Chapter 368: Galina's Transformation (2)

A short while later, the sibling duo of Lily and Aiden made their way back to the inn. Seeing the figure of the terrifying youth appear on his doorstep yet again, the innkeeper jerked in startle, his body slightly shivering, he dared not to look in his direction. 

After all, just some hours ago on this very same morning, he felt the coldness of death for the first time in his life. A few seconds later, as the boy and the unknown blonde-haired, hooded and cloaked girl stepped inside, he managed to calm down at least to the point of showing a stable front.

Still, when the boy glanced at him, and as he looked into his exotic, golden-colored eyes,  the man couldn't help but gulp once more, swallowing audibly, and averting his gaze.

He nodded, and whilst he seemed to be offering some kind of a greeting, his voice was trailing so thin that neither of them could make anything out of it other than some gibberish.

Flashing a thin smile at him, Aiden ignored the innkeeper and the rest of the sparse early afternoon crowd, instead, leading his sister and her silently shadowing canine companions up the stairs, towards his room.

Meanwhile, he was paying attention to the fluctuations of energy in the air that he could gradually feel as they got closer and closer to the building, making it very apparent that something extraordinary was happening upstairs, inside his rented room.

As soon as their figures left, the old man sighed with relief, returning his attention to the hungry, but most importantly, thirsty guests, banishing his troubling thoughts.

However, unbeknownst to him, another pair of eyes, still carrying the morning's offense, were following as they got to the upper floors, before cleaning her greasy hands with a towel and rushing out from the back doors. 

She wasn't done and wanted justice for the offense, and (in her mind) unjust threat they have suffered in the morning. Despite her husband's stern words, she was adamant to get justice served. 

So when she saw the youngster return, she made the decision to run and ask for help.

Still, she knew that the city guards would be unable to do anything, but who said they were the only force that 'protected' the neighborhood? 

—

Arriving in front of the door, Aiden suddenly sighed, whilst shaking his head. A droll look, a wry smirk flashed through his expression before returning to normal. He glanced to the side, towards the direction where a certain mature lady was rushing outside…

'Humans… They never learn.' He mocked her actions inwardly. While he could understand that she felt that they were the ones that suffered injustice, she conveniently forgot the fact that what happened was the result of her husband's actions.

Still, he didn't care much, whatever she was trying to accomplish ultimately had no consequence, it was doomed to fail. 

With that thought, he flashed his usual calm, warm smile, and pushed down on the knob, and slowly opened the door. He could feel the two distinct presences inside, but without the system he was unable to tell what state they were in, hence opting for the slow, silent, careful approach.

Putting his right index finger over his lips, he signaled for Lily to stay silent while coming inside.

However, as the door slowly creaked open, and revealed the peculiar scene inside, Aiden's attempt at sneaking instantly failed. Aiden froze on the spot, as he looked at the unfamiliar feminine figure sitting cross-legged at the bed. 

Rygintharth, in her child-like human form, was standing beside the bed, leaning against the wall with her arms folded in front of her chest. She smiled, nodding silently to greet the newcomers before returning her bored gaze at the still meditating girl on the bed.

With wide eyes full of astonishment and confusion, Aiden slowly approached the girl sitting cross-legged on the bed, still deep in her own meditation. 

He couldn't even recognize her. The small, green-skinned, black-haired shy small girl was no more, replaced by this unknown person.

Still, he knew this woman was Galina, even if it was incredibly hard to believe.

With a bewildered, astounded gaze, he turned to look at Ryg, his eyes asking for confirmation. Is she truly the same Galina she left just this morning? How did she transform so much?

Matching her Master's gaze, Ryg simply nodded at him, confirming the reality he just couldn't accept.

Sitting on the bed, Lily and Aiden saw a long, silky black-haired girl. Even though her eyes were closed as she was still meditating, it was obvious at first sight how beautiful she was.

Most obvious was the grand change in her skin tone. From the previous light greenish tint, it was now carrying a pinkish fair hue. Without not knowing her background and origins, from an outside look, nobody could tell she was not a human at all. Her height, whilst not changing much, her figure on the other hand underwent some slight transformations.

Despite the ugly, dark brown robe she was forced to wear to hide from the onlookers, there was still a definite change in her. She looked more feminine, leaving her teen look behind, she was now a genuine young adult. 

Her long, dark, matte hair cascaded below her shoulders, turning tame, gentle from the previous unruly, wild, unfettered nature.

Aiden had to admit, that if he weren't aware of her origins, and saw and known her before, she would never believe that this girl, this jade-like beauty was the same shunned and hated species, a goblin a couple of weeks ago.

"This… this is…" 

"Incredible, right Master? Her change, her evolution is incredible." Ryg finished her sentence. As a smirk slowly stretched across her face, she nodded at the sitting girl once again, she spoke in a playful tone. Also, try to sense her aura, her power! You will be surprised!"

Focusing on his senses, a smile appeared over his face. He could feel the familiar energy coursing through her newly formed spiritual veins. Also, he could no longer sense any of the primitive, violent source of alternative power the mana inside her. It seemed that she completely transformed her reserves, successfully shedding her previous state.

Her change in appearance is also probably related to that. Her transformation of energy, most likely fulfilled the requirements and she evolved even further, arriving at a state and form, that was unprecedented before. 

What he was certain about, even without the system, that whatever she was, had nothing to do with her root, goblins anymore. She was a demi-human, a species that evolved to its peaks and arrived at a stage that not many could achieve before.

His deep thoughts, however, had to come to an abrupt close as he felt a tugging coming from his side followed by her sister's light, meek, whispering inquiry.

"Brother… who are they? Why are they both inside your room?"

—

Rushing through the streets, zig-zagging between the late-afternoon walkway, the mature, chubby wife of the innkeeper was running towards a particular alleyway not too far from their inn.

A local gang of thugs, or how they liked to refer to themselves 'Knight Guards' made this particular area their territory, enforcing their service on the local shops, bars, and inns. For a 'meager' monthly fee, they would make sure to settle all disputes and disturbances. 

Their claims were going as far as stating that even the City Guards would not dare to cause any ruckus as long as they were allowing them to come under their hood.

Just as they claimed, one had to admit, that whilst what they offered was nothing more than the usual protection racket and the merchants, bar- and innkeepers were basically paying hush-money and were being extorted, they did offer a sense of safety. Thanks to this gang of self-proclaimed 'Knight Guards', crime did indeed ease in their neighborhood. The violence and crime that ran rampant in other sections of the city was controlled to a degree here.

What the citizens failed to notice and understand is that the main reason for their increased safety wasn't related to this gang of criminals but to the increased traffic of adventurers and wannabe-heroes that were coming out of, or going towards the Guild Hall…

Arriving in front of the shady sub street, the wife finally stopped and huffed for some air as she leaned against the nearby wall. She wasn't an athlete, nor did she ever truly exercise, so even this relatively small distance that she ran was way more than her body could handle.

Eventually, she made her way inside. With a worried look, but a determined gaze and clenched fists she was determined to get justice served for the grievance they suffered this morning.

She stopped in front of a group of rough-looking men. They were all wearing matching colors, dark red with black stripes, gathered around, guffawing boisterously, enjoying themselves.

However their voice died down, their gazes carrying cruelty, viciousness, and malice were perked on the approaching, shivering woman.

As she arrived in front of them, one of them snorted in a cold, disdainful gruff tone.

"What do you want?"