"Mmm... I bet Leafy will like these." I said as I bit into another raspberry. I was on a mission to collect food when I ran into the berries. We had meat yesterday, so I decided to get fruit for today. The spider monkeys didn't usually eat meat, but we ran out of food a few weeks ago. They've been more reluctant to eat it. Still, I didn't want to force them to overeat it. Well, now it was just Leafy and me. So, I didn't really need to gather that much food anyway. Canis had left me a few weeks ago. I now spent most of my day with the monkeys. The jackal would come back here and there but never stay long. It was because of this that I ended up giving Frons my earring.
The earings had a little Ki left in them after I used it to heal. I planned on giving it to Canis, but he refused my offer. So I decided Frons should use it. The little monkey was probably close to reaching level five. I figured her evolution would boost our chances of survival. I hadn't realized how close she was. Only after a month of her receiving the earrings, Frons start to evolve. When a being evolves, it could take months, if not years, for them to finish. Frons had been evolving for a few weeks now. I guessed it would only be a few more days for her to finish. At least, I hoped. I was getting lonely. Talking to Leaf had made me realize how much I missed conversations. (Speaking of which.) I thought as I looked at the trees behind me.
" You can come out now!" I said, hoping the person following me would say something. Unfortunately, there were no words, only the sound of rustling trees. Meaning my stalking had run. (So we do this the hard way.) I thought as I channeled Ki into my legs.
Whoosh!
In an instant, I was directly under my target. All my training was paying off. ( Oh, so it is a scout.) I thought as I got a glimpse of my stalker. It was a small black gorilla. The beast leaped from tree to tree. It was hard to get close to the animal. I was a little surprised to see the beast running away. It showed an intelligence I didn't think an unevolved beast had. The gorilla was here to find me or, more specifically, Frons and Leafy. He must have been told to find me and to report our location back to Log.
"Your smarter than your friends, the last two accualy stayed to fight!" I said to the ape. I doubt he could hear me or understand me. I had found at least two other gorilla scouts watching me. Instead of running like the new scout, those idiots tried to capture me, unfortunately for them and the newer gorilla. Layer four beast had no chance in against me.
Bang!
I smashed the gorilla's head into a tree he landed on. Catching up to the beast was an easy matter. I use a combination of strengthening magic and my dark element. I made my legs lighter while simultaneously enhancing my muscle with Ki. Although the combination sounded simple enough, it took a frightening amount of control, like threading a needle. One wrong move, and I could fall on my face. I doubted anyone my age could pull it off if I didn't have my memories as Sir Gorge. It would take me a decade before I could combine the two. (Log is still underestimating me by sending them one at a time.) I thought as I looked at the struggling gorilla. He was starting to break free of my grasp, so I threw it to the ground.
Thud!
The gorilla hit the ground hard but quickly made it to its feet. It started to limp away when I grabbed the beast by his arm and pulled it back. (Stone palm) I thought as I struck the gorilla square in the chest.
Crack!
The ape crashed into a tree, splintering it a little. The beast was Unconscious but not dead. ( Log may not be that dumb.) I thought as I walked closer to the downed gorilla. The creature had been giving orders to retreat. That's the only reason I could gather for why the gorilla fled when the others had not. It meant Log was getting closer to finding us. I quickly summoned my sword and plunged it into the beast's heart. I killed it almost instantly. If I didn't kill the beast, Frons and Leafy wouldn't be safe. So, I didn't feel bad for killing the gorilla.
"Now I got to find a place to hide you." I groaned. I had planned to go back home after gathering berries, but now I had to get rid of a body. I couldn't risk the other scouts finding him. It took another hour for me to carry the beast far enough that he wouldn't be found so close to the dead forest. When I was down, I began to make my way back to Leafy and her sister. I was excited to bring Leafy the raspberries. The monkey shared my love of food. It made me want to protect the little creature even more.
AhhHHH! GRRRRRR!
Two mighty roars shook the forest. Birds flew from their trees, and insects crawled into their holes. I froze for a second as the woods went quiet. I figured at any moment, and a beast would burst from the bushes. After what felt like hours, I finally moved again. I started to sprint. I needed to get back to Leafy and her sister soon to see if they were okay. ( Damn it, I'm not ready yet.) I thought as I raced back to the dead tree. I had been training none stop, but it was still not enough to stand up to Log and the tiger. Frons was still in the middle of her evolution, so that we couldn't move anytime soon.
The sun was low by the time I made it back to the spider monkeys. As I got closer, I could feel the presence of a mighty beast. ( Am I too late?) I wondered as I began to run.
"Leafy are you alri..." I started but cut myself off when I reached our hideout. I was stunned, speechless by sight, and it took a second for me to find my words.
"Who the hell are you?" I said, pointing at the newcomer. In front of me was a tall, pale-skinned woman with four arms. The woman had short brown hair and fur all over her body. She was naked so that I could see everything.
"Master." I heard a voice in my head. I looked around but tried to find the speaker. All I saw was the naked woman. I looked for Leafy but found her lying on the woman's shoulders comfortably. (It can't be.) I thought as I examined the green-eyed woman.
"Frons is that you?" I asked in surprise. I had guessed that the woman was the evolved spider monkey, but that thought was unthinkable. Why would she choose to be human rather than become a mythical creature? Many beasts that live in the wild never take human form.
The woman Nodded to me, confirming that she was, in fact, Frons. I tried to wrap my head around this new outcome. It didn't make any sense for the monkey to take this form.
"You are angry?" Frons said in my head. She didn't know any languages, so that she couldn't use her voice yet. I was a little surprised she knew how to speak to me at all.
"I did not expect you to evolve this way." I said, looking away from the naked woman. I had noticed that I was starring a little too hard. Frons was quite beautiful, and I found myself attracted to the beast. (What is wrong with me.) I thought as I ran my fingers through my hair. Frons frowned at my words as she walked closer to me. She was now Lookdown at me with a worried expression. Despite being a small monkey the size of a toddler. Frons stood before me, now a mature woman. She looked to be in her early twenties, maybe younger.
"I didn't mean that disappointingly. I was just surprised, that's all. I stuttered. Frons starred me down along with the nosy Leafy. I closed my eyes and stepped back only to fall to the ground. Frons almost fell on top of me, but I rolled away moments before she did. I got up quickly and backed away from the gorgeous woman.
"If you not angry? Why run?" Frons said I could hear the worry in her voice. She then sat down, revealing more of herself. I summoned my last pair of dress pants from my ring. They would fit the woman as she was much taller than me. It would cover her body. I handed the black pants and a purple shirt that she also couldn't fit. I ripped two extra holes for her second pair of limbs. Frons took the clothes with confusion, but after looking at me, she figured it out. After she was finished getting dressed, we finally began to talk. I explained to her that I wasn't angry with her choice, just caught off guard. I then explained why I made her get dressed. I thought it would be difficult for her to understand, but she understood the concept quickly, to my surprise.
"Why did you choose to become human?" I asked. The girl looked away from me and gestured for her little sister to get down. The little one did as she was told reluctantly. I gave Leafy some raspberries, which the monkey snatched away immediately, then she ran off. I giggled a little as I watched Leafy leave. I then looked to Frons, who was still looking at her sister. ( Gods, she really is beautiful.) I thought. I had to stop myself from thinking naughty things.
"Mother told me to follow you, that you'd save us. I was told to help you as much as I could." Frons said, slowly looking me in my eyes. I could get lost in her green pupils.
"It was her way of repaying you for saving us. It was also for our safety." The woman explained. I started to understand a little, but there was still a piece of the puzzle I was missing. I didn't know why she chose to evolve the way she did. Apparently, Frons notice my confusion.
"As a human, I can be closer to you even if you leave the forest. Please, master, allow me to serve you to the end of my days!" Frons words made me speechless. ( Why does she want to be closer to me?) I thought, more confused than ever. Frons got to her knees and bowed her head before me.
"I wish to be your guardian. It is the only way I can repay you!" Frons said. I couldn't believe my ears. I asked her how she even knew about such a thing. Frons hadn't grown up outside the forest, so she shouldn't know what becoming a guardian meant. When a beast evolves at layer five, it can become a guardian. To become a guardian means a beast pledges their life in service of a master. It would essentially make her my slave in a sense. Frons told me she didn't know how the concept of guardianship came to her. The Frons said she just knew. (I guess evolved beasts do get smarter by magic, it seems.) I thought as I examined the half-beast half-human woman.
Mog had become a guardian for my father and his father before him. She would also become the guardian of the next demon king. I didn't know much about beast myself, I had to admit, but I wouldn't say I liked the fact of her swearing herself to me. I also wasn't too fond of being called master. ( If I agree to her request, I'll be no better than the priest.) I thought to myself as I starred at the kneeling woman. I couldn't do that to her, and she may feel like she owes me her life. But she had saved me too, even if she didn't know it herself. If I hadn't found that cave, I would probably be cat food by now.
"We must discuss this later. I'm sure you heard the roars earlier. We need to move." I announced, trying to change the subject. Frons seemed to frown, which made me sad. (She will be in danger if she follows me.) I thought as I gazed at the sun that was going down. I was coming to terms with my chaotic life. I did not doubt that Goddess of chaos herself had something to do with my current predicament. I knew that even if I did make it out of the beast forest, I would still be met with more danger. I couldn't let Frons and Leafy get involved with all that. My thoughts then went to the dead Canem. I wanted to cry but fought the urge. I told myself I wouldn't cry until I got my revenge.
"Fine, but move quickly. I can't keep this form for too long." Frons announced, crossing all four of her arms. The woman couldn't stay in her human for long. Soon she would go back to her spider monkey form. Later, she will remain in her humanoid shape for as long as she likes or unless she uses a lot of Ki.
Guardian beast: A beast can only become a guardian at layer five. To become a guardian, a beast bonds its life with that of a master. If the master dies, the guardian dies. It is said that only a guardian beast can reach the level of Godhood in service of their master. Most beasts don't voluntarily decide to become guardians beast. Other beings usually force wild beasts into servitude.