[Conditions are met.]
[You will now evolve from Lizardling to Minor Lizardman.]
Evolution. It is happening again.
The first time, I was still reeling from the absurdity of being reborn. Now? Now I know better. This isn’t a dream or an illusion. The process is real, organic, a transformation based on the rules of this world.
But what does it mean? How does it work? My mind races through different theories trying to make any sense of all these absurdities. Well, I am no longer human, but at least I can still think like one.
Is it genetic? Some form of hyper-accelerated biological restructuring? The way my previous evolution had increased my strength and changed my physiology suggested an innate mechanism deeply tied to my survival. Some sort of natural selection in overdrive, with an interface to guide or perhaps control it.
Again, this strange “Evolutionary Point” appears, together with a list of choices, like data points in an experiment.
[You have 1 Evolutionary Point to distribute.]
[Please choose from the Traits below.]
- [Razor Claws] – Your nails grow and harden, becoming as strong as iron, capable of slashing through flesh with ease.
- [Venomous Bite] – You can choose one of these fast-acting toxins for your bite: Pain, Paralysis, or Hallucinogen.
- [Conditions are met.] [Regrowth] – Your body has an extraordinary ability to heal, allowing you to recover from severe injuries and even regrow lost limbs over time.
- [Conditions are met.] [Deep Lungs] – Your body has adapted to prolonged submersion, allowing you to stay underwater for far longer.
Interestingly the same previous choices of the claws and venom came back. Both have their straightforward offensive advantages, useful in direct combat. But I learned the hard way that brute force alone would not keep me alive.
Another very interesting one is this Deep Lungs choice. An environmental adaptation trait, like my low-light vision, that would help me survive in aquatic environments far better than before. It could be a potential escape mechanism, but it’s not immediately useful given my current predicament.
And then there is Regrowth. Not just healing, but true regeneration. My missing arm throbbed in phantom agony. If I could get it back... if I could restore what I had lost...
Also, what about this “conditions are met” again? It must have something to do with different situations I went through, like falling into that pleasant moat, for the Deep Lungs. The Regrowth, maybe because I already have the fast regeneration trait?
Well, it isn’t a hard decision at all.
[Trait Acquired: Regrowth.]
Immediately, a sensation unlike anything I have ever felt surged through my body.
Not pain. Not exactly. More like... unraveling. Like the very fibers of my being were knitting themselves. The stump of my arm pulsed.
For a split second, I could feel my fingers, phantoms of what had been torn away. Then, the pain comes, sharp and searing as something shifts beneath my skin.
Tissues swell, bones twist and cells multiply at an impossible rate. My entire body burns with the sheer energy required for this transformation. I try to analyze what’s happening, like a good ol scientist, instead of just suffering through it. But my thoughts are erratic, chaotic, consumed by the raw force of this evolution process.
Am I larger now? Stronger? Was my posture changing?
I have no mirror this time, but I know instinctively that my body is shifting into something new. The previous Lizardling is gone.
I am something different now. Something more!
Consciousness claws its way back, slowly and deliberate.
I can feel it again. The cold, damp stone beneath me. The faint scent of earth and moisture in the air.
And my arm.
A tingling sensation coursed through it. It was there. Not fully formed, not yet complete, but undeniably growing back. The skin is raw, the nerves still adjusting, but it is definitely real.
I push myself up on one knee and manage to stand up stumbling.
At first glance, my shoulders are now broader and my spine shifted, forcing me into a stance that feels right but also unfamiliar. My claws are sharper, my scales darker with a richer hue, and my missing tail is growing back, but thicker this time.
I should be much stronger now!
Magba’s raspy laugh cuts through my haze. "Ahhh… you can finally stand. Took you long enough, little one."
I blink up at her. The cave feels smaller somehow, though I know it’s not. No, I’m just bigger. Taller. Enough to notice a fair difference.
Still, Magba looms over me, her gnarled, blind eyes sweeping across my frame with something between amusement and satisfaction. Even now, even after my growth, she is still taller than me. But just barely!
"What… happened?" I rasp, still feeling the remnants of the transformation coursing through me.
Magba cackles again, poking my shoulder with her claw. "You evolved, little one. Much stronger now. But still weak."
She emphasizes the last word with a smack to my head.
"Ow what the hell old hag?!"
She grins. "Pain is good lesson, yes? You must learn this so you can grow."
Her claws suddenly shoot forward, jabbing into my side. Instinct kicks in, and I twist away, but my movements are awkward, clumsy. My body doesn’t respond as it should, my balance is off, my stance unnatural. It’s like I’m learning how to walk all over again.
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Magba clicks her tongue in disapproval, claws dripping with fresh blood from a small cut she gave me. "See? Slow and clumsy! Need to learn how to use new body."
I grit my teeth, frustration bubbling beneath my exhaustion. "And what am I supposed to do, I clearly need some time to adjust."
She grins. "We fix."
That grin is never a good sign.
True to her word, Magba’s idea of "fixing" involves pain. A lot of pain.
“Take that you shhhsh witch!” I lost count of how many punches, kicks and claws I throw at her, but it never even comes close to landing.
“Faster, little one!” she hisses as I stumble across the cavern floor.
I dodge, barely, as she swipes at me with her claws. The sound of her nails cutting through the air sends shivers down my spine. My body is still awkward. It is slowly reacting better to my commands and my newfound strength is definitely there. But at the same time, it should be like wearing an oversized suit of armor, unfamiliar and burdensome.
And she doesn’t let up.
A quick jab to my ribs. A tail sweep that sends me sprawling. A sudden crack as she slams her clawed foot against my back, pinning me down.
"Ugh!" I gasp, struggling beneath her weight. How is she so fast, strong and precise being this old and blind?
“Little one thought that just because he got a little taller and stronger he could beat old Magba?” she states, pressing harder. “No, no. True strength only when knowing your body. Controlling it."
I growl, struggling beneath her. "Then let me get up!"
“Are you a hatchling again? Little Lizardling can’t get up by himself?” Magba speaks in what clearly constitutes Lizardman's race “baby voice”. Just what I need, some sarcastic mocking.
I try again harder. Every muscle in me tenses, pushing against her weight, even my still growing hand. But I completely fail to move her even a little bit as she keeps me pinned with humiliating ease.
“Pathetic,” she mutters, shaking her head in a disappointing gesture.
Rage sparks in my chest.
With a roar, I twist violently, using the recently regrowing tail as a whip, aiming at her other leg.
It works… sort of. I manage to push her off balance just enough to roll away, but as I scramble up, my footing betrays me, and I fall flat on my face.
Magba snorts. "Better, little one. But far from good."
I groan into the dirt. "I really hate you."
"Good," she says, again with that wicked grin. "Means you are learning."
I have no sense of how much time has passed inside this damn cave, probably several hours. All this time, Magba continues what she calls "training" but feels more like systematic torture. Despite my complaints and curses, I can feel my coordination improving. My new limbs respond better, and my movements become more fluid. My regrown arm, though still smaller than my right, is becoming stronger with each passing moment.
"Enough for today," Magba finally says after what seems like endless hours of combat drills. "Now you need to grow."
I collapse against the damp wall, my chest heaving. "Grow? I just evolved. What more do you want from me, old hag?"
Magba clicks her tongue disapprovingly. "Evolution just beginning. Body changed, yes, but still weak. Need to fill it with strength."
She shuffles toward the back of the cave, disappearing into a small alcove. I try to follow her, but I can barely climb a few meters up the slope.
When she returns, she's carrying the same large clay bowl that immediately makes my scales crawl. The smell hits me like a physical blow. A noxious, acrid scent worse than anything I remember from the rotting bodies in the hatching cave.
"No," I say immediately, backing away. "Not that."
Magba's grin widens. "Yes, yes. Special soup for growing Lizardman."
"I'd rather starve." And I mean it. Whatever is in that bowl, it reeks of death and chemicals and something else I can't identify but instinctively know is dangerous.
"Starve then," she says with a shrug. "But without proper food, arm stays weak. Body cannot finish healing. Evolution incomplete."
I eye my left arm. It's true that despite the regrowth trait, it remains smaller than my right, the scales paler and more delicate. Even my regenerated tail feels different, not as strong as it should be.
"What's in it?" I ask warily.
Magba stirs the foul concoction with a small bone. "Many things. Herbs from deep caves. Parts from special creatures. Even some tiny Magic.” She smirks, knowing that this will certainly pique my curiosity.
I really want to learn how to use it. "How can magic be an ingredient?" I mutter.
"Is best ingredient," she replies. "Makes body strong and mind sharp."
I look at the bowl with disgust. "If it's so great, why don't you drink it?"
"Old Magba already strong. Already evolved plenty." She pushes the bowl toward me. "Now your turn."
With extreme reluctance, I take the bowl. Up close, it's even worse, a thick, murky liquid with chunks of... something... floating in it. The surface bubbles occasionally, releasing small puffs of foul-smelling vapor.
"I can just hunt instead," I suggest desperately. "There must be something I can eat that isn't... this."
"Hunt later," Magba insists. "First, drink."
I take a deep breath through my mouth, trying to avoid the smell. Then, before I can talk myself out of it, I bring the bowl to my lips and take a sip.
The taste is indescribable. Bitter, burning, metallic, and somehow both rotten and alive at the same time. My throat constricts in revulsion, but Magba is there immediately, holding the bowl firmly to my mouth.
"All of it. No waste little one."
I force myself to swallow, prepared for the overwhelming agony I experienced the first time. Strangely, the reaction is milder now. My throat still burns, but it's more like the sting of strong alcohol than the liquid fire I remember. My stomach churns and a wave of dizziness washes over me, but it does not hit nearly as strong as the first time.
"Different reaction this time, yes?" Magba observes, taking the empty bowl. "Body remembers, adapts."
She's right. The first time I drank her concoction, it felt like dying. My limbs had seized in violent spasms, my vision had blurred completely, and I'd lost control of my body. This time, there's discomfort, but it's manageable. My scales still prickle with sensitivity and there's a slight tremor in my hands, but I remain conscious and aware.
"Good, good," Magba says, taking the empty bowl. "Now we go hunt."
"Now?" I ask, blinking away the remnants of dizziness. "Shouldn't I wait until this passes?"
"No waiting," she says firmly. "Best time to hunt is when senses are awakened.
I want to argue, but suddenly, something strange happens. As we stand, an unexpected clarity settles over me. The burning sensation transforms into something different. A heightened awareness.
The dim light of the cave becomes sharper while the air carries scents I couldn't detect before. I can even hear the faint scurrying of creatures in distant tunnels.
“What was in that soup?" I ask again, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears.
Magba's smile is knowing. "Not every poison is bad little one."
"You really enjoy poisoning me, don’t you?" I push myself to my feet, finding my balance surprisingly stable despite the strange sensations coursing through me.
"Oh yes! Mixed with other things, it makes your body learn to resist. Make your senses strong.” I sense a sudden movement, and my body reacts instantly trying to move out of the way.
Crack! Something hard slams into my head, making me dizzy. I stumble back gasping. The damn witch hit me with her cane again.
"But senses not strong enough yet" she says, but now there's a hint of approval in her voice. "Almost dodged this time. Better! More than good enough for hunting more crawlers. Let’s go!"