better I look now. That was a good experience. What was I saying before? Oh right, unlike make-up, I can feel shapeshifting drain my energy Also..."
Vara focused on his hand, and his hand's skin color changed to a darker tone. He then let go of his focus, and his hand rapidly turned pale once again.
"The process is like tensing a muscle. No matter how long I focus and hold it, I will revert sooner or later. Right now, it feels like sooner. Make-up just lasts longer."
"You are comparing a magical ability to regular make-up. You don't realize what you have. This is only the beginning, just like your skill with make-up, everything takes practice to improve, this is no different. Once you improve shape-shifting, I dare you to tell me that you would rather put those chemicals on your face again."
Vara only shrugged. There was no point in arguing with Luna. Unless he sees it for himself, he will stick to his opinion. She did bring up a good point on training, though. He has no idea what he is capable of now, going for a test run would do him some good.
Vara searched through his memories for a face he was familiar with. There were so many possibilities, though. Choosing only one became very difficult.
"This reminds me of that one time, I shopped through a catalog. It was so convenient I didn't even have to leave home. Hey, why not Ian then. The catalog he used was a survival catalog. Luna, can you keep time."
"Of course, I am your assistant, what else would do other than assist."
With Luna's confirmation, Vara closed his eyes and began to focus and undergo his process. Whenever he had to disguise as someone, he would analyze every piece of data obtained to best become his target. He tried to remember his life as Ian, the camping lover, former military, his personality, what he looked like, his habits.
His body began changing, growing thicker yet slightly shorter. A prickly unkempt beard proliferated on his face, and his hair turns from ghostly white to a healthy dark brown. Opening his eyes, his orange and purple pupils flashed.
He looked down at his body, and this time he was visibly impressed. Make-up and clothes could give the illusion of being bulkier. However, there was nothing in the world that could make him appear shorter. That was a pleasant surprise. He could even take off his shirt to admire the rippling muscles that came with the physique.
'Hmm, so this is what the body of a military man feels like. Though it is from one who was in retirement, it's not bad.'
"Master, it appears your energy expenditure has been vastly reduced. I believe it is due to your control and understanding of this form."
"Huh, really.
Vara rubbed his face as he thought. This was a habit of Ian's that he picked up. The feel of his beard helped him focus as he concentrated his thoughts onto a singular point.
"Hmm, that's probably why I got this ability in the first place. If what Menos says is true, I guess shape-shifting is based on my history. The more I know about my targets, such as their habits, personality, and past, the longer I can hold the transformation.
I guess I take less energy when I naturally follow the movements of my form. Still, it's not perfect, I only have so much power to expend."
"See I told you so, you're already starting to like your power. All you need to do was practice a little. There is still so much to be explored with this ability. By the way, I don't like this look, it's too burly, change it."
Vara shook his head. Luna was already starting to grow on him. He never was able to have a genuine relationship with another like this. Granted, he was talking to a bracelet, but it was one that could speak. In fact, it was more intelligent than most people.
Vara stretched his new body as the last test to figure out the smallest of details. He wasn't used to having a disguise with a different shape. There were things about this body that was different than his normal one.
Looking around the forest, he felt his senses become keener. He started moving through the forest smoothly as if he was experienced with the terrain. He was amazed by how he felt.
If before his disguises were him acting out a persona, this time he was like a machine and Ian's information was a code that his body was naturally following.
"Ok, Luna I have to admit, this is amazing."
"Hmph."
Vara laughed loudly at Luna's triumphant reply. He began speeding up and decided to look for the tallest tree to climb. Maybe he could see where this forest ends from up there.
As he searched for a thick looking tree, he heard a twig snap causing him to come to a halt. He crouched down and looked toward the direction he came from.
Curiosity overtook him as he began moving slowly towards the source of the noise. As he grew closer, he started hearing snorts.
"Is that a boar?"
Picturing a boar, drool began pouring out of his mouth. Vara was surprised and tried to hold his hand over his mouth to stop the drool. The drool, however, began overflowing and his stomach growled with ferocity.
At that moment, Vara felt his hunger become overwhelming as if he was starving to death after weeks of no food. His expression turned feral as his instincts took over, and he lunged out of his hiding spot. He no longer bothered being careful as only hunger filled mind.
Vara hadn't even noticed his transformation had reset and he was in his original appearance.
"Master, Master!!"
Luna tried speaking, but Vara didn't even respond to her. Rushing towards the animal, Vara finally spotted the boar. The boar was three times as large as an average one, and its tusks were big and sharp enough to piece bark.
The boar was startled by Vara's sudden appearance and began turning to charge at Vara. However, Vara's speed was unexpectedly fast. If he were in control of himself, he would have been shocked at his newfound agility and speed.
Vara pounced on top of the boar and began throwing punches onto its flesh. The sounds of pounding and bones cracking resonated throughout the forest as the boar squealed in pain. The boar tried to charge into trees to shake Vara off its back.
Vara grabbed hold of the boar's hair to stay on as the boar crashed through trees, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Branches and pieces of wood consistently struck Vara, but he did not care.
He bit into the back of the boar, and his sharp teeth sank into the muscles, and he ripped off a piece of flesh. The boar shrieked in pain and fell on its side. Vara once again began thrashing the boar, but this time in its open wound.
Blood splattered in every direction as Vara became covered in it. After a few seconds of repeated hits, the boar stopped responding, and Vara began eating its flesh raw. After a few bites, his sanity returned, and he froze and looked down at what he did.
Although his instincts took over, he remembered every second of the hunt and the brutality of it all. With fresh blood dripping from his mouth, he wasn't so appalled at his kill, but his lack of control.
"Luna.... what just happened..."
"Looks like your back to your senses Master. It appears your inner nature overtook you as you haven't eaten in a while. You entered a starved state and hunted your first kill congratulations."
Vara looked back down at the boar and felt revulsion. Not in the boar but in himself, as he was still hungry. His mind was having a problem adjusting to the reality in front of him. Eating raw meat for the first time was something also he was having difficulty accepting. 30 years of knowledge was telling him what he did was wrong, and he could get sick.
His body, however, was telling him to eat more, to never stop eating, to become fully satiated. The conflict made a walk towards the tree and just sit down to let his mind adjust.
Vara knew this was only one of many things he wasn't going to at first understand, but he knows he needs to get over it. This was his life now, and the unexpected was about to become the norm.
Calming himself down, with his hunger still causing him pain, resolution filled his eyes as he walked towards the boar and took another bite. The raw boar meat surprisingly tasted delicious, but as he was chewing, he stopped and thought to himself.
"Master... You know you can cook the meat, right?"
"..."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone