Before long, they all entered a wrecked restaurant, where, apparently, his team made a temporary base. There, Elaine wasted no time dropping him onto a soft towel laid out on a table. Isaac squawked at the rough handling, but the woman just shot him a smirk and took a seat on one of the few chairs nearby. James and Tyler followed suit.

Well, this is weird, he thought, glancing at the humans surrounding him.

With how huge they all looked to him, their collective gaze made him just a little uncomfortable. The fact that he could barely move didn't help at all. That said, at least the pain deep inside his body was fading. Soon, he should be able to transform.

"This is weird," Elaine muttered, echoing his thoughts.

James exhaled loudly. "Thank god. Here I thought it was just me… I swear, if anyone saw us right now, they would think we were getting ready to eat the boss." He paused. "Huh… Now that I think about it…"

Isaac snapped his head toward the man, his eyes narrowed.

"Kidding, kidding! Just playing with ya, boss!" James exclaimed, raising his hands. "But, seriously, I can't be the only one wondering. Would it be cannibalism if someone ate you in this form? Technically, you're a bird now."

This time, three pairs of eyes turned toward him. Of course, James wouldn't be James if he didn't have a follow-up.

"What? It's a legit question!"

Somebody save me, Issac thought, fighting back the urge to knock himself unconscious. To his right, he heard Elaine groan. Meanwhile, the oldest among them had a different reaction…

"Bloody hell…" Tyler rubbed his brow. "Big man, sometimes I worry about you. Even I haven't thought of that, and I taught you all you know!" he cried out. "I feel like I failed as your mentor."

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Elaine muttered, rising to her feet and heading for the exit. "I'm going to deal with the stragglers we saw on the way here. Try to hurry up. It's getting dark."

The moment she stepped out of the restaurant, James and Tyler high-fived each other. "Ten out of ten, T. Then again, she cracked pretty fast," the former said, grinning.

"That she did." The older man chuckled. "But really? Cannibalism? How the hell did ya even come up with that?"

"That's the secret of my beautiful mind."

Tyler snorted. "Aye, 'beautiful' is definitely the word I would use here. You have truly surpassed me in the ways of bullshitery."

"It was an honor, T." James gave an exaggerated bow as he stood up. "I'm gonna make sure the princess is fine. Be right back."

"You do that. Just don't go too far."

A mock salute was all Tyler received as an answer. Soon, there were only two of them left in the restaurant. For a moment, Isaac wondered if he should start playing dead to avoid any further weird conversations. Yet, before he could make that decision, the older man spoke up.

"Did ya enjoy the show, lad?" He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "If you wanna know, this was just a little experiment we came up with. Some harmless fun to take the edge off today. Seemed like the right time to try it out."

Isaac blinked, then rolled his eyes. Elaine is right. We're surrounded by idiots.

"Oh, don't be like that!" Tyler said as if reading his mind. "We just saved ya from playing twenty-one questions. You can rest in peace and explain everything later."

With that, Isaac couldn't argue.

Fair enough…

All right, let's do this.

Isaac nodded to himself and raised to his two thin, bird feet. That motion still took quite a bit of effort from him, but at least his body no longer screamed in protest. He counted it as a win and, with tiny steps, made his way to the edge of the table. From there, he spread his wings and fluttered down onto the nearest chair.

"Finally transforming?" Tyler asked as he stood up from his seat. Probably to catch him, just in case.

Isaac nodded again, reaching for the spark holding his raven form together. With a nudge and a mental command, the shift began.

It didn't happen in an instant like he had hoped, but at least the pain was nowhere near as bad as the last time. Piece by piece, his body returned to normal, and he sighed in relief once he could feel his fingers again.

In the end, no matter how much he loved flying, deep down, he was still a human.

"Drink," Tyler said, handing him a bottle of water.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking a few quick gulps. The cool liquid washed over his burning throat. "Much better."

"Glad to hear it." Tyler smiled, retaking his seat. "Want to talk about it? Must have been rough if you have barely made it back."

Isaac grimaced. "I wouldn't say rough… I just made a stupid mistake at the end. Wanted to finish the heart without considering what might happen after. Got thrown into a tree as a reward. Didn't help that I burned all my Viron during the fight…"

The older man mirrored his expression. "At least you had the potions and your overpowered regeneration to stitch you up. How are you doing?"

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Let's see…

Using the table as a crutch, Isaac pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the sharp pain that action sent through his chest. Still, he pushed past it and took a few steps. Overall, not too bad, but that didn't stop him from collapsing back into his seat.

"Been better, but I'm recovering. Give me half an hour, and I should be good to go," he said, seeing the older man's concerned expression.

Tyler nodded. "Got it. Need anything in the meantime? We raided a snack store while you were out."

Of course you did. Isaac chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah. Go out, join the others. Maybe get another level before we have to head back. I will be fine here on my own."

"You sure, lad?"

To prove his point, a Blood Dagger manifested at his side and landed in his open palm. That earned a snort from the older man.

"Right… Why am I even asking?" With that said, Tyler grabbed a brand-new shovel he must have found somewhere and headed out. However, before he could step outside, he called out one more time. "Shout if you need us."

Isaac nodded, and a moment later, he was left alone in the ruined restaurant. He considered moving closer to the broken windows but decided against it for now. He had a better idea to pass the time.

Interface, give me my status. And I mean a full one, with skills and other stuff. You can skip the descriptions, though.

In hindsight, maybe this wasn't the best idea because, damn, that was a long, long list that just appeared before him. If this was all he had after just three days, he worried how it would look after 3 months or years…

Yeah… let's ignore that thought for now…

Name: Isaac Walker Origin: Blood | LVL. 12 Legacy: Crimson Raven (Fledgling)

Virus Stage: II - Replication (Phase 3) Virus Integrity: 96%

Power: Developed - Tier III Agility: Developed - Tier II Toughness: Developed - Tier I Regeneration: Refined - Tier I Insight: Developed - Tier II

Inheritances: Darksight

Origin Skills: Symphony of Blood (Sup | Max), Sacrifice (Nor | Max), Blood Draw (Sup | III), Blood Dagger (Sup | IV), Bloodbank (Uni | Max)

Virus Skills: Analyze, Viron: Potency (Nor | Max), Pain Resistance (Nor | III), Stealth (Nor | Max), Viron: Regeneration (Nor | III), Transform, Viron: Storage (Nor | Max)

Ultimates: Crimson Flock

At least my Virus Integrity is almost back to full.

Isaac snorted, scanning the list from top to bottom. The upper section didn't really have anything that caught his interest. That said, he was a bit curious about what he had to do to advance his Legacy to the next stage, phase, or whatever it was called this time around.

Unfortunately, the Interface wasn't willing to give him an answer.

Whatever…

His skills, however, gave him a short pause. Four. Only four of them still left to be maxed out. Two actively, and two passively. After that, he had nothing more unless he managed to evolve a skill or two.

Isaac frowned. Not sure if that's a good sign or not. I really need another Origin skill. Maybe something defensive? No… He lightly shook his head. That's not my style, at least not for now.

For a moment, he even wondered if there was another way to awaken new skills than just through level-ups. Though, after giving the Interface a few inquiries that went unanswered, he abandoned this topic for now.

Honestly, despite all this progress, there was still so much he didn't know about the Virus, Interface, Overseer, or even those Sires. All he knew about the last group was that there were five Overlords. And if not for James, he wouldn't have even learned that much.

Then there are the attributes. They make me stronger and faster. That much I understand. But what about the distribution? How big is the difference between Peak and Enhanced Peak, or between Low and Normal distribution? Where does the Ascension Power even come from?

Those were only a few of the questions that had been hiding in the depths of his mind during the last few days. Questions that normally he wouldn't be asking. After all, this wasn't him.

Yet, as he had already learned, that had changed, too.

Isaac groaned.

This is exactly why I try to keep myself occupied at all times. No use in letting your mind wander without a goal. I will find the answers to all that and more when the time comes. Forcing it won't help…

With a sigh, he stood up again. His legs wobbled a bit, yet he still pushed himself toward the exit. He might not be in a condition to fight anything head-on, but at this point, he had enough Viron inside him to let him act as a support.

Better that than just sitting around.

"Isaac. Wake up, please."

His eyes fluttered open at the soft whisper and the light shaking of his shoulder. The roof of their tent back at base camp registered in his mind first. Then, his gaze went lower, falling on Elaine's slightly alarmed face.

"What is it?" Isaac muttered, stifling a yawn. "Need to swap watch already?"

Only that couldn't be the truth. A quick look at the watch on his right hand confirmed it was only ten in the evening. He had been sleeping only for an hour.

"No." Elaine shook her head. "We got company."

Shit.

Right away, he rolled off the small mattress they had looted from a nearby house and picked up his new vest and vambrace. After putting them on, he looked up at Elaine.

"Colonel's people?" he asked.

"I sure hope so," she replied, throwing him a fresh hoodie. "They're not even trying to be subtle. A whole group just appeared at the end of the street, flashlights and all. The moment we saw them, Tyler told me to wake you up."

Isaac nodded. "Got it. Let's go then.

With that, they both rushed out of the tent and joined Tyler and James, who were already standing at the side of the street. Just as Elaine had said, a large group was approaching, their flashlights cutting through the darkness of the dark road.

"Good to have you with us, lad," Tyler muttered. "You see anything? 'Cause I can't see shite…"

"A moment," Isaac replied, narrowing his eyes.

His enhanced sight easily pushed past the veil of darkness, but with the flashlights directed almost right at him, it still wasn't easy to find all the details fast. Not that it stopped him.

"A couple firearms. Mostly swords and other blades, though," he whispered. "Oh, and yeah, the Colonel is with them too. Either this is a coincidence, or they had someone watching our camp and waiting for our return."

"Three gems on the second option," James said.

Elaine scoffed. "That's a sucker bet, and you know it."

"Worth a try..."

Tyler chuckled. "Another time, big man. Another time. Now we have work to do. Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome our guests. Shall we?"

They all shared a nod and stepped onto the street.

I swear, if this turns into some weird Mexican standoff, I won't be held responsible for my actions…

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