[Reached threshold: Evolution to ??? possible]

[Evolve?]

"What?" Michael exclaimed as the script was left glowing on the wooden plaque with no sign of fading. "It's evolving? But it just came to life. It didn't even get to grade four. It was just grade three. How the hell is that supposed to make any sense?"

"Is it only me who's beginning to feel a little jealous of this little guy?"

Eik shot him an arched eyebrow but couldn't stop himself from laughing "Maybe it's not jumping power rank. Maybe it's just… changing from regular E-rank into something else equivalent to E-rank?"

"Is it going to accept? Can it even?"

"It accepted the Learn skill, so probably?"

As the glob bubbled and undulated the text faded, and then oozed into a puddle in Eik's palm, spilling out through his fingers like snot.

"Ew," Heath said, only for a tendril of Profound Toxin to zap out from Eik's arm again and slapping him across the face even harder than it did minutes earlier. He was sent into a one hundred and eighty degree spin to land on his face, his nostrils picking up dirt like two tiny shovels.

"Geh!" he gasped, quickly sitting up and cleared both nostrils with a powerful exhalation. "Fuckin' hell!" he shouted. "Don't do that anymore! My god, that hurts!" He massaged his cheek, now even redder than it had already been.

"Maybe you should try to get the Learn skill as well, man," Michael told him while Eik fought to keep down the giggles. "because you never do. Stop running your mouth and you'll be fine."

"Is this the evolutionary trance then?" Eik wondered out loud.

"Seems like it."

"So do we just wait or wh—"

The blob began flowing back into its spherical shape as the new letters etched themselves into the wooden plaque.

[Reached Brood of the Monarch — III]

"Brood of the Monarch?" Michael read out loud. "The Monarch… Is that you?"

Eik shrugged. "Could be. Probably? My current A-rank equivalent power rank is called Prince of Toxin. It's not exactly unlikely that I'll reach Monarch of Toxin at S-rank or X-rank equivalent."

"So it really is your child, then. Brood."

"That certainly seems to be what the System thinks. And I'm guessing it's still an E-rank equivalent"

"Yeah, it's still grade three."

"Hey, little guy," Heath said, scooching closer. "My name is Heath. What's yours?"

The blob kind of wobbled and twisted but otherwise made no indication of attempting to respond.

"What can it even learn? Hey, can you say 'Heath'?" Heath asked. "Heeeeaaathh," he drawled.

Still, not even a hint of comprehension.

"Can you say 'Michael'?" Michael tried. He waved and smiled.

For the first time, a tendril of blue wiggled up into the air and swept from side to side with awkward, inexperienced movements. It looked like it was just experimenting with it, trying out something for the first time. It even wrung its body and almost seemed to turn to look up at its own newly grown appendage with clear surprise.

"Hah! Look, it's imitating you," Heath laughed. "It's actually pretty cute!"

At that, yet another tentacle snaked out of Eik's arm, quick as lightning. Heath gasped but had no chance of reacting in time to avoid the third slap. Only this time, when he flinched and clenched his eyes shut in anticipation of the strike, it never came.

When he opened his eyes, peeking tentatively through slitted eyelids, it was patting his arm gently. Heath stared in open surprise.

"See?" Michael said smugly.

"Shut it," Heath muttered under his breath.

"Look, it's getting another message," Eik said, beckoning for the others to come read along.

[Acquired Learn — Lv. 2]

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

[Acquired Learn — Lv. 3]

[Acquired Learn — Lv. 4]

"Seriously? It just has to wave and it gains three levels? Okay, I am officially jealous," Heath grumbled.

"Jealous of a four minute old little thing? Come on, bro."

"What else can it learn?"

"Put up your hand for a second, Heath," Eik said.

"Uuh, I'm not sure I want to do that."

"You'll be fine, I swear."

"Where have I heard that before?" Heath mumbled, rolling his eyes as he put up a hand with a sigh.

Eik set the blob on Michael's shoulder, the healer looking more than a little uncomfortable with it. He took a step back and clapped to get the blob's attention. "Look, look!"

He thrust his chest forward and a tendril of Profound Toxin shot out, smacking into Heath's palm. Five more times he did it, looking at the blob the whole time. "Did you get that?" he asked it, not expecting an answer.

It waved its appendage in the air again.

"No, no, this!" Eik repeated the jab a few more times. Heath walked over and held up his hand in front of the little slime.

Gingerly, it reached out for the smith's hand, the tendril wiggling clumsily before it wrapped the gooey limb around Heath's index finger and middle finger.

"Well, you're not completely wrong, I suppose," Eik acknowledged with a chuckle.

[Acquired Learn — Lv. 5]

[Acquired Learn — Lv. 6]

"Well, something clearly stuck or it wouldn't have leveled, I guess," Michael noted. "But it's definitely not ready to fight like one of your common Living Manifestations."

"That's fine," Eik said, smiling as he looked at the blob. "If it truly is capable of living its own life, then it can do whatever it wants to. For now it's coming home with me so we can get that Learn skill leveled. That's probably the key to its progress."

"Can you make more?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

He felt around inside his spirit, or whatever that incorporeal space inside him was. With a shake of his head he answered. "No, definitely not. There's something blocking me right now. I can tell that I will be able to again, just not right now. Maybe in a week or so? I'm honestly not really sure."

"Alright, well, I definitely want to be there for the next time as well," Heath said.

"Of course!" Eik stood and began to pack up the blanket.

"Are you going to check on the oracle again?"

Eik sighed. "Yeah. Honestly, it's kind of worrying that she doesn't seem to be getting better."

"But you know what the next step was supposed to be already, don't you?" Michael asked.

"We do. Vendekaabe told us, but it's not going to be easy. The Life Harvesters are well guarded. We're going to need more than a distraction to destroy them. Not to mention that they aren't all in the same place. Vendekaabe knows that there were some south of Luna, but only the oracle knows where the others are. We really do need her."

"Won't they also be more heavily guarded now that the cult knows she's here?"

"That's almost certain, yes."

Heath sat back on his arms in the grass. "Shit. What can we even do?"

"Andihar says we really need a larger force. That, or some other miraculous strategy. Working together with the Alliance would be a boon."

"Didn't you already kick them to the curb though?"

"No, I told them they couldn't have the oracle. I intend to work together with them if they're willing. It's too urgent to let an organization that is too large for its own good run the show. We tell them what we figure out, ask them if they want to be a part of it, and then we go. Otherwise it'll be too late by the time they decide how to handle everything."

"They have been fighting for like a thousand years," Michael said, nodding along.

"What are Life Harvesters anyway?" Heath asked.

Eik chewed his lip. It wasn't a very happy topic. The blob shuffled around in the grass, investigating flowers and dirt. "They are pretty much what they sound like. Gigantic monsters bred specifically to suck life force out of Awakened and store it in some kind of gland or whatever. It was the cult's best solution to needing a shit ton of energy for the reawakening ritual."

"Monsters? They're alive? I thought they would be some kind of machine," Heath exclaimed with a frown. "How the hell do they even work?"

"Hell if I know, man."

"All right, well, don't let us hold you. I have to get back to the workshop anyway. The boss is going to rip my head off if I don't tidy up my work station properly."

***

"Eik." Vendekaabe raised a hand in greeting. He was sitting in a chair on the porch, reading an old Earth magazine. Since he had decided to spend all of his time waiting outside of the shed for the oracle to get better, Eik had found him a comfortable chair with a cushion and a tent that could provide some shelter at night.

The loyal cultist had been grateful for the hospitality and was now spending all of his time just hanging out out front. And apparently he had now found a way to pass the time.

"Is that a golf magazine?" Eik asked as he came up the garden path.

Vendekaabe turned it over in his hand and took another look at the cover. "Is that what it is? It looks interesting. Have you played?"

"Not really, honestly. I feel like it was kind of expensive to get into. You had to buy all these pricey clubs and pay to go on the courses. I did hit a ball once but besides that…"

"I'd love to try it some time."

"I mean, I'll be honest with you. We haven't quite gotten to the point as a civilization again where we are creating manicured greens for golf. Maybe in a few years if we keep improving at this rate," Eik said with a chuckle.

"Hmm. That's a shame."

"Are the other cultists like you?" Eik suddenly asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, why don't you seem more… zealous, I suppose? Why do you want to play golf? You seem way too normal."

"Is that a problem?" Vendekaabe asked with surprise.

"Not at all!" Eik hurried to say. "On the contrary, it's great! I was just wondering why."

The cultist just shrugged, turning the magazine sideways as he studied a double-printed page of some pro golfer hitting a huge drive out across a wide range. "I don't know. But I'm pretty sure that's why the oracle chose my as one of her subordinates." There was obvious pride in his voice although he was clearly trying to appear nonchalant.

"How is she? Any improvement?"

Vendekaabe's expression became pained. He shook his head, his jaw tensing as he kept his eyes firmly on the golf magazine.

Eik left him to his magazine and went home.

***

Mis was not impressed by the living blob. Since the moment it noticed her swishing tail it became completely infatuated with her and proceeded to follow her around the house wherever she went. Even when she got fed up and hopped out through the window, Eik had to scoop it up to prevent it from following.

"Don't be so grumpy!" Eik called after the cat as she strutted away across the lawn. "And you, be more careful," he said to the blob.

Mis turned to look at something by the front of the house but there was a knock on the door before Eik could check it out.

He was met by the sight of a squad of individuals on his front step dressed in the same armors that he had seen at the Alliance headquarters. "Eik Magnasen. You are under arrest on suspicion of mass murder."

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