I Can See Evolution Paths

Chapter 5: Vedas

Arthur spread both arms. "—and then it smashed through THREE trees!"

Mithra’s eyes grew wider. "Three?"

"Maybe four."

The Goblin Warrior sighed. "Two."

Arthur looked offended. "Details."

Mithra burst into laughter.

Arthur pointed at the Goblin Warrior. "Then he stood in front of me with my spear after I got sent flying."

Goblin Warrior looked away.

Arthur smiled. "That was the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me."

Goblin Warrior’s ears immediately turned red.

Mithra nodded, but her silver eyes were clearly saying she didn’t fully believe it. "Well, that just means your Goblin is pretty special."

Arthur then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Actually."

Goblin Warrior looked up. "I finally thought of a name."

The Goblin Warrior froze.

Mithra immediately became interested. "A name?"

"Vedas," he said.

Silence.

The Goblin Warrior repeated it quietly. "...Vedas."

"Because I think you’re going to have a lot of stories someday." Arthur’s grin grew. "And I want to hear every single one of them."

"Oh? You guys are also planning to explore the world?" Mithra asked.

"Of course! The world sounds too fun to not experience. One day I want to tell my mother about every place I’ve seen." Arthur looked toward the endless forest. "There are probably places nobody has ever seen."

Mithra followed his gaze. "Probably. I can already think of a few."

Arthur looked toward the endless forest. "There are places nobody has ever seen."

Mithra nodded. "There are."

"I want to find them." Arthur smiled. "The floating islands. The deepest ocean. The oldest ruins. I want all of it."

Mithra laughed. "You really mean that."

Arthur grinned. "I don’t think adventures are something you should do halfway."

Mithra and Arthur grinned at each other, both happy to have similar goals.

"So, what do you think about the name, partner? Does it connect with you? We can always think of a new one if you don’t like it."

The Goblin Warrior’s eyes widened at his words. Something shifted in the Goblin Warrior’s face that he immediately moved to conceal by turning away. The tips of his ears went darker than Arthur had seen them go yet, and he became very interested in the bark of the nearest tree.

Mithra had gone unexpectedly quiet.

Even Melo turned to look.

"Is something wrong?" Arthur asked.

"No... I like it." The voice was directed at the tree rather than at Arthur.

Arthur’s smile widened. "Then it’s settled." He held out his hand. "Welcome to the team, Vedas."

Vedas stared at it.

Slowly...

He reached out.

His much larger green hand awkwardly shook Arthur’s.

Arthur grinned. "There. Now it feels official."

Mithra smiled. "I think you just made him happier than evolving."

Vedas immediately looked away. "...No."

But his ears turned bright red, making Arthur laugh. "I’m counting that as a yes."

A notification appeared.

[Synchronization Increased]

[25%]

Arthur blinked as his own chest suddenly felt warm.

Pride.

Relief.

Embarrassment.

’Could it be coming from Vedas?’

He raised a brow before checking his status real quick and then freezing at the screen.

Arthur blinked. "Level one?"

Goblin Warrior looked up. "...one?"

Arthur nodded. "The status screen is saying he is level one. You were higher than that before evolving."

Mithra immediately answered. "That’s normal."

Arthur looked over. "It is?"

"Every Beast resets to level one after evolution."

Arthur’s eyes lit up. "Really?"

Mithra nodded. "You can think of it as a rebirth."

Arthur was quiet for a moment, and then he suddenly laughed. "That’s amazing."

Both Mithra and Vedas blinked.

Arthur laughed. "So evolving isn’t the finish line." He pointed deeper into the forest. "It’s the starting line."

Vedas slowly looked at his own hands. "So we are never done..."

"I like worlds like that."

Mithra smiled. "You really do see things differently."

"Wouldn’t it be boring if this was the end?"

Mithra laughed at those words but still nodded.

It was then that Mithra suddenly looked at Vedas. "So, Vedas, can I ask you something?"

"...yes."

"After your evolution, what do you want now?"

"Something harder," he said.

Mithra waited while Arthur’s eyes shone more.

"Something that doesn’t go down easily." His grip shifted on the spear. "Something that makes me work for it."

Mithra nodded slowly. "You just found out what you can do," she said. "Of course the first thing you want to know is where it stops."

"Plus you have become pretty dangerous. The Good kind, of course." Arthur chimes in.

The corners of Vedas’s mouth slowly lifted. "...I don’t mind that."

Mithra smiled. "You’re changing faster than your evolution."

Vedas looked away, and the tips of his ears darkened again. Arthur was beginning to suspect this happened whenever he became embarrassed.

"Good." Arthur clapped once.

Vedas looked over.

Arthur pointed deeper into the forest. "Because we’re definitely finding that."

Vedas looked down at the shield strapped to his arm.

He hesitated and then experimentally swung it.

THOOM.

The nearby bush exploded apart.

Everyone blinked.

Vedas stared at the shield. "I barely touched it."

Arthur’s eyes sparkled. "Do it again."

Vedas blinked. "...Why?"

"I want to see if it was luck."

Mithra laughed. "I don’t think that’s how shields work."

Vedas swung again. This time the impact cracked a small rock beside the path.

Arthur clapped. "Definitely not luck."

Vedas slowly smiled. "...I like this shield."

Mithra laughed, finding them both absurd.

...

Melo led the way, occasionally stopping to smell something or examine a particular patch of bushes before continuing.

Arthur chuckled at the sight before asking. "Oh right! How many Evolution Marks do you have? So far, we haven’t found one yet."

"That’s fine; we still have six hours," Mithra said before reaching into her pocket. And then she took out a small blue glowing crystal orb. "Only one so far. Melo found it at the bottom of a pond about twenty minutes before I ran into you."

Melo looked back over her shoulder with the expression of something that considered this an accurate and appropriate acknowledgment of its contribution.

"Can she find another?" Arthur asked.

Melo considered the question, and then she pawed at a bush. "...Kyu."

Arthur crouched beside her. "What is it?"

Melo reached inside and pulled out a tiny blue fruit.

Arthur blinked. "Can we eat that?"

Mithra looked once. "Actually... Yes."

Arthur’s eyes lit up. "We packed food for nothing?"

Mithra laughed. "No. But now we packed snacks."

Arthur nodded seriously. "I already like this forest."

Melo proudly puffed out her chest. "...Kyu."

Arthur pointed at her. "See? I told you she was useful."

Melo looked ridiculously pleased.

But then Vedas frowned and began looking around.

"What is it?"

Vedas pointed ahead without looking away from whatever he was tracking through the trees. "Wolves."

Several shapes moved between the trunks at the edge of visibility, long and gray and spread wide, the spread of a pack that knew how to surround something before it realized the surrounding had begun.

Vedas pointed at the largest one. "I want that one."

"He really means it," Mithra said quietly.

"Yes," Vedas said, without looking at either of them.

Arthur stepped back.

A wolf lunged first, testing the response before the others committed. Vedas swung his shield, and it slammed into its face. The impact sent it tumbling, but then a second wolf attacked from the side.

Vedas spun.

His spear flashed with Armor Piercing, creating a blue light over the tip. Then the spear cut through the thick fur of the second wolf. The wolf body tumbled to the ground, and then Vedas turned to the others.

Mithra’s eyes widened. "That skill..."

"Is awesome!" Arthur said as he walked toward one of the fallen wolves.

Mithra sighed. "Arthur."

"What?"

"You’ve got that look again."

"What look?"

"The ’I’ve never seen one before’ look."

Arthur smiled. "I’ve never seen one this close before." He crouched beside it. "Oh.. It’s rough."

Vedas sighed. "...Of course it is. But more wolves are coming at us."

"Oh."

Arthur looked up to see four more walking out of the forest. With a sigh, he rushed towards one of them while Vedas inhaled as his body shone a bit and then roared.

"FREEZE!"

The forest shook.

The wolves froze just for a moment.

Arthur appeared in front before his spear pierced through one of their head. And then Vedas smashed his shield in the face of one of them before piercing down with his spear and ending it.

One wolf tried to flee, but Vedas threw the spear. The spear crossed the clearing and pinned it to a tree. Melo stared, and she saw Vedas looking proud. She slowly nodded her head and continued watching Vedas with a smile.

Just this once, she will give up on her sleep.

Vedas continued his assault.

[Level Up!]

[Goblin Warrior]

[Level 1 —> Level 2]

When the last wolf went down, Vedas stood breathing steadily as the fight ended quickly after that.

Arthur threw both hands into the air. "Level Two!"

Vedas blinked.

Arthur pointed proudly at him. "See? You leveled up before lunch. At this rate you’ll be terrifying by dinner."

"Really?"

Arthur nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, you were worried for nothing."

"You were worried for nothing."

Vedas looked at him. "...I was worried about dying."

"Like I would allow that."

"You’re the main one pushing me towards it."

Arthur blinked. "Do I?"

Vedas was speechless.

Mithra burst into laughter. "So leveling up is more important than living?"

Arthur grinned. "Both are, but the stronger he is, the more confident I am."

"Oh? About what?" Mithra asked while glancing at Vedas, who shivered.

"Vedas being able to beat a dragon." He said with a nod.

Silence.

"..."

"..."

Arthur blinked as the two blank looks Melo and Vedas were giving him while Mithra held her chin with an amused look. Vedas rubbed his eyes before pointing at himself. Then he pointed at the sky and wildly waved both arms.

"No!"

Arthur raised a brow.

Vedas only violently shook his head even more. "I-I can’t do that! I’m a Goblin!"

Arthur nodded. "I thought so too."

Mithra started laughing.

"Then–"

"But now, it’s different! You aren’t just a Goblin..." Arthur pointed at the shield. "Now you’re Vedas."

Vedas paused and stared at him in a daze. "I-Is this payback?"

Arthur gave him a thumbs up. "Of course, not. It’s my faith in you, don’t worry!"

Vedas blinked before shouting. "I worry!"

Mithra crouched beside him. "For the record, I also worry."

Vedas immediately pointed at her. "See?!"

"The thing is, Arthur doesn’t seem to understand restraint."

"Of course, I do!

"You think Vedas can stab dragons."

"Because he can." Arthur grasped Vedas’ shoulder. "You did it in the vision."

Mithra paused. "...vision?"

Arthur’s eyes sparkled. "The one where he stabbed a Golden Dragon."

"Did you just say you saw Vedas stabbing a golden–"

"Dragon, yeah. It was pretty amazing, I wished you could have seen it!"

Mithra trembles before laughing and saying. "You know... You skipped several explanations."

Arthur thought about it. "...fair."

He then quickly explains the vision.

"So... You saw Vedas stab something that looked like Leon’s dragon."

Arthur nodded. "Yes."

"And you are treating this as normal."

Arthur thinks. "...I suppose when you say it out loud."

"Let’s just keep looking for the marks. Any more of this and I might hurl you into the lake."

"...agreed."

"Kyu!"

...

Melo found the pond twenty minutes later. Everyone saw another Evolution Mark floating a few feet below the surface.

Arthur crouched beside the water.

His reflection looked back at him.

Beside it were Mithra, Vedas, and Melo.

Then...

A fifth reflection appeared.

It was a tall goblin draped in a golden cloak.

A cracked crown rested upon its head.

Arthur froze, and his breathing stopped. "...The broken crown..."

His eyes slowly widened.

The first vision flashed through his mind. The battlefield filled with a throne, a golden goblin with a crown sitting on it, and a dragon challenging it.

"...The Goblin King from the vision?"

The golden goblin slowly turned its head. Its crimson eyes met Arthur’s through the water, and then it smiled at him.

Arthur blinked, and the reflection disappeared. Arthur didn’t move, and his heart beat just a little faster. It wasn’t the smile that unsettled Arthur. It was the way the Goblin had looked directly at him. Like it had been waiting for him to look back.

Arthur slowly clenched his fist. "...Who are you?"