I have been many things in my life, but unfortunately, 'bird-lion eggsitter' has never been one of them. I have, however, watched my fair share of nature documentaries about birds. That'll be good enough, right?

...Right?

...

Well, it's probably best just to go for it. I mean what's the worst that could happen?

|Answer: You fail to protect the eggs and upon breach of contract your soul is removed from your body and [REDACTED] by [REDACTED] followed by consumption and annihilation.|

Oh. That's very reassuring, thank you.

|It is my pleasure.|

...Moving on, I'm not sure whether I have enough firepower to contend with anything determined to get at the eggs. (Heh. Firepower. Get it? Because they're fire elementals? I'd be laughing hysterically if I had a mouth to do it with.)

If it was just one monster I could possess it, but I'm not sure how I'd fare against multiple opponents, and I very much do not want to find out what it feels like to get '[REDACTED] by [REDACTED]'.

First things first, I'd need some skills. I still had eight level-ups left until I evolved, which I was assuming (read: praying desperately to be true) would net me a substantial power boost.

|Spirit Sense level Up!|

Huh. Seven, then.

Still, I couldn't rely on Spirit Sense for my entire evolution. Skills in RPGs usually get harder to level up as they get stronger, and this is probably the same.

System, how exactly would I go about acquiring a new skill?

|Skills can be obtained through repetition of an action, or by applying an existing skill in an unexpected way.|

...Well, crap. As I didn't currently have a body, there wasn't much I could really do in terms of 'repetitive actions'.

That meant that my next course of action would have to be upgrading my other level-able skill, Soul Replacement.

...Which meant I would need to get swallowed by a monster again. Ugh.

Phew! What a day.

Well, night, technically, since the sun had gone down shortly after I started my 'hunt'.

Even though I made sure to stay close enough to the nest that I wouldn't miss anything trying to get at the eggs, my Luring Light skill made finding creatures to possess a breeze. Along with a copious amount of freaky-looking fish and a batfrog or two, I had netted myself one of those fire-breathing snake things, which was apparently called a 'wyrm.'

As much as this entire experience has been at turns both horrifying and objectively bewildering, I have to admit, being able to breathe fire had been pretty awesome.

Now then... Drumroll please, as we usher in our main event...

I don't currently have hands, but if I did I would be rubbing them together gleefully.

Statistics!

|'Unnamed'

Wisp (8/10 to evolution)

Physical Status
Fine

Mental Status
Unafflicted

Skills
Soul Replacement 4(UP 2), Luring Light, Awareness 10, (NEW)Spirit Sense 5(UP 5)System Assistance

Titles
Trickster, Intact Soul, Heir of Black Flame|

Haha, yes! Just two more levels to-

Wait, 'Heir of Black Flame'? What's that?

|Heir of Black Flame: As part of her bargain with you, the unique monster Black Flame Lioness has named you heir to her power upon completion of the task she has set.|

Ohhh. So that's what she meant by 'bestow my power upon you'.

I wonder what that'll be like...

A figure wearing a voluminous robe stands in a field, surrounded on all sides by heavily armored warriors.

"Very well," he intones, "You have forced my hand."

He lowers the hood of his cloak to reveal a coldly handsome face set in a smirk.

"Come, mortals," he gestures grandly as the sky darkens and the ground itself splits in two, souls clambering up from the dark, flame-lit caverns of hell itself, "Feel the full power of the Black Flame!"

Eheheh....

...Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. For one, I don't even know if there /are/ people in this world, let alone any of that other stuff...

That's a little depressing, thinking that I'm the only sentient being on the face of the planet.

Wait, no! Even if there aren't any humans here, that Smoke Shadow thing talked to me! There's no way I just happened to come across the only monster who's ever known how to speak.

I shake my head, or at least move my orb body back and forth a little. There's no use thinking about any of that now, in any case. My current goal is to evolve. All that other stuff can wait.

Before I can get sidetracked any further, I spot movement in the water to my right. A large lobster-ish thing emerges, eyes reflecting the light coming off of me.

Time to get back to work.

ElectronicStars

GUESS WHO'S BACK FROM HIATUS??? Hopefully I'll last a few more chapters before succumbing to my commitment-phobic nature and vanishing off the face of the earth this time. Please leave a comment if you liked this chapter so I can print it off and pin it to my wall!