The next morning
Millibelle's POV
I wake as the suns rise make it too bright for me to sleep anymore. As I rise to stretch my body, I feel something fall off my side. "Oof!" I look at where the noise came from, and I see Valena sitting on the ground, rubbing her head. Did she hit it when she fell? Out of old habit I try speaking to her, but all that comes out is a worried whine.
I must have startled her, because she gasps and looks at me with a shocked expression. "Ah! Uh! I... was scared, so I slept next to you..." She stammers as she quickly gets up, her face an intense shade of red. I try to speak a few more times, all that comes out are whines and growls. Seems my new anatomy doesn't allow for spoken language. I sigh and reach out with Telepathy.
"Are you okay?" I ask her. Valena stiffens up and looks around for the source of the voice. She then looks at me. "You... have telepathy now?" She asks. I nod. Her expression becomes one of contemplation for a bit before she answers me. "I'm... not okay. I could hardly sleep tonight so I'm very tired, and you... I did this, didn't I?" She looks at me with tears welling in her eyes. But was this her fault though?
*The effect of the Social Title: Heart Eater would have activated regardless of your method of Evolution. As it seems to randomly affect evolution, this mismatched form of yours could theoretically have happened even if she allowed you to Evolve on your own.*
I relay this info to Valena. "It's perfectly fine for you to be afraid. You were used as a hostage by Leicher, and then he attempted to make me kill you... Luckily his Command was too weak to affect me in my new form." I add. She looks at me with a sad smile. "I'm sorry, it's just so weird to hear you speak. All you could do before was baby talk! You really did grow up, huh." I mean, I've been able to speak properly all this time, just not in a language you understand...
I guess Telepathy works by translating intent? Or something. Valena rises and stretches, I do the same. Inspecting my Skill list, it seems I finally got Complex Shape Body, huh. I want to test it out.
*Warning. User is highly suggested to wait a few days before using any form altering Skills, to give your entirely new form time to settle.*
Aw man. So I'm truly a new life-form, huh.
*Affirmative. Based on current knowledge, your body is a fusion of a Tyrant and an Emperor, skipping the Young stage of development. It is entirely unknown if you'll be able to Evolve further, or into what. Your rarity is thus EXUnique, a lifeform that has only appeared once so far in this Worlds history.*
Well, I bet Tersa will be happy. The first researcher to describe an entirely new species of monster. Speaking of, she's just woken up. "Good morning Tersa." Valena has started preparing some breakfast. I bring out the things she needs. She looks at them and remarks dryly "I wish you'd stayed awake long enough to bring out my sleeping bag last night." Oh no! I was so tired, I completely forgot!
"Serves you right for making her carry all your stuff for you." Lentil says as he sleepily exits his tent. He lazily rubs his eyes before stretching into a yawn. His tail goes stiff and bushy as he does this. "You okay? Or are you still low on MP?" Tersa asks him. "I'll manage. Just need some food in my system and I should get better." He answers as he sits down by the campfire.
"Wait, who had last shift?" Tersa asks. "Uh... I..." Valena meekly admits. Caught sleeping on duty! Oh no! "Well, I can't really blame you for falling asleep. I almost dozed off when I was sitting guard." Tersa shrugs. "How are you feeling, by the way? I think we all were pretty much in shock last night." Lentil asks.
"I'm fine... at least physically. A-and! Millibelle assured me that something like this could have happened even if- even if I hadn't ordered her to not Evolve." Valena admits as Lentil and Tersa look at her in shock. "You what?" Tersa seems on the verge of a conniption. "After we excused us from the table, Millibelle wanted to Evolve, but I panicked and told her not to. I didn't trust that place one bit! Imagine being stuck there whilst she Evolved! Or having to explain why this monster that isn't supposed to Evolve further is Evolving!" Valena's eyes are once again filling with tears.
"Did I miss something?" Safyr emerges from his tent. Without his goggles, he has to squint really hard to not be blinded by the sunlight, so his face is more of a contorted grimace at this point. He quickly retrieves and puts on his goggles. "Oh just Valena telling us about how she almost let some madman decide the fate of the World." Tersa huffs. She walks off to the other side of the trees that have been sheltering us. I can hear the distinct sounds of earth being sprayed into the air, is she tearing up the ground with spells?
"I better go calm her..." Lentil mumbles as he gets up and goes after her. "Save some breakfast for us, okay?" "Will do, unless Millibelle eats it all." Safyr calls back as he starts helping Valena with the soon to be charred breakfast. "I- I'm so- sor-ry-" Valena sobs, tears dripping into the fire and evaporating with a sizzle. "Look kid, everyone makes mistakes. You did what you thought was right at the time." Safyr consoles her as he tries to save the food from carbonation.
"I- I wa-s-s so afrai-d-" She continues. Safyr looks to me for help. I gently put the soft side of my head against Valena in a sort of hug. "See, Millibelle isn't upset with you at least, and I'm fairly sure we'd know it if she was." Safyr says as he plates the slightly singed breakfast. Valena nods weakly as she hugs my neck and sobs into it. I am slightly upset at what she did though, but I understand completely.
From what I've gathered, she didn't even intend to name me. All this must be a big burden to bear. We all got out of there unharmed, and isn't that the important thing? "So, Millibelle, I think we can safely say that we should report this as soon as possible. Do you think you could carry us to the capital?" Safyr asks me. "I should be able to, but I worry about Tersa..." I answer him, looking towards the direction she stormed off in.
It's hard to read his expression behind his goggles, but I can guess it's one of slight surprise? "You talk! Properly, I mean." He exclaims. "I gained the Telepathy Skill when I evolved. Lucky, since my face doesn't really allow for talking anymore." I explain as I demonstratively try to talk. "I can see that... Don't worry about her, she might have a temper, but she calms down quickly." He reassures me as he looks over the breakfast. "Seems there might be little for you..." He remarks.
"Don't worry about me, I can digest most things." I bring out a sizable pile of branches and such from storage. It provides nutrition, true, but the taste leaves something to be desired. Also, my new jaw setup makes it incredibly difficult to chew. I end up having to use my claws to cut the branches into tiny pieces I can swallow whole.
Valena sits beside me whilst we both eat. Tersa and Lentil return a while later, with Tersa refusing to even look at Valena as she demonstratively sits down with her back towards us. Seems she's not calmed down entirely yet.
With breakfast finished, I bring out the Octopus Cloth. Shaking out its current form, I turn it into a sort of multi-person saddle. It attaches around my neck and the root of my tails. With padding for comfort and hoops for safety, it should make flight easier for them. "Ah, uhm." Valena gently tugs at my fur to get my attention. I turn my neck to look at her.
"Where's your collar? You know, the one Mina got for you after you stopped those thieves?" My what? Did I have a collar on? Since when?
*There is an 85% chance that you accidentally ate it when you used Viscous Body to escape Valena's grasp in an effort to pet a Cat.*
O-oh... But I can't digest metal, can I?
*By now it should have been excreted somewhere along your travels.*
"I- I might have eaten it when I wiggled out of your hands to greet Meister..." I admit, too embarrassed to look at her when I say it. "You... How? No actually, I realize how. But that it took this long for you to notice?" She brings a hand to her face in exasperation. "I don't actually remember much from the time when I was Zonked Out..." I meekly say as I equip the saddle.
"Oh... Then I guess it can't be helped. I guess it's to monsters like being blackout drunk is to humanoids." She shrugs. "Are you ready, Millibelle?" Safyr calls out to me. "I am ready to go whenever you are." I respond, eager to shift the subject.
Before long, we are airborne. I fly low and at a slower speed in order to prevent frostbite from the biting wind. There's also the whole deal with not enough oxygen at higher altitudes. But even at this slower pace, my flight is a few times faster than walking was. As we land for the night and check our map, I've flown us almost three day's walking distance.
This time I make sure to give Valena her sleeping bag before I fall asleep. "Once we see the capital, we should land and approach by foot. Don't really fancy getting shot down for being mistaken as an attacking dragon." Lentil suggests whilst we eat supper. "Speaking of, did you lose your shape-changing abilities when you evolved, Millibelle?" Tersa asks.
*Sometime this time tomorrow it should be safe to use them.*
Oh thanks, World Knowledge. "I should be able to use them again sometime tomorrow night, which form would you prefer me taking then?" I tell her. Should be best to let them decide what I'll disguise myself as. "What do you guys think she should disguise herself as?" Tersa relays what I told her to the others. Seems I need at least (Normal) tier to talk to more people at once with Telepathy.
"Well, the Changeling disguise worked well enough..." Lentil shrugs. "Maybe something more human? Then she would be able to speak for herself?" Safyr suggests. "Although I might be fluent via Telepathy, I'm still only able to speak like a toddler verbally." I inform him.
"Huh, I guess that rules out that... Can't say it doesn't look very suspicious to claim one is on a trial with a child in tow..." Safyr stretches after finishing his meal. "So I guess other than some other monster disguise, a refined Changeling form would work the best?" Valena summarizes. Tersa and Lentil nod in agreement. Seems Tersa has calmed down completely by now.
"Then, once I'm able, please instruct me on how to change the Changeling form." I tell Valena. She nods and relays to the others. They agree and we all head to bed for the night, save Lentil, who takes first watch.
The next morning we eat breakfast as usual. Seems my presence alone is enough deterrent to monsters. Both Lentil and Tersa, who took late watch, reported seeing monsters approach the camp before rapidly retreating once they spotted me.
Around noon we spot the capital in the distance. I go in for landing, and we continue on foot from there. By nightfall we've made it out of the Wilds, and into inhabited lands. We camp out by the edge of a small forest, around a mile from a village.
Once I get the go ahead from World Knowledge, I open up my Form Edit and start fiddling with it. I have a lot more options now that I have Complex Shape Body. I've also obtained a new slot to store a form in, bringing the total to two extra forms in addition to my true form. Taking notes from Tersa, who shows me illustrations of how Changelings usually look, I'm able to refine my first form into something indistinguishable from the real thing.
Wings have been made much smaller, horns have been removed, hair color refined into a more natural dark blonde than my dark blue with cream spots, and lastly, added a small tail. Assuming this new form, I'm quite pleased with the results!
"Wow, you really can't tell the difference anymore, can you?" Valena applauds. "It's almost eerie how close it looks." Lentil remarks. I nod in satisfaction. For the first time in two days I get to eat supper with the others, and not be reduced to eating sticks. Of course, I use less energy in this smaller form, so I don't need to eat as much.
Before I fall asleep I make a true human form. Modeled after how I looked in my previous life, It has brown hair, blue eyes and a medium build. Unfortunately I only have one Octopus Cloth on hand, and you have to manually alter its form, so I can't switch into this new form yet. Gotta get Valena to buy me some cloth when we get to the capital...
I make some distance between me and the camp before switching into my true form to sleep. Seems you can't maintain alternate forms when you're unconscious, so I have to hide this close to civilization.
Early the next morning, I wake to voices coming from the camp. I'm pretty hidden from sight at my current spot, so I lay still and listen in.
"Ah, we see. So you're on the final leg of a trial. We're just making sure, 's been an upsurge of bandit activity around these parts, so we have to identify all travelers." A rough male voice that I don't recognize is talking. Next thing I know, someone walks right past me. I panic and shift forms on instinct.
"What the-!" I startle the young looking woman who passed me. Seems she caught glimpse of me right before I changed. I'm currently laying prone on the ground in the same pose as I had before. I stare intently at her. I must look like some gremlin child. "Are you okay, lieutenant?" the gruff voice asks.
The lieutenant hesitantly looks me over before responding. "I'm fine, I was just startled by this child." She says. "Oh, that's not a child, it's my monster companion, Millibelle. She must have gotten scared and hid when you approached." Valena quickly explains. I get up and walk over to Valena. Hiding behind her, not making eye-contact with the gray haired man in front of us.
"I see, is she your-?" Valena shakes her head. "She's a foster. Previous owner couldn't take care of her anymore." Once again with that question... Makes me want to find a real Changeling so I can get some answers!
*Or you could just ask Tersa...*
... But that sounds too logical!
"Well, your papers are in order so I guess we'll be on our way. Good morning to you, and safe travels." The gruff man hands back the papers he was inspecting and gives a wave of farewell. The lieutenant looks me over once again before going after him.
Once we're sure they're gone, Valena, Lentil, Tersa and Safyr breathe a heavy sigh of relief. "Oh thank the Divine that you hid yourself last night." Lentil says to me. "Almost seen..." I inform them vocally. "Well, you must have changed quick enough. Though I can tell that hiding you is going to get a lot tougher from here on out." Safyr ponders.
"You're sure you can't maintain that form when you sleep?" Tersa asks. I nod. "If I fall asleep, I switch forms automatically." I inform her via telepathy. Actually, how long could I go without sleep?
*Current estimate: Roughly 34 Hours. After this, temporary mental and physical degradation will start occurring. Skills such as: Status Resistance: Sleep Deprivation, Status Resistance: Sleep, Meditation and the upgraded Skill; Trance would decrease or even negate the need for sleep. The Meditation Skill is usually held by humanoid priests or monks, though also by the Bozu clade of Eastern Spirits.*
Eastern Spirits... So they're like Yokai? Bozu seems like a familiar word... But shouldn't I be able to learn Meditation on my own? I should try practicing it... I'm gently patted on the head by Valena. "Come now, we've still got a ways to go before we're at the capital. Let's not tarry." She says. Right, I spaced out again. "Sowwy" I apologize and hurry to help pack up the camp.
This close to the capital it's mostly fields of grain and veggies, with a few orchards in between. As such, it'd be rude to trample someones crops just to avoid the roads, so we started using the carriage roads that crisscross the edges of the farms. The even terrain sped us up considerably.
"Ugh, sunset and we're this close..." Lentil laments. "We could just soldier on and go until we're there? I for one don't mind." Safyr suggests. "Hum, if no-one objects, then I guess we do that then." Tersa decides. And so we continue through the night. The moon lights our way, and around midnight we've arrived at the city gates.
"Hark, who goes there at this hour?" A guard calls to us from the checkpoint. "Triallers from the Guild. We decided to do the last stretch in one go." Lentil informs as he hands the guard our documentation. "Everything seems to check out, here." The guard examines the papers before handing them back to Lentil. "Wait just a moment and I'll have the door unlocked for you." He informs before calling for someone within the checkpoint.
The small entrance door set into the side of the massive gate that marks the entrance to the city clicks and unlocks, letting us into the city. We give our thanks to the guard before heading to the closest inn for the night. I, of course, stay up all night.
As morning comes, Lentil gathers us all at a table in the inn. "So, I guess it's about time we told you the real reason your grandfather decided on this type of trial so suddenly." He tells in a serious tone. "I was wondering about that, since he was very insistent on me taking a Dungeon trial." Valena remarks.
"Well, the truth is..." Lentil leans closer and in an almost whisper says; "The King wishes to meet Millibelle." Valenas eyes go wide. Welp, that just made my whole quest to return the Tear of Ashala very easy, didn't it? "I- I refuse!" Valena exclaims. Wot?
"I don't think you have much of a say in this matter, little sister." A male voice comes from behind Valena and me. I turn to face the person speaking, and come face to face with a handsome Ayvin male decked out in fancy looking armor. Who's this? Why is he calling Valena little sister?
"Actvi." Valena says with a steely cold that rivals her mothers. "Valena, dear, are you still upset? It's been, what, five years?" Actvi asks, his voice softer now. "You just left! You didn't even say goodbye! And then you never returned, never even sent a letter!" Valena gets up from her chair and is almost screaming in her brothers face. The bustle of the inn is replaced with a stunned silence.
"Valena, please, you're causing a ruckus." Actvi tries to calm her. Tears are streaming down her face at this point. "I don't care! The whole of the kingdom deserves to hear what a terrible big brother you are! You didn't even come to grandmothers funeral." She almost hisses the last sentence.
"Please... Valena..." Actvi is faltering. "I... I am so terribly sorry... I wanted to... But the King refused." He awkwardly moves in for a hug. Valena doesn't resist him, she just keeps crying tears of anger. After a moment they break the hug. Valena sits back down in her chair.
"Well... Um..." Lentil stammers. "Let's go then I guess? Our escort has arrived, and well..." He looks at the others. Valena demonstratively turns her head away from him, showing her displeasure. We get up and gather our stuff from our rooms before following Actvi through the streets of B'dur.
"Don't worry about the Trial, arrangements have been made to present your card at the castle." Actvi informs as we walk past the Guild Hall of this city. Seems there's a Guild Hall in every city, and offices in most bigger towns. There's a Master of the Guild per kingdom, with one Guild Head Master running the whole thing from the city state of Ger'per.
Once we reach the castle, we are disarmed before we're led into a waiting room. After a moment, a servant calls us into the throne room. The room is decently sized, tastefully decorated and with different sections of the room seemingly dedicated for different styles of meetings. At the far end of the room is a throne, atop which sits a human male. I assume this is the King. Next to him stands Actvi, doing his job as Royal Protector.
"Your Royal Majesty, King Dervix Amberroux, I present the Hunters who discovered the Little Monarch, as well as the Little Monarch itself." The servant bows and leaves after the introduction. We step forwards, and the others kneel before the King.
"Ah, should I?" I telepathically ask Valena. She gives an almost imperceptible nod. I walk into the middle of the throne room. "No further, Little Monarch." Actvi orders. I ignore him. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you." I tell the King. Dervix narrows his eyes as I talk to him. Is it interest or mistrust?
"Allow me to show my true form." I bow, and change into my real form. Actvi grabs for his blade, but is halted by the King with a single gesture. "This... Isn't a Little Monarch anymore, is it?" The King simply states as he gets up to get a closer look at me.  I can almost tell that the others are looking at each other nervously behind me.
Keeping an eye on the King as he circles me, I explain to him how I came to Evolve into my current form. "I... See... Too bad even simple tasks are too much for some..." He mumbles. What a guy! Let's see if this brightens his mood somewhat. "I also bring a gift. I came across it in the forest I was born in, and I have heard it previously belonged to you." I tell him as I raise a paw to show the Tear of Ashala to him.
Dervixs eyes widens, and an almost maniacal glare takes hold as he looks at the amulet dangling from my paw. "H-how... No! That's not important! What is important is that you brought it back to me!" He reaches out to take it, but I lift it up, out of his reach. "On the condition that you do not punish my companions for what happened." I tell him.
I can see him struggle with it for but a moment. "Agreed. I promise, as King of Parshura, no punishment will be meted against your friends, in return for the Tear of Ashala." I lower my paw again, and let him have it. He handles it with great care, as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. He brings it to an empty stand next to the throne, where it seems to fit perfectly.
"Now... Though you might not be... what you're supposed to be..." The King guides us over to a table covered in a world map. The kingdom of Parshura is quite small compared to most of the other countries and kingdoms on the map. I switch back into my Changeling form to give the others a chance to join us at the table.
"What I originally wanted you to do for me still holds true. Even in your currently... mismatched state, you're on par with middle tier Dragons." Oh, he can 'Inspect' too? "So, my humble request for you, is to make your Lair near the border of the country Harmek." A Lair?
*A Lair is, more or less, the home of a powerful monster. It is not unlike a Dungeon, but often less outright hostile to whatever wanders into it. The owner has control of the geography within the area of the Lair, and model it to suit their needs and tastes. Monsters that live within the area of the Lair come under the command of the Owner, and their normal instincts are suppressed to follow the will of the owner. Meaning that normally docile monsters might become aggressive, or vice versa.*
"If I may ask... What benefits do your highness gain from me making my Lair there?" I ask the King. "Well, your presence will act as a natural deterrent for incursions by their army. I would of course have had even greater benefits if you had Evolved into an Emperor, but I will take what I get." He explains. He then proceeds to point out several ideal locations on the map for me.
Can I mark these spots down on my own map?
*Affirmative, setting way-points now.*
Five dots, each a different color, appear on the edge of my map. I dismiss the Dungeon Tracking for now, as I have no direct desire to go into one at the moment. "I will check it out, but I can't promise that I will settle in one of those places." I tell the King. "I'm honored you'll consider my request." He responds.
Before we leave the throne room, a servant brings something in. "Ah, thank you. Here you go, Valena. In recognition of you successfully completing the Pilgrimage to B'dur, your Guild Card. You're officially a D-Rank Hunter!" The King congratulates her as he hands her a palm sized brass card, along with some papers.
"Thank you, your highness." Valena bows after accepting the card and papers. "Congratulations, little sister!" Actvi gives her a big hug. She still looks miffed at him, but accepts the hug nevertheless. "Write more. Mother worries." She instructs him as we exit the room.
"So, what will you do now, Valena?" Safyr asks her. She considers for a while as we make our way to the Guild Hall. "I don't really know... I mean, all this started with me wanting to become a licensed Hunter, and now that I am that, I don't know..." She answers, holding open the door to the Guild for us.
"I'm sure whatever you decide to do, Millibelle will help you." Lentil smiles. "Unless..?" He looks at me. "I'll be happy to assist you with anything, Valena." I inform her. Her face darkens. "If we could... take this somewhere else?" She asks. "Oh, sure thing. I just wanted Millibelle to drop off the Dreadtail carcass before we part ways." Lentil says as he guides us to a room in the back. The floor is of stainless steel, it looks like, with multiple drains along channels.
"This is the carving room. Monsters killed close to a Hall may be transported here for processing." Tersa explains. Oh, I see. I walk towards the middle before depositing the headless carcass of the Dreadtail on the floor. "Remarkable... Still fresh..." Tersa muses as she goes to get help for the carving.
Valena and I go to a private room in the Hall whilst we wait for the processing of the Dreadtail to finish. Seems Hunters without the funds to rent a room at an inn can stay at one of these. Its sparsely furnished, but with a comfortable bed at least.
"So... I guess you wanted to do this talk in private?" I ask her as I hop onto the bed to sit. Valena sits down on a stool opposite me. "I... hope you won't be upset by what I'm going to say..." She doesn't look me in the eyes. I think I know what is coming...
"Listen... I've gotten so much from meeting you, never-mind that you've saved my life more than once in the short time I've known you." She starts. "You helped me on my Trial, even though the only reason I was sent on this Trial was to escort you to the capital..." Valena starts fidgeting with the edge of her shirt.
"I- I just don't want..." Her voice trails off. "You don't want to be known as the Ayvin that became famous just because she knows the Monarch?" I ask. "We-well..." Her face becomes a deep shade of red. "No, I understand." I say. "From what I've learnt about you in the time I've known you, you're the kind of person who wants to be strong because she worked on being strong. Famous because she did something to be famous for, not just be related to someone famous or know someone famous."
Valena squirms on her seat. "But you named me, and that is something you'll have to accept. Even if we were to part ways, the name you gave me binds us together." I continues as I hop down from the bed and walk over to her. "It will stay with me after your death, until no-one remembers it anymore." I grab her shoulders. Tears are trickling down her cheeks. "Do... do you..?"
"I'd not want to change it, I'd not want a new namer..." I shake my head. "But I do hope that we can remain friends, even if you wish to part ways with me. I hope you'll not hesitate to call upon me should you ever need help." I give her a long hug. Once we're finished, she looks at me with a sad smile. "You certainly are a strange monster... Your way of thinking seems almost..."
"Humanoid?" I finish her sentence. "Well, yes..." Valena wipes her eyes of tears. "I guess this is a good a time as any to tell you..." I say.
I spend the time until the Dreadtail is done telling her my story.
*Skill: Telepathy (Lesser) became Telepathy (Normal)! User can now address up to four people within a radius of 10m (~32 feet~)*
A knock at the door announces that Lentil and the others are done with the wyvern. As they enter, they stop to stare at my human form. "Are you done? Millibelle just got done telling me about herself." Valena informs the others of the situation.
"So this is what you looked like before..." Tersa mumbles. "It certainly explains quite a few things..." Lentil is looking me up and down. "Well, that certainly makes me less anxious about letting you go off on your own." Safyr nods. "Right, here, a farewell present I guess." Lentil hands me two gold coins.
"It's your share of the kill. I don't quite know what you'd use them on, but hey..." He shrugs. I guess this is farewell for now... Oh right! Before I forget!
I turn to Valena, hold out my hand into the room, and dump her gear onto the bed. It's not a huge pile, but it definetively would be troublesome to carry by hand.
"Oh my, you really prepared for this Trial, huh." Tersa puts a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. "Was it really that much? Oh man. I guess I could donate some of it..." Valena is facing the pile, scratching her head. She then turns back to me. "I guess then... It's goodbye for now." She gives me another tight hug.
*Skill obtained: Named's Call (True) - Lets the Named Monster call upon its Namer in its hour of need.*
*Skill bestowed: Namers' Call (True) - Lets the Namer call upon their Named Monster in their hour of need.*
I say my goodbyes to Lentil, Tersa and Safyr, before heading into the city. I want to prepare a little before I head into the world again, this time alone.