Faruth slowly opened his eyes as the white light that he was already well acquainted with descended upon, covering his body completely.
He was back. He had returned to the space filled with nothing but the same blinding white light that brought him here. It gave him a feeling of closeness and familiarity, as if he had spent his entire life there. Yet, it also made his body tremble with overwhelming angst.
What had happened to Wulfarth, to Alice? He knew that he had won the fight, he had seen the windows appear in his mind as he slowly drifted from consciousness.
Here he was, standing alone. But where was here? There was nothing but white light. Endlessly.
As if answering his sudden plea, another window popped directly into his vision.
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[[Congratulations, Herald! You have reached the maximum level for a Stage 1 creature, you are now eligible to evolve!]]
[[Would you like to evolve? Yes/No]]
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Faruth was more surprised than he thought he would be. 'Stage 1 creature'? It appeared there was still much that he didn't know.
He thought back to his old days of playing games and reading novels. In those same novels that he read, a character evolving only ever meant one thing.
A massive boost in strength! Exactly the very thing that he desired so greatly. If he had the strength, no one around him would be hurt again. Not Wulfarth, Not Alice, not anyone he would meet in the future. He couldn't stand by and let these things happen to the people he cared about, never again.
Placing his sorrowful thoughts into the back of his mind, he focused on the window and thought 'Yes'. Instantly, the window disappeared into thin air and another took its place as swiftly as it left.
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[[You have chosen to evolve! Please choose your evolution path:]]
[[Name: Gnoll General]]
[[Rank: Common]]
[[Description: An evolved version of the Gnoll. It is able to control a small number of troops more efficiently, but as a drawback, has weaker strength overall than most Stage 2 creatures.]]
[[More]]
[[Name: Shadow Gnoll]]
[[Rank: Uncommon]]
[[Description: An evolved version of the Gnoll. It is able to move through the shadows silently, adept in sneaking and assassination.]]
[[More]]
[[Name: Kobold]]
[[Rank: Rare]]
[[Description: A mutated version of the Gnoll. It is a rare mutation in the Gnoll tribes, causing the afflicted to have an appearance more similar to a wolf than its Hyena-like tribesmen. Along with this appearance comes greater overall strength and reflexes]]
[[More]]
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Faruth knew that he should choose the [Kobold], even over the [Gnoll General]. What he desired was strength and the [Gnoll General] class reduced his overall strength whilst improving his ability to command his troops.
To Faruth originally, this sounded like a perfect idea, strength in numbers was a powerful method. But it ruined itself over one small fact. It only improved his ability to command a 'small' number of troops, rather than a large number that he would have preferred.
He tried to check the [[More]] option, only to find that it simply gave the information as to how he gained that class, and nothing else.
For example, The [Gnoll General] was gained through commanding two other people at the minimum during the fight, it seemed that Alice was counted as a person after all.
Along with this, the [Shadow Gnoll] was gained through killing 10 people without being discovered and the [Kobold] was gained through killing an enemy 1 Stage higher than he was.
If the [Gnoll General] was placed out of the choice, the only option other than [Kobold] was the one that focused on fighting in the shadows. It sounded appealing at first again, only to realise that it would lose its meaning once his village grew in size. If it did, he could simply get other people to do the same thing for him.
So to Faruth, [Kobold] was the only option to go to.
As he selected the option, another scene similar to before arrived. The original window disappeared in a flash and another took its place.
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[[Congratulations! You have evolved into a Stage 2 creature:]]
[[As the first Stage 2 creature in your village you gain: +5 Intelligence and Wisdom!]]
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Without time to process his newly gained skill, an intense pain spread throughout his body immediately. Even the increased mental strength from the blessing couldn't stop him from screaming in agony.
His body felt like it was being ripped apart, muscle by muscle. His bones felt like they were being stretched and reformed to fit his new body. And in fact, they were.
His body was moulded by an unknown force, constantly tearing his body open and re-sealing it again to make way for new growth. Though the pain was unimaginably agonising, the blessing he had received made it so that he kept a full grasp of his sanity, simply losing his consciousness instead.
**********************************************************
Wulfarth sat beside a bedroll placed on the slab of stone within the back room of the cave. His Master had won the fight against Fulbash, against all impossible odds, just as he had won against the Goblin Mage that he had been sent to kill.
Though his fight was significantly easier, a Mage was nothing in close combat without his bodyguards and swiftly fell to the Beast Master's Spirit Animal.
The difference in their fights shown by their situation currently, Wulfarth was sitting almost without any injuries on him whatsoever, whereas his Master, Faruth, lay beside him atop the animal skin bed.
He lay there creating a clear contrast to the pristine Gnoll beside him. Blood seeped from countless minor wounds that the simple wind pressure from Fulbash' fist had caused him, causing clumps of dark red fur to form across his body.
To finish it all off, his young, immature face was completely gone. In its place, stood a face that seemed to be hardened by battle, numerous small scars were scattered across his guise, completed only by the gash-like scar extending from the tip of his brow all the way to his bottom lip, presumably caused by the final confrontation with the enraged Hobgoblin.
Before Wulfarth could sigh, he noticed his own companion, Alice, brush her head against his leg, whimpering as she did so.
A wry smile appeared on the Gnoll's face as he placed his hand onto her head, slowly stroking down towards her back. Noticing the soft feeling of the Wolf's fur between his fingers, he switched his concentration to wolf alone, trying to lessen the guilt that he feels.
As he was relishing in the feeling of stroking her back, he noticed her stare at his Master laying on the bed, before jumping backwards in shock, wrenching the Gnolls hand from her body.
Forgoing the pain in his heart, he jolted his head towards the stone slab on which his Master lay, only to see a blinding white light descending upon him, similarly to the confrontation with Fulbash. The white light in question blinded both the Gnoll and the wolf alike.