32 A Toast of urgency

Michael had traveled back to the academy with the help of his bestial senses. Finding every wendigo corpse he had trampled on. When nearing the small town from where he and his fellow apprentices had come from, he swallowed down the rest of the shapeshifting pills Jenkins had brewed up or bought. They looked and felt like small jellybeans, removing any hesitation he had to swallow them. One after one they were absorbed by his body, and slowly the small horns and markins seemed to retract back from where the grew out of. Letting any normal person see him like this would definitely be bad, since the heist was about to start.

After traveling through the old town, Michael found himself near the familiar castle. Several of the students looked at him as he entered and speedily walked without talkin. Finally, after crossing most of the brick walls and aged carpets spread around, he arrived at his dorm. No different than any other's as they had a more modern feel to them. Nearing the room specially made for his room, he sendt some energy into the lock, making it open up. The satisfaction he felt after preparing to enter did not last long, as he was once again greeted by something rather uncommon.

Before he opened up, a young girl approached him out of nowhere. She was dressed in a fine brown robe with some sort of boar marking on the back. Currently standing before his living quarter. The girl had long blond hair and green emerald eyes. Not a real looker, but would definitely catch your attention.

'Is this that Firnell girl from class? Why is she here?'

As if hearing his thoughts, she blushed a little. Gazing at him with a somewhat timid expression, making the rosy cheeks redden ever so slightly. It made her look a little more innocent.

"Hello, Firnell."

Michael tried talking to her, but mabye the sudden increase in height was too much, or mabye it was the shyness she had instilled within. The girl shifted her gaze back to the brick floor while blushing harder, silently muttering to herself.

"E..Eh hello M..Marss.."

She began to stutter as the words left her small mouth, but he slowly attuned himself to it, grasping the words she said with ease.

She did not stop talking or looking at the ground, but what he hearded with the evolved hearing he had was.

"W..Would you..B..Be interested in..G..Going out some time....?"

Firnell looked a little bit more sure of herself now that she registered that he heard it, glancing at him from the weird bowing stance she was currently in.

Michael didn't want to just chase her away, as he was very touched but confused as well. However, he had things to do, so such had to wait.

"Yeah, let's find some time to hang out this week. However, I currently have some unfinished work to attend to. Would it be possible to contact you again? If so, let us keep in touch."

This answer seemed to please her, as Firnell had an adorable smile while looking back up at him. Even the small ears were slowly being dyed red from the cheeks not being able to containt it.

He only gave her a small nod and sending her off, then proceeding to enter his room.

And of course, inside was....

"What the actual f** Michael? You should just have kissed her! To think you are partially werewolf... Not only that actually! even with that massive quantity of demon blood in your vains, you still act like such a damn shrimp... Anyways, I heard from your teacher that you went out. That old one from your class? The one with the weird smile you know? Damn, I have a bad feeling about him, Michael. I must take some drastic measures in the future. Don't try and stop me, it's for your own good!"

The mellow voice could not belong to anyone other than Jenkins.

He was currently sitting with his knees crossed on Michael's bed, wearing some sort of old school tuxedo with a small 'noble' twist on it. Not only this, but he even rocked some small round glasses which were resting on top of the sharp yet fragile nose. Even the shoes were something similar to what he would wear on earth.

As he sat there, waiting for who knows how long, he kept fiddling around with some sort of rusty gold coin. Bouncing it around with his delicate fingers. Was he showing off?

Michael did not even answer, wanting to ask what year this was before going further with the vampire.

"Hey, Jenkins?"

Michael's body twitched a little, remembering when the notes were written.

"Yes Michael?"

Thay old buffon seemed rather suprised despite waiting for him.

"What year is it today? I don't really know much about this world.."

He tried tocalm himself while making the question flow as easy as possible.

"You should've just asked that girl...*Sigh* Its the 299 Sun time. Why?"

Michael widened his golden eyes, looking like he just watched some ancient remains come back to life.

"What the hell Michael?! Don't look at me like that. No wonder this Firnell girl is the only one who likes you! Well, she and that girl with the glasses. By the way, I think you should go for glasses. She knows a lot about magic and such. And her family is easier to cut int...ANYWAYS! was there some other matter you wanted to talk about?"

"There is something else I wanted to bring up...But how do you know all this?"

Michael looked suspiciously at the frozen Jenkins, who had ceased playing with his coin.

"T...That doesn't matter! Anyways, why do you smell like some dried fish?"

Michael took note of this, but did not press it for now.

He showed all the papers and vials he had taken from the vampire's hideout. Narrating the story to Jenkins.

"WHAT?! YOU FOUND HALREL?!!!!"

"Yeah..we..."

"Where is he?!!? FUCK MICHAEL DON'T TELL ME YOU KILLED HIM?!"

Michael instinctively broke eye contact. Starring at the oblivious goblin sitting beside the duck egg incubator. It seemed to smile at him with the ugly face it had. What a weird creature. Are all goblins this small?

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT SHIT HEAD TOOK FROM ME?! N..No, I'll take a look in the place you talked about. Anyways, pass me the notes."

Jenkins skimmed through them, nodding his head a couple of times.

"That potion is the real deal. However, since that Halrel guy was too dum and chugged it when his body was already half broken, it failed. You can just drink it, but I would expect for you to pass out for a day."

Michael smiled while the shapeshifting pills lost their effects, turning him back into the tattooed demon. Jenkins seemed mildly surprised when he fully reverted, looking st the horns and the slit pupils.

"Hel'slakter? Are they the ones with the bendy limbs? can't really remember. But don't turn into that hideos green monster thing while I am here."

"What? my transformation is black you know?"

Jenkins almost felt his brain shut down when

Michael spoke. The glasses he wore shook a little when the nose twitched.

"WHAT?! SHOW ME!"

Michael transformed inte the hel'bölger for Jenkins to see, and as expected..

"You are really far from the beast demons, or Hel'Slakters I have seen appearance wise. However, show me your evolutions. There might be some good stuff there.

Michael let him view all the current ones he had, letting Jenkins evaluate them.

"Did you know, Michael? Hel'Slakters are a weird mix of everything. When Chayah and Nor made them they just threw all kinds of stuff togheter. It's like mixing a smoothie with mushrooms and dipping sauce. It didn't even turn out properly.. What a waste of sauce, am I right?"

That weird elf kept talking without stop, spinning around from one thought to another, until finally calming down.

"Anyways! Just drink that damn potion. As for the vampire blood, i'll find some use for it."

Michael did as he said, and took one of the dusty vials containing the 'evolution potion', downing it with one move. It tasted sour and bitter. Making his face contorte. Seeing this, and trying to brighten his mood, Jenkins pretended to offer him a toast with an invisible glass in one of the jade like hands.

Ignoring him completely, he went back to focus on the liquid flowing down and entering his system. When fully integrating into his blood, a strong shocking sensation invaded Michael's body. Setting fire to every cell coming into contact with it. His vision began to blur, and before he knew it, Michael felt the forces of gravity act against him.

"J..Jenkins...I don't feel so good.."

As the toxins reached his head, Michael passed out, falling.

Jenkins saw as the unconscious boy fell to the floor, preparing to hit the polished wood with a heavy bang.

He folded his glasses togheter and threw them in the chest pocket.

"I should've told him that Halrel's family is full of maniacs. Even if that snake doesn't find us, those crazy blood suckers definitely will after leaving the continent.

He rouse up from the wooden bed. Glancing at the horned Michael for a while, and then to the small goblin.

"You are responsible while I am gone! Also, let me max your level before I leave. I bet it would make that horned brat happy.. You will observe the child in the steed of this great lord!"

He summoned out the familiar purple orb from thin air, sending a small flash in the goblins direction. Its green body glowed a little before getting bigger. Now, much taller and broader than Jingwei's incubator.

"There! Now, better check that underground place Michael talked about."

He went through the normal door as there was no need for Michaels energy to exit.

As he closed it, a small feeling of urgency invaded the elegant body inside his fine dress.

'Wonder what that kid's gonna turn into..Not that it matters now. I threw some more shapeshifting pills inside his ring, so it should all work out. Worst case, we will just rob this old stone toilet in broad daylight..."

"Besides, Michael doesn't seem to know that his body is on the level of a high king. Next evolution should do some magic then!"

He trotted away with a satisfied smile, raising his glasses a little.

"I should go check that teacher out."

...

Sometime later, Michael woke up with a strong headache which hammered into the core of his being.

"Damn, that was weird.."

He forced himseld up from the floor, making eye contact with the slightly larger goblin looking at his rising figure.

"Thanks for keeping watch, little boy."

First thing he did after that was take a look at his body, seeing if any changes had occurred.

And they sure did.

He had now a new horn on his forehead. Just as sharp and black as the other two.

His body had more mucle on it, makin him look more built. Mabye too much actually.

The marks on his body had gotten a little larger togheter with the expanded tissue, and the hair on his head seemed to thicken. Not growing much in lenght, but making him look like some sort of young lion. Michael stretched his now much thicker arm out, contracting it to see what kind of results he would get.

As the mucle fibers answered him, the whole thing began to bulge up like a log. Shaking violently as if it was going to burst appart. Fully contracted, this thing was larger than his legs and waist.

His skin also seemed to grow thicker and harder. A normal weapon would most likely do nothing more than give him a small scratch.

Relishing in the power he now possessed, Michael began to talk to himself.

"I feel much stronger now. Is this as far as I can go with this race?"

Looking at the bigger physical traits he had now adopted, Michael asked the system to show him the available evolutions.

"System, let me see the evolutions."

[Evolutions 1/1]

[????: ?????? ¿¿¿¿¿¿ ??????? ¿¿¿¿¿¿]

[Do you wish to evolve?]

Confusingly starring at the new option he had, Michael began to talk with himself once more, starting to debate what to do with this.

"I should't evolve here, as it might attract attention... Jenkins is more knowledgeable than me in most of the stuff existing in this world. I need to sit down and have him explain all the important details Old head didn't give me.."

"The new evolution can just be laid to rest for now. Don't evolve."

[Affirmative]

[Evolving into ????]

Hearing the system answer him, Michael starred at the screen with his large yellow eyes.

"NO WHAT THE HELL DON.."

Not even having time to finish, the system ran at full speed.

And as it did, his body passed out.