The next day, Jelin decided to continue training with the water mirror for the morning.  He alternated between trying to move the water and adjusting himself if various ways.  He found out that shifting too much of his appearance without basing it on something actually required concentration and stamina to maintain.  

When he knew that lunch was on its way he went ahead and cleaned up everything to be ready by the time it was announced.  The lunch itself was fairly normal, though he did suggest that Wings start going hunting in the mornings as well.  She would soon be alone in the wilderness while waiting near the human town anyways so it would be good practice plus she would have more chances to fill up her blood reserves.

Claw agreed that it was a good idea and Scar offered her spot as Claw was beginning to hunt again and Wings could make sure she didn't accidentally hurt herself.  With the new plan set for the near future, they finished off their meal and headed off to do their own work like normal.  Jelin chose to do Conk's course some more.

After lunch, instead of returning to do the course he instead practiced more on his shifting and trying to learn more psychic powers with the water mirror.  When night finally came he decided to ask everyone what they thought of Conk's course and his earlier idea of making a dedicated area to training and contests.  After getting everyone's opinions, he told Conk that he wanted to spend the morning with her to point out a new project mostly for her to work one while he was gone.

The next morning he and Conk went straight to her course where he walked around it with her.

<So I want this to be mostly your work.  You did amazing in designing this, after all.  This time I want you to take your time and modify what's here.  I want it so that if it's a one-armed, magicless faerie or a four meter tall mantea specialized in flying and magic that they could make it all the way through and be equally challenged. 

I'm not saying that they would have to be considered able to race, necessarily.  Only those who are close enough in capabilities should have to worry about that.  This thing is great for challenging yourself, though, and I want anyone able to go through this and feel challenged. 

You can have the others help you like you did when making it like it is now, but I want you to be the one with the designs.  If you want to ask the others for some suggestions or ideas, that's okay too.  So I do want it to still be focused on those with flight or good at jumping but I don't want it exclusive to them.

Does that make sense?>

<Yes.  I think I have a few ideas...>

<Let me show you some of what I've found, myself, that would definitely have to be adjusted.  Also, if you can make it good enough then I'm thinking we can name this place 'Conk's Course' and try to make it all permanent.  Far in the future, when you have a real name it could be something to help youngsters to learn better while pointing at where you came from.  An homage, if you will.>

<That...could be nice?>

They ended up taking the rest of the morning to walk around and point out things in the current course that should be changed, left alone, or added.  They even headed back after lunch to try and continue pointing out more things and listing their ideas.  They had to stop after a few hours when they felt Legs coming out of evolution in the link.

They hurried together and entered the main room to see that Legs had changed in some very obvious ways.  Her spider abdomen had large red marks on the sides that looked like a large drop of blood with the point touching a smaller one pointing backwards.  Each of her legs had a red stripe on the outside as if someone had run past her with a paintbrush and drawn a line down each one as they passed.  Her thorax had a set of slightly curved red lines on top, like and equals sine bowed outwards.  Her black hair with brown highlights was now even darker black hair with red highlights, her fingernails were all tinted red, and her lips were now slightly more red as well.

[Child Arachne Bloodling]

She watched him as he walked around inspecting her and when he was done she smiled at him.

<How do I look?>

<Very pretty.  Sometimes I wonder if half of the evolutions you choose are just to try and make yourself prettier...>

<Not that many...>

<Wait.  You did pick evolutions just to be prettier?  No, wait.  Don't actually answer that.  I feel like it would ruin something if you did.  How do you feel?  The only real thing I can understand from your evolution name is that it has something to do with blood.>

<I feel...weird to be honest.  I knew what I wanted and felt this evolution had something to do with it, so I think I already know kind of what I can do.  I know you don't want me to tell you yet, though.  I want to ask for a favor.>

<A favor?  Uh, sure?>

<Can I break the rules just this once?  I want to evolve one more time without working on this one.  I can't guarantee that what I'm trying to do will work but I want to try anyway.  I'm willing to risk the consequences of being allowed to try and do this.>

<I see.  I've never actually made a rule strictly forbidding it, you know?  If you're trying to get my approval, on the other hand... 

You said that you think it's necessary for what you want and are willing to live with the consequences if it doesn't work, right?  Then you do what you feel you need to.  As long as you can tell me that you can be happy afterwards regardless and that not doing so will make your future not as happy, then I give my full approval.>

<Doing this will make me happier than otherwise no matter what.>

<Then I approve.  Does anyone else have an argument against it?  No?  Then take as many cores as you need.  I can wait a little longer.>

<Thank you.>

As she starting eating through the pile of cores they had accumulated, Jelin asked Claw to try and grab a quick meal for Legs as well.  Legs asked Wings to help make sure there was as little blood in whatever was brought back because she didn't want to accidentally mess up what she was trying to do.

Claw soon returned with two dead squirrels in one hand and a small, bloated faerie in the other.  She handed the squirrels to Legs before taking Wings to the sleeping spot an gently putting her down.  They all watched on for a while as she continued to alternate between eating a core and a bite of squirrel.  Finally reaching a point that only she could feel, she finished off the squirrels, ate one more core, and curled back up to evolve.

It took her a little longer to look at her choices, whether it was due to checking things out herself or from exhaustion was unclear.  That did give Jelin a chance to finally look at her options again, though.  Out of curiosity, he tried to see if there was any indication of what she was trying to be.

{Child Arachne Broodling}

{Child Arachne Poisoner}

{Child Arachne Psychic}

{Greater Child Nest Arachne}

{Greater Child Regenerator Arachne}

{Greater Child Magic Arachne}

{Greater Child Commander Arachne}

{Greater Child Swarm Arachne}

{Greater Child Arachne Princess}

{Greater Child Arachne Clairvoyant}

{Greater Child Arachne Familiar}

Checking through her options quickly, he could get a few ideas but still couldn't be certain.  With her most recent choice she could want to be part of a swarm or make her own but with some of her past choices, like 'Dancer' or 'Supporter', that still didn't quite seem to fit.  He had her entire life, hopefully, to figure it out so he decided not to focus on it too hard.

Instead, he decided to worry about her now.  She just ate almost sixty days of worth of cores in one sitting just to evolve a little bit more.  In a way, this could be a first for all of monsterkind.  He almost wanted to watch over her evolution and see if it resulted in some great revelation or something as well as to make sure she ended up okay.

In the end he decided that it watching over her would be little better than trying to watch water slowly boil.  That same thought brought him to Scratches.  As many project as he had given her, he felt like it was time jump their technology level up slightly.  He was a little concerned but there were two simple discoveries that would be found eventually and it might be better to get them out of the way now to allow real inspiration.