The plan was simple.

Violet had predicted that the soldiers of Fort Erkaed would eventually come around to Korukh in search of Fissyah. And, well, Fissyah wanted to become a Gremlin. Both of these facts meant that Fissyah couldn’t stay in Korukh any longer.

So, they planned for her departure: one that would ensure the safety of Korukh, and ensure that the girl got what she wanted.

It involved terrible acting, an over-the-top performance about an evil Slime, and a lot of embarrassment, but it would essentially vindicate any Goblin for what happened in Fort Erkaed by placing all the blame on the Slime. And now, with the plan reaching its final stage, it was all up to Fissyah to finish it off with a flourish. The most important part of the plan.

It… would require a bit of waiting before it could be carried out.

[UNDERGOING EVOLUTION]

The girl’s vision was filled with the Words of Drasel. She felt her body changing, morphing into something else. Her legs grew longer and her arms limber as she lay on the ground, incapacitated. Power surged through her, just like whenever she advanced a level. But, this time, it was beyond just a physical change.

You have attuned yourself with the world!

- Arcane Essence unlocked!

It was like her very soul itself was being replaced— no, being broadened. The girl involuntarily let out a scream as new, alien senses were opened up to her; it was like she’d been dipped into a river of scorching water and her skin was flaking off from the heat, but before the pain grew too intense for her to handle, she was pulled out and dropped into a cool lake, one of pure bliss that healed all her wounds and cured her of all ailments… only to be ripped back into the burning river.

Bliss. Pain. Bliss. Pain.

The cycle continued like a rhythmic beat or the ebbing and flowing of water. It echoed through her body like war drums playing as the God King’s army marched past Korukh, a trickling perspiration creeping up her skin as she felt the same fear and uncertainty from back then. But now she realized that there had been nothing to be afraid about at the time— that it was simply a show of force. And she calmed, her breathing steadying.

Your understanding of Yige’s nature has expanded!

- Skill [Lesser Appraisal] gained!

Fissyah’s eyes fluttered open as she accepted her new self. Her new senses felt odd at first, but now she felt as though she understood more— that there was nothing to worry about now. With a grunt, she climbed to her feet and stood literally and figuratively taller as the final Words of Drasel flashed before her.

You have evolved from a Goblin into a Gremlin!

- 100 Arcane Essence gained!

- For each new level advanced, Arcane Essence +10!

- Passive Skill [Arcane Restoration] gained!

- You can no longer evolve into a Hobgoblin!

“You’re finally up!” Violet called out to her.

The girl’s vision whirled, snapping towards the Slime. Violet bounced between the swinging Dark Elves and danced around the flying arrows. There were twenty soldiers, and they attacked her from all sides. She knocked them back as a dozen tendril-like pseudopods lashed out, keeping them back, but she wasn’t fighting to kill.

Not this time.

“Violet!” Fissyah called out, her eyes burning to help the Slime. Flames flickered into existence in her hand as she stepped forward. “You bastards!”

And was promptly halted by Violet.

“Stick to the plan!”

The girl blinked as the fire dissipated, wanting to protest. “But—”

“It’s the most important part of the plan, remember? You have to do this.” Violet held her gaze, and she pursed her lips. “Plus, I can deal with these idiots just fine.”

Fissyah watched as the Slime ricocheted off a pair of soldiers, spinning in the air and laughing. It was almost like she was having fun.

“Come on! Is that the best you guys can do? Aren’t you supposed to be the heroes who slay the evil monster?”

Phigilvel panted as he sliced up and missed. “If you’ll just stop moving—”

“And let you guys hit me? Nah, I’ll pass.”

How is she doing that? Fissyah couldn’t help but wonder as Violet quickly slid under their legs. And the girl’s question was answered with a quick use of her new Skill: [Lesser Appraisal].

[Arcslime (Destroyer of Fort Erkaed) - Level 15 (Combat Power: 550)]

[Dark Elf - Level 11 (Combat Power: 205)]

[Dark Elf - Level 13 (Combat Power: 258)]

…

“Amazing,” Fissyah gasped. “She’s so much stronger than them… it’s not even close.”

That was right— Violet could deal with them with ease. After all, she’d taken out half of Fort Erkaed all on her own. Now, it was time for Fissyah to do her part.

She took a deep breath and turned to the crowd of watching Goblins. They backed up as her gaze landed on them.

“This… what happened to my body? It’s all because of that Slime! She corrupted me!” Fissyah stared down at her changed body, speaking in a low voice. “I can barely control myself. I cannot stay here unless I’ll hurt you all.”

Zrugs, Dryx, Gort— all the people of Korukh stood there and watched as she made her speech.

“Before I fully fall under the control of that evil Slime, I’ll have to stop her.” She faced Violet, raising a hand as the battle in the distance continued.

“Fissyah—” A figure in the crowd stepped out. It was Szen, her Papa.

But the Gremlin’s hand snapped to him, fire coalescing on her palm. “Stay back! If you get too close, I won’t be able to stop myself from hurting you.”

Gort stopped him as Fissyah continued, reaching the final and most important part of the plan.

“That Slime corrupted me, but she also made me stronger. Even the monsters of the Karhid Caves won’t stand a chance against me like this. That’s why I have to do this while I can.”

She held her Papa’s gaze, smiling— bidding him farewell.

“So, just this once, let me be the one to protect you, Papa. And I promise, one day, I’ll return.”

With that, the plan was finished. Fissyah spun to Violet, unleashing a cone of flames in the Slime’s direction.

“Ohoho! My minion is breaking free from my control! I will not allow that!” Violet leapt above the fire as it struck the Dark Elves instead. She crashed straight into Fissyah, shouting, “If I cannot have all of Korukh, then I shall take what I can!”

And the pair merged into one.

[Arc Symbiosis].

Name: Fissyah [Level 10] (Hosting: Violet)

Species: Gremlin

Combat Power: 250 (+550)

Arcane Essence: 50/100

Physical Essence:

- Physical Essence Points: 0

- Power: 30

- Will: 20

- Dexterity: 40

- Body: 30

- Worldliness: 30

Skills:

- [Lesser Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

Passive Skills:

- [Arcane Restoration - You restore 10 Arcane Essence for every ten minutes of rest.]

- [Basic Fire Magic - You can conjure and manipulate fire at a basic level.]

- [Lesser Fire Resistance - You are more durable to fire damage.]

Special Skills:

[Arc Symbiosis: Violet]

* * *

“Woah, you’ve gotten quite a bit stronger, haven’t you?” I merged with Fissyah’s body and flexed her hands. “Neat!”

“They’re coming, Violet!” the girl said in my head, and I looked up.

The Dark Elf soldiers charged us, screaming something about stopping me. I dashed back, running in between the village huts as an idea crossed my mind.

“Can you use your fire magic?” I mentally asked Fissyah.

“I can… try?” She sounded uncertain.

I slowed as a tendril protruded from my back and aimed at the Dark Elves.

“Then try it.” I grinned.

Fissyah focused for a moment, and another cone of flames shot out from my tendril. It wasn’t solid like the fire magic Rioke had used. This was more like a flamethrower’s flames. It exuded heat and burned the soldiers to keep them back, not instantly killing them.

“Good job! Keep them back so they can’t follow after us. We don’t want them to get eaten by some monsters in the Karhid Caves before they return to Fort Erkaed. Otherwise, this would’ve all been pointless.”

“Got it,” the girl said as I looked around Korukh.

I had already completed a full lap around the village, but I needed to find someone before I could leave. I spotted the crowd of Goblins, standing in a circle as three Dark Elves guarded them.

“I can’t keep this up for long. It’s exhausting. Are we going yet?”

“Give me a second.”

I sped up and leapt onto one of the soldiers, causing the Goblins to draw their weapons and back away. I looked up as the other Dark Elves were staved off by Fissyah’s flames. I found Gort standing there, running a hand through his beard.

I nodded at him and got up.

“I will find Oblec,” I said as I took off. “And I will deliver your message. Don’t worry.”

He lowered his head, whispering to himself as Fissyah and I left. “Thank you, Violet. You have done so much for us. I will never forget this.”

I beamed as, finally, we left Korukh behind. The Dark Elves didn’t give chase for long. Between my speed and Fissyah’s flames, they couldn’t keep up. I laughed and shook a fist at them as they slowly disappeared into the distance.

“You have won this time, but I, the fabulously villainous Slime of the Karhid Caves, shall return!”

And it was back into the Karhid Caves. Back to where I started. [Arc Symbiosis] ended not long after, and Fissyah and I were back to being in separate bodies. The girl let out a sigh of relief, slumping over on a large rock.

“That was exhausting.”

“And fun, right?” I bounced up and down excitedly, facing her.

“Other than the terrible acting?” She tilted her head back and smiled. “I guess it was pretty fun.”

If I had a face, I’d be smiling right now with her. I took in her new body— she was no longer the Goblin with dark green skin I knew from before. She was a Gremlin now, with tanned skin and pointed ears, although her white hair and red eyes remained unchanged. She was roughly five foot tall now too, which was quite the growth spurt from barely being four foot when I first met her. Even still, she was quite small and cute.

And, understandably, nervous.

She sat up, shifting slightly as she took in our new surroundings. Dangerous surroundings. We weren’t deep into the Karhid Caves, but here, a monster could appear at any point in time and attack us. This was nothing like the area around Korukh and Fort Erkaed where I could wander freely with no fear of being attacked. (Well, I would still get attacked by Dark Elves and Goblins, but that was beside the point.)

I slid over to the girl, patting her on the head with my appendage.

“We’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you— I promised, remember?”

She looked up, meeting my gaze. Then she nodded.

“Right.”

“Rest up, Fissyah,” I said and drew back. “I don’t need to sleep so I can watch over you. But be ready for tomorrow, because we’ll be searching for Oblec.”

The girl grunted softly as she lay back down. In moments, she was snoring. I watched over her as she slept, glad that everything was resolved without a problem. Hopefully, things would be better for Korukh from now on. Fort Erkaed had a better Captain now that Rioke was dead, and Phigilvel actually tried to protect the Goblins.

Although, an uneasy feeling still nudged at me from within. I couldn’t help but shake off Rioke’s last words. The warning of a brother who’d come after us.

Brim the Berserker.

I didn’t know who he was, but he sounded like he was quite strong. If he really came after us… we might be in a bit of trouble.

* * *

“Brim the Berserker,” a voice said, echoing down the halls of the palace.

Zoreth frowned as he looked up at the source of the voice. “Deviyus the Mistress of Chaos. What do you want?”

The Ratwoman strolled down the gilded hallway, stopping before Zoreth. But she didn’t address him. Instead, she faced the man next to him. His partner, Brim the Berserker.

“I heard what happened to Rioke.” She shook her head, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Wait, Rioke’s dead?” Zoreth narrowed his eyes. “But wasn’t he stationed at Fort Erkaed?”

“Indeed,” Deviyus sighed. “To waste his life and die defending such insignificant pests such as those Goblins? It is truly tragic.”

That made no sense to Zoreth. Fort Erkaed was located in Stawood— one of the safest regions of the Dark Empire. Everyone knew that Rioke was specifically sent there because of his status as Brim’s brother. At a point in time, Zoreth himself had been the Captain of Fort Erkaed, and he knew just how infrequently monsters dared venture out of the Karhid Caves.

So, how did this happen?

Brim stood there, not responding. His gaze shadowed over. An eerie silence from one who was normally so talkative.

“I’m sure you must feel terrible, especially since you and Rioke were very close.” Deviyus shook her head sympathetically.

Zoreth pursed his lips and faced his partner. “Look, Brim, I'm sorry for your loss. Rioke was a good man.”

And… Brim blinked. “Who?”

“Uh…” Deviyus exchanged a confused glance with Zoreth. “Rioke.”

“Who’s that?”

“Your brother.”

“I have a brother?” Brim’s eyes widened. “Really? How is he?”

“...he’s dead, Brim,” Zoreth sighed.

“Wait, what? How?” The Berserker fell to his knees, eyes hollow. “My brother… taken from me before I even met him…”

“I’m going to go now,” Deviyus said, taking her leave.

“Good idea.” Zoreth nodded and followed suit.