Evolution

by A R Chen

  “Energy level,” Bonnie piped up. Steve noticed that she was speaking up at increasingly random times. “Got to make sure you have enough energy.”

  And she couldn’t say so earlier? Steve felt that this was a bit unfair. He hadn’t considered the idea of a way to measure energy level and thus, hadn’t asked about it. “How do I see my energy levels?” He waited patiently for a response.

  A minute passed. Steve was confused. Was Bonnie gone?

  He considered asking again, but decided against it; he would figure it out himself. There was no time to waste. He tried to check his energy level the same way he approached mentally communicating with Bonnie. Steve quickly made a space for the idea of “energy” in his mind, and then focused his attention on it.

  Current Energy – 6

  Max Energy – 25

  It had worked! He saw the two numbers just as when he checked the countdown.

  He examined the numbers and pondered for a moment. There were two ways of obtaining energy that Steve had encountered thus far: absorbing living creatures and soaking up direct sunlight. It seemed like the chicken he’d killed earlier had given him a lot of energy. Though, seeing this numerical representation begged the question: What would happen if the energy count went to zero? There was still far too much he didn’t understand about the world and the system.

  Despite the likelihood that he was in a life-and-death situation, Steve realized that he was enjoying himself. If Steve could grin, he would have. His mind raced as he considered all the possibilities. Everything he’d seen or done so far was so fresh and wonderful.

  Now he knew that he would have to gather energy if he wanted to practice the Blink spell. It was dangerous to rely on the villagers. They worshipped him as a god of some sort, but he didn’t know them well enough to predict what they would do, or what they may want in return for the favors they were doing for him. He had to be cautious.

  It seemed like the boy Ash had wanted elemental crystals. Perhaps they were a valuable currency in this world? He mentally added that question to his growing list of things he didn’t know. The one thing that was clear to him was that, to obtain more bargaining power and more control over his situation, he needed to increase his repertoire of powers.

  He floated outside; the sun had set, his own body the lone light in the now dark village.

  Chapter 4

  Whew! This is mentally taxing, Steve thought to himself. He was in the middle of absorbing the energy of a rabbit which lay disabled on the ground before him. He’d already consumed several small creatures in this way. He’d stun them with his Shock skill, then drain them to death. It seemed that there were no additional consequences for killing after the first incident. Each rabbit creature he killed gave him ten full energy points.

  But…Why is he just staring at me? Steve wondered. Ash had shown him to a field with small creatures for him to absorb. The human now stood just a dozen feet away, unmoving. Maybe he needs energy as well? It might be selfish for me to take all the rabbits.

  “Hey, Ash. Do you also need to absorb, as well?” Steve called out, focusing his gaze on the boy. “Don’t hold back on my account.”

  “I, uh. Humans don’t absorb,” Ash stammered and shuffled his wooden stick back and forth between his hands, as he looked everywhere but at Steve. “Please, continue. Don’t mind me.”

  “Alright,” Steve replied. If humans don’t absorb, how do they survive? He didn’t really have time to worry about that now, but made a mental note to find out later.

  They’d exited the village the same way they arrived earlier in the day, then left the path to wander through the grass just beyond the walls. Ash had said that going any further would be ‘dangerous.’ Apparently, wild animals and ‘monsters’ came out at night. Steve was dubious of this claim, not having seen anything of the sort himself made it hard to believe.

  The light shining from his body illuminated a small area around him nearly as brightly as the afternoon sun, so seeing was no issue at all. On the other hand, Steve was sure that anything out there would also see him and come to investigate. But what would Ash gain by lying to him? Another question Steve decided was best to keep to himself.

  As he drifted along, hovering just above the tall grass, Steve saw an animal dart forth from its hiding place. It was fast, but Steve was faster. He readied a Shock spell, then fired when he had it back in his sight. The lightning arced from his body and into the rabbit. The small creature went into, well, shock. Another ten points of energy for him.

  It was getting easier for him to cast the Shock spell, and he noted that the cost of the spell had also gone down with more use. It used to be five energy per Shock, now it was only about three. The spell wasn’t very strong though; he doubted it would be very effective on a large creature. With that thought, Steve began to wonder if he could make it more deadly. That and a half dozen other thoughts crowded his mind, as he searched for his next target.

  As he continued forward, Steve noticed Ash looking back and forth, as if he was searching for something. Maybe he really is concerned about being out here? he mused. Another few minutes passed fruitlessly as Steve failed to find any more animals, despite his omnidirectional vision and vigilant searching.

  “Can I take these rabbits back? The village could use them,” Ash suddenly spoke.

  “Certainly, if it will aid the village, I am happy to gift them to you,” Steve said pragmatically. The corpses of the rabbits were useless to him, but he did want to build up his reputation with the humans. He watched as Ash collected up the bodies, removed a leather thong from a pouch, tied them together by their feet, and finally tied the cluster of bodies to his wooden stick.

  “Please continue, I will be back soon, god Steve,” Ash informed him. The boy stumbled over something as he walked off into the darkness, the jostling caused a rabbit to slip free of the binding, falling to the ground with a soft thud. Ash muttered something in apparent irritation, but Steve couldn’t make out what was said. Steve watched as Ash bent to pick up what he had dropped and lost two other rabbits in the process. Ash sighed, knelt, untied the remaining rabbits and spent a few minutes tying them more securely. Steve watched the human in silent fascination.

  Once he was alone, Steve continued his search, but there seemed to be no creatures around. Soon he grew bored and checked the timer once again, keeping a bit of his attention on his surroundings.

  4 Days 19 Hours 15 minutes 23 Seconds

  Maybe it was time to practice Blink.

  The best way Steve had found to cast spells, was to visualize each spell as a separate space in his mind. That was also the only method he knew, but that was beside the point.

  He envisioned all he knew about casting Blink in a corner of his mind, losing track of his surroundings other than his intended destination, as he turned his focus inward. He imagined himself appearing at that point in an instant, then pushed his energy into the thought. There was a strong pull on the core of his being for an instant, then the spell was complete.

  Examining his surroundings, he could tell he was a half dozen feet from where he started. Steve then summoned up his mental note of current and maximum energy.

  Current Energy – 25

  Max Energy – 50

  In the course of this short hunt, he had doubled the maximum size of his energy pool and more than quadrupled his current energy. When he’d started, he had expected to only need to drain a few rabbits to max out his energy, but not only had he missed a few times with his Shock, it turned out that as he hunted, his capacity had increased as he used his magic. Steve spent a moment calculating—with the cost of casting Shock factored in, he would be near maximum energy after three more rabbits.

  Storing plenty of energy seemed like a good idea. He still wasn’t sure what would happen if he reached zero, and certainly didn’t want to find out in the middle of a fight against a monster. That was, if Ash had been telling the truth about the possibility of encountering one out here.

>   Steve spotted the gray furry ears of another rabbit, just barely within the range of his illumination. As he silently moved towards it, he saw the rabbit was chewing on something. Somehow it felt appropriate that it got a last meal, though he was a little surprised to see that rabbits were so ferocious. Watching the cute little animal taking large bites out of another creature was unsettling, even to him.

  Steve shot a disabling Shock towards the rabbit, which was instantly paralyzed, its fur of its hind leg darkened by the arc. He smoothly drifted over to envelop it with his body, having found this was the quickest way to absorb the energy. This time, he kept track of his changing energy levels, seeing that once again his maximum energy had increased.

  Current Energy – 22

  Max Energy – 52

  He was also getting better at the Shock spell; the difference between the first shock he’d cast on the tree and this one was clear. He could now control the power to some extent and the accuracy was vastly improved.

  As he drained the rabbit, he found himself staring at another creature that had appeared as it entered the edge of his light. Steve turned all his focus to studying this interloper. It was a large, four-legged, dark grey beast. It was obviously several times more massive than a human, though even if it weren’t crouched low, it probably wouldn’t be as tall as one. Steve was impressed by the way it silently made its way towards him, as he continued to absorb the rabbit’s energy.

  “Can it hurt me?” Steve wondered out loud, half hoping that Bonnie would be listening and answer him. “My body is made of light so…”

  As the beast drew near, its lips peeled back to reveal gleaming white teeth. Steve understood this was a sign of hostile intent, even though he had no idea what to call the creature. It seemed like it was looking for a fight, and presumably thought that he hadn’t noticed its approach. But he had, his omnidirectional vision making it nearly impossible for something to sneak up on him.

  Steve finished absorbing the rabbit, then prepared himself to face the beast by readying his Shock spell. Having done that, he tried to envision and prepare a second copy of the spell, and was able to do so, but found that three wasn’t possible, at least for now.

  Suddenly, the beast took two swift steps then launched itself forward, full force. Steve was caught off guard by the speed of the leap but reacted by unleashing one of his Shock spells. The bolt struck it directly in the chest, though the creature’s momentum meant that it continued along its trajectory towards Steve, jaws spread wide. Not wanting to find out the hard way that he could be harmed by such an attack, he quickly shot up out of its reach. He considered moving in to absorb its energy, but he had no idea if he could drain this new being.

  The beast shook its head from side to side, clearly not paralyzed as the rabbits had been, but seeming dazed. Steve didn’t allow it any time to recover. He shot his other Shock spell at it; this one scored a direct hit to the top of its head. The large quadruped growled loudly, then charged him once again.

  It was too fast. Before he could react, the beast had jumped and swiped its forepaw through his body. Steve felt his energy pool shudder as his yellow light wavered; he’d lost some energy to that attack. I guess this is where Blink comes into play, Steve thought. Shock isn’t working.

  The beast landed and rapidly spun to begin its next assault. Before it could, Steve Blinked out.

  ***

  “We’ve known this so-called ‘god’ for only a few hours,” Amon said resolutely. He was speaking to a number of the other villagers who had convened for an emergency evening meeting in the Elder’s house. “We have absolutely no records of this god, no myths, legends, nothing. I, for one, don’t believe that he’s a god!”

  “While that may be true, we also must consider this being’s power,” Leffer countered. “It is likely that Steve is stronger than I am. Magical beings are generally more powerful than humans.”

  “He could be an Astral,” Vim, the village’s general merchant, commented with a grimace. His forearms rested on the table before him and Lee, his assistant, stood next to him.

  Amon had opened his mouth to speak but became lost in contemplation of this possibility.

  “Well, if that’s the case…assuming it is, we have to consider whether it’s Cania’s Astral or Zufrid’s Astral. Of course, we must also consider which demigod Astral Steve is under,” a reedy voice rang out across the table. It was the village librarian, Timmun. “Make no mistake, there is no way we can go against the gods. Let him stay until he—”

  “No, that’s just a wild theory. I say we make Steve leave. Whatever this thing is, it has no place among humans,” Yoleman interrupted. The burly blacksmith stood with his arms folded across his chest, leaning back against the wall.

  Amon glanced at Yoleman in consideration. Tradition did dictate that they pay respect to godly beings, even those of diluted bloodlines. Though, if Steve wasn’t a godly being, then the only sensible course of action was to defend the village. The chance that Steve was a benevolent being, interested in the good of Niti was…low. They needed to oust Steve before anything bad happened.

  “I say we make him leave, just like Yoleman said, then take the Crystals in the field,” Leeroy interjected into the slight lull in the conversation. Amon glared at the village Elder’s son. Theft was below the dignity of Niti Village, even if they were in dire straits.

  “We need to make the most of this opportunity,” Leeroy went on, completely ignoring Amon’s ire. “Let’s send men out right now, we know where the Elemental Crystals are. It’s a quick two miles from here, my son Lemoy can lead the way. Jenkins, what say you?” Leeroy turned to a nearby man who had the glint of greed in his eyes.

  This was trouble, Amon couldn’t condone this plan. Jenkins and Leeroy were close friends, even inseparable, since childhood. Unfortunately, they were both scoundrels as far as Amon was concerned. He looked to Leffer with a frown; the Elder needed to step in right now to stop this plan in its tracks. Leeroy might be an important member of the L clan, but he didn’t have final say; in fact, he barely had any authority. The village prided itself on merit-based leadership, in addition to the Empire’s tradition of the strongest clan ruling.

  Leffer was sprawled in his chair, one hand on his face and the other on the table, obviously deep in thought. As the village Elder, he would have the final say in any decision of this magnitude. The fate of Niti was on the line.

  “We have little to nothing to lose from ‘finding’ and claiming a stock of Elemental Crystals. So long as we report it to the Empire and pay the taxes they will demand, all will be fine. Even angering one rogue magician would be a minor concern, compared with what we stand to gain. These Elemental Crystals could help train future wizards and witches in our village!” Jenkins was working himself into a frenzy with his own words. “Obviously this ‘Steve’ apparition is just a conjuration.”

  Amon surveyed the men in the room. Jenkins would blindly support Leeroy. He believed Yoleman was too honorable to go along with such a vile plan. As for Vim, well, Amon couldn’t tell what he was thinking. The ability to mask thoughts and emotions was a necessity for any merchant.

  As he turned to examine the remainder of the men, the sound of the door opening drew everyone’s attention to the entrance. Ash stumbled in, clearly off-balance. He carried his staff in both hands, with several large rabbits tied to it. Amon was impressed to see that they were all clean kills.

  “Ash, you took down all these rabbits by yourself? I’m proud of you, son.” Amon stood with a grin. Between their savagery and speed, this was no simple task. “The citizens of Niti will eat well because of this…but going out at night, alone was a big risk.” He frowned at the realization.

  “Nicely done,” Yoleman grunted from where he stood. The rest of the men held their peace and looked at Ash expectantly. They all knew that Leffer had sent the boy to investigate Steve.

  “Um.” Ash looked around the silent room, a little unnerved at being the center of attent
ion. Amon could see he was struggling to bear the weight of so many rabbits. “This wasn’t me.”

  Leffer stood so quickly that his chair nearly tipped over. “We’ll let Steve stay,” he pronounced. “I doubt any of us could have done that so quickly, and certainly not this cleanly. Did you see what he used?”

  “I think it was lightning elemental magic. But he just used it to stun them, he said he was ‘absorbing’ them,” Ash replied. “Asked me if I wanted some, too.”

  Intriguing, Amon thought as he took a closer look at the dead rabbits. A lightning-based spell, delivered with pin-point accuracy to the hind leg of every one.

  Amon racked his brain for any myths relating to Light-based lifeforms on Zeth. “It could be a light elemental. Or an Astral, playing around,” Amon mused out loud. “Or a ghost?”

  “Astral was my guess as well,” Leffer replied, looking at Vim. The Elder then turned to look at Amon. “We, as citizens of the Empire, must not interfere with any upper-echelon beings. We all know that.”

  “Yes, but a lesser light elemental could be taken to a city and traded away,” Vim spoke immediately after Leffer. The merchant leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers behind his head. “I can investigate.”

  Ash mumbled something under his breath and shuffled across the dining room, towards the kitchen with the rabbits. “Lily, Ash has meat for the stew,” Leffer called out. When Ash was out of sight, Amon turned his attention back to the conversation.

  “What do we do then?” Yoleman pressed, always the man of action.

  “Well, Yole, we still haven’t figured out whether Steve is an Astral or not, from Cania or Zufrid. I would think Cania, since you know, light. But it is peculiar that he uses lightning, which is a destructive force. I’m afraid I don’t possess enough information to come to an informed conclusion. Perhaps it is best that we continue to call him a god for now? If he is a god, it would only be proper, and if he is not, I doubt it is too far off. Even the least powerful of elementals have god-blood in them,” Timmun analyzed. The village librarian was too scholarly to be useful in many situations, but this was one of the times that his wealth of lore was a true asset.