"*Noisy nose-blowing sounds*!" - Revi Darul
"Yes, yes. We have lots more..." - Garami
I weaved together yet another handkerchief for the undead dragon who was still bawling her eyes out. I get that you want to cry tears of relief after getting uncursed from something you've been struggling with for over 300 years (assumed), but can you finish soon? My fingers are gonna give up on me from all this weaving...they hurt...
*BOOOOOM!!*
What the ****!? Something exploded above us. Dust is falling from the ceiling, but it doesn't look like it's going to collapse. Not sure what would happen if more of those surprise bombs go off. I had the undead dragon come along as I went up to the surface to see what was going on. Getting buried in the rubble of a destroyed theater isn't the kinda thing you wanna experience right after getting your life back. Whether being undead or not qualifies as "getting your life back" is a different story.
After exiting the stairway and having returned to the balcony on the 3rd floor, I looked down on the stage below us and witnessed the giant drill robot thingy having been destroyed. The culprits? The two "knights".
"Mira, Iron, what are you two doing down there? Or rather, how did you get down there?" - Garami
"Garami~. Iron trashed one of your copycats into a wall. They must have used most of their budget on the doors, because, the walls were too easy to break once you put your mind to it. Also, how did you get up there? Is Bloom okay?" - Mira
"I am okay," said Bloom as she appeared from out of nowhere and waved to the two below. "And not that my safety is not important, but what is this mess!?"
"Don't know. This thing started attacking us after Iron busted us in. It must have been in leagues with the copies." - Mira
Well, they're all machines...
"...There's nothing to worry about. Those are my friends." - Garami
I turned to the undead dragon, Revi, who had been hiding in the secret entrance for a while now. Is she not good with strangers? What am I saying? Of course, she must be. It must have been 300 years since the last time she had a proper conversation.
"Hmm? Hey, are you talking to someone up there?" - Mira
"Give me a minute. You won't believe what I found here along with Bloom and the book." - Garami
---
Two floors down and one explanation later...
"Hmm... This thing is supposed to be the user of [Envy]?" - Mira
"Yes. This girl is the user of [Envy]." - Garami
"Riiiight..., excuse me." - Mira
Mira bowed to Revi, who had been hiding behind me all this time ever since we stepped into the now-opened main stage hall, and apologized after I pointed out her mistake.
"In conclusion, Miss Garami is going to help this girl evolve and gain a proper life, and in return, she will give us some intel on how to infiltrate the castle." - Iron
"Bingo~. I'm not even against recruiting her to our Guild if things go great~." - Garami
"--!" - Revi Darul
"Where did the talk about recruiting her come from?" - Mira
"I said I'll help her get a proper life. Do you think living in this undead-infested fortress city qualifies for that? No offense, Iron." - Garami
"None take. I am in the same agreement." - Iron
No wonder. It explains why he was risking his life trying to explore the Tree Sea Isle despite the threat of the sun being able to peek out from the gaps of the roof created by the trees' large branches.
"In that case, leave this to the evolution specialist known as Garami~. You two, make sure nothing else happens in this building in the meanwhile. And don't forget to make a report to Filyn. Oh, and try to find the source of that barrier and turn it off if that's possible." - Garami
"Okidoki, but when did you turn into an evolution specialist?" - Mira
"Remember, I have already evolved twice in my life!" - Garami
"That's true, in a sense." - Mira
"Impressive." - Iron
"Aww, it wasn't that tough... no, it was tough. No, it must have been grueling! So much that tears come to my eye when I imagine poor Revi's journey for survival till this day!" - Garami
Good thing we're in a theater, because this acting would seem unnatural anywhere else. It looks like the undead dragon is buying it though, so it was worth the embarrassment. And Mira, stop grinning like that! And Bloom, I can see you're trying to suppress your laughter, so prepare yourself later!!
After that, the two knights went out to search the building. I hope there aren't any more of those things in here. For real...
"Now that I think about it, do you know anything about those moving dolls?" - Garami
I asked the undead dragon, but it only looked sad and shook its head. No dice...
"In that case, can you lead me to a place where you will be secure for a little while?" - Garami
Revi made me follow her to one of the backstage rooms that had been remodeled into a sleeping quarter.
"Wait, are you live here?" - Garami
Revi only nodded to my question. If I were to guess from her somewhat embarrassed expression, I'd guess the robots from before suddenly appeared in the theater and captured her as an unexpected bonus. Or maybe they aimed for the theater because Revi lived here and using the building as a base was the extra perk.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
In any case, this seems to be a good spot for Revi to evolve. As for her evolution options, they were unlocked when the curse disappeared. For some reason, the "Puppet Princess" title also went away, even if it shouldn't have been connected to the curse. Some sort of service from the Goddess of Darkness? Can't say if it's a good thing or not...
"Before evolving, do you want to advance your [Mage] class?" - Garami
I asked just in case, as the class may affect what evolution she may gain. Revi looked at me with a face that said "I completely forgot about that!!" and started to ponder... Oh, right. She doesn't have [Identification], so she can only guess what class she can obtain. Not having that skill must be a pain. Note to self: make it mandatory for everyone in the "Nightmare Voyagers" to get that skill sooner or later.
Using my skill and the Kigal-Note, I showed Revi the list of classes she qualified for. After a little while, she settled on a [Witch Apprentice] class, formally known as [Witch Doctor Apprentice]. It's not a literal witch class, but more of a hybrid between a Magician-line class and a Crafter-line class. It's supposed to create magical consumables that activate certain magic spells known as "witchcraft". Fancy.
Now that everything else is settled, time to look at the evolution options:
Evolution Menu: Future:
* Ghost Dragon (D)
* Netzach Dracoria (D+)
Current:
* Draconic Cadaver (Rank E-)
Previous:
* Human (E)
Only two!? That's low... Or maybe not? Wasn't it only Demon species that had a ton of evolution options? Let's take a better look...
Race: Ghost Dragon Rank: D Genus: Dragon (Ghostly Dragon) Attribute: Undead Traits: Pseudo-Dragon, Undead, Spectral Body Description:
A dragon corpse that has turned into a ghost.
Its physical abilities have almost disappeared, but its abilities to use magic and spectral powers have drastically increased.
It is a rare species, but a deadly one.
Yeah, figures. Can these undead dragons converse with people? Do we need to find a shaman that Revi can speak through?
Race: Netzach Dracoria Rank: D+ Genus: Dragonoid (Dragonoid) Attribute: Death Traits: Dragonoid, Former Undead Description:
A dragonoid with connections to the undead.
They are former Corpse Dragons with a higher affinity for the attribute of Death rather than that of the Undead, therefore granting them new lives through using the dragon's massive inborn life energy to perform a "Ressurection Evolution".
Granted new life, the Netzach Dracorias have lost most of their undead properties, but in exchange, gained a greater command over any other attributes that consist of Death and/or Life.
...What? Isn't this pretty wild?
"Ressurection Evolution"? Is that something unique for undead species? I understand why they only ask for the Death attribute and not the Life attribute, as Life is an NG attribute for any undead creature out there. It's the same for demons and the Holy attribute.
In any case, this one here seems like a winner. "Dragonoids" refers to humanoids with dragon traits. And humanoid = a big chance for Revi to be able to communicate properly with us after she evolves.
"How about this one?" I asked the lucky dragon in question as I showed her the index page for the Netzach Dracoria. Not that I needed to ask. It was obvious on her face that the Dracoria was a winner.
The second after, the dragon fell unconscious on the floor. To be honest, I panicked for a second there before remembering that this was the standard procedure for evolution. I left the room after putting a blanket on her and started to look into the other rooms.
"What are you doing?" - Bloom
"Looking for clues here. Mira and Iron should be sweeping the rest of the building clean around now, so it's up to me to scout the backstage." - Garami
Evolving will take some time, and honestly, I hate waiting when there's something else that can be done.
The other rooms...only contains trash. There are some costumes left behind, but they would only fit the undead for a lot of reasons. Hmm, this seems like a good time to show what my crafter-type skills can do...