Chapter 11: 1.10

Thera 1.10

Thera reeled, her head spinning, the world barely comprehensible in her dazed state. The depraved thing vanished as quickly as it appeared— after a quick battle where it had somehow hurt the baby Mystic Turtle without doing any actual physical damage to her.

Her soul felt numb. The mana in her core seemed so distant. She lay in the dusty room alone and confused. She would’ve fallen unconscious there and then if not for what the Voice of the World said.

You have leveled up!

[Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 9] -> [Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 10]!

For reaching Level 10, you may now undergo your evolution! Do you want to evolve now?

Evolution? It was a vaguely familiar term to Thera, but she didn’t remember where she heard it from or that she had heard it from Mors. Nevertheless, it enticed her, and in her hazy mind, she simply chose to accept whatever it was saying.

Yes, she thought. And the Voice of the World answered.

BEGINNING EVOLUTION!

Name: Thera

Species: [Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 10]

Species Skills: [Indomitable Soul], [Manifestation of the Heart], [Soul Sense]

Skills: [Power Bite], [Hunting Dive], [Underwater Maneuverability], [Hardened Shell]

What is this? A surfeit of information inundated Thera’s mind as she lay there, reeling back as she tried to process her… status?

She brought her flippers up and clutched her head as the Voice of the World continued to assail her. This time, listing things she didn’t intuitively know about herself. Things that she could become.

Evolutionary Options:

[Fledgling Testudine] -> [Deep Sea Testudine]

This is… Thera saw visions. Flashes of what she might become. Something dark and swift. Like the shadows that terrorized her when she was younger. A small turtle— tinier than even Thera was right now. Its shell was thin and weak, but its movements were methodical and its attacks backed by cunning.

The depths of the ocean seemed so clear around the Deep Sea Testudine. It saw not murky waters, but a glass ocean. One that it could navigate freely around. It wouldn’t be ambushed because it was the one that did the ambushing.

This was an evolutionary path that Thera could follow. But it wasn’t the only one. The Voice of the World resounded in her head again, showing her even more.

[Fledgling Testudine] -> [Shining Terrapene]

This time, she caught glimpses of a bulky turtle. One with clawed limbs instead of flippers. It had a giant shell on its back with spikes protruding out of it like crooked bones. It dwarfed Thera’s current size, doubling her height alone.

It moved faster on land, more adapted to running with its four legs than swimming. Yet it could swim. Just slower. Still, it was strong. It radiated an intense glow from its shell as it swam through the dark sea, lighting both a beacon and a warning. And if it was ever overpowered, its shell was sturdier than ever, and was shaped like a rock so the Shining Terrapene could always hide from its enemies.

Thera could see herself hiding away in her shell. Safe from the terrible monsters that lurk in the sea. It felt safe there. Warm. Protected.

But, again, this was only a vision. And there was one more for Thera to see.

[Fledgling Testudine] -> [Vanima Testudine]

Thera felt her heartbeat thump in her chest. A drumming that made her shake intensely. It was a feeling, more than a scene. An unsettling excitement; a cool adrenaline. Thera saw herself. Larger, faster, and with a sturdier shell. Yet, it wasn’t a drastic change like with the other two evolutions.

The bigger change happened within. Thera felt… like her core had been expanded. Like there was an interconnectedness to the things around her. She could touch a flower and borrow its power. It wasn’t elemental magic. It didn’t come from the divine. It was something different. Almost depraved.

But it made Thera feel good. She felt empowered. More so than being physically stronger or faster. Her core was full. Overflowing, even.

The Vanima Testudine glimmered in her mind. A golden glow that drew Thera towards this evolution. She reached for it mentally, telling the Voice of the World that this vision was what was right. There were no other evolutionary options other than the three presented, and she made her decision.

I want to become a Vanima Testudine, she told the Voice of the World.

But just as she accepted it, the vision she saw— the light from the Vanima Testudine— suddenly… darkened. The golden glow shifted into a dark purple that seemed to suck in everything in its surroundings. A maelstrom that pulled in kelp forests and coral reefs. A black hole that swallowed the world entire.

What…? Thera stared at the secret of the evolution in confusion. But before she could fully parse it, the Voice of the World resounded.

UNDERGOING EVOLUTION!

[Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 10] -> [Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 10]!

Species Skills gained: [Void Touch]

Skills gained: [Basic Appraisal], [Bubble Conjuration], [Essence Explosion], [Soul Speak]

Skill upgraded:

[Power Bite] -> [Mighty Crunch]

Her mind went blank as her body flashed— and moments later, her consciousness returned to her. When she woke up, her headache was gone, and her body was free from pain.

EVOLUTION COMPLETE!

Name: Thera

Species: [Vanima Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 10]

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Species Skills: [Indomitable Soul], [Manifestation of the Heart], [Soul Sense], [Void Touch]

Skills: [Mighty Crunch], [Hunting Dive], [Underwater Maneuverability], [Hardened Shell], [Basic Appraisal], [Bubble Conjuration], [Essence Explosion], [Soul Speak]

Ribbons of light wisped off Thera as she looked down at her new form. She was… not much different from before. As expected, she was slightly larger, slightly leaner, with a slightly stronger shell.

The newly-evolved Vanima Testudine raised a flipper, and it indeed looked like a flipper. But it felt lighter than before. And she realized— she was stronger now, too. Substantially so. Perhaps even faster too. Although, she had yet to test that out.

Thera flipped her flipper over and saw no wounds. The injuries she’d sustained from the depraved thing had closed up, although that was likely due to the evolution process itself rather than the actual evolution.

Shaking her head, she finished inspecting her head and sighed.

“Is this it?” she said.

For a moment, she didn’t react. Not to her voice, not to her words.After a second passed, the baby Mystic Turtle jolted back. The words that left her beak-like mouth shocked her. The realization settled in. Her thoughts were being vocalized.

Her jaw dropped as she stared at herself for a moment longer. This had been something Mors had tried to teach her for a while now. Yet, each time, she failed. All she could do was squeak. But now? Now she was speaking. Now she could convey what she was thinking. Slowly, disbelievingly, she worked her mouth.

“This is… [Soul Speak]?” One of her new Skills. It had to be. Thera patted her face with her flippers— as if she didn’t believe that it was her mouth doing the talking.

The words were clearly audible to her ears— not just thoughts that were trapped in her head. A giddying sensation ran through the baby turtle. She leaned back as she hugged herself with her trembling flippers.

“I can speak!” she exclaimed. “I can actually speak!”

Thera needed to tell Mors. She finally learned how to speak. Sure, it was through a Skill. But she finally did it!

She quickly waddled through the chamber, passing the Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet, heading for the exit, and going back down where she came from. Then she paused and spun around. She ran straight back to the glowing parchment as she remembered the reason why she came up here in the first place.

“There you are!” Thera came to a halt at the center of the room.

The Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet floated there. A scroll that glimmered in the dark. A piece of parchment rolled up and waiting to be taken.

Thera reached for it as she squeaked. “I finally got it—” And she caught herself.

The newly-evolved Vanima Testudine remembered what had happened just earlier when she recklessly tried to grab the treasure chest that stored the scroll. It unleashed a terrible monster that nearly killed her. She hesitated.

It could happen again. Thera warily eyed the scroll as she backed up. Are you safe? She poked brought a flipper forward and poked it apprehensively. Nothing happened. It wobbled a bit, still floating in the air, carried by some kind of magic.

“Just what are you?” Thera asked suspiciously. It didn’t answer, but the Voice of the World did.

[Scroll of Nativity]

“What?” She blinked a few times. It took her a moment to process it, before realizing where it came from. [Basic Appraisal]? Another one of her new Skills.

Already, the abilities gained from her evolution were incredibly useful. Thera would’ve forgotten about the unsettling feeling her evolution gave her, if not for the fact that the memory of the depraved thing was still fresh in her mind.

Just staying in the room where she’d been attacked made her antsy. And while she didn’t know what a Scroll of Nativity was or did, she just knew that that meant it probably wasn’t trapped. Maybe.

So, Thera snatched up the scroll and backed away. She looked around, holding the rolled up parchment in her flippers as she nervously glanced about. She waited for something to attack her. Anything, really. Even the shadows. But nothing came.

And when she confirmed she was safe to turn around, she made a break for it. The baby Mystic Turtle scrambled down the steps she’d dug up, rushed through the little tunnel in the rubble, and burst out of the other side as she gasped for air. It wasn't fear that drove her forward any longer, but an uncontrollable excitement.

This was it. She had it. She found the Treasure of Brunnholl's Fleet. It was finally time.

Mors was right where she had left it. The Luminant Lophis waited at the flooded stairway, swimming around in circles with a worried look on its face. It looked up at her, bulb blinking as she arrived with a thud.

“Thera?” it said.

“Mors!” she panted as she threw herself into the water.

The splash knocked the fish back a bit. The ripple calmed after a moment. But Mors just stared at Thera in shock.

“You can speak?” the Luminant Lophis asked, clearly surprised.

“Yes!” Thera beamed. Even when submerged, she was able to speak. After all, it was speech through magic and not breath.

“How?”

“I got it through my evolution— but that doesn’t matter right now!” Thera spoke hurriedly, waving the Scroll of Nativity at the fish.

But Mors was still distracted. It didn’t realize what she was holding. It just stared at her. “You evolved? When? How?” it interrogated her.

“Mors, focus!” she said as she held the scroll in front of its face. “Look— I found it.”

“You got it…? What is this ‘it’?” Mors gave her a blank look.

Thera sighed exasperatedly, letting out bubbles in the water. She unfurled the Scroll of Nativity. There were symbols— words— inscribed on the parchment. The letters seemed to glow, phasing ethereally off the page as it opened in the water. It didn’t get wet. There was no ink to be blotched. After all, it was the Treasure of Brunnholl’s Fleet. It wouldn’t be much of a treasure if it was ruined by some water.

“Oh,” Mors said. “You found it.”

Thera nodded eagerly. She smiled wide, feeling more excited than she’d ever felt in her entire life.

“We can finally leave this Dungeon!”

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