Over the past four days, Nezintic and her minions had been hunting their surrounding territory dry; everything that moved they had consumed. As a result, the surroundings were now quiet; no bird song pervaded the trees or livened the mornings.

Nezintic growled in response to this. She was growing in power rapidly, her form now five and a half meters long from head to toe. She felt her power grow and was proud of her minions' strength.

Despite this, all of her gains had been practically zero the moment she hit level 26. The creatures from her territory that she had gained a few points each from now gave her 0, no matter how many she charred, slashed or crushed. But, of course, they were still welcome to feed her; she had been stuffing herself every waking moment to gain the most growth, trying to reach the next milestone for her species. Long rests in her lair every few hours had meant substantial growth.

Time to expand her territory.

One of the first things the wyrmling had wondered since exploding yesterday was why there were no imps or rank equivalents in this area. However, her Veshta Nereda did report that there were plenty of Veshta Neredas in the area. Nezintic found it odd, so this time, she went around and did more searching than was necessary for hunting.

She had come to two conclusions.

1. The area is filled with some nasty creatures. Some were bigger than trees, while the more nasty ones were about the size of the imps with the speed of a ninja.

2. The area may be mountainous, but the valleys in between were marshy areas. In these swamps lived multiple communities of frog-man called Bullywugs. They had villages at many conjunction points between the valleys.

To traverse between the mountains made it dangerous for any creatures the Bullywogs were hostile to. The Orcs or Orks must also be involved.

She pondered on this. Hunting would have to be limited to the small range that her lair is currently in, but once many of the imps evolve, the lack of food and hunting ground will force her and her tribe to face off the Bullywugs. Bullywugs would have been for a long time if their number was suggesting anything, which meant that they could be well organized ... or not.

Mostly not... The ones she killed did not have the brainpower or skills to be organized.

Butt still, without much more information, she could not act hastily. But, on the other hand, Neztinic had a lot of preparation to do.

She landed down from the sky to the ground and landed right next to Imp Shin. "Alright, let's get moving. Since you can't go down the mountains without trouble, let's move up."

"Aye!" The imp said.

The duo moved up through the forest. She came upon the same clearing where she had hunted the deers and saw a fresh new herd? When did they get here?! What brought them here?

So she and Imp Shin watched them. He was curious as to why she didn't start setting up traps immediately. So Shin asked Neztinc why she didn't trap or hunt them. Nezintic told him what she was thinking.

"If this mountain range has a good source of food for deers, why is this herd here? The bones of their obsolete kinfolk are still present on the ground."

Imp Shin nodded her statement.

So the duo all watched.

The first thing she commemorated was what they consumed. Kernels and grass, but more kernels than grass It seemed that these deers' diets were different from the ones she was familiar with.

Always observe the prey first, then you eat them later.

The second thing she discerned was their 'rotation'. They would eat in one place, then move on .. and within hours, come back to the same spot they started feeding on.

She looked around, searching the very berry that they were eating, and found one. A violet, spherical shaped kernel with a stem sprouting out of the top, with swirls that go in a curly "S" like pattern.

Ether-Triberry Consumed mostly by villages and animals far out in the wilderness, Triberry is known for its unique characteristic: as long as there is food for its roots -light, water, and air- it can regrow its berry within four hours. Not only that, it can go from a seed to a full-grown bush within a week. However, it is considered no more of a pest by gardeners. Once eaten grants awareness and keen hearing for five hours.

Splendid... Nezintic understands now. That's why they were able to react to her so swiftly when she first attacked them days ago. This kernel sated their hunger and eliminated the need for the deers to move in large areas, thus reducing the number of space predators that could find them. She must have been lucky and her ability to fly to even catch them. On top of that, by eating this kernel, they would become more alert and react better to threats or surprises.

This plant was something they needed to cultivate in the lair. After all, it only required three things: light, water, and air. While she was sure that it had other requirements, but a stable food source and a much-needed item for her brother. Ash had gotten stronger but also dumber.

"Imp Shin gather the berries and inform the tribe that we will be fasting this week. I will join after my hunt."

Without waiting for an answer, the wyrmling took flights with sparks towards the deer herd in her maw.

She grinned proudly as the fae wyrmling counted the number of dead deers surrounding her.

It seemed that she had attacked them just as they were en route from one feeding area to the next, and they didn't have the Triberry buff available to them. So, taken by surprise, or they were too dependent on it, Nezintic had cornered them into a very dense portion of the forest where there had been a small cliff of sorts and slaughtered everything.

She may not have sharp claws, but her tail was very sharp.

"...3...4...5..6..7..8..9...10!" She counted felicitously.

Imp Shin didn't look happy as she did. the imp looked particularly sick. "What is the predicament, Imp Shin?"

"It was ..." Imp Shin began, his red skin somewhat green. "Kind of morbid, don't you think, my lady?"

The fae wyrmling raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect it to be better?"

"Traps, maybe? That's what you usually do. I normally don't see you in action much."

Nezintic gave a small cackle. "I don't need to do that anymore, though!" She exclaimed gleefully. "Now that I'm strong and fast enough, I can directly grab and kill my prey. So much easier and takes so much less time... But I may need to wash off the blood."

Nezintic begins slicking the blood off her scales.

"Aren't you a long-range fighter?"

"Details"

Finishing her cleaning, she turned to Imp Shin. When she reached level 22, the wyrmling could move objects with her mind. It's not a skill but something the requires training like walking or breathing. Nezintic carried nine out of the deer in the air.

"You can carry one by yourself, Imp Shin. That should give you some strength conditioning. It is only a small deer, a faun, Should be no problem, right?"

Imp Shin looked at Nezintic in abject horror.

She just smirked and flew back to their lair.

"W-Wait!"

Imp Shin took a full hour to drag the deer back into the lair. Nezintic and her brother are already cutting up the deers and handing the meat out on the condition that they will ration it.

In the meantime, Nezintic was trying to create a skill needed for her minions and conquest of this world. The [Crafting] skill.

Three hours later...

Easier said than done. Nezintic had done a lot of tinkering and rigging of traps during the past few weeks. She made numerous traps, lures and nets, all learned from the elven hunters. But the skill won't reveal itself to her.

The wyrmling has been working on making hatchets for hours already. She had already made three and was impatiently waiting for that damn [Crafting] skill to pop up. She finished the tightening on the sharpened stone -provided by her brother Ash- and the thick branch she had cut off. There! Another hatchet is complete.

So she waited ... and waited ... and waited... and waited...and w-.

When the fuck is it going to come out?!

"What are we supposed to do with these, Your Majesty?" Imp Shin asked me.

She glared at him stoically, her annoyance at not receiving the [Crafting] after hours of work.

"To hew the woodlands. We need timber to make a garrison if we're going to survive out here. This place isn't like our forest used to be," I remarked curtly. She noticed him flinch.

"How bad is it?"

Nezintic made a note of having surveillance training later.

"Northeast, the base of this mountain alone, there are three bullywug hamlets, and they likely to ambush people for their cargo or to enjoy depreciating them. From what I observed, the number in the hundreds altogether, but we only number twenty or so at best," She replied. "If they decide to kill us, which I don't doubt those bullywugs will try -it's in their nature- the stupid- then we won't stand a chance without ramparts to protect ourselves. Even with my brother and I, we can't defeat a thousand of them."

"So you're having us build a barracks and weapons along with buildings outside of the cave just in case?"

"Very astute of you, my impish minion."

There was a silence after that as Nezintic and Imp Shin worked on ... the wyrmling wondered what the requirements for the crafting skill are.

Ding!

Skill Request

[Basic Crafting]

Category: Advanced

Requirement:

Production of a minimum of LvL 10 items, equipment, or physical capital.

Well wasn't that convenient.

"[Insepct]," Nezintic telepathically spoke and stared at the hatchet.

Stone Hatchet (Common) [LvL 3]

Not exactly high tech, but it allows for efficient logging.

+ your STR/10 x target Log's Thickness (meter)) minutes for each logging

+30 physical damage when wielded as a weapon.

"Huh," Nezintic said stoicloly. "So all this time, I have been making mercenary equipment."

Imp Shin slowly backed away from the growling faerie dragon."

"I think we've made enough for now," Nezintic told Imp Shin as she turned to the pile of deer skins. "Time for these things call pants."

Deer Leather Tunic (Common) [LvL 5]

Good enough to stop stone weaponry, but steel should cut through this like butter.

+10 physical defence against damage.

"unsatisfactory."

Deer Leather Forearm Protectors (Common) [LvL 2]

Good enough to withstand one good strike at your forearms. But any that can cut... well, I hope you didn't like your arms.

+1 STR on the wearer

+4 physical defence against damage.

"Negative."

Deer Leather Trousers (Common) [LvL 6]

Decent protection. Still not good enough against high tech weaponry. Or anything that can cut better. Are you sure you are good at this?

+14 physical defence against damage.

"I require more tanning animal skin, Imp Shin."

"There are no more, Your Majesty."

She snapped around, and indeed, there was no more leather for her to use.

"Blast," Nezintic gritted my teeth slightly in impediment at her situation.

Clink...

She looked down and saw random two looted weapons.

They were neglected and rusty. She remembers that she looted them from some bullywugs. But then she did get an approach of how to use these rusty weapons. She could heat them up and pound the rust out of them. But to do that, she requires blunt, flat equipment for this job.

"Imp Shin."

The red-skinned imp stopped sharpening his current project and looked up at his queen. "Yes, Majesty?"

"I require you to make a piece of blunt equipment with a flat head."

He blinked and then grinned. "I can try, but I definitely won't be able to finish it today."

"You have forty-eight hours."

Two Days Later... Day 50:

While Nezintic was scolding her older brother on why he couldn't fly during a thunderstorm, Imp Shin walked up to the stoic dragon.

Imp Shin was holding a lump of roughly hammerhead shaped rock in his two frail hands. "Is this ok, Your Majesty?"

She took it from him-her paws, was more significant than his face by a large margin, and hefted it up. It was a bit on the crappy quality side, but it would do fine. She quickly flew over to the workspace, where the hatchets still lay and took one of the thicker branches that Ash had cut off yesterday and, using plant fibre, she began to tie the two things together. It took her less than half an hour to get it just right so that the hammer would hold, but it was worth it.

Forging Stone Hammer (Uncommon) [LvL 9]

Too small to use it as a standard weapon, but too large for anything fine and small.

It can be used on metals.

There was no other stat to it, but that was fine. She turned to a small pit of fire that the imps and goblins had made next to her workspace. She dropped the blades and stuck them on the fire.

Imp and her brother Ash looked horrified.

Nezintic ignored them and waited for the blades to turn glowing red before pulling them out by the handle, not all bothered by the heat of the blade handle. Next, she tossed the smaller blade unto a rock-like anvil she had set up. It was the closest to any flat, hard surface that was perfect for her project at the time. Then, raising the hammer up, Nezintic began to pound on the first blade. She saw bits and pieces of impurities fall off, and working grinned evilly.

This was it! She could do this! Was there ever any doubt?

She pounded again and again and again until no more impurities fell off. Not noticing that she was laughing wildly like she was a mad scientist working on an evil project like setting fire to the sun!

She didn't even have anything to cool it with; she just kept on pounding until the red disappeared as the blade cooled down. She got an idea of adding her lighting to the pounding she was giving the blade.

The blade was done.

Reforged Dragon Tail Dagger (***) [LvL 20]

A decent magical dagger made by Queen Nezintic for her tail.

Inflict Water Damage

Inflict Light Damage

Attack Speed +10 %

Water Resist +20

Light Resist +20

All Elemental Damage +25

Skill Atk. +22%

All Atk. +17%

Bonus Water Elemental Damage +10%

Bonus Light Elemental Damage +10%

Ding!

New Skill!

Crafting (LvL 1)

Path to civilization and destruction lay here

*Allows for learning the construction of new objects.

*Allows for construction of new objects with necessary tools.

*Allows for construction of abnormal and above-ranking items.

*The higher the Int, the more complex projects can be made.

Ding!

New Quest!

Learn from Imp Shin!

(Available only when working with Imp Shin on a project with the skill of [Crafting])

Requirement:

*Do not upset Imp Shin when confronting him

*Learn from Imp Shin the skill [Structural Analysis]

Bonus Objective:

*Learn from the [Projection] and [Psy-Telekineses]

Reward:

+1 LVL Up! New Skill: Structural Analysis New Skill: Minor Arcane Crafting New Crafting Item: Stone Pickaxe New Crafting Item: Nameless Blade New Alliance: ***** Imp Shin ******** Imp Shin: New Skill: Teacher Imp Shin: New Title: Magus Imp Shin: New Evolution:?

Failure:

Imp Shin may leave colony (Extremely Uncomfortable) Imp Shin may assault you (Hostile) Imp Shin may take over the colony's leadership (Incompetent) Imp Shin may cut relationship (Unfriendly)

...

"Imp Shin, you have one minute to tell what you are or and I will kill you where you stand."

Or she could pick the last option and demand the answer right there and now.

Profile:

Name: Nezintic

Level: 26

XP/Growth: +40 Per day

629/685 [+0 /pd]

Race: Faerie Dragon [Wyrmling]

Status: Strength: 38=> 89 Intelligence: 111=> 201 Vitality: 36=> 87 Wisdom: 99=> 110 Agility: 38=> 99 Magic: 111=> 201 Effects: None Stats Points: 0 Traits:

Euphoric Breath, Minor Telepathy, Hypnotic Rainbow Scales, Academic Genius, Magic Genius, Stoic

Titles: None.

Ability

Effects

Wisdom[1]

You have watched and learned from the shadows for all your life, [Analysing] and [Explaining] the [Unknown], [Guessing] and [Reasoning] the minds of other [Sentient] species. Increase the effect of [intelligence] on other [Abilities] and [Resistances] to intelligence-based abilities by [20%].

Identify [10]

Tells you the basic [Species] and [Level] of targets. Can appraise targets up to [40] Levels higher than you.

Bioluminescence Scales [1]

Your scales passively absorb [Light] and increase your magical defences.

Ether Manipulation [1]

You have gained an understanding of the [Magical Energies] of the world, [Move] and [Shape] the [Ether] you naturally produce.

Ether Sense [1]

Using a small wave of [Ether] you can [Sense] the area around you. Distance scales with [Intelligence], not occluded by mundane materials.

Mental Manipulation [2]

With time and close proximity, you can flow your [Ether] into the [Mind] of another creature. The longer you do this, the more you can control their [Emotions] and [Actions]. Effect based on and scales with [Intelligence]. This effect is more potent when the target cannot see.

Master Of Light [2]

Living most of your life in the light. When faced with the holiest of light, you feel the warmest of embraces. True light can be bent to your will, with the whiteness for your use. +[100%] ether regeneration & healing when in a lighten environment. At will force all light sources within [20] Meters to go brighter. When in sunlight, you may gain [Nourishment] and [Xp] from the [Fear] of creatures of darkness within [20] meters.

Clairvoyance [2]

You create an invisible sensor within range in a location familiar to you (a place you have visited or seen before) or in a prominent area that is unfamiliar to you (such as behind a door, around a corner, or in a grove of trees). The detail and depth of each usage will depend on LvL, higher the better.

Lighting Breath [5]

The racial ability allows expulsions of biologically created [Crystallinenol] from glands near the Lungs. The user can generate and manipulate electricity within them to enable them to shape the exhaling of the effect. These shapes can include bursts, streams, spheres, bolts, lasers, and even a mist of it from the mouth. This can be ignited via [Magic]. [Crystallinenol] increases with vitality +[5%]/10 Vit. This can be ignited via [Lighting Magic]. [Ether] can be used to increase [Volume] and [Temperature] of lighting. Can grant lighting-ice [Magical] properties based on desire. Magic [Potency] scales with intelligence +[5%]/10 Int.

Meditation [1]

Meditation helps you keep your mind clear and enables you to understand your body and spirit.

Passive:

Increases Int by 3% Increases Wis by 3%

Active:

Increases Magic Pool by nine every hour permanently. Increases MP regen by 10%

Ether Borne [1]

As a creature born to naturally use ether, it is part of you. Increases intelligence's effects on ether pool by [100%].

Listening [6]

Your auditory organs can pick up the faintest sounds.

+60 meters to clear hearing range

+30 meters to whispering hearing range

Lair Sense [5]

You have an instinctual sense for the direction of your primary [Lair] and [Territory]

Parallel Operation [1]

Operates on any matter the user wishes to analyze, separating it from the regular thought process.