"I was... Waiting for the right moment."

You called me a gigantic pussy!

Still annoyed over his choice of words, Bathilda blurted out the same phrase herself.

"It got you moving though, didn't it? Anyway don't you think you should choose your evolution now and stop wasting precious daylight?"

There is no daylight down here and that's beside the point. I didn't like what you called me, so you need to apologise.

Bathilda cleaned a few scattered rocks from a small section of the floor, before sitting down and waiting.

"Seriously?"

Seriously! It's my body for a start so there no way in hell I'll let you call me names.

A few seconds passed before Bathilda heard the words she was waiting for. Free from sarcasm, she recieved a sincere apology and it eased her considerably. Not only for the name calling, but also for the mind hijacking too. The animosity she was harboring towards her new, unwanted traveling companion faded a little and her attention shifted back to the evolution options available.

Wingtail Bat: The adult form and final evolution of the Baby Wingtail

These bats are usually found in colonies and hunt together in large groups. Together they are a formidable presence, but alone they are generally weak. Wingtail Bats are able to eat more than their body weight in food and general survive on a diet of insects and small rodents. Because of their size, they hunt on a daily basis. Wingtail Bats gather in dark places and have an extremely-short life span.

Large Poisonous Bat: The adult form and final evolution of the Poisonous Bat

With a potent venom encased in their fangs, Large Poisonous Bats are know to be dangerous predators. Capable of paralysing a Three-Toed Thumper, they are not short on skills that can incapacitate their enemy and the poison they can deliver begins to take effect almost immedialty.

Blood Sucking Bat: An off-branch mutation of the Poisonous Bat that has its own evolution options

Scarcely seen due to the rarity of their evolution, the Blood Sucking Bat is a lost breed. With the ability to restore lost health by drinking blood of their enemies, these monsters are an undeniable threat. Prolonged battles are their speciality, wearing their opponents down while keeping themselves topped up. Blood Sucking Bats are only slightly bigger than their off-branch cousins, the Poisonous Bat, but make up for that with their heightened agility.

Creeper Bat: An off-branch mutation of the Poisonous Bat that has its own evolution options

Masters of stealth, the Creeper Bats make no sound as they slip through the shadows. Any noise that is created by these small creatures is muted by magic. No bigger than a Poisonous Bat, the Creeper Bats prey on the unsuspecting. Preferring to attack from behind rather than a frontal assault, its rare for this type of monster to be seen by anyone that falls prey to it.

Wow. There are twice as many options this time. Although, the Adult Wingtail is a repeater. Their's an upgrade to my current form and two branching paths this time. I wonder. What do you think, Hiro?

Actually having someone to talk too, Bathilda could finally get a second opinion on topics she wasn't sure of. Even if that opinion happened to come from within her mind.

"I do not know the biology or physiology of bats."

Yeah, neither do I. The Wingtail is definitely a no go though. I don't want to devolve into a creature whose defining characteristics are a tail and a short life span. The Poisonous Bat, however, has served me well so far. But, I feel like I should be doing so much more.

"Like what?"

Like magic and helping people. So far, I've done diddlysquat for anyone other than myself since reincarnating on this planet. Nevermind, I'm getting off topic. With what I've learned so far, I don't want to be left unable to evolve if I choose the Wingtail or the Large Poisonous Bat. Going by that logic, both of those choices are eliminated. With what I learned from Florence's crappy explanation, I need to keep evolving as much as possible to get stronger. That way, I might actually be able to do something here.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Fair point."

The Creeper is also off the list. I need to grow. I'm tired of been the smallest creature in here. Plus, I'm not down for that name at all. Not one bit. I don't want to be a creeper, thank you very much. I feel like that's much more your style, Hiro. Mind jacking and shit.

"Hey!"

Well, if the shoe fits.

"Still. That was low."

With three out of her four options for evolution rejected, Bathilda was left with a single choice.

I'm actually starting to feel hungry now. I've probably been here for a least several hours and the energy I spent digging out the cave needs to be replenished from somewhere. Hiro, do you think I would be able to eat the monsters that die from poison? Not that I really want to, but do you reckon I could?

"Again, I'm sorry to say I don't know the answer to that question either. I can't see it going well though. Even if it is your own poison."

Yeah that's what I thought too. More so when you consider the fact that I'm able to poison myself if I'm not careful. I suppose it makes sense not to eat anything that's died from poison. Damn. Also, I only know of one species that suck blood, but...

Bathilda trailed as she began thinking about the possibility of humanity transformation happening in the future. Even if it didn't occur in the way she was musing over, it would still be better than her current situation.

After arriving at a somewhat hasty conclusion, Bathilda confirmed her choice. Upon doing so, she was granted a notification from her helpful system.

Confirming this evolution will render you immobile for one hour. Are you sure you wish to proceed?

An hour? Last time it was five minutes. Although now I have a base, I'm a lot safer than I was before. There's definitely more protection up here than when I was on the Milisnake's back.

Choosing to confirm her choice, Bathilda rested against the wall of her base. Her eyes closed and her body stillled as the evolution process began. There was no pain and no embarrassing incidents either as a calm state of mind washed over her.

Time passed uneventfully as her body underwent changes. Bathilda's fur changed from purple to black and her body almost doubled in size. Her fangs extended and the claws a the end of her wings grew longer

When she awoke, Bathilda could feel a newfound strength flowing through her body. Her much taller body. She was still small in comparison to the Milisnake, but was now just slightly taller than the Brats she had fled from earlier. Knowledge flowed into her and Bathilda called up her skill list to check the latest additions.

Skill (Blood Sucking) Level 1

Restore 5% of the user's health every second for each level of skill on an individual target

Spell (Paralysing Stare) Level 1

Cost: 10MP

Incapacite a single enemy for upto 30 seconds. Each level of this skill increases the chance of successfully paralysing the target.

Oh my word, I am absolutely starving right now! I'm still reluctant to try (Blood Sucking) out, but I chose it for a reason so that's what happening.

Bathilda declared with some reluctance.

"If you chose it for a reason, then why do you not sound more enthused by the idea?"

Have you ever drank rodent blood, Hiro?

Bathilda had to ask. Not knowing much about Hiro's culture or specific dietary needs, she thought it best to enquire before putting her foot in it.

"I can't say that I have. In that case why did you choose blood sucking over poison? Was it because you thought that anything you might bite may accidentally poison you?"

Curious to know the reason behind her choice, Hiro, the hitchhiking soul leech, questioned the logic that led her to that decision. However, the answer that Bathilda gave left him with more questions. He had no idea what manner of species she was referring too when she explained herself.

After talking with Hiro, Bathilda checked the area below her base to find it empty. Even the skeletal remains of the Millisnake had been devoured by the Barts.

On the other hand, sucking blood sounds alot better than eating raw, unprocessed meat. Especially when said meat would be coming from the Brats and Barts. I've only seen five different monsters and two of them I didn't really get a good look at. One was huge and the other was called a Gricket, I think? As a guess, I'm going to assume it's like a cricket, but probably monsterfied. Until I actually spot one again, who knows.

No longer talking to herself, but her new piggybacking companion, Bathilda squeezed through the now-tight gap that was the entrance of her base. She peered up the shaft, thinking back to the Brat pack that had tried to stone her not too long ago and the Alto that had given chase.

The five remaining Brats were the first enemies she wanted to test herself on. Eager to try her new body out, Bathilda wasted no time reaching the top of the cave. With her wing span increases alongside her body, she could cover more distance with ease.

At the top of the pit, Bathilda carefully assessed her surroundings. On one side of the room, the dead body of the rabbit that had valiantly given chase was laid at the edge. The rodents side was empty. Yet even without using (Echolocation+), Bathilda could sense the foul creatures down the tunnel in their nest.

With less hesitation than before, she set off for what she hoped would be her final showdown with the carnivorous Brats.