NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: You Have Chosen The Path Of…
Out of the three, Evolution felt at first to be the weakest. Compared to gaining what made other members of the cat family great in the present or the past, basically sticking with his current body seemed to be just settling. However… Something in Dominic kept going back to the third option. A little bit of experimentation revealed that if he focused on the word of each choice, he could see the explanation again.
Sabretooths were great, but there’s a reason they died out, Dominic thought, tapping his lip in thought. At least, that was what he automatically tried to do, but a massive great paw rather than a single finger didn’t have quite the same effect. Feeling a little embarrassed, he growled slightly and refocused on the screen in front of him.
As for Transvolve… a lion is already one of the apex members of the family. It was true that other members had different advantages, but since this was the only time he could make this choice, wouldn’t it be limiting him in the future?
There was another consideration: his acquired abilities. He’d started towards earning ‘Quick Strike’ already. What if he killed a whole load of crocodiles: potentially he could earn a skill that offered him a powerful bite. Then where would the advantage of being able to have a jaguar’s bite power be?
However, Evolution… It limited him to what he already had, but was that such a bad thing? He already had sharp teeth and claws. Many animals started with less. Heck, a human started with less. If he could enhance them, evolve them…? And, perhaps it was just a little risky, but what if he could later gain abilities from his prey which he could then also enhance? That would be awesome.
Evolution, it is, he thought decisively.
<You have chosen the Path of Evolution. Are you sure?>
Yes. Onwards and upwards.
<Congratulations on choosing your Path.
Due to reaching Tier 1, you may choose two aspects of your current body to evolve>
<Heart – improve your stamina>
<Muscles – improve your speed>
<Eyes – improve your sight>
<Touch – lengthen your whiskers or improve your sensitivity to touch>
<Sinuses – improve your sense of smell>
<Mouth – improve your bite power or sense of taste>
<Teeth – sharpen, lengthen, or strengthen your teeth>
<Digestive system – widen your diet or improve your constitution>
<Claws – sharpen, lengthen, or strengthen your claws>
<Coat – thicken, lengthen, or harden your coat>
<Mane – thicken or darken your mane>
<Vocal cords – enhance your roar>
<Feet – harden or soften your pads>
<Bones – strengthen or grow your bones>
<Skin – render your skin harder or more flexible>
There were many options, and Dominic wanted all of them. Well, I suppose I’m not that interested in improving my mane, he mused. Though his passenger seemed to be. Leo perked up as soon as that particular message appeared, eagerness replacing the dissatisfaction which seemed to otherwise be the status quo.
However, Dominic was the one in charge right now and, frankly, a mane didn’t really seem beneficial in any way. So, no. Heart, for sure, he decided. He’d gone through half his stamina in the battle with the Trodils, and they were probably pretty weak in comparison to many foes he’d be facing. Plus, for hunting, it would be good to be able to run a bit longer.
Should I improve muscles as well? It was a thought – improve both speed and stamina and he should be well set for hunting. He looked through the list again; maybe there was a better option. Improve his sense of smell and be able to track more easily? Or his sight since, as far as Dominic knew, lions weren’t known for their acute sense of smell. Or improve his digestive system, and give himself more health points?
In the end, he made his choice.
<You have chosen to enhance your Heart and your Coat (thicken). Apply changes?>
Yes.
A wave of energy went through him, putting the previous Red Bull to shame. Actually, he felt like he was in one of their adverts – lifting off the ground on feathery wings. The world seemed to disappear for a moment, and then his feet touched the ground again and his surroundings reappeared.
Dominic pulled up his status screen to see the differences.
Status of Dominic Martin Cole / Leo
Species: Lion (body) / human (mind), Two-Souled
Level: Basic Beast Level 1 (Path of Evolution)
Progress to Evolution: 8/105 PP
Hunger level: 1%
Thirst level: 13%
Quests: New quests available
Acquired Abilities:
Quick Strike level 1 (29%)
Defensive abilities:
- Fur level 2 (2-4 slicing damage reduction, 1-2 piercing damage reduction, 3-4 crushing damage reduction)
Offensive abilities:
- Claws level 1 (5-10 slicing damage, 4-7 tearing damage, 1-2 piercing damage)
- Bite level 1 (32-50 crushing damage, 27-50 tearing damage, 25-35 piercing damage)
General abilities:
- Muscular Body level 2 (max sprint speed 20mps; max sprint duration 12s) (60 SP)
- Carnivore Constitution level 1 (300 HP)
The first thing he noted was that there were two new entries. One of them now showed his level. Apparently, he was now a ‘Basic Beast’. Enhancing his coat seemed to have improved both slicing and crushing damage. Not by much, but every little helps, I suppose, he told himself, a little disappointed. He’d frankly hoped for more of an improvement when choosing defence over more speed.
Choosing to improve his heart seemed more effective – another fifteen points of stamina, and apparently he could maintain his top speed for another two seconds. Again, it might not seem much, but it could potentially make the difference between a kill and not.
It’s good to see that levelling up replenishes my health too, he noted. And my coat is clean again. Very interesting… As for the other new entry, Dominic found excitement rising as he saw the word ‘quest’. It brought to mind epic searches for precious treasure or saving beautiful maidens. Sure, it might be a bit weird to do those sorts of things as a lion – more likely to be the creature guarding such quest objects – but he was excited all the same.
When he focused on the new quests option, his status screen faded to be replaced with new text.
<Quest: A Noble Endeavour>
<Gain personal strength. Conquer territory and control areas of power. Fight off all who would take what is yours. Recruit or subjugate other beings to become your subjects (optional)>
<Reward: A noble title of varying level with commensurate benefits upon reaching Tier 3.>
A noble title? Like a lord or something? Dominic wondered. And Tier 3...he’d only just made Tier 1, according to one of the messages. As for success conditions, they seemed pretty broad. Though, I suppose they do suggest ways of ‘succeeding’ in this new world, he concluded.
In the end, he just shrugged and focused on returning back to his status screen. Ultimately, either he’d end up fulfilling the quest or not. Gaining personal strength was something he’d want to do anyway, just to survive. As for the others, well, time would tell. Without knowing what kind of benefits would come with the title, it was hard to decided whether or not to take risks in order to achieve it.
I guess I’ll probably end up fulfilling the other objectives anyway, he decided. Except maybe not the whole recruiting or subjugating thing. Though, as he thought that, he felt a bit of push-back from Leo. Curious, Dominic paused to see if the lion’s consciousness said anything more. It went quiet, so Dominic just mentally shrugged and moved on to the next quest.
<Quest: Regain what is Lost>
<Once two separate beings, now one. Find a way to reach equilibrium and make the sum greater than its parts.>
<Reward: ? >
Well that’s as clear as mud, and ominous to boot, Dominic thought to himself. If he’d understood it right, the objective of the quest was to find a way of balancing the mind of the lion and his own mind and thereby making something greater than either of them. But without having any sort of idea of the reward, did he even know if it was something he wanted to aim towards?
But then, did he have a choice? Once more, it felt a little like it was something he’d be doing anyway. While he was still angry at the lion for basically killing him, on the other hand he could understand it more now. It had been hungry; he’d been prey. Just like those Trodils earlier. It hadn’t been malicious, just a predator. And ultimately, it had most definitely come out the loser.
Plus, his recent experiences had proven that he couldn’t do this all himself; finding some way of working with Leo seemed inevitable. In the end, Dominic just mentally shrugged again and dismissed the quest. As he glanced at his status screen briefly before closing it too, he noticed that the two quests were now listed on it.
Now what? Dominic wondered. He gazed around the area with new eyes. It was different than he remembered, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Leo also seemed a bit discomforted, what was no doubt far more familiar to him than to Dominic suddenly a little different.
Perhaps it’s the colour, subtly shifted, he thought. Certainly, there seemed to be more of a blue tinge to the previously tawny environment occasionally broken by green. Yawning, he pushed himself to his feet. Perhaps he should practice moving a bit more.
*****
The Lion was aware. Somehow the rush of energy had pulled his thinning sense of self back together, anchoring it. The overall effect was a sharpening of his awareness and intelligence.
He had become more cognisant of his state as a passenger riding in his own body. It was an impotency which he railed against as any wild animal would at the sensation of being trapped. Intolerable.
Yet what was even more intolerable was that he could do nothing about it. There was nothing he could bite, nothing he could slash with his claws. He didn’t even have claws or teeth. Pressing against the barrier he felt between his mind and that of the Interloper was an exercise in frustration. There was no give to it.
Not yet.
Instinctively, he knew it was because the intellect of the Interloper was far more powerful than his own. Yet had his own intellect not grown when the energy touched it? If it grew further, could it not grow to rival that of the creature which had replaced him? So released, he would be able to fight for supremacy, as any lion must when faced with a foe.
With the sharpening of his intellect, came new emotions. Something he had never felt before, would not have known what it was except for the bleed-through from the Interloper. Embarrassment.
The Interloper was fumbling like a little cub, paws gangly, tail flapping this way and that. For one such as the Lion who was an apex predator on the savannah to look so...ridiculous, that too was intolerable.
Yet what could he do? He had no control, no power at all. All he could do was stew at his misfortune and fume at the creature now in control of his magnificent form.
How could this hairless monkey not even be able to do the simplest of tasks? A cub barely a few days old could run and pounce. Then again, the Lion supposed that the Interloper hadn’t seemed to have any sort of tail in its previous body. Deformed creature that it had been, walking on two feet even.
Speaking of feet, the Embarrassment had once more tripped over and landed on his face again. The main reason: his tail which he had allowed to throw him off balance. In his frustration, the Lion shoved his own knowledge of how to move at the barrier between them.
He refused to let his body be subjected to such abuse, even if he couldn’t be in control of it. He’d survived this long as a nomadic lion, chased out of his birth pride. Yet if he couldn’t even walk, how would he attract females to hunt for him? Or even defend himself? The Interloper had been hard-pressed to kill those vermin earlier; there were far worse foes out there.
If he had to help the Interloper to maintain his body’s – and his own – survival, then he would. And, perhaps, if he helped his foe gain strength, then perhaps more of that energy would touch the Lion. Maybe one day that barrier between them would fall and they would discover who was the true king of the plains.
At first, the Interloper pushed away his aid, perhaps thinking it to be some sort of attack. The Lion just tried again, pleased to have garnered any reaction after being far too helpless. On the third attempt, the Interloper finally listened. And wonder of wonders, he started putting it into practice.
Manipulating his tail took the Interloper far too long, but finally he seemed to get it. The rest seemed to fall into place bit by bit as well, the Lion offering his own experience as guidance.
When the Interloper finally managed to pounce on a rock with his claws bared, landing correctly and lightly, a completely unearned sense of elation ran through him. The Lion only sent across a scornful grumble: he hadn’t done anything a week old cub couldn’t have.
Rising from the crouch, the Interloper seemed about to do it again, only to check himself. He’d spotted something, movement. He stared at the flashes of movement and colour through the bush, seemingly confused.
The Lion was not, and he shared his knowledge, the action almost automatic now.
Prey.