Days after the hunt of the behemoth, another fascinating incident occurred.
Atlas... changed.
"Does this count as an evolution?" asked Grant as he curiously looked on as Atlas crawled out of his grub-based shell.
The grub's outer skin was to become a shell in its own right, shed by the critter when entering its pupa form, created to encase the beetle's final stage of life.
Panda prodded the bottom of the pupa, which shook wildly in response to being prodded, eliciting a laugh from Richard, a cackle from Panda, and a soft chuckle from sister Alexandria.
No words emerged from Atlas, but embarrassment could be sensed through their connection, as he shook his bottom.
It was rather amusing, to say the least, seeing that of all the things that could move in this pupal form, its bum was the sole piece that could.
Moving on from the bum though, the rest of the pupa was interesting in what it presented, teasers for what the final result would be.
The pupa itself was a tinge silver, through which small hints of the beetle itself could be seen.
A dark blue flashed through; the only hint of the color atlas would take in its final form.
The beetle had four horns, three of which were far larger than the others, two of which emerged from the side of the beetles' head, the third prong emerging from the tip of the beetle's face. The one that could be considered a mere bump, emerging on the "forehead" of the beetle.
As of now, all three horns looked cute, considering how thick they were, like little candlesticks, but once it emerged as a full fledged beetle, he had no doubt those horns would look wicked.
It would probably only be a few days more before the change took effect, something Richard quite looked forward to.
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Clck clck clkc
The sound of legs tapping against the ground could be heard as Atlas tested his new legs.
Longer than his first pair of legs, thinner than his second pair.
Despite the satisfaction of his legs touching the ground he could not see the ground.
The land around him was smothered with clouds, with no land in sight.
In spite of his weird situation, he felt a draw, a need to move forward into the unseen lands beyond him, as if something beckoned him forward.
His mind, his body, his soul, all felt the call of something greater.
There was nothing else anyway, and standing still was not the solution.
If he was evolving to become his master's shield, then what else can he do besides charge forward without hesitation?
And thus, the beetle bravely charged forward into the clouds.
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"Is that a storm?"
Richard looked up as clouds gathered, abnormally so, convening on one spot, near the lake if he had to make an estimate.
The clouds writhed and darkened, as lightning and thunder danced in equal measure.
The clouds were large, easily visible from miles away.
What an ominous set of clouds.
Richard wondered who was involved in the creation of these clouds, given they were undoubtedly unnatural.
"Wait a minute..."
"Isn't that where the shiny Takoyaki lives?" asked Panda, worry inching into his voice.
"The hell's a heavenly tribulation doing here?" rang the voices of both sister Alexandria and Pandemonium.
A heavenly tribulation?
What was that?
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Krackle hummed as Karkinos quickly blew through the monsters nearby, cleaning the area before they began, a crab-made plain, perfect for one undergoing their first heavenly tribulation.
Thanks to the presence of a deity level creature such as Karkinos, Krackle's own cultivation had skyrocketed quickly, and in the span of a month or two, they were already about to break out of the qi condensation stage and into the foundation establishment stage. Their own bloodline as a kraken was also a great benefit, given krakens were creatures believed to be on the level of dragons.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Krackle wanted to be strong, not only so they may aid their master, but so they may also navigate the world freely. It wanted to be strong, it desired the power Karkinos had shown so that it may freely enjoy this world.
It hated that day when they were fleeing the drake, how powerless it was, and how it could only assist its master in running.
It was not like the squirrel, who had a valuable role as a distraction in a fight. He had his own unique role, spreading mayhem and acting as his own fighter. The voice of their master. But Krackle was merely an add on. Anything it could do, so could its master. It knew it was helpful, but Krackle did not feel useful enough. Krackle was not Atlas, who was content to be a mere booster. Atlas thrived as master's shield.
Krackle was not master's shield, nor his distraction, but an assistant in a fight.
This cultivation, it was its opportunity. To grow beyond a mere boost, to be a valuable individual fighter who could serve their master properly.
This was its desire; what drove it to challenge the Heavens as its teacher called it, so that it could not only be greater than it was before, to be free, but be a leg upon which its master could depend on.
It would not be neither master's shield nor voice.
Krackle would be master's weapon.
So that its master would not struggle.
So that this life would not be as unbearable as master's last.
The Heavens seem small in front of Krackle's ambition.
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"Do you sense that?" asked paladin Copernicus as he looked on curiously, staring at the weird group of clouds. His usually haphazard appearance was gone, replaced by a more serious look, perhaps more befitting of a paladin.
Scave had a more thoughtful look while Galileo had a more thoughtless look, for he could not sense it.
"What do you mean by that? I mean, sure it's probably a monster storm, but aren't monsters around here already strong? What's so special about clouds here?"
Scave rubbed his little chin hairs thoughtfully. "Do you suppose it is by chance that the storm originates near our destination?"
Galileo's interest was immediately shifted towards that statement. "Wait, we do know where we're going? You told me we were guessing!" he exclaimed while pointing his finger accusatorily at his master.
A trace of sheepishness leaked into Copernicus' face, managing to snake its way into the stern expression. "Well, I just thought we should take a detour and do a little cleaning before we met up with your friend. A-and you could use more training!" He said, as he looked away awkwardly.
Scave flashed the two an amused look. "Copernicus, perhaps you did not tell your apprentice this? I was surprised he was so patient." The paladin commented.
This only intensified the glare Copernicus received from his student, and he could only shift his eyes away, knowing he had promised not to pull a stunt like this.
Deciding to defuse the situation, he motioned for everyone to calm down. "It's fine, we had to stop anyway. The paladin of Jorvus Mars has yet to arrive anyway, so the expedition couldn't start anyway. You may as well train while we wait for him to catch up."
Galileo looked notably less upset (but upset nonetheless) as he grumbled walking over to his equipment, while Copernicus shot Scave a thankful look.
Scave shrugged as he went back to reviewing contracts. He'd never thought of Copernicus as teacher material. Too casual. He'd never expected Copernicus to take on a student, nor had he ever thought that any child would choose Copernicus over the more famous paladins such as Peter or Atlan, or even Romecles.
It was an interesting pairing to say the least.
None of this overshadowed the problem though, and despite the interaction, the two paladins hadn't forgotten what they saw.
Divinity.
Within the lands of Romana.
Whether it be from the pantheon, or from a foreign one, there was no good to this situation.
Just because they're on pantheon does not mean they are a united front, and Gods will meddle in the affairs of others to their own benefit, like that incident 20 years ago when Sethor and Nemesis fought one another.
And if it is a foreign god, then that means outside powers are attempting to interfere in the affairs of their empire, and as one of the biggest empires on the planet, the list of enemies the empire has is not small.
At this moment, everyone in that camp was hoping for the third paladin to arrive sooner, not aware that their worries were inspired by a mere monster undergoing a heavenly tribulation.
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Time passed by quickly, as Atlas continued to walk, endlessly, as he navigated the cloud-heavy land, until eventually he began to see a change to the scenery.
For one thing, he began to notice the land beneath him was sloped.
Had he been traveling upwards this whole time? Yet he hadn't even noticed the change of altitude.
He was finally able to see his surroundings too.
... At the very least, what accounted for surroundings.
It was just tips, spires coming out of the clouds, for nothing else could be seen for miles, save for the moving sun, traveling overhead.
He was not alone on this mountaintop however, for there was a podium. seemingly worn down yet standing firm.
What had at first seemed to be two large trunks in the mist became two legs, huge in the eyes of a beetle, even an enlarged one.
And upon these legs kneeled a man.
He called him a man, yet there was something about him...
The beetle couldn't understand why it felt drawn to this man.
And there was something about the man, which felt bigger than him.
There was a presence to the man, one that felt so familiar, one that he had felt before and yet he could not put his appendage on it.
There was something perched on the man's back, being pushed upwards by the being's efforts.
Much like the man, the sphere had its own presence, something the beetle could not understand.
The presence of the sphere was overbearing, as if it sought to crush him, to dominate, a stark contrast from the man. He could see something writhing in the sphere, something beyond his understanding, an incomprehensible shadow.
As the beetle approached the man turned his focus upon the man.
The man was... handsome.
The beetle had never encountered a human before, yet he could tell the man was handsome, rugged, like a beast, accentuated by the rough beard on his face, black hair with a dash of white, with storm blue eyes.
"Greetings child." A warm voice emerged from the mouth of the man, warm in spite of its rough edge.
The beetle felt compelled to listen to the man, regardless of this weird situation.
"I have a favor to ask of you."