Urgk!

Bloodshot wide eyes stare into my own. My body felt so cold. So very cold. And pain.

HAaaaaa! Ha! Ha!

Slow, croaking laughter, sounding much like a crow's call echoed out above me. Someone was standing over me as I lay on the ground, back in my old human body, looking into my face.

Hee-hee!

Another giggle.

Those eyes were familiar. I know I'd seen them somewhere, curved in happiness as we laughed together. Yet, now the gaze was cold, the smile I could sense on the person's face eerily happy, happy that I was hurting.

A sick feeling roiled in my gut. Something had gone terribly wrong. The sharp taste of iron in my mouth seemed to highlight the fact. Betrayal. I felt betrayed. But why? Who had betrayed me??

I look down, seeing red. All I could see were my hands slipping and grasping at the knife sprouting out of the center of my chest, right in the hollow between my clavicles..

My nicely pressed white shirt clung to my skin, stained dark with blood.

It hurt to breathe, to move.

Was this how I had died in the previous life? Why was I seeing this now??

HA. HA. HA.

The slow, measured barks of laughter ringing out above me make me grit my teeth. Tears were leaking out of the corner of my eyes as I cried silently in fear and in agony.

Too scary.

The smiling person fades away. Looking down once again, the overlapping shades of my hands slipping over the knife fade away right after. Soon I see the real? world underneath begin to appear like a projection. The lake before me, my wings, still broken, appearing on either side of me.

I was back in this strange world, after seeing what looked like a terrible nightmare, adding more torment onto my body that had been pushed beyond its limits once again.

All I could see now above me was the orange skies as the sun began to set. The rain had stopped.

Only the pain remained.

Urgh.

I don't know what that dream was, but that was the least of my problems.

I need to evolve! Getting a new body was the quickest way of healing. And Greenie! I needed to make sure he was alright.

With the way my body was now, it wasn't possible for me to drag myself all the way back to the cave and try to check on him first. If this evolutionary thing could work long-distance, I would try.

Using [Pet Detection] I could feel the connection between me and Greenie, stretched out between us like a thin thread. And that thread seemed to be groaning with effort to stay connected.

Hurry! I had to hurry!

I need to choose Greenie's evolution first. The last glimpse I'd seen of him under the mound of rats had been horrifying. He needed to be healed as soon as possible, and evolution was the only choice I had at this point.

Quickly, before I blacked out again. The stabbing discomfort was getting too hard to ignore.

Were there any notification windows about him? Gritting my beak, I quickly scan through the notification windows floating before my face.

Yes! I found it!!

[Pet (Greenie) Evolution Requirements fulfilled]

[Subterranean Goblin]

[Hobgoblin]

[Rare Savage Goblin]

Appraisal!

The waves of pain that continue with every breath I take make it hard to focus, but I read the descriptions as quickly as possible.

[Subterranean Goblin: Lives deep underground next to subterranean rivers and natural dungeons. Senses attuned to live underground giving them a greater sensitivity to sunlight and sharp teeth to cut through the hard shells of other subterranean creatures. ]

[Savage Goblin Rare: Often divided into various small warring tribes that fight for dominance within the Wildlands. Innate battle prowess and higher stamina make them difficult opponents even when fought against alone. Being prone to violence and an easily provoked nature make them natural warriors. ]

[Hobgoblin: An intellectual breed of goblin, hobgoblins live on their own, often dedicating themselves to one task and one task only that interests. Their dexterity and increased intelligence allows them to adapt to almost any environment, though their brute strength and agility is weaker in comparison with a goblin rare.]

Hurry! Hurry! The throbbing bolts of pure agony seemed to sear into my brain.

My eyes rove over the appraisal windows opened before me. What evolution would fit Greenie? The Subterranean Goblin was no good. We would be stuck living underground forever.

Brute force was important, I knew. Especially with the rats that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If Greenie was any weaker in strength than he was now, he could even die.

I choose Savage Goblin Rare!

[Savage Goblin Rare Selected. Beginning evolution....]

Ok that's good. If the system was working on him that meant he was still alive.

Now for me. Everything hurt so badly. I needed to evolve too. I ignore all the other notifications that are still shining above me and focus on the evolution windows.

[Evolution requirements fulfilled. Would you like to evolve into a [Battlewing] , [Nachtkrapp] ? Y/N]

[Battlewing : Natural protector-leader of the Carrion Raven. It's large, heavy body requires constant feeding. Can store limited amounts of energy from the over-consumption of carrion meat. Their wide wings make the Battlewing powerful in the open skies.]

[Nachtkrapp (Night Hunter): Nocturnal hunter that uses traps and trickery with their preferred usage of mimicry to hunt their prey. The tips of their wings form into two finger-like extensions that can grasp and hold items.]

Fwoooo. Breathing out as steadily as I could, I already knew my answer.

The Battlewing's ability to store energy was attractive...It would be useful when we ran out of food, though the description didn't give me much on how much energy I could store. But having a large and heavy body wasn't going to work. We lived in a forest, where there were more trees than open skies. I was going to go with the Nachtkrapp.

Being able to grasp things like humanoids could do with their hands was a huge boon.

This time, I wasn’t going to let my urges to go against expectations control me. I mean, a Carrion Raven? I hadn’t been taking this world seriously.

Herghhh. My body hurt too bad for this to be a dream.

[Nachtkrapp selected. Beginning evolutionary sequence....]

I fall unconscious again as the waves of pain that accompany my evolution crash down upon me. I can barely hear the voice of the system lady speaking as more notifications cover my vision.

Ah...

I still hadn't gone through all of them yet...

Ba-thump. Ba-thump.

[Title Obtained: Champion]

[Title: Champion: Grants buffs on agility and strength when faced with a large number of opponents. Enemies will feel fear when attacking you.]

The white glow's back, accompanied by the shades of black that move like amoebas, expanding over me. This time, I relax as I see it begin to completely encompass me. I knew what was coming.

This was going to hurt.

The pain of evolving didn’t seem that bad compared to the pain I was already experiencing.

But the agony was building in waves that made every wrinkle in my small bird-brain shiver.

Believe it or not, the evolution hurt worse than it did the last time. Perhaps because of the injuries I'd sustained- I-

CRACK!!!

There was no time to form a coherent thought.

ARFHHGHHHHH!!!

I bite my tongue as my body feels broken in half. Was someone grinding me into pieces? All I could feel were my bones breaking down into pieces, right down into dust and reforming themselves.

AHHHH!!

PLease, let me pass out!!

Please!

CGRAAcaack!

My talons curl into themselves, piercing into my flesh as I curl up into a ball.

Hahhh!

After what feels like an eternity, my wings soaked with sweat, I almost cry in relief. Finally, my vision was turning black. Nothing but the grass waving around me, and then I'm gone.

See you soon, Greenie.....

Requirements to become a Subterranean Goblin, Savage Goblin Rare, Hobgoblin:

Spoiler: Spoiler

[Requirements for Subterranean Goblin: Kill a large number of subterranean creatures. Live underground for a set period of time. Be a goblin.]

[Requirements for Rare Savage Goblin: Kill a large number of creatures. Be a goblin rare. Enjoy killing.]

[Requirements for Hobgoblin: Acquire a creation-related skill. Survive a life-threatening event using skills other than brute force. Be a goblin rare.]