Chapter 15 - The Trial Continues

Before us lays a small, walled village. "How strange, it's not on the map." Valena is checking her map, looking from it to the area around us to find our position on it. "Then this must be a new settlement?" Tersa suggests. "Must have built fast, then. This map is the most up to date." Valena informs.

"How recent?" Safyr asks. Valena checks the map for the date of revision. "The survey this map is based on is less than three months old." She answers. "Brave people, building this far out into the Wilds... Or they're the kind of people that would rather be left alone" Lentil remarks.

"Do we visit them? Or is that not allowed during the trial?" Valena asks. Safyr thinks for a moment before turning to Lentil. "I say we should check it out. It's a new settlement and I'm sure the Guild, and the King for that matter, would like to know their reason for settling here." Lentil nods. "We'll make a stop here, continuing tomorrow." He decides.

Oh good, then I should be able to Evolve. We head down the hill we were standing on, towards the mystery village.

As we get close to the gate of the village, a man cries out "Hark! Who goes there!" From on top of the wall. "Hunters from the Guild" Lentil replies, shading his eyes as he tries to look at the guard. "We'd like to shelter here for the night, would that be okay?" Safyr asks. "Let me hear with the Chief, don't move!"

The sound of what I guess is the guard climbing down a ladder is heard, before his footsteps fade towards the center of the village. "Here's hoping we get to come in." Tersa mumbles. "Oh I'm sure they'll let us in. We're from the Guild! We're the good guys!" Lentil states with confidence. After a few minutes, the gate opens.

Behind the gate stands several robed persons, in the middle of them stands who I assume to be the Chief, dressed in a robe of slightly finer make. "Welcome to our humble village, Hunters" The Chief spreads his arms in a welcoming gesture. I notice that they're all looking at me, not the others. Even the Chief is intently fixing his gaze upon me, despite addressing the Hunters.

I hide slightly behind Valena's legs for cover against the stares. This seemingly snaps them out of it, and they refocus on the others. "What can we do for you?" Asks the Chief. "Oh, we just stumbled upon this place in our expedition, and couldn't find it on any maps, so we were curious." Lentil answers.

"Is that so? Well, we'll be happy to show you around our home. Come with me, please." The Chief beckons for us to follow him, as the other robed figures disperse into the village. "Let me introduce myself, my name is Leicher Fogbottom, and you are?" We introduce ourselves. Well, Valena introduces me, as Changelings aren't supposed to speak.

"Pardon if this is insensitive, but is she your-?" Leicher asks Valena. "No, she's not. I took her on as a foster, and well..." She shrugs. "Ah, I see... The reason I asked is that I study monsters. Where they come from more specifically." He explains. "Don't they come from eggs?" Safyr asks.

"All monsters do, but some, especially elementals and sprites, also perform spontaneous generation. If the area fulfills some criteria, they start appearing. Same with Dungeons, monsters within the dungeon are rarely found outside it, suggesting that they came from the Dungeon itself." Leicher explains as he guides us through the village. It's quite small, my map filled it out just by me entering the gate.

Arriving in front of the biggest building, he turns to us. "This is where I live. This is also where guests stay. If you don't have any questions, I have to tend to my duties." He bows and leaves as two villagers come over to us. "We'll be watching over you during your stay. Anything you need, just ask us."

For some reason I feel like they are addressing me specifically. "I'd like to ask, why here?" Safyr asks the villagers. They look at each other before answering. "Why, we're followers of the great Leicher. He has the gift of prophecy, you see, so when he got a vision we followed it without delay." Oh so it's a cult. Ho boy.

"What was the content of that prophecy?" Tersa asks. "I'm afraid we can't tell you more. The specifics of the visions must be kept secret to prevent interference." Though they look at me when they say so...

We spend the rest of the day checking out the village. The population is around thirty people, with a more or less even distribution between age and gender. There's a basic smithy, a tannery by the wall and even a basic shop. Though the shop doesn't take coin, instead effort-tokens. I guess a sort of reward system?

Leicher arrives near sundown to inform us that supper is ready. As we eat, he asks us what we think of the village. "Oh it's real nice. Hard to believe you've managed to build this much in such a short time." Lentil says. "Though the location probably would leave some to be desired, being in the middle of the Wilds and everything."

"I can see why you'd think so, but for us it's perfect. Only trouble's been an ornery Dreadtail, but other than that it hasn't been anything we can't handle." Hm, I guess the Dreadtail's not a big problem anymore though, since it's currently sitting pretty in my storage.

I finish my supper quickly and motion to Valena that I wish to go to bed. "Please excuse us, Millibelle's tired from all the excitement." Valena excuses us and heads to the guest bedrooms. "No locks..." She remarks as she closes the door to our room. I take a look around the room.

It's sparingly decorated. Two beds, a chest by the foot of each. A window leading outside, though it doesn't seem to be open-able. I hop onto one of the beds and change into my true form. "Ah! Maybe not such a good idea?" Valena looks worriedly at the door, seemingly expecting someone to come through the door at any time.

"Have to, uh, grow up?" I try to explain. "What? Evolve? Here?!" She exclaims in a loud whisper. She's really not liking this, huh. "Why? Can't it wait?" She asks. I shake my head. "Grow up now, or uh, afraid grow up?" Curse my limited vocabulary!

"Nonono, I order you to not evolve here! This place... I get a really bad feeling about it." As she utters the command, I feel my body slightly recoil at it. Trying to open the evolution menu results in a mental "Errrb" error sound. Oh great, she's able to even do that?

"Is everything all right?" Leichers voice comes through from behind the door. "I heard something about Evolution..." The handle on the door depresses as he attempts to open the door. "Ah, you must have misheard me, but please don't come in, I'm in the middle of undressing!" Valena scrambles to hold back the door.

"Oh I'm fairly certain I heard you ordering your "Changeling" to not evolve here." Leichers tone shifts to one of annoyance. Valena seems to struggle against the man on the opposite side. "Let Me In" It felt as though the words reverberate through the air, each leaving a ripple in the ambient magic.

*Spell learned! Command (Lesser)

- A taboo spell, combining Air and Dark to force the target to perform an action. Target must be able to understand at least one language, and also be physically capable of performing the action. Incompatible with Wide-Casting*

Valena stops struggling and steps back to let Leicher open the door. "See, wasn't that easy? I've been waiting for you, Little Monarch..." Leicher enters the room. "Don't worry about your friends, they've been... tended to." He addresses Valena, who is just standing there, tears streaming down her face.

"Now, Little Monarch, how about you come with me? My duty is to ensure the correct choice is made, and I suspect this place is a bit too cramped for your new form." He holds out his hand in invitation. I hiss at him.

"Now, now, don't be like that." He retracts his hand before retrieving a knife from a pocket and putting Valena in a neck hold, the knife pointed at her throat. "After all, you still care about the lives of humanoids, don't you?" Valena doesn't struggle, merely silently stands there, tears still flowing.

I have no choice, do I? This guy is completely insane!

"Come with me to the village center. You go first. Any funny business and the Ayvin loses her life." I hop off the bed and exit the building with Leicher and Valena behind me. As we walk I mark Safyr, Lentil and Tersa for tracking. Seems they're up ahead?

We enter the village center. The entire village is gathered here it seems. The others are also here, seemingly in the same state as Valena. I'm directed into the center of the ring formed by the villagers. Lit torches illuminate the area with flickering flames.

"My loyal followers" Leicher addresses the crowd, still having Valena in a neck hold. "We spent a lot of time and resources, preparing for this event." They did? How much advance notice did they have on me coming here?

"Now, the wait is over. Finally, we will be able to ensure the birth of the Tyrant. Finally, we will cleanse the filth from the world." OH so this is an Aum Shinrikyo style cult! (~ she means the kind of cult that harms "non-believers". Aum Shinrikyo attacked the Tokyo subway with sarin gas, killing eight and injuring 600 people~)

"Little Monarch! I Order You! Evolve Into A Young Tyrant!" Again, the words he utters seem to ripple the air. I feel my body tensing, desperately trying to initiate Evolution. My mind fills with the error noises. I grasp my head in my hands, it feels like it's going to explode!

"What are you waiting for?! EVOLVE!"

*Warning: Desperate Evolution initiated, bypassing Orders given by Namer.*

My legs give out as I try to cover myself with my wings. To shut out the pain somehow. My body is enveloped in a grayish light, and I feel myself being lifted into the air.

*Title Effect of Heart Eater Activated! "Why Choose When You Can Have It All?" Effect applied to Evolution!*

*Calculating... Generating... Simulating... Re-Generating... Finalizing New Life-form... Complete*

I feel my form swell in size, going from the size of a large dog to that of a large horse. My body shifts and contorts as body-parts rearrange themselves to fit their new function. The upper part of my head splits in two, leaving me with a "half and quartered" look to my face. The newly formed opening fills with sharp teeth.

My tail splits in two, one tip with a stinger, the other with a blade-like tip. As the Evolution ends, I open two pairs of eyes and inspect myself.

Millibelle

Species: ??? (???) (EXUnique)

Gender: Female

HP: 4000/5000

MP: 6000/7500

SP: 500/5000

Attack: 700

Armor: 750

M.Attack: 345

M.Armor: 500

Speed: 450

STR: 700 (Max: 1250)

CON: 715 (Max: 1250)

INT: 345 (Max: 1875)

WIL: 470 (Max: 1250)

DEX: 400 (Max: 1250)

Skills:

Innate World Knowledge (True - Unique)  -  Power Osmosis (True - Fated - Unique)

Hidden Space (True - Unique)  -  Language Comprehension: Goblin (Great)

Language Comprehension: Kobold (Great)  -  Language Comprehension: Common (Lesser)

Guard Share (Normal - Unique(Goblin Shaman))  -  Wide-Casting (Great)

Complex Shape Body (Lesser - Unique(Doppelganger))  -  Malleable Body (Great)

Damage Immunity: Fire (Lesser)  -  Damage Resistance: Heat (Great)

Damage Resistance: Physical (Great)  -  Condition Resistance: Poison (Normal)

Condition Resistance: Disease (Great)  -  Condition Resistance: Burn (Grand)

Condition Resistance: Paralysis (Great)  -  Condition Resistance: Overheat (Great)

Elemental Affinity: All (Great)  -  Spell-Casting Affinity: Bolster (Great)

Spell-Casting Affinity: Weaken (Great)  -  Regeneration: HP (Great)

Regeneration: MP (Great)  -  Remote Body Control (Normal)

Tongue Action (Great)  -  Tail Action (Great)

Viscous Body (Normal - Unique(Celluloid))  -  Great Swallow (Great)

Hardy Digestion (Normal) - Cellulose Digestion (Great)

Rapid Digestion (Great)  -  Phagocytosis (Great)

Terrible Talons (Lesser)  -  Strong Bite (Normal)

Focusing Horn (Normal)  -  Sharp Teeth (Normal)

Strong Legs (Normal)  -  Poison Stinger (Great)

Climbing (Lesser)  -  Hiding (Normal)

Flight (Great)  -  Draconic Flight (Normal)

Spit Attack: Paralysis (Normal)  -  Thick Mucous (Normal)

Keen Sight (Normal)  -  Keen Hearing (Great)

Keen Smelling (Great)  -  Telepathy (Lesser)

Fire Breath (Great)  -  Napalm Breath (Normal)

Soothing Presence (Lesser)  -  Frightening Presence (Normal)

Selective Presence (Lesser)  -  Commanding Presence (Lesser)

Lustrous Fur (Lesser - Unique(Emperor))  -  Jagged Scales (Lesser - Unique(Tyrant))

Teamwork (Lesser)   -  Leadership (Lesser)

Plaguebearer (Normal)  -  Hivemind (Grand)

Boon of Fertility (Normal)

Crafting Skills:

Weapon Crafting (Apprentice) - Weapon Twisting (Apprentice)

Magic Tool Crafting (Apprentice) - Trapmaker (Novice)

Spells:

Great Heal (Lesser)  -  Recover (Lesser)

Blind (Normal)  -  Dark Bead (Great)

Light (Great)  -  Radiant Beam (Great)

Barrier (Lesser)  -  Empower (Great)

Weaken (Normal)  -  Crumple Defenses (Lesser)

Fireball (Normal)  -  Red Hot Claw (Great)

Create: Water (Normal)  -  Water Beam (Great)

Control: Water (Normal)   -   Wind Blade (Normal)

Earth Spike (Normal)  -  Mesmerize (Normal)

Withering (Normal)  - Curse (Normal)

Command (Normal)

Social Titles:

Compassionate - Makeshift Midwife

Lifesaver - Innovator

Sole Survivor - Backstabber

Ruthless - Boss-Slayer

Heart-Eater  -  New Life

Tyrant  -  Emperor

Named Monarch

My new form is quadruped. Prehensile, clawed hands at the front, sturdy all-terrain paws at the back. Half my body is covered in long, soft fur. the other half is covered in jagged scales. My wings are now at least twice the size of my body, draping across my back like a cape when they're folded away. They've kept their distinct membrane edge though.

I lower back onto the ground. "O-observe! The Young Tyrant!" Leicher announces. Although I'm fairly sure I'm not a Young Tyrant at all. Is he improvising through this turn of events? I look around, observing the crowd, trying to act indifferent. They seem unsettled by my appearance.

"Now! To properly cleanse it of past connections!" Leicher calls out. What is he planning? I look back at him. He is no longer holding Valena by the neck, instead she and the others are walking towards me. They prostrate themselves in front of me. "Kill These Humanoids!"

His words make the air ripple like usual when he uses the Command Spell, but I feel no effect?

*Your WIL stat is most likely too high for him to affect you.*

My willpower is too high? Well, too bad for him. "What are you waiting for?! Kill Them!" Leicher shouts as he falters slightly. A glance at his MP reveals that it is empty. Around the same time, Valena and the others seem to come out of their trance-like state. "Ah- Ah- Restrain them! Quickly!" Leicher heaves, seems running out of MP is much more severe for humanoids.

I stretch out my wings to block the approach of the villagers. Let's try out my new Telepathy Skill. "Quickly! Get onto my back!" I address Valena. Seems I can't yet call out to more than one person at a time. "Hurry! Get onto Millibelle's back!" Valena relays my message for me. With a hesitant glance at each other, Safyr, Tersa and Lentil scramble to get onto my back.

"H-hurry! They're escaping with the Tyrant!" Leicher shouts. Some of the villagers retrieve weapons, bows and crossbows. Once Valena joins the others on my back, I activate Draconic Flight. this should allow me to fly without moving my wings too much, lessening the chance of me knocking one of my passengers off.

As I soar into the sky, a pitiful wail escapes from below. Is that Leicher? He sounds heartbroken... I make my way to the north, but I can rapidly feel my strength fading...

After about fifteen minutes of flight, I spot a copse of trees. They should provide at least some cover. I almost crash on landing, and am just able to keep from falling on top of Tersa when I collapse from exhaustion. I'm so tired, let me just... sleep for a bit...

Valenas POV

As Millibelle lands, she almost immediately collapses onto her side. Before long she's curled up and is fast asleep. No wonder... After what I put her through... I gently stroke the right side of her neck, the side covered in long fur. It seems to almost shimmer in the moonlight. Even though she is asleep, she leans into my hand as I run my fingers through the fur.

"So... Anyone care to take a guess at what in the World was up with that place?" Lentil asks as he constructs a small campfire. "I have some ideas..." Tersa answers as she prepares the tents. "Let us hear then." Safyr requests as he scans the area for danger with his darksight.

"Well, they seem to be a cult. And they want to use the Tyrant to 'cleanse' the world?" Tersa summarizes. "That much was obvious." Lentil remarks, dryly. "Well, their leader is certainly a dangerous person. To think he knows Command..." Safyr says as he motions the all clear on the area around us.

"I suspect he also has some sort of Skill, possibly Unique, that lets him retain Command on people. Normally you only get one action per cast, but he was ordering me around like nothing." Tersa adds. "Seems it stops working once he runs out of MP though." Lentil finishes lighting the fire, and a warm glow illuminates the sleeping form next to me.

I take some time to inspect her. Four eyes, one pair with round pupils, the other with cat-like pupils. Her wings seem to just have grown in size, and also added claws onto them. Her two tails twitch in unison as she sleeps. The most striking change, other than her increased size, would have to be her head. It looks... wrong... As if there was supposed to be two heads, but they didn't split properly, and instead fused together. Two horns adorn her head, one elegant and curved, the other jagged and sharp.

"Is Millibelle okay?" Safyr asks. "I think so. She's just exhausted after her Evolution." I say as I turn to him. "I suppose it was lucky that he caused her to Desperately Evolve. It drained the magic out of everybody in the area, so he ran out of MP to command her with." Tersa is examining her, taking notes as she does so.

"Desperately Evolve?" I ask. "Haven't you heard of it? When a monster that fulfills the necessary conditions to evolve is put under stress, it Evolves rapidly as to get a more powerful body to fight the danger with." She explains, gently lifting a wing to examine the underside. Millibelle shifts slightly in her sleep.

"That explains why I'm so tired." Lentil mumbles as he heads for his tent. "Goodnight, I'm heading for bed." He says as he vanishes inside. "I'll take first shift." Safyr volunteers. "Go get some rest, Valena. I'll make sure Millibelle is okay." Tersa places a hand on my shoulder. "Ah, I'd love to, but... She has my sleeping bag..." I point to the sleeping monster.

"Well, you can borrow mine then." Safyr offers. "They're all standard size, so it should fit you." I'm about to protest, but it is swallowed up in a big yawn. I relent and head to bed.

That night I dreamt of a large shadow swallowing up a forest, originating from a cave near a river.