Chapter 416 - New members

(AN: I just realized that I made a typo in Chapter 392. Not a big one, but, just to be clear. Aiden and Galina's family name is Voragon and not Vordragon that I wrote. Sorry, there was a heatwave in June frying my brain in the process most likely. :D)

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As the transformation finalized, so did Aiden's Message Log revealed yet another update, signaling that the second stage of Thuk's evolution has finished as that his newest member of the Voragon family was about to emerge.

*Ding!*

[ Status | Lab | Domain | *Activities* ]

[ *Message Log* | Quests | Assignments ]

[——————————————————————]

[Minion Evolution Stage 2…. Complete!]

[Minion Evolution Complete… Resuscitating Subject…]

[Initiating Emergence Protocol…]

As the last message appeared, the lights that swallowed the egg began to fade, finally revealing the dark, greenish leather-like surface that was so far, unseen.

As the swallowing luster dimmed, in the next moment, the sound of a crack could be heard. Following the sound to the source, a small, spiderweb crevice could be seen at the top of the cocoon.

A moment later, another cracking came from inside, as the spiderweb rapidly spread, covering the entirety of the shell in the span of a few tense seconds.

Finally, one last push came from inside, as the egg violently exploded, releasing the last strands of golden energy from inside in a blinding, bright explosion of light.

All spectators, besides Aiden, averted their gaze for a brief moment, but even that small span of time was enough to cause their jaws to collectively fall to the ground by the time they turned back.

What emerged from the cocoon barely had any resemblance to that old, battered old skink from before.

The creature that was now proudly standing in front of them was unlike anything they have ever seen. Its size more than doubled, only a head shorter than Scarlet, the entity was now at the size of a healthy human child.

Bursting with muscles below the new, healthy-looking skin, Thuk's body was now protected with thick, dark green scales with a golden ring spaced in-between every now and then.

His limbs, which were frail, weak little sticks before, were now thick and strong, with a unique, exotic look to it.

His arms were twice as long compared to before, reaching down the ground, giving him the illusion of a quadrupedal beast rather than what he was before.

Yet, that was only that, an illusion, as his new, strong legs were more than solid enough to carry his much higher weight. His legs while at first glance seemed smaller than before, it was only because, that his new, natural resting pose was something similar to what looked to be crouching.

His feet growing much longer than before, its shape now reminded Aiden of the dinosaurs from the books back from the Modern World.

Lastly, there was a thick, heavy-looking meter-long tail coming from his behind, with a row of sharp-looking leather-covered bony plates running all the way through his backline, reaching atop to the back of his head.

Funnily though, Thuk's previous red-feathered crest remained, crowing his new crocodile-shaped head.

Besides Aiden, the rest of the gang was baffled, still trying to process the scrawny little lizard's new form. It was so unique that Drake and Scarlet couldn't even start guessing what it should even be.

In the end, unable to come to terms with what greeted them, they turned to Aiden for some answers.

"Aiden…" Looking at his friend with a wry look on his face, Drake asked. "What exactly happened? What did that small skink turn into?"

"Is he friendly?" Adding to it, Scarlet whispered, clenching the pair of daggers in her hands tightly.

To their question, Aiden didn't respond initially, but instead turned to the emerged and reformed Thuk. Stepping closer, he crouched down, and gently placed his right hand over his broad left shoulder, grabbing the confusedly blinking guy's attention.

"How do you feel, Thuk?" He asked with a warm tone, looking at the creature in his still oversized yellowish eyes.

Listening to his newly accepted Master's question, Thuk looked at his new body, still not entirely used to it. He awkwardly lifted his large arms off the ground, raising it sideways, high up in the air, before finally raising it in front of his face and taking a closer look at his clawed hands. Like before, he still had 3 fingers, but they were much stronger, denser than how it was when he was just a simple little skink.

He slowly moved his fingers, slowly feeling each and every part of his body, gradually growing accustomed to this new, dreamlike reality.

The pain that wrecked his old, used-up body before was nowhere to be seen, he felt the youthful energy that he could barely keep inside of him. He felt the eagerness inside him to jump, hop or just run around. He felt the need to strain his fresh musculature, otherwise, he was slowly growing afraid of bursting apart.

After about a minute of moving his limbs and looking around, Thuk finally looked up at his Young Master in the eyes and with a concerned, but much clearer tone than before, he answered.

This time, there was no hissing or slurred speech. He spoke the human's common tongue crisply and clearly.

"Young Master… I am feeling fine. No. More than fine… I am actually growing worried. I feel that I am so full of power and energy that if I don't do something, I might explode!"

His response caused a smile to emerge on Aiden's lips. He nodded at his latest minion.

"I have the perfect solution for you and for that matter, your people."

With that said, he took a step back, creating a small space between him and the newly emerged Primal Reptilian, and made a waving gesture with his right arm in the air.

As his hand drew a slight slope shape of an arched dome, the space cracked open, revealing a dark fissure in between them and causing yet another shock on poor Drake and Scarlet's face to appear.

However, merely a few seconds later Drake calmed down, as he saw the gate appear.

Still, that calmness turned into a sour, stern look in the next moment, as a dark grey robust giant stepped forth from it and instantly knelt down before Aiden.

His hoarse, guttural voice thundered across the small tunnel in a language that none besides Galina, Aiden, and surprisingly, Thuk understood. For the rest, it sounded a harsh, violent dialect, that only caused Drake's body to tremble with fright even more.

"[Orc] Young Master, I welcome you once again! Thank you for calling for me!"

Listening to his greeting and the reverent, subservient posture the giant acted in front of the boy, he turned to look at Aiden with an interested gaze.

"Is he perhaps…"

"Yes, he is." Before he could finish his question, Aiden nodded, confirming his conjecture. Giving the little Thuk a moment to process it, Aiden continued, turning his attention at Roas.

"[Orc] This eager-looking energetic guy here is your newest brother, Thuk. He leads this small tribe of survivors, hiding below grounds. Take them to Haven, and give them a new space to settle down."

Glancing over at the scared-looking battalion of skinks surrounding them, Aiden smiled calmly once more as he added.

"[Orc] They are our newest members in the new world!"