82: Evolution

A short while later, we were leaving Nathan’s office. Our goal was to get everything done and get out of town as soon as possible, so everyone had a task.

Jen and Micca were heading to the market to buy food supplies, including plenty of berries and fruit for the desserts we wanted to make—but also some meat and fish if they could find any, since we’d be leaving the forest area.

Hari was heading upstairs in the guild to visit the alchemy shop and grab a variety of dried herbs. Importantly, he was also going to try to get a large number of vessels for holding liquids—mainly to store the spider soup and the jam, and treat those almost like potions. Then finally, he’d stop by the loot house to see if there was anything remotely useful he could buy.

Milo was going to the baker to investigate the dough—specifically to find out if the method was as we theorised. If so, he planned to buy a large portion again.

And lastly, myself, Liane, and Crisplet were going to the house to hide out—probably doing some cooking—because we’d quickly learnt that the attention I was getting over the dragon situation hadn’t died down in the slightest. So we were planning to go to Sarah and see if we could get an escort to the house.

I had a couple of things I needed to do at the house besides cooking. I still needed to work out which Infusion Evolution I was going to pick.

Once the game plan was set, we left the hallway leading into the main guild hall—and already, faces turned towards us. So we broke up into our groups. Immediately heading outside to the guild stables with Liane, Crisplet in his brazier.

“Hey Sarah, I was just wondering if we could hire you for a quick escort to the house we’re staying at? We need to get there with as little attention as possible,” I asked.

“Problems?” she asked, looking concerned.

“Nothing new. People might try to swarm me over the dragon situation the other day,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

Sarah just laughed. “Yeah, no worries. How do you want to do it?”

Liane spoke up. “If you want to take him on your Drakhal, the others can deal with the horses later. I’ll stealth over with Crisplet. They’ll be looking for a group—not yourself and a hooded figure on a Drakhal.”

Sarah nodded, glancing at her party. “That sounds easy enough. The cat’s not going to show up thinking I’ve kidnapped him, right?” She asked, half-joking.

“No, no… she shouldn’t,” I tried to reassure her—though honestly? I didn’t know. Would she?

“Alright, let’s do this then,” Sarah said, helping me up onto the Drakhal. I adjusted my hood to cover my face and passed Crisplet to Liane, who slung the brazier over her shoulder.

Riding the Drakhal was strange. It felt incredibly awkward after spending so much time on horseback, but I hung on tightly to Sarah as she rode out of the stables.

Already, I saw people starting to gather—watching the street and glancing at passing groups. Were they here for me? I was lucky that Sarah was such a large figure; I could easily hide behind her as she rode past them, appearing to head for the gate before turning off into a side alley that led to the house.

It didn’t take long to reach it. I slipped off the Drakhal and ducked inside, waving goodbye as Sarah rode off again.

As I entered, Liane came in behind me.

“Those things are fast—I could barely keep up,” she said, catching her breath.

Crisplet came out of the brazier and made his way straight to the kitchen. I assumed he was heading for the oven to settle in.

I’d need to wait for Milo to return before making a decision on my Infusion evolution.

Figuring I could make something while I waited, I headed towards the kitchen with Liane following behind—but as I entered, I was met with an incredible sight.

There was a ball of fire—and ash? It was hard to tell. The swirling heat and cinders were condensing into a single form.

“Crisplet?” I said, confused.

But there was no response. It was just a solid ball of fire, with thick, dark ash growing steadily across its surface. The colour was deepening, taking on a darker, more ominous tone.

I quickly pulled up my status sheet to see if I could tell what was happening—and immediately spotted the difference.

Ashborne-Sous (Active)

Crisplet

Level: 1

Experience: 0/100

Hit Points: 290/290

Mana: 530/590

Stamina 290/290

Abilities:

• Flame Control
• Fire Immunity
• Ashbound Flame
• Mana Enhancement
• Ashborne Architect
• Disruption Flare

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“Crisplet has chosen his evolution!” I said excitedly as Liane looked on in awe.

“What did he end up choosing?” she asked.

“Not sure exactly. He’s an Ashborne Sous now, and he gained a couple of new abilities,” I replied, listing off their names for her.

“Interesting. It certainly sounds like a mix between defence and construction. I can’t see Crisplet dropping cooking though, so I wonder if it’s a blend of all three?” she mused.

I supposed we’d have to wait for Crisplet to emerge. Right now, he was still a violent ball of ash and fire—and I certainly wasn’t going to be cooking anything while I waited.

“You should practise your runes while you wait,” Liane said with a smile.

“Since when have you been the responsible one?” I shot back in mock shock.

“I want fancy runes carved into the carapace of the spiders you cook me, that’s all. So hurry up and get there,” she said before disappearing into a soft seat nearby.

She was right. I’d look through Char’s notes and do some practice while I waited. Either Milo would arrive or Crisplet would finish—I wasn’t sure how long it would take.