This bandit leader guy, Ingo, I wanted him. Him, and any other bandits I could get my hands on. I was beyond infuriated. Bandits, and all the like, should be removed from the face of this world. They were simply the worst kind of people.

I started chasing the fleeing bandits, intending to bring down as many as I could. Their long history of crime and violence would end here and now.

With the bandits on the run, and my mana reserves drained to about half, I decided to start conserving my power at least somewhat. Since I still had the imbue elements active, I decided to simply catch up and strike these lowly humans down with my powerful legs. I did notice that they started splitting up and running in several directions.

I did resort to using my ice lance for those who were close to getting away from me. This was simply the most accurate spell I had that I could cast from long range. I managed to strike down all who ran off to the sides. I thought about using venom bolt for a moment but wasn’t sure if it would penetrate their armor.

The chase was starting to center around a group of bandits running together. Their leader, Ingo, was among them. Like an arrow from a bow, I caught up with them in no time and struck down the first two with my giant legs. I impaled their bodies with my legs and pinned them to the ground but kept up the chase. I left them to bleed out while I hunted the last two bandits and their leader.

I struck down the rest of the bandits around Ingo, leaving me with just the mastermind behind this attack. He pulled out a set of daggers as he ran and I started questioning what he intended to accomplish with those. He looked behind him, and threw one of the daggers, aiming for my eyes.

I hadn’t expected him to be so quick, and I couldn’t get a defense up in time. The dagger flew through the air, but thankfully, my physical barrier blocked it. That seemed to leave Ingo completely broken. When he turned around to throw the last dagger he had, the fear in his eyes was overwhelming. I wasn’t one to make people suffer - I’d bring him swift justice.

I jumped on Ingo and pinned him to the floor, his face down in the dirt. He mumbled a few incomprehensible words before I summoned an earthen spike that shot upwards from under his neck, severing his head from his torso.

With Ingo finally dead, I took a few moments to rest. I could run for hours, but all these jumps had left me surprisingly tired.

I gazed at the clear, blue sky and took in the sounds of birds chirping. If I didn’t look down at the carnage beneath and around me, one could say there had never been a battle in the first place. This forest was truly beautiful.

I waited for several minutes to restore my strength and mana, but found out that I wasn’t regaining any of that. In fact, I was getting more tired.

Was I hit by some kind of spell in the middle of all that? I didn’t believe so, but I didn’t know how else to explain it. Seeing as rest wasn’t working, I decided to get up and just start skittering back to the wagons. I’d run for a good five minutes and had a bit of walking to do to get back.

I’d barely taken ten steps before a wave of lethargy crashed over me. My legs gave out beneath me and I fell to the dirt. Besides the exhaustion, a headache was starting to build up as well.

What the fuck was going on with me?

The headache was joined by dizziness and I noticed my vision was becoming blurry. I started panicking until I had the presence of mind to ask Elysa about what was happening.

Level Up!

Kealyna has reached level 8!

You have been awarded 75 EP.

Level Up!

Kealyna has reached level 9!

You have been awarded 75 EP.

Level Up!

Kealyna has reached level 10!

You have been awarded 75 EP.

Achievement earned: I thought you were smart?

Kill a higher sapient being.

You have been awarded 150 EP.

You have been awarded 0 EXP.

Requirement for future evolution complete.

Evolution Available!

Confirming evolution to Iridescent Queen Arachne. Evolution will proceed when combat has ended.

Evolution? No. Wait, wait wait, cancel that!

Impossible.

I cursed in my mind as the pain in my head worsened by the second. I did not want to evolve right now. I’d made sure that none of the bandits got away, but I wasn’t confident that I was safe here. I barely managed to recast my multi-barrier spell. I hoped that would keep me safe if it was needed, as it seemed there was nothing I could do to stop this evolution from happening.

I would have screamed in pain if I could. Something was pushing against my skull from the inside and it sent jolts of pain through my entire body. My head felt like it was about to explode. I didn’t want to go through this evolution, but, right now, I was begging for the sweet relief of unconsciousness to absolve me of this pain.

Instead, the pain just kept getting worse. It took far too long, but at long last, my senses left me, and I fell into slumber.

____________________________________________________________________________

I opened my eyes.

Wait, I could open them? Where was I?

I looked below me and noticed I was sitting in a chair in my old elven body. I was looking at my hands when I heard a familiar voice in front of me. I was looking straight at Elysa. I saw her stare at me while I tried to figure out how in the world I ended up here. Did I die again?

“Kealyna,” She called out with her gentle voice.

“What happened?” I asked.

The goddess didn’t reply to my question. Instead, she started speaking about something else.

“I am not here. You are not dead. This is the last message that I have recorded for you to view when you reach your final evolution...”

She went silent for a moment, giving me time to process what she’d just said. I had to conclude that I was in some sort of dream-like state. I assumed I was still unconscious.

“I wish to apologize once more for what happened to you. I couldn’t help you in time other than giving you this little piece of myself to allow you to survive and, hopefully, find the peace and happiness that I had promised to you. When this message reaches you, do know that I am proud of your accomplishments so far.”

She remained quiet for another moment as I recalled what had happened when we first met. I remembered the portal that I was about to step through. About how I saw the clear blue sky in it, inviting me to start over again from the point where things took a turn for the worse in my life. About how that blue abruptly changed to black, before swirling mists surrounded my body and pulled me into it. About how Elysa yelled out my name as I was forcibly put into that spider body.

I knew at that moment that something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Elysa’s first message all but confirmed that. She had mentioned something about this Hograd guy, and that she suspected he had interfered with her work, but she couldn’t be sure.

“I said so far, because your story is not yet at an end, although it’s up to you how you wish to finish it. I am going to investigate what happened to you. If you wish to hear about my findings, or wish to talk to me at all, please visit one of my temples. The priests have a ritual that one can use to speak directly to me as long as I am willing to talk to you, which I am in your case. Again, the choice is up to you.”

She gave me another few moments to reflect on her words. There were certainly questions that I wanted answered. Who exactly was this Hograd person and if he was behind this all, why?

I just didn’t get it.

“I do hope you choose to contact me. Either way, let me be clear that I truly wish you nothing but happiness. I hope this blessing of mine will help you with that. I made sure your final evolution offers everything you need for that goal.”

Another brief moment of silence before the goddess concluded her message.

“With that, I wish you luck, Kealyna. May you fare well.”