Ograch rushed eagerly from the room, making his way to the stables and Reaver. He could feel himself on the verge of evolving and knew that Reaver was right there with him. If nothing else, he felt that they should be together for the evolution process.
He had no idea what evolution awaited the two of them, but he was eager to find out. Once in the stables, he walked over to find Reaver already settling in to rest. As he approached, she looked up and chirped at him, moving slightly to make space for him to settle in next to her.
“Thanks, girl. Are you ready for this?” He asked his companion. She chirped in response and he felt excitement tingling through their bond. With a smile, Ograch selected the option to begin the evolution process in his notification window and promptly lost consciousness.
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Liv had watched Ograch and Reaver settle down for their evolutions and grinned. At least I don’t have to worry about evolving for Yuri to evolve, at least not according to the research I did before trying to become a rider class. I wonder how big Reaver’s going to get?
However, despite her curiosity, she expected that Reaver would likely never rival Yuri in sheer size once he had evolved as well. Hell, Yuri’s mother is already a bit larger and much more heavily built than Reaver and she hasn’t evolved yet either, although I’m guessing she’s close after that fight.
She turned her attention back to Yuri, still surprised by his growth. He had almost tripled in size since they had bonded, making him large enough to ride and fight on his own. Ivan had assured her that the bear’s armor would be ready once he had reached his full growth for his current evolution, which would happen in another two levels according to the lothenae’s research in the library.
That’s going to be fun! She thought as she rested between Yuri and his mother. However, as she drifted off, she failed to notice a faint glow beginning to surround the giant cave bear.
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Lanek contemplated his two animal companions, seeing their growth and knowing that they were nearing their next evolutions. The both of them only had five levels to go before evolving. After that, they would be in those forms for quite some time as they would likely need to reach level 50 before evolving again, much like Talwarg. From what he could tell, they would need to meet special requirements before they could reach a new threshold after that.
Good lord, what the hell am I going to do with these guys if they get even bigger? He thought wryly while taking in Kazuma and Sanguineus, the latter almost twice the cat’s size already. He would hate to leave them in the stables, but if they got much bigger, they wouldn’t be able to easily relax in his quarters with him without returning to their vessels.
Lanek had hoped that they would be able to evolve before the matriarch arrived, but he knew that was unlikely now that they needed to stay within the monastery. The extra power would have been extremely helpful, but he was unwilling to put them and their allies at risk to get a few more levels before the attack. No, he would spend the next few days helping his people train for this battle. Ah well, at least I got some levels from the Warden.
Name Lanek Solvinsson Species Dranrid Class Soulbinder (Mythical) lvl 44 Subclass Shinobi (Rare) lvl 15, Beastmaster (Rare) lvl 1 Titles Khan of The Hordefather (Caelis), Jarl of the Great Bear (Caelis), Servant of Eldros HP 1,435/1,435 MP 810/810
Attributes
STR 169 CON 287 DEX 342 PER 171 RES 256 SPI 162
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The following morning, Lanek was running through a few training drills with the Talon’s fighters under the direction of Talwarg. While Lanek was now a higher level than the former chieftain, he knew nothing about how to properly train a fighting force. Honestly, if I tried to take over their training, I would probably end up doing more harm than good.
During a break in the training, Ograch entered the training hall and called out to them. Lanek and Talwarg turned to greet their companion but stopped in surprise. The hobgoblin had changed dramatically in appearance. He was now of a similar height to Talwarg, although much less heavily built. Instead, his body appeared to be built for dexterity and speed. As he moved, his limbs almost seemed to blur slightly.
Talwarg smiled broadly, rushing to his former underling and clasping him on the shoulder, congratulating him on his evolution. Ograch seemed almost embarrassed, but proud at the same time. Lanek felt that this was only right as only Talwarg and Nerek had achieved the milestone of a second evolution in their tribe in recent memory.
Ograch
Wind Hobgoblin (Talon) lvl 1
A wind hobgoblin is just one of multiple variants that a hobgoblin can evolve into at level 25. It is reserved for those that prefer to strike and move quickly, relying on their speed and dexterity to keep them safe and attain victory. As they level up their classes, the provided choices will focus on dexterity and speed-based options.
“Very nice!” Lanek called as he approached. “How do you feel?”
“Strange, if I’m being completely honest. I feel a little stronger, but I also feel like I have to actively restrain myself when I move so I don’t go too fast. It’s going to take a bit of getting used to. I tried firing off some arrows in the courtyard, and I know that I will be able to fire more quickly, but I haven’t been able to compensate for my movement speed enough to consistently draw arrows from my quiver without missing half the time. My hand just flies past the quiver.”
Talwarg nodded. “That sounds about right. When I evolved I had to force myself to go a bit easy when picking things up or grabbing them. So many cups, tools, and weapons ended up broken before I could control my strength. Thankfully, our shaman at the time forbade anyone from sparring with me until she judged that I had enough control not to accidentally kill my opponent.” He chuckled before continuing. “You should have seen Nerek after his evolution. Being a spirit hobgoblin meant that he was seeing and feeling shit that no one else in the tribe could. I swear he thought he was losing his mind. Hell, one time I could hear him screaming in the middle of the night because he woke up to the spirit of one of our ancestors floating over his bed waiting for him to wake up.”
“Can you blame me?” Nerek said from just behind Talwarg, startling him. “The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. I’m pretty sure he was just bored and looking for a bit of entertainment. Anyway, I came to offer my congratulations. Wind, huh? I’ve not seen that variant in my lifetime, but we do have stories about them. Archer and rogue classes typically help you get that variant, it can make you a right terror on the battlefield from range or close up with some light weapons, like those hand axes you picked up. Did this affect Reaver in any way?”
“Oh, yes! Come see her!” Ograch said excitedly, gesturing for them to follow him as he almost ran back up to the stables. Upon arriving, the group found Reaver sunning herself in the middle of the courtyard. While she was not any larger in terms of height or length, her legs looked more intimidating. They couldn’t tell if they were more muscular due to the feathers, but Lanek was pretty sure they were much stronger either way.
In addition, Reaver’s feathers had taken on a distinct new color pattern of green and blue. Her forelimbs were about the same size as well, but her claws were more curved and longer. Sensing Ograch, she leapt to her feet and crossed the courtyard to meet him.
Holy shit, she’s fast! Lanek thought, his monkey brain remembering its ancient instincts and watching in alarm. However, Lanek still grinned wickedly. If she’s that terrifying to people that know her, she’s going to make our enemies wet themselves.
Wind Raptor
lvl 1
Wind raptors are the evolution of those raptors that thrive on speed. This variant can easily outrun all of the others of its kind, save for those further down the wind evolutionary line. This speed combined with their long, curved claws allows them to run down their prey and cripple them as they pass. Packs of wind raptors have been known to wear down and eliminate foes of much higher levels and size with relative ease. Additionally, a wind raptor can channel the power of their element to boost their top speed when sprinting.
“She’s a wind variant as well? Does that mean she will always echo Ograch’s evolution?” Lanek asked.
Nerek shrugged when everyone turned to him. “I have no idea. As you know, none of the tribe has ever evolved past their level 50 evolution. For all I know, Ograch will stop evolving at his next evolution and she will continue on her own path. Her description even says that there are further evolutions in store for her. I’m sorry, Ograch. I wish I knew more, but so much has been lost over the years.”
“Don’t be sorry, Nerek. We can figure this out together. I mean, Talwarg is getting close and you aren’t far behind. I think we’ll see these future evolutions for ourselves now that we have a safe place to call home and the rest of the Talon to help us.” Ograch replied, to which Talwarg and Nerek agreed loudly.
Lanek was about to speak up when he heard a loud bellow that shook him to his core, followed by thunderous footsteps coming from one of the stable stalls. A shadow stretched across the courtyard as the largest bear Lanek had ever seen emerged.