[Quest]Fiend of Possession

Author's Note: This is a quest-type story. Quest stories rely on the readers to choose what direction the story will take by telling the writer directly. This is most often done through multiple choice questions. Important details and Questions will be bolded with their options(if any) underneath. Voting continues until there's a clear consensus or I(the writer) am ready to write the next chapter. After which I will put *Voting Closed* in the comments and begin on the next chapter.

Note that other writers may attempt to split off the path and continue the [Quest] in a different direction if they so choose to.

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A breath. At least, that's what you thought it was before your consciousness fully awoke. Once that happens, you start to understand. The breath wasn't a breath at all, but a slight breeze blowing through your incorporeal body. Not enough to clear the fog that stifles the landscape below, but enough that you can feel it. Your body has no shape. It is a formless mass of gaseous consciousness floating in the air.

Your mind awakes to the nature of your existence. You are a demon. A special type of demon who lives within the minds of others. Many would believe that demons were evil, but that's not entirely true. Demons live for one thing and one thing only. Their own personal interests: Becoming more powerful, having fun, and sowing chaos. By acting on these interests, they can be perceived as evil. However, demons are more Agents of Chaos than Evil. If it serves their interests, they can even be helpful to their hosts. You grasp your new existence, a new emotion flows within your drifting mind: Fear.

Danger!

Your exposed form is at its most exposed without a body to hide in. It would take little more than a gust of wind. Enough to clear the fog to also clear your own consciousness to the four winds. With enough power, you could manifest your own body. Indeed with power, you could perform many such acts. Such as using it to manifest A shell to protect your true fragile nature. However, as a newborn, many paths are not open to you just yet. It is likely that as you are, you could barely possess the weakest of hosts

Stretching your consciousness into the city below. It would appear as if it's very late as there are very few people awake. Sadly, sleeping minds are effectively invisible to your probing tendrils. Your newly formed mind also currently can tell little about potential hosts. You can make out race and sex, but little else. Most of the inhabitants of this city appear to be human.

Regardless, one of these people will have to make due as a suitable host:

[A] Your mind probes a human female in a tavern below. You cannot discern her body type or many of her other physical features due to being a newborn. She is on her knees and appears to be scrubbing the top floor of the tavern. It's likely that she is a servant or a barmaid in the tavern She would be an easy mind to nestle into. (Power Cost: 1)

[B] Speaking of taverns, also below, you sense a human male. It is likely that he is the tavern keeper or bartender. Although you cannot sense which. It's also difficult to tell what's "under the hood" so to speak and you do not currently have the power to probe more deeply. Still, a weak human male with no sorts of magical resistances. A good option for your newborn demon mind to inhabit. (Power cost: 1)

[C] You touch one final mind in one of the rooms on the second floor. A female elf lays in a bed that she likely purchased for the night. Her mind grows fainter and fainter. No doubt she is drifting off to sleep. Much like the other two, it's difficult to tell her physical features, but elves are known to be on average taller with a smaller chest. Attempting to hide in her mind would be extremely risky. Even if you did manage to actually succeed, you would likely be rendered weak and helpless for a long period of time until you could absorb enough power intermittently.(Power cost: 3?*)

(*A Question Mark indicates that the action might require more. There may be unknown factors in play that could alter its cost.)

[D] Stretching the tendrils of your mind farther out from the tavern, you sense very little. Various animals and critters wander the street of course. However, you do not touch any other mind until you brush against the mind of another Human Male. This one appears to be a guard patrolling the streets in a vain attempt to keep crime down. There may be some potential for acquiring some easy power there. However, his mind is that of a trained soldier and is more disciplined than the average human. Albeit slightly. (Power Cost: 2)

[E] At the furthest distance that your mind can stretch, hunched in a back alley; you sense a Female Catkin. Catkin is effectively a subspecies of human that have animalistic features. These vary from simply ears and tail to more animalistic features. Such as fur and claws. It is moderately difficult to tell exactly what kind of animal features this one has. Especially from this distance. She seems to be a thief or rogue of some sort as she appears quite comfortable in the alleyways late at night. (Power Cost: 2)

[F] This appears to be all that is around you of interest at the moment. Perhaps they don't tickle your fancy. Fortunately, you could travel to another part of the city in the hopes of finding others that fancy your interest. Travel in this gaseous form is inefficient and burns through your precious power. However, the still morning air would make such a trek somewhat easier. (Power Cost: 1)