The Knightly Elven… Spider?

This was just ridiculous. I knew I was going to get many spell enhancements due to this evolution, but I never knew it would be this much.

So much for saving up my evolution points. This rainbow evolution was going to leave me broke!

Also, there was one new spell. Thermal vision? What was that?

What the hell does that even mean?

That sounded confusing…

Nonetheless, I imagined it could be interesting.

So many enhancements and only so few points to spend…

I could easily get some more points from doing the two achievements that I knew about. I would only need one more “Large” creature to complete the one, and then Cellestra could help me with the other.

While I was going through my gigantic list of enhancements I had ideas form in my head.

For some reason, during the purple evolution, the offensive skills fireball and ice lance did not seem to go to as high a level as the other spells. They could only be upgraded to their normal version, whereas, at the time, the magic resistance could be upgraded to “strong”.

With these spells suddenly able to upgrade all the way to “very strong”, I imagined they packed quite the punch. If my understanding here was correct, it would be a good idea to upgrade these spells first. For that, I would have to increase my mana reserves with them.

Then there were, of course, the enhancements that my inner knight was simply screaming to get. I was ogling the exoskeleton hardening, regeneration, and limb strengthening skills.

Once again, I would have to check whether my assumptions about the offensive skills were correct. If they were, they would definitely take priority.

As much as it pained me.

I prayed to Elysa that I would get many more evolution points per level now. There was no way I was going to be able to get everything that was offered to me otherwise.

After I had made my assumptions and some sort of plan, I decided to check what my blessing had in store for me. I would finally be able to get some answers this time around.

Or so I hoped…

Let’s start with how this evolution path worked. I was told earlier there was a limit to the number of evolutions I could go through. How many are there?

That meant there were… three, four, five more evolutions for me to attain.

And where do I get the speech ability?

Crap.

Oh yes, Elysa, will I be able to smile when I get speech?

More?

Elysa?

…

Nothing.

Still, I would be able to smile. I had never known the value of something so simple in nature… up until now.

I wasn’t too happy with the withholding of information, though. I mean, this blessing had just said that the evolutions were predetermined. In other words, it already knew what they were. It just… didn’t seem to want to tell me for whatever reason.

Why?

“Kealyna?”

Cellestra’s gentle voice broke my fit of anger. I refocused on what was before me and saw Cellestra eating a slice of bread with cheese on it. There was a plate before me with a slice of bread with cheese as well, which she pointed at.

“Thank you,” I spelled out before I started eating.

Yep. I could still eat this. As simple as it was, I ate bread every day when I was an elf after all, it still was a warm welcome. Especially since Cellestra had made it herself. It seemed to taste far better than any bread I’d ever had.

My frustration ebbed away as the elf and I had… lunch?

“What is time?” I spelled out as Cellestra was munching on more bread.

“Early afternoon. You weren’t out for that long, which is surprising given the growth you went through. Honestly, seeing you grow to like twice your size and change colors is really something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Yeah, that much I could imagine. A blessing from a goddess wasn’t something everyone walked around with… I guess?

Anyhow, it still being afternoon meant I had plenty of time left in the day to try to lay the foundations for where I wanted to go with this evolution.

The elf and I both finished our lunch and I decided to start this new evolution with asking Cellestra to help me with the achievement I’d previously skipped.

“Can help with achievement?” I asked with the large letters.

“I’d be more than happy to help. You didn’t get your speech yet, did you?”

She appeared happy with the start of her speech, then gradually shifted towards melancholy at the end.

“Apparently is very late. Need five more evolutions according to blessing.”

“Five more, huh? We better get to work then. I can’t wait to hear what your voice will be like, and if it’s the same as in your old life.”

I hadn’t even thought of that. Would it be the same?

Would I want it to be?

Technically I was something else now. While I had no issues with a new life, there were a few things that didn’t turn out how I’d hoped.

At least I would be strong. Hopefully, I’d be strong enough to take on any challenge that would stand in my way of…

Would finding my parents even bring me happiness? Would they still recognize me as their daughter, even if I could speak?

I imagined having my old voice would help in that regard. I had no idea how much they would remember from their previous life, if they remembered it at all.

“Are you okay, Kealyna?” Cellestra asked.

She bent down a bit and peered into my many eyes. It was as if she could read my expression, even though I had none.

“Am okay. Was thinking about something. Let us go.”

“What was this achievement you needed help with?” She asked.

I forgot to tell her because of my distraction.

“Please throw fireball at me. I need to dodge. Very simple.”

“Uhhh, that sounds easy enough, but are you sure?”

“Am sure. Just use weak version if possible. Will also use magical barrier. Will be fine.”

“Alright then,” Cellestra said as she walked out of the room and opened the door to the outside world.

I followed her and watched her inspect the furs in the large tub before she walked further into the clearing. I followed and stood still a fair distance away from her.

I cast my magical barrier and reared up my legs to jump out of the way. It was quite interesting how I’d never forgotten how to be a jumping spider even though I no longer was one. All this added weight, and I still knew I could do proper jumps.

Cellestra slowly started casting her spell and I raised a leg to let her know I was ready.

“Incoming!” Cellestra warned me and threw her fireball.

I quickly jumped out of the way and saw the spell impact where I’d previously stood.

Hold on, I got a level from that?

Come to think of it… This blessing did tell me very early on that certain achievements would award experience. I just hadn’t seen it until now. It was quite useful, though, given that my sources of experience were probably even more limited now than before.

From just that, my evolution points shot up to 167!

“Did that work?” Cellestra asked as she approached.

I happily nodded with my pedipalps.

“Is there anything else we need to do while we’re here?” She continued.

I gestured no and Cellestra greeted me with another warm smile.

“That wasn’t so hard. Come, let’s go back inside. I want to practice that magical barrier again. That is… if you don’t mind of course.”

I shook my pedipalps again. Of course I didn’t mind.

“It’s a bit of a shame that you’ve grown this large. Having you fit in my hands was quite cute.”

She giggled after saying that.

I was left dumbfounded as she walked back to her house.

I didn’t know what the hell to think of that.