An Owl's Rise

This was her first time killing someone that had not done unspeakably horrible things to her, and where she was able to see the aftermath.

She started imagining the fear and pain of the people she ambushed and put herself in their place as she had already experienced death once before.

'What have I done? Am I just like those monsters that tortured and killed for their amusement?' Evelyn thought as her emotions were in turmoil.

When she first came across these people the fury she felt towards those that had wronged her in the past welled up, and since they were getting in her way she had decided to get rid of them.

Now however, she was wondering if she was any different from those that had brought pain and suffering to her in the past.

Eventually though, as much as she was in turmoil, the rational part of her mind took back over, and she began to calm down.

'No, I cannot think that way. I am not like them. I did not get any enjoyment out of killing these people, nor did I purposefully make them suffer. This is just the way of this world. I must kill to get stronger and everyone else is trying to do the same. These people were out killing for resources same as I am, and I just happened to be stronger than them. The same could just as easily happen to me.'

Shaking her head and forcing the negative thoughts and emotions down, Evelyn strengthened her determination.

She could not start feeling pity or doubting herself now that she had chosen to become stronger.

It was certain that her road would be paved with the corpses of those she killed to advance herself.

With a cold sharpness in her eyes now she moved over to the body of the man she had just sliced open and took all of his possessions.

'Here it is.' She thought as she found the Rakus Flower nectar in the man's bag.

There was a good amount of it, enough for her to finish the mission for the Roost, and this was only from one of those she had killed.

This also helped to elevate some of the guilt she had been feeling, as she had not just mindlessly killed these people, but had done so to further her own goals.

Still there was one other thing that she had to do that made her feel queasy, no matter how much she tried to mentally steel herself.

Jamming her claws into the man's body, she reached around until she got ahold of his magic core.

It was basically the equivalent of the beast cores that beasts had, and she knew that it had a number of uses.

'This is my first time seeing one this closely and it definitely is a bit different from a beast core.' Evelyn thought as she examined it.

While beast cores were more like rough stones and could be in a multitude of shapes, the human magic core was perfectly spherical, like it had been thoroughly polished.

It also had a vibrant blue color just like a magic crystal, and Evelyn believed she had read somewhere that the core's color was associated with the rank of the person.

'This is definitive proof that all of them were at the acolyte rank.'

With everything she needed from this man now in her possession, Evelyn made sure to light the body on fire and burn it to ash.

She did not want to chance any sort of allies finding their corpses and somehow discerning she was the culprit.

'Can't be too careful in a world full of magic.'

Flying back to the other bodies she had left, Evelyn found that the one she had burned with her wing was still alive and trying to crawl away.

Seeing this she felt a bit remorseful. She knew just how painful terrible burns could be.

Diving down she quickly pierced into his head and heat with her talons and put him out of his misery.

Now with everyone of them dead, she went around collecting their belongings and pulling out their magic cores, before lighting them on fire.

'Now I have more than enough of the Rakus Flower nectar and some bonuses I was not expecting to acquire. I suppose that I will get some rest, and then I can head back to the Roost with my spoils.'

Having accomplished all she needed to and more, Evelyn left the sight of her final battle in the glowing woods and returned to the tree hollow that she had been calling home.

The next evening when she awoke, and it was time to leave. Though as she did, she felt a sense of sadness in her heart, as she abandoned the place that had been her shelter for the last two weeks.

But she could not stay here any longer, and a greater part of her was welling with anticipation to go back to the Roost and advance herself further.

'I am sure I will come back again to gather more supplies. At that time, I can use this place again.'

With one last look towards the tree hollow Evelyn took to the air and followed the direction of the return talisman she had in her beak.

It would point in the direction of where the warp portal back to the Roost would currently open, and then go limp when she arrived.

Yet when she made her way to the area, she was surprised to see another owl there.

'Oh, that is a familiar face.' She thought.

It was the one she had run into during the second trial and who had white feathers that were almost clear, as well as a smattering of silver. Though what Evelyn remembered her most for was her rare metal affinity that had allowed her to beat an owl that was a tier above her with ease.

Her control over her magic had also been impeccable, and Evelyn wondered how she had managed such a thing.

The other owl when spotting Evelyn began to panic momentarily until she also recognized Evelyn.

They both were wearing the identifying cuff of an owl belonging to the Roost, and this immediately gave them a connection that was not seen in the wilds.

Of course, they were still a bit wary of each other since they did not particularly know each other. But neither of them were hostile.

Eventually Evelyn lowered her head in a show of respect and let out a few hoots to communicate her wish to be amicable.

The other owl seemed to slump her shoulders in relief and sent a positive response to Evelyn.

Unfortunately, neither of them had any means to truly communicate, but they could get by fine with gestures and the noises they could make.

It appeared that this owl, like Evelyn, had been out here completing a mission. Though unlike Evelyn she did not have a storage magic tool.

Instead, there was a large bag strung around her like the one that they had used during their second trial.

Currently it was filled to the brim with something, and while Evelyn was curious as to what, she refrained from prodding.

The other owl began to look at Evelyn with interest as well. Looking confused to see that she was lacking anything to store her items.

Upon seeing this, Evelyn pulled out one of the storage amulets she had and showed it to the curious acquaintance she had made.

This caused the owl with the metal affinity to go wide eyed, and she lowered her head, understanding that Evelyn was out of her league.

Of course, she had seen her get taken away by Melisandre who was one of the leaders of the Roost. This put her and Evelyn in completely different worlds.

After giving the greeting and making nice, Evelyn excused herself and moved the last few feet to where the warp gate would open.

Open activating the return talisman, a large swirling portal appeared above her, and see was quickly swallowed by it and transported back to the Roost.

As always, when she arrived, she felt a bit shaky and nauseous. Needing a minute to recover her bearings before moving very far.

During that time the other owl returned as well, and she looked even worse for wear than Evelyn did.

'Well, it was an unexpected, but nice chance meeting. However, I need to head to the mission hall and turn in my items for the rewards. And then I can head back over to Melisandre's mansion and begin my training in alchemy and magic anew.'

Leaving the warp hall Evelyn quickly flew on over to the mission hall which was as crowded as ever.

Quickly she located one of the windows like those at a government office back on Earth, where she could turn in her missions and receive the credits she was owed.

When she arrived at the front of the line the mid-tier awakened rank owl extended a thin strand of magical energy and waited for Evelyn's acknowledgement to connect.

Nodding her head Evelyn accepted the connection, and now the two of them could converse.

"I have completed these missions and would like to receive my rewards." Evelyn said as she pulled out the eight blue mission tokens. Much to the surprise of the mission hall clerk.