Evolution

by A R Chen

  “Uh, where’s Lily?” Ash called out from the kitchen, once again disrupting the conversation.

  “Wasn’t Lily in the kitchen? I saw her go in there before we started the meeting. Could she have gone out the back door?” Amon asked.

  “Did anyone see Lily leave?” Leffer asked. When everyone in the room indicated they hadn’t, the Elder sighed. Amon understood his frustration. While Lily wasn’t physically unwell, her mind…wasn’t what it used to be. She had become forgetful, clumsy, and generally disoriented as of late.

  “Go investigate, Lee,” said Vim. His Beast-man assistant bowed his furry head and hurried across the room toward the kitchen at the command. It was well-known that the greatest of the Beast-men’s senses was their greater natural affinity for detecting mana.

  Amon followed Lee out of the room. Perhaps Lily had wandered off unnoticed, though he considered that improbable. How could a clumsy old woman slip past a room full of men on high alert? He quickly considered the possibility of an enemy attack.

  Mottor and Ekem were the only two nearby villages and they’d had no direct contact with either for a long time, making both unlikely. Though Amon wouldn’t put it past either of them, Mottor was the somewhat more likely candidate, as it was believed they had been sending spies and scouts into Niti’s territory over the last few months. It was even rumored that they had been in contact with rogue magicians.

  As they arrived in the kitchen, Ash stood near the cookfire looking around. The rabbits lay in a haphazard pile on a nearby table and Lily, as Ash had said, was nowhere to be seen. “Lily isn’t here,” Amon called back to the rest of the group, then watched Lee as he sniffed the air.

  The Beast-man’s ears were perked up, nose lowered and head moving side to side. Lee then opened his mouth and drew in a lungful of air across his tongue. “There’s something here,” he said. “It’s faint, though. Nothing recent.”

  “Go back for now and attend to our guest, Ash. There’s nothing for you to do here, Lily probably just wandered off,” Amon told him.

  Ash nodded and left quietly. Amon understood why Leffer would want Ash in particular to watch Steve, even though he didn’t like it very much. Ash was the best mage under fifteen that they had. Being a talented mage showed he was competent and disciplined, while still being considered a child meant that he couldn’t be held responsible, if he were to somehow offend Steve.

  “Seems like she must’ve walked out the back door, since there’s no recent mana residue,” Amon told Lee, shrugging as he took one last look around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. The Beast-man nodded and they both returned to the meeting.

  Lily would turn up eventually.

  Chapter 5

  "This is a bad idea, Ash," Azra warned, moving to bodily block him. "We should not be doing this. Ask the Elder for permission first or at least tell him!" she insisted.

  Ash stepped around her and continued towards Steve once more. The village Elder would likely do nothing because of stupid traditions, and he knew that Loop's father would be up to no good. Ash was aware of the clan's declining position as he grew up and now he desperately wanted to contribute to the village. After all, it was almost his Name Day, only a few more days until he would be fifteen.

  "I have to help somehow, I must ask, at least once. The god Steve didn't seem to be concerned by tradition or above giving assistance. After all, he freely gave us those two precious Crystals,” Ash voiced his reasoning to his sister. "We need this. The god's presence in our village is a blessing in itself; I can feel it."

  Seeing that he wouldn’t be dissuaded, Azra followed along silently. Power meant authority and while Ash was already powerful, his power would spike on his Name Day, where he would become an adult and full-fledged mage of the village. Ash was undeniably a special case among the children of Niti; his innate power was probably comparable to the children of the capital. Though his sister was also powerful and Ash had heard about female heroes, mages, and the like in legends, unlocking the potential in girls was unfortunately impossible for Niti.

  When they reached Steve's residence, Ash impatiently knocked on the wall next to the cloth which served as a door. After waiting a while, they called out for Steve. When there was still no response, they entered, assuming Steve must still be out hunting.

  They were shocked by what they saw. Feathers were scattered everywhere, and a dead chicken lay on the floor. It looked like a chaotic struggle had taken place inside the residence. Ash couldn't help but frown at the sight, as he remembered bringing a chicken to Steve earlier in the afternoon. Though he didn't know what would happen to it, he definitely hadn’t expected the god to torture a mere chicken.

  There was total silence in the guest house for a while, as they took in the sight.

  "Zufrid in disguise?" Azra asked, breaking the grim hush by speaking the god of destruction’s name.

  ***

  Steve had Blinked nearly one hundred feet from where he had been battling the beast and quickly ducked behind a nearby section of wall. He was glad now that he’d heeded Ash’s advice not to wander too far from the city. His sudden disappearance from the fight seemed to have confused the creature, as Steve heard a frustrated growl from that direction as he checked his numbers.

  After using Blink, he had plenty of energy left, which was good news. Steve had long since realized that everything he did consumed his energy. Even moving constantly drained him, though very slowly. The countdown currently read:

  4 Days 19 Hours 10 Minutes 30 Seconds

  Suddenly feeling uninterested in hunting any more tonight, Steve floated through town and soon ended up back at his guest house, only to discover that someone had been in it. The chicken was gone, but after inspecting for a few minutes, he decided that the coast was clear; the house was empty. Steve was a bit confused as to why someone would have wanted to take the chicken, but it was fine. He decided to go talk to the Nitians, after coming to the conclusion they must have been coming to check on him.

  Steve thought a moment about where he should look, before he remembered there had been a relatively large building near the village center, probably for meetings. As he headed there, he worked on sorting out his priorities. He needed to gather information about this new world, in order to survive long enough to evolve. Even if there hadn’t been a rule against dying, Steve wasn’t interested in risking it. Getting lucky once didn’t mean he would get lucky twice, obviously.

  I guess I should work with their assumption that I’m a god, Steve thought to himself. Their reverence for me could be useful. At the very least, it’s probably better than telling them the truth: that I’m an amnesiac light being, who sometimes has visions and can only do a little magic.

  Steve mentally prepared a strategy for the upcoming conversation and assessed his energy. He had enough for two Shocks and one Blink, if necessary. He wasn’t expecting any trouble and knew he had some degree of invulnerability to physical attacks, but what worried him the most were magical attacks. If even that young human could use magic, surely there were others. Even though he hadn’t been struck by magic himself, he knew it could do a lot of damage. He had confirmed that multiple times while hunting rabbits. He imagined a magical attack would drain his energy in a similar fashion to the way the beast’s physical attacks had, but more effectively, and he really didn’t want to find out what happened if it reached zero.

  Deciding that he was as ready as he could be, he called up the list and spent a few minutes looking at the new spell options available to him at his increased energy level.

  He soon arrived in front of what he guessed to be the town hall. Luckily, like the guest house, there was only a curtain covering the entrance, so he was able to enter without a problem. As soon as he was inside, he noticed a few things. The first was that boy Ash, the short girl Azra, and the Elder, all seated around a table. The second was the two older-looking humans who stood behind the Elder, carrying long wooden sticks.

  The room was spacious,
seeming larger than Steve had guessed from the exterior. It was somewhat sparsely furnished, but still gave off a feeling of grandeur. The architectural skill and craftsmanship that went into the construction of the building and its contents seemed superb, though once again, Steve couldn’t remember much to compare it to. He could only recall a single room from that vision of his prior life and had only the guest house where he was staying now for comparison in this world.

  “Greetings, god Steve,” the Elder began in a stately, formal tone. “I imagine that you must have questions or concerns weighing on your mind, as you’ve come here so late.” The Elder hesitated a moment then continued, “Shall we begin?”

  ***

  Mere minutes earlier…

  “Elder. I have something I need to report.” Ash hurried through the cloth-covered entrance, panting slightly. He’d rushed all the way from the guest house, even going so far as to use a small wind-spell to help him along, believing his report too urgent to be delayed even slightly. “Steve might be from Zufrid’s side.”

  Leffer was still seated where he’d been when Ash departed earlier. Behind him, in their ceremonial positions, were his Right and Left. Going all the way back to the founding of the Empire a millennium ago, it had been tradition for every leader to have a Right and a Left. These were their most trusted companions, friends, and usually fighters or mages. The Left happened to be Ash’s father, Amon, while the Right was Leffer’s closest friend, Joffrey. These two were the most accomplished magic users in the village, likely even comparable to the Lefts and Rights of higher-tier towns. Though Ash couldn’t be sure, he thought they were probably four-star mages.

  Aside from his initial outburst, Ash wasn’t sure how to proceed. He could tell the village leaders were currently forming plans for Niti. The village’s economy had been on the decline for many years, mostly thanks to their rival, Mottor, but exacerbated by a few other nearby villages. They’d somehow fallen behind their neighbors, and it was Leffer’s job to make sure that trend didn’t continue. With the rapid expansion of nearby villages and their rival’s aggression, the future seemed bleak; this was becoming a matter of survival.

  Then, Steve had appeared. Leffer had immediately come up with a plan to persuade Steve to help them, but the other important figures in the village had been resistant, at least until Ash’s earlier interruption where he had demonstrated Steve’s generosity.

  “Really? Then please report.” Leffer immediately turned his attention on Ash while holding up a hand to silence the others in the room.

  Leffer would be personally overseeing Ash’s Naming ceremony in a few days’ time. He’d trusted Ash to find evidence to back up his hope that Steve was a benevolent force. Even though Ash was doing nothing but reporting on what he’d found, he felt terrible to deliver news that might crush all their hopes.

  Then Leffer said something that truly made Ash’s heart sink. “It might change our plans entirely.”

  ***

  Steve focused his attention on the men behind the Elder. He could see the whole of the room in an instant with his omnidirectional gaze, but only by focusing could he see the finer details. On second inspection, these men didn’t appear to be that old at all; it was only their white hair that gave off the initial impression of age.

  “Sure, I’d like that. You’re right, there are some things I would like to discuss.” Steve gave Leffer the chance to start it off. He wanted to know where they stood before he got to what had brought him here.

  “We live in dangerous times, as I’m sure you well know. The Empire is threatened by two nations on either side and as a result, the villages are all growing their strength to help in the coming war effort. These two men are my Left and Right, my most trusted advisors. You’ve met my grandson, Loop, as well as Ash and Azra.” He gestured toward Ash and Azra as he introduced them.

  “With the formalities out of the way, I’ll get straight to the point. We wish to know which Greater God you, of the gods like you, are in service to.” The Elder was in full diplomat mode; he phrased the question in a completely inoffensive manner, but left it open enough that Steve may volunteer even more information than was directly requested.

  Steve unfocused his gaze as he considered this request for a moment. The villagers seemed unable to look directly at his radiance for more than a moment, but seemed to be making an effort to avoid appearing rude by looking elsewhere. This left them staring towards the empty floor below where he hovered, which created the awkward feeling that they were afraid to look directly at him. Though, if they believed he was a god, perhaps there was an element of trepidation to their behavior as well.

  “Well, earlier today, I woke up in a field of Elemental Crystals,” Steve began. “Most of my memories seem to be sealed at the moment, though they are slowly returning. At this moment, I am unable to tell you which Greater God I serve since…I simply can’t remember anything like that.” Steve hadn’t planned to be even this honest, but realized that this half-truth suited his plans. Mentioning the Elemental Crystals which they clearly desired only strengthened his hand in this conversation.

  “How many Elemental—” Joffrey began.

  “Well, as you have lost your memories, we formally invite you to stay in Niti while you recover.” Leffer immediately cut in by holding up his hand as he re-extended his invitation.

  But even this fragment of a sentence had been enough for Steve. This confirmed his belief that the Elemental Crystals were items of great value to these people. This was good news as he had intended to pay for more information about this world using the Crystals that he had left in the forest. Of course, he also hoped to get more than information in the deal; after all, there were a lot of what he’d once thought of as just ‘colorful rocks’ in that clearing.

  “Thank you, that is a generous offer, but I don’t plan on staying too long. How about I trade some of my Elemental Crystals for information and the assistance of several men, when I want to venture out to explore the area. Though, I won’t take them beyond say…ten miles from here,” Steve counteroffered. If he was going to be confined to this place for a while, he might as well explore it. There was a beast which had already harmed him lurking around the village; he didn’t want to go out again without bodyguards, not if he could help it.

  “Done.” Leffer looked ecstatic. “These Elemental Crystals will be a great boon to the village. We appreciate your generous contribution to the future of Niti. Whether we sell them or use them to empower our children, you can rest assured that they will be put to good use. I am glad we reached an understanding so easily and will strive to aid you as best as we are able, god Steve.”

  At that moment, a panicked-looking woman burst through the entrance. In her haste, she tore the curtain over the doorway free and began shouting out her message before it even fell to the floor. “Elder! Loop, his father, and around twenty other men are gone!” Her voice rose as she spoke, till she sounded near hysterical on the last word.

  Steve heard all this. Hesitating for just a moment, he came to a decision and Blinked out.

  ***

  “Sard,” Leffer accidentally let out, as Steve disappeared. Leeroy and Jenkins had fucked everything up. He hadn’t meant to curse, especially in front of Ash and Azra, but he couldn’t help it.

  Nearby, Ash’s and his sister’s eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time they had ever heard the Elder use such coarse language and they were shocked by it.

  Amon began to wonder exactly how much of his memories the god had recovered. He had obviously just used Blink, which was a high-tier space manipulation magic. The mana cost of such a spell was already high and to use it without proper preparation…well, safe to say if he’d wanted to use the same spell in the same situation he’d just seen, the cost would have been astronomical.

  Joffrey, on the Elder’s other side, wondered if his brother Jenkins knew what he was doing. Knowing Jenkins, probably not. His brother had been greedy and cocky ever since they were kids
and hadn’t improved at all with age. He sighed inwardly; gods that knew high-level magic were most often exceptionally powerful. Even he could only cast Blink if he did everything perfectly and even then, only if it were a lucky day. Offending such a divine being was foolish and should only be done as an absolute last resort, if their demands were beyond all reason. Somehow his idiot brother had apparently done so when this god had just agreed to give them a treasure for practically nothing.

  “Gather the casters and a few warriors, we must depart immediately.” Leffer barked his command at the occupants of the room, who had been stunned into silence by the sudden turn of events. “I’ll give you three minutes to assemble everyone you can. Ash and Azra, you’re with me, guide us to the clearing where the Crystals are. We can’t risk offending the god Steve any more than I fear we already have.”

  As soon as Leffer finished speaking, his Left and Right hustled out of the building to gather the troops, while Ash and Azra moved to stand beside him. As they followed him outside, Ash began to reiterate the directions to the clearing. Being well into night by now, it was difficult to see anything as they stepped out of the brightly lit room into the dark town center. It was generally a bad idea to go anywhere in the dark, and this was especially true around Niti Village.

  Chapter 6

  Steve moved as quickly as he was able; the uneven forest terrain was no obstacle to his levitation, which allowed him to travel faster than the most experienced ranger. He had only been this way once, going the opposite direction and hadn’t been paying much attention, but he felt confident he was on the right path as he noted the fresh wagon tracks ahead of him.