-,,, Again, a lot of information to take in. Information I should not be processing in front of this here tombstone with my to-talk-to girl right in front of me. So, let's go to a more secluded space. The storage... no, people might come and go. The ceiling? No, I want to sit down so I don't suddenly fall and hit my head. I may have fall resistance, but it could still kill me.

I could go outside, but I kind of want to save that for when I've got everything here under control. That leaves me with the huts themselves...

Oh, man, can't I just sit right on top one of them? Man, I'm just blind, aren't I?

I quickly fly down to a nearby hay-roof and sit down.

Alright, five choices this time instead of the... onetwothree FOur that I had last time. A good thing? A bad thing? No clue.

We've got a shapeshifting butterfly, some sort of will 'o wisp maybe like the one gramma talks about sometimes, a magical flying ant or something, a big ant that people ride, and... the elephant in the room. Goblin insectoid... now that's interesting.

But, it does say it isn't unlocked yet. I don't exactly know what the quest "you are what you eat" is, but if it's connected to the last special quest, and if it's anything like it sounds... I-,, I'm guessing it means I have to, like, eat the body of the goblin I killed-?... I.,, it doesn't have to be that. It might not be. Hell, it might just want me to take a single bite of the goblin, or maybe just eat more foods, and maybe it isn't even literal at all, but...

If it is what I think it is, I'm not doing it. The reason I want to become a goblin at all, the reason it's so tempting, is so that I can talk to the goblin-girl! It's so I can tell her I didn't mean to do any of this and that he really died for no reason. Eating his body... for one, it'll just make everything worse, and, two...

If he wasn't sentient, sure. I've eaten burgers, I've eaten cows I've known, I've killed AND eaten cows I know, and that I can do. But cows don't live in little huts in caves and preserve things in hand-made jars and have names and grieve other cows. That's why it isn't okay that I killed the goblin guy, and that's why I'm not even licking his cold dead body.

Ah, speaking of said body, I can see the two grunts returning from the cave, emerging from the storage/back area. With... no body in sight. No, wait, they do have something with them... a... finger?... Yes, my eyes are not deceiving me. One of them seems to be holding a small, clear bottle, filled with some murky liquid and... a pinky finger?

Indeed, it seems to be from the man I killed, especially so since they're holding it excessively respectively. It's kind of nice to see that they respect his body and all, but I kind of wonder... where is the rest of it?... It took them quite a while to return and all, so they probably, well, dragged it further into the cave.

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I didn't meet many predators myself in there, but I imagine there can be quite a few. I mean, I'm predatory in nature and all, but I'm counting myself as an exception.

The two grunts quickly hand the bottle over to the goblin girl, who clutches it closely before (probably) thanking them. The two grunts smile solemnly and walk off. In response, she herself walks into a seemingly random hut. I try to memorize which hut it is, for convenience once I acquire the ability to talk to her and all that.

Alright, back to pondering my choices. Goblin is out of the question. It would have been a top-choice if I didn't have to eat the remains of a living sentient creature to do so, but, y'know, potato potato.

Then, the second-best choice would be the butterfly. Shapeshifting ability is very very tantalizing, and I can only imagine what the future evolutions will be. The mask would be a dead giveaway to anybody who knows what they're talking about, but otherwise, apart from the lack of offensive skills, it's a damn good choice. Even better, nobody will fear a damn butterfly! Solid.

The only thing that makes this choice a bit iffy is that, well, as good as it is... being an Elfling isn't very good if I want to speak with goblins. Non-verbal communication is possible, but... as peaceful as these goblins seem now, there are a surprising lot of weapons and armour just sort of lying about. They could be up in arms over the slightest provocation for all I know.

So, if I gave up on trying to explain myself to her, on getting forgiveness for committing what I personally consider to be murder... Then the best choice here would probably be the strongest one. The ant rhino. It's got the highest rank with a solid C+, and if I pretend to be domesticated, I might be able to be accepted into society, somewhat. I'd have to act as a steed, but if I prove my power and intellect, I might gain some friends or something. Which would be nice.

The other option would be the other ant, the one that is small, flies a lot, and uses magic. So far, this has been more my style of combat. Never thought I'd have a style of combat, but here we are. It would feel a bit cowardly to just fly around and not do much of anything though, so as strong and cool as this one probably is, I think I'll have to deny it. Especially since, well, I just don't understand magic much. Fire magic makes use of fire, but there seems to be a lot of other magic that I just don't understand.

But, I just... I want forgiveness. As sappy as it may seem, I want this to be past me. That rules these two out of the equation. Leaving me with the butterfly, and... the will 'o wisp. Whisperer. Lisperer? Whisperer.

It's kind of hard to tell what kind of creature the wisp actually is. It's an insect, it has a ball of light, and it... it lures people into the woods? For what? Why? I just don't get it.

But, as little as I understand it, it actually has a very tempting side to it. Namely... that communication part. See, the text didn't say "humans", it said "humanoids". If I know my English right, which I probably don't, humanoid refers not just to humans, but also Goblins, and that Elfling thing that the butterfly can become.

In other words, somehow, the wisp can communicate with humanoids. Goblins. It can talk to goblins. If I become a wisp, I might just be able to tell her about all of this, about what I did. Maybe.

In short, both red ants are out of the question, the goblin one requires me to do things that I can't allow myself to do, and so, that leaves me with the last two. Butterfly and wisp. One allows me to transform into an Elfling which might let me talk to the goblins, the other might let me communicate like, telepathically? Hrmm. It feels like I don't have enough actual information to make a good choice, both are pretty much equally uncertain. But, see, in a way, the butterfly is more uncertain than the wisp. If both of them are speaking the truth and the objective truth, then the wisp is more likely to work.

Plus, if it makes the choice any easier, the wisp is rank D and the butterfly is D-, so...

Yeah, okay, I think I've made my decision.

Are you ready to (EVOLVE)?

Yes. I'd like to evolve into the, uh, "Will 'o Whisperer", please and thank you.

Your (EVOLUTION) will now commence

Exactly the same as last time the-, hRGHG

I pass out on top of the roof, unceremoniously.