A new day at Elthea meant a hike too. Their detour through Ellery and facing the Eroder had left them more tired than usual, but they could not take their journey too calmly. The Great Galya Tree was behind a mountain area, although they were not going climbing. Luckily for them, some paths could follow without freezing their assess where Finnian could expand his knowledge beyond Elthea’s geography.

“And these little things are called mandrakes? Seriously?” Finnian exclaimed, smiling in surprise.

He began to read the little cookbook he found in his backpack, which helped him focus on more than any other elthean they might find. In it, he found a summary of those small legged vegetables that tried to free themselves from his fingers, along with other plants that were used in the art of potion-making, with some quick recipes.

“You know they bite, right?” Rune said with his usual mocking tone.

“Unless you’re going to cook it. Do you have any potions in mind?” Aer said.

None for the moment, not when he began to learn that mandrakes were used when you didn’t have enough ingredients, mainly because of their high magic concentration. The book talked about the more critical and common ones that Aer and the others did not take long to summarize him: The spicy ones served to create explosions, the cold ones to freeze and the most delicious ones for healing and cooking.

“Easy, isn’t it?” Aer smiled.

“Yes, until you have to study for an exam,” Rune murmured, rolling his eyes.

Even the elthean get bored at school. At least he wasn’t the only one suffering from boring lessons, but magic was far from that. That day was so calm that they almost didn’t believe it. Besides facing Ariel or the Eroder, they advanced a lot, without problems or sudden attacks. However, it was half afternoon when they saw something they weren’t prepared for. Walking pumpkins!

“This has to be a joke,” Finnian said while looking at the picture.

Or someone was reading in his head, analyzing his thoughts to see if he could use anything against him. Since he arrived in Elthea, he had learned to be always cautious, mainly when they found on his way a trio of pumpkins with arms and legs more than willing to fight them.

“They don’t seem very friendly to say,” Ead said without separating himself from him.

“They’re nothing we can’t cope with,” Aer said after running through his friends.

After all, Rune and Leith had been tangled by their vines, preventing them from moving freely. Aer shouted, seeking to draw their attention and divert her from her friends, although it was not the best idea in the world.

Concentrated now more than ever when seeing her friends in danger, the blue elthean jumped and dodged the vines and lashes from the two remaining pumpkins. A sizeable green energy stick emerged by putting his hands together to block the attacks with great skill. Then Aer threw himself full against the third pumpkin, turning his cane into a sphere of energy, almost as if it were a Kamehameha of Goku.

It hit the pumpkin entirely, making it back and loosening its tie on the dragon. With a short flare, it was enough to release both of them, his enemy being the one who rolled to suffocate the fire that was spreading through his body. He was sure he wouldn’t forget the next time he ate that vegetable because of the absurdity of the situation.

“They regrouping!” Ead exclaimed as the three pumpkins retreated.

“At least they’re not as dumb as they seemed,” Finnian said.

They didn’t even talk! They had launched the attack almost without them noticing, making it clear that not all elthean were as intelligent as those travelling with him.

“Why don’t you leave before we turn you into mashed pumpkin?” Aer said, hitting his two fists with force.

“I’ve tried it, and it’s not bad at all. Although I don’t know if they would taste good,” Finnian said with a grin of disgust on the face.

The three pumpkins looked at each other, almost as if they were talking with the mind, considering if they should keep fighting or not. But the next thing they saw was even more overwhelming. The elthean interlace their arms and begin to spin as if they were dancing. Finnian almost laughed, but thanks to that gruesome dance, they began to shine until they were practically covered by light. When it ceased, the new elthean was a monstrous and considerably more prominent version of the pumpkins they faced before, even though there was only one now.

“And here we have Big Brother Pumpkin. Can they really do that?” Finnian said, pointing them out.

“Of course! That’s another way to evolve,” Ead replied, glittering while looking at the fight.

The Great Pumpkin opened his mouth to throw what did not seem to be seed bullets but huge balls with destructive abilities. Aer reacted faster and pushed them to the ground before being hit by one of the projectiles. Even when facing the most complex scenarios, the problem hit a new level when the vines started to circle them, preventing them from feeling.

“Next time, I will not make any comments,” Finnian bite his lip.

“I don’t know if that’s positive or discouraging,” Ead said.

“Maybe a little bit of both,” he admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

But it would be worth it if the fusion thing did not repeat. However, a new light was born from his pendant, the same one that had not left him since he arrived there. The evolution of Rune and Leith was as fast as before, changing levels at the most appropriate time to deal with that threat. The eagle and dragon shook their wings, lifting air all around them. Leith struck a mighty roar before throwing a fireball at the Great Pumpkin.

“Finnian! I want to fight too,” exclaimed Aer at his side.

He wanted to evolve like others, although Finnian didn’t know how to make that happen. They might have done so more than once, but for him, it was such a mysterious process that he didn’t know where to start. It was more than danger or willingness to fight, and perhaps that magical factor was the last piece Finnian was missing.

The battle continued as soon as Rune’s feathers danced around them. Striking the strains, they were cut as soon as they hit them. Then, after a dragon’s flare, a fire circle was formed that soon spread toward the pumpkin. Aer climbed on Leith, running with all his speed, to throw a punch of wind that managed to blow down the elthean.

If they had the advantage, now it was their turn. And after seeing shine briefly and get divided into the three originals elthean, that theory was corroborated. Desperate and knowing they would not win, they create an orange smokescreen. Surrounding themselves with wind, they watch them as they run away faster for someone of their size.

“I’ll think twice before attacking a vegetable again,” Leith said, between stunned and tired, reverting to her Beginner form.

“They face us without provocation. And they say the elthean from the forests are among the friendliest,” Rune replied, returning to his previous level.

“You are the one to talk!” Aer mocked her, fleeing before she caught him.