“Monsters, perhaps the most popular topic to research upon, together with magic and fashion trends. It's popular for many reasons, but firstly the ability to survive an encounter with such a creature.

No, although staying in a city is indeed a fantastic way to reduce the number of your monster/day ratio, you can never consider yourself completely safe from them. It’s a gift from the heavens that many beasts carry within themselves a truly precious resource…”

A passage from "Monsters: A threat, or an asset?" by Erudite Jhoannon.

Nashariel pov

“You look so cool!” said Cody. Currently, the duo was in the boy’s room in his mansion. Nashariel’s evolution had put her friend's small horns right on her nose's height.

“I know, right? Now I got a tail too!” The dragoness chuckled, swishing her new limb.

The boy nodded frantically. “Yeah! What about your dragon form?”

“You know elephants?” The other nodded, “that tall, but three times as long.”

“Wow. I’d like to see it, one of these days.”

Nashariel shrugged. “Why not? Just, not in the open. I don’t want to scare people.”

Cody chuckled. “Makes sense!” Moments later, the door opened, letting in the same maid from last time. She brought the kids a brew made from rare algae of the Depths. Not quite the Abyss, but below enough to be considered monster-only territory.

The tea tasted like cold mint, despite being hot, and Nashariel was always left with the impression of having the waves roll in her mouth. She loved it almost as much as the Ice-algae biscuits. Their slight bitterness was a nice contrast to the tea.

“Lord, your teacher awaits.” She said once they finished enjoying the meal. Nashariel almost forgot that Cody took private lessons now and, like every other noble, had monsters either delivered to him or he could go ‘fishing’ with a team tasked to protect him at all costs. Nashariel didn’t like this method, but it was his life.

The guy in question pouted. "Do I need to, Liel? I have a friend here.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Can she come too?”

The girl waved at the maid.

The maid’s fish-like ears twitched. “I’m not sure if that’s allowed, young Lord. You would need to ask your teacher.”

“Perfect!” Cody grabbed the girl’s hand. “Let’s go!”

“I would advise against that, my Lord.” An old walruskin said.

“Why?”

“I tailored my lessons for Your specific needs, talents, and requests. An additional student will compromise Your learning.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m afraid that Your Father would.”

Cody’s shoulders slumped.

“Well, it’s not like I can do much magic, we can see each other another time!" I kinda expected this, but it never hurts to try. I wonder what Cody can do by now.

“I guess…”

After a quick goodbye, Nashariel exited from the room. The maid hastily followed. “Allow me to properly accompany you, young miss.”

"Sure." She had never been in this part of the mansion, so the girl took her time.

The whole house had a "deep ocean" theme, the walls being painted with various tonalities of blue. Canvases depicting various scenes were common, such as ships sailing or monster hunts. "How's he doing?" Nashariel asked, making a slight nod towards the direction of the teaching room.

The woman had nothing to say about their walking speed. “Our young Lord has shown an impressive grasp on water manipulation magic."

“I kinda guessed that when he flooded my room.”

Her lips briefly curled up. “Indeed. Again, apologies about that inconvenience.”

“Nah, it’s fine.”

They came across a glass case holding a dark-blue gem, glowing with magic. Nashariel resolved to retrieve one of those Abyssal-sapphires all by herself, someday in the future. Sometimes they were found at acceptable depths, otherwise one had to descend even below that.

The Abyss was extremely dangerous, so much so that, in an adventure Nashariel read, Ragnar had to stop chasing a monster down there, waiting for it to re-emerge. He would have been killed in a heartbeat, otherwise.

The silent maid and the girl reached the open main door, meeting with someone familiar. “Dad?”

His head snapped towards Nashariel, his eyes slightly widened in surprise. "Nash? Why are you- right, Cody. Is Lia here too?"

She shook her head. “Mom is working,” Nashariel noticed his frown, “did something bad happen?”

He was in full plate; that often meant either bad news or a special occasion. Today there was no special occasion. “It’s… complicated,” the Templar looked at the maid. “Is Lord Altichos available? There’s a problem on his side of the docks, and we’d like his permission before intruding.”

Liel nodded. “Please, High Captain, follow me.”

Her father glanced at Nashariel. “Please, wait for me here. It might interest you too.”

The Seaweavers managed a large part of the docks. Turns out, having leviathans as ancestors helped with sea-related stuff. The girl briefly wondered what she could help with.

Ten minutes or so later, her father came back. “Let’s go,” he said. Thalom and Nashariel ran out of the mansion. “There’s a shoal of dark variants that are roaming in the port. Some sailors noticed them chewing the ships’ bottoms. They are nothing overly dangerous, but we need as many people as possible who can fight and breathe underwater. Would you like to join?"

Nashariel was startled for a moment. “Okay, but can I really help? The one Variant I fought was strong, but a group of them?” A variant was considered the point which separated animals from true monsters, like boars from Blood-boars.

"They are swarm monsters. You can easily deal with them. Also, many recruits will be there too, in case you want to see what it’s like.”

Nashariel was starting to pant. She had lots of endurance, but keeping up with her father proved arduous. “Thanks! I decided to give it a try. With the church, I mean.”

Thalom turned to her, slightly surprised. He probably noticed his daughter's fatigue, since his pace slowed down. “I thought you weren’t sure about that. What tipped you over?”

“I kinda like the idea of working in a team. If I don’t like it, I can quit anytime, right?”

The man hesitated a second before nodding. “Yes, except during a mission. The full training lasts seven years, starting the first of each month. As soon as you are eighteen, you start to get assigned to local tasks, like the one you are about to face. By the end of the last year, you are assigned your first true Quest… somewhere in the continent.” Nashariel’s father winked at the last part.

The dragoness returned it. “Fair enough.” Yes!

Further talk could wait. The ocean was in front of them.

“Are you sure, High Captain? She’s rather… young.” A dubious Templar asked. Thalom had approached presenting Nashariel to him and the group of young recruits standing there. The teens were looking into the dark waters, many of them shivering. Some people were diving below, not all of them belonging to the Church, while boats and ships were harpooning the marine monsters. Nashariel couldn’t make out the sizes from here, but compared to the people 'fishing' the monsters they looked small.

“I am, Sargent. She is perfectly capable to take care of herself, or to support a team."

The other still looked skeptical, gazing directly at Nashariel. She stood a bit straighter, holding still tail and wings. “What can you tell me about you, kid? I mean, what can you do to help?”

Nashariel briefly described her stats and skills, including the capability to shift elements. She had pondered for a while if adding that was wise, but fighting in a team definitely required a bit of trust. Although, even if the girl told him what she was, she excluded the name of her sub-species. "… this should cover all, I think. I have many points to spare if needed."

The man whistled. “Color me impressed. You can handle this zone by yourself,” He started, then took a more serious tone, “but if you find yourself in danger, do not hesitate to call for help. We adults will stand here, ready to intervene.”

Nashariel nodded. The man led the older kids away.

The dragoness pouted. "I just spent twenty-four points to buy a team skill…"

Her father messed up her hair. “As I said, the port is big. You are helping by freeing up a group or two; I don't blame his decision. Look at it from another perspective: the earlier you take care of this zone, the faster you can support others!"

That helped. Nashariel grinned. “Better to get to work then!”

Father and daughter walked closer to the water.

The ocean was strangely murky, compared to the usual crystal-clear water; most days you could see the sandy bottom with no problem. Is it the work of the fishes? It has to be. I wonder why they came this close to the city and in such numbers.

"As the sergeant said, don’t be afraid to retreat. You can always jump back in later, but only if you make it out. We clear?”

Nashariel nodded. “Understood! Thanks for bringing me here, dad!”

He smiled. “Anytime, little light. Good luck!”

The dragoness put her foot at the stony edge of the port. The water was even darker below a certain depth; thankfully, her draconic eyesight could see through that. Nashariel could spot moving, finned monsters below, all smaller than her outstretched arm, if only by a little.

Excitedly, she dove deeper, switching to the water dragon. Nashariel discovered that breathing liquid was… weird. She had no gills whatsoever, but somehow the liquid was breathable.

The girl noticed the first group of monsters swimming rapidly towards her, hunger in their white eyes.

*Piranha (Dark ???) Lvl 32-34.

A carnivore, that lives in deep waters. It hunts in groups, overwhelming their prey with numbers and toxins. Sometimes, large shoals are led by a powerful monster. Beware its sharp teeth, for they contain a draining poison. This monster has an abnormal amount of dark mana within it.

Identify Lvl 2 -> 3 *

Grinning, Nashariel unleashed her true form, visibly moving the water in front of her with a roar. The beasts panicked, trying to swim away. The dragoness swiftly chased them.

The water dragon form was the second nimblest one. They had no chance.

As soon as the closest one was in reach, Nashariel crunched his caudal fin. As her father said, they were weak individually. The resistance Nashariel met was almost nonexistent.

The fish couldn’t swim anymore, so the girl quickly ended it. She quickly finished off the remaining ones, immediately spotting others. Weird, these weren’t variants. Whatever, onto the hunt!

Nashariel lost track of time.

She remained close to her "zone," so to speak, not so much because the task was difficult but the monsters just. Kept. Coming.

Large shoal it is then. What pushed so many of them here, I wonder…

Nashariel saw the other kids' lights shining like a cluster of stars. The water was borderline night-black down there, it wasn’t an exaggerated comparison. Nashariel killed several groups of monsters, all below the level of a blood-boar, and she was swimming towards the eighth one.

She thought about her soon-to-be brothers and sisters in arms. I bet that it’s terrifying for them. Can I do anything about that? Maybe if I find the big one, the monsters will disperse! The dragoness knew that she was supposed to stay close to the shore, but the recruits' lights were flickering. She was sure that a war of attrition would end in favor of the monsters. Well, the bad ones.

Full of resolve, Nashariel swam further from the port. The depth doubled, letting the dragoness swim without accidentally reemerging. Soon enough, she spotted something.

A group of four monsters was twenty or so meters from the shore, near the seabed. They looked larger, thinner, and… darker? They were slowly moving towards the port, sliding on the sand.

*Sand lurker (dark ???) Lvl 42-48

This monster has an abnormal amount of dark mana within it. Beware its ambushes and??? *

I guess that not knowing anything about these monsters crippled my [Identify]. What are those question marks again? Nashariel was wary. The lack of a dash meant that these monsters weren't attuned to sand as an element, but merely lived there. The fact that she didn’t know the monsters added to that uncertainty.

Still, Nashariel decided to give it a try; if anything, she could prevent some of these from reaching the shore. The fact that Nashariel could start progressing another one of her Quests was almost just as good of a reason.

Nodding to herself, she inhaled deeply, preparing her breath weapon, refraining from charging it with mana, as being underwater already strengthened it considerably. The water had a strange taste here, slightly metallic.

Nashariel swam slowly, moving the least amount possible, landing on the seabed. The moment she aligned with all three figures, she unleashed her attack.

The pressurized water struck true, outright slicing the closest, and weakest, monster. The other three were injured, but not gravely. They let out an enraged high-pitched sound, their heads snapping towards Nashariel.

At that moment, fatigue assaulted the girl. Mana, health, and stamina fled from her body in the form of a trio of black streaks, directly into the waiting maws of the monsters. Their wounds started to close.

* Hp: 3252/3450

Mana: 1102/1200

Stamina: 1439/1830 *

What the heck, this is a dark attack! New plan, kill as soon as possible. The drain wasn't anything too dangerous right now, but slow and steady was how most dark-attuned monsters loved to play their fights.

Nashariel instantly activated [Fury], propelling herself thanks to the seabed. The dragoness roared, her jaws closing on her first prey. The monster was a flatfish, equipped with sandy chitin armor. After a moment, it relented under her jaws’ pressure.

Fear glinted in the eyes of the other monsters. They shook off the sand on their backs, starting to swim properly. Their thin bodies inflated, becoming much more fish-like. The lurkers strengthened their drain, darting away from Nashariel.

While it was true that they out-leveled the dragoness, [Omnidragon prowess] took that difference and crushed it. Nashariel propelled herself once more, chasing the remaining duo.

They seemed to play tag against her. They both dodged her attacks, retaliating every time she tried to bite or slash with a stinger. Only one managed to pierce her scales, then poison infected her bloodstream, further weakening her.

Unfortunately for them, Nashariel learned from each one of their dodges. Less than a minute later, the one playing bait failed to see through her faint, taking the brunt of her tail strike directly on its caudal fin. With its rhythm interrupted, the omnidragon made it easy prey. The remaining one desperately darted away, increasing its drain even further.

Although, after a few seconds, it started inflating more and more. It kept going until it couldn’t even swim properly. Nashariel ended the dance with another satisfying crunch.

Damn, these ones were tough! She thought, willing [Fury] off. The dragoness rested on the seabed. They weren’t variants, [Identify] didn't classify them as such, and yet, the system hinted at a dark ‘something’. What were those question marks? Thank the Goddess they didn't reach the others! I should go back and lend a hand- paw, whatever; if these were a simple part of the shoal, facing the big boss wouldn't be a bright idea. But first… Nashariel opened her status. There must have been some good rewards by now.

* Quest: First steps.

Kill twenty creatures above your level.

Reward: 100 free stat points and 20 skill points.

Bonus objective: Fight a powerful enemy alternating your elements, proving your flexibility.

Additional reward: Omnidragon-tier skill.

Progress:

4/20

0/1

Hunt rewards: 44 stat points, 8 skill points.

Difficulty trivial, Omnidragon kin halves the rewards.

Ambient essence absorbed: +2 stat and skill points.

Omnidragon level up!

Total rewards: 64 stats, 8 skill points.

Name: Nashariel Holyshield

Race: Omnidragon (young)

Age: 13

Current humanoid form: Human dragokin

Current attunement: -

Level: 38-> 40

Available stat points: 64

Available skill points: 100

Strength: 230 - 345

Power: 140 - 210

Resilience: 300 - 450

Vitality: 230 - 345

Dexterity: 220 - 330

Awareness: 180 - 270

Essence: 80 - 120

Endurance: 122 - 183

Hp: 3450/3450

Mana: 1178/1200

Stamina: 1610/1830

Skills:

Racial:

Omnidragon kin (minor) Lvl -

Omnidragon prowess Lvl 20-capped

Draconic breath (II) Lvl 2

Draconic fighting style (II) Lvl 3-> 4

Air:

Improved flight Lvl 2

Dark:

Stealth Lvl 1-> 2

Water:

Venom Lvl 3

Improved swimming Lvl 1-> 4

Improved learning Lvl 6

Identify Lvl 2

Earth:

Improved burrow Lvl 1

Fire:

Fury Lvl 3

Light:

Improved healing Lvl 1

Light’s refuge Lvl 1 *

Nashariel let out an annoyed growl at the reduction. True, the Dark-piranhas had been almost too easy, but the Sand lurkers… actually, I never dropped below three-quarters of my Hp. I guess that technically the fight was easy. On the other hand, [Improved swimming] leveled a bunch. Training skills while fighting for your life is really productive! The omnidragon was idly thinking about her possible improvements when something interrupted her.

Above Nashariel, fishermen had hunted until now. Based on the lack of harpoons on her back, the girl was sure that someone had warned them to not shoot at the friendly dragon. One of the boats had just capsized, its crew’s screams reached the dragoness with ease.

Swiftly, Nashariel closed her status, darting towards them. As soon as she arrived… nothing was there. Nothing but broken wood and blood. The iron taste of the water had only gotten stronger.

A chill ran down her spine. If this is what the leader can do… I better hurry. She decided to warn her father about this thing. The recruits had no hope against it. Nor herself, probably.

Nashariel turned tail and swam as fast as possible, noticing some Lurkers along the way, yet ignoring them for the sake of speed.

The reinforced stone of the port fast approaching, the dragoness decided to simply stop by crashing onto it. The impact made her bones tremble, but she wasted no time and stood on two legs.

Above the surface, there was turmoil. Many Templars pointed to the same boat she came from, and two others were sinking. All the recruits were swiftly yanked out of the water. Thalom ran towards her. “Nashariel, thank the Goddess you’re fine! When I saw what happened to that boat…”

“Yeah, I got scared too! What’s happening by the way? These aren’t variants!”

Her father grimaced. “We don’t know, but-”

A strange sound, like the child between a roar and a whistle, echoed across the docks.

A large ship was sailing, further out where the port ended and the open ocean started. The water beneath the vessel raged, like when the storms approached the shore. The ocean tinted crimson, a large shadowy figure was barely visible. It roared another whistle, only this time much louder.

The crew quickly started attacking the monster, with both weapons and spells, while the ship's captain gestured others to veer to the port.

The beast shot out a spear-like tail, smashing through the wood with frightening ease. The limb found its way into an unlucky sailor’s chest, dragging him into the bloodey water so quickly that he couldn't even lt out a scream.

The survivors but the captain started to panic, shouting for help from other ships and the shore.

As if awakening from a nightmare, only now Nashariel could recognize this as reality. The reek of iron and fear was overpowering. Templars started to sail to the rescue, but they were slow, and the monster was far.

Suddenly, without a warning, the thing launched itself out of the water. The ship loudly groaned under the tons of stress, instantly dropping a few meters down.

Without thinking, Nashariel launched herself towards the screaming people.