Chapter 31: Leaving the nest
KRA! KRA!
Micky complained loudly, much to Percy’s dismay. The bird’s screeches were far more piercing than ever before, echoing through the dark forest.
“I’m sorry buddy. You’re too big to sit on my shoulder now.”
The actual advancement had taken less than an hour, but that was just the start. Saying the crow was starving afterwards would be the understatement of the century. Mere minutes after the promotion, Micky had devoured all seven goblins, not leaving a single bone behind. In fact, he ate their weapons too! Gone were the days when he only selectively sampled his victims’ souls and cores, leaving most of their flesh untouched.
Evidently, the bird’s advancement had placed its body in a state of rapid mutation, requiring a ton of nutrients in a short period of time. Percy had watched his friend grow visibly with each bite as they scoured the forest, looking for anything even remotely edible. The two had remained in the Whistling Woods all night, desperately fuelling Micky’s insatiable appetite. It wasn’t until the first rays of sunlight pierced through the dense thicket that the bird seemed to be done eating, its frame now twice as large as before.
‘Oh well… I bet he’s a lot stronger.’
Other than his size, Micky’s appearance hadn’t changed much. The only other notable differences were his beak and talons being even sharper than before. Their edges now glinted in a pale silver light, even outside Soul Vision. Percy sure pitied whoever ended up on the receiving end.
Overall, the most welcome surprise was the improvement to his familiar’s soul, however. It had stabilized a lot even before the promotion, but this new step took everything to a whole new level. Micky’s soul was still an assortment of multiple parts, but they’d grown closer together. The delineation separating the three souls was much fainter, resembling old scars more than fresh wounds.
‘Maybe they’ll fuse completely after another evolution or two.’