“Invaluable treasures abound in the continent of Nortanis. From herbs said to be able to double the durability of your body, to unbreakable metals bending only to the will of the best smiths.

Every single treasure worthy of this name has an attunement, often shared with the surroundings, or causes them to adapt to it. So, after hundreds of years of this certainty, can you tell me what the fuck is that thing?!" The sphinx screamed the last phrase, pointing at a multicolored dagger, one that seemingly shifted elements randomly.

All elements.

-Head researcher Axphonia, from the Great archive of archeology.

Nashariel pov

As soon as Nashariel reemerged, she charged her friends into a crushing hug.

They stood like that for a while.

Dan patted her shoulder. “Nash, you’re suffocating me.”

Chuckling, Nashariel let them go. “Has the curse been lifted?”

They shuddered. “Yes. That was… scary.” Murmured Dorel.

Nashariel felt a pang of guilt in her chest. “I’m sorry. I did as fast as I could, but…”

Dan splashed her, interrupting the girl. “Nonsense! Don’t even try to apologize, boss. We knew that you would come in to save the day… and our butts with that.”

“What happened, Boss?” Wrote Veliel.

“Let’s come out of the water first, ok?” Nashariel replied.

The group climbed on the shore and stood there to dry in the warm sun. They were wearing some featureless robes, the Clinic kind.

The dragokin searched for the best words, but otherwise retold her friends about both fights. She spared them the fact that those dragons bowed to her. And the Empress part. Especially, the Empress part.

“Holy… That was messed up.” Dan shook his head. He casually wiped nonexistent tears, seemingly without noticing it. "And how are we here? Our healer told us that we're, like, this close to Valkas."

And that was the most awkward part. “…I made a deal with a fairy. Stupid, but you were… not doing great.” Nashariel replied, fidgeting with her tail. She used the moment that her friends gasped to search for the Omen, but she wasn’t in sight. Giving me space? She described the terms to the others.

They remained quiet for quite a while.

“So… what do we do?” Asked Dorel.

“I… well, whatever you would like to do. I’m sure that a Valkanian Garrison will teleport you out, but if you wanted to stay… that would be good too.” Nashariel fidgeted with her tail again.

“What would you like us to do?” Asked Veliel.

"I'd prefer you to stay, but I-I don't know if it's for the best. Winter's soon and, while we wanted to wait it out in a city or a village, the Border is very close. And the fairy promised help to reach it, so… you could be home in little over a month if you go now.” She rambled.

The silence repeated itself.

“We came here together, so we’ll go out together. I won’t have it any other way.” Declared Dorel.

“Well said!”

Veliel nodded. She smiled when writing. “You won’t get rid of us that easily!”

Nashariel’s eyes wetted. “Thank you…”

“Now, what do we do, boss?” Asked the Defender.

The dragokin recomposed herself. “It depends, I guess. I know I’ll face Dangers. Lots of Dangers. You might help me by spreading some healing lessons, skills, and so on? Veliel is much better than me at that too. Other than that? Don't let your skills rust; I'm sure that our fight earned you guys lots of points too. Still, you must heal first.”

The others nodded, shivering. “Facing those kinds of monsters is going to be our life, right?”

“That should’ve been in a few years, together with a veteran Templar,” Nashariel replied in an irritated tone. Not towards her fellow Astillians, but to the false priest who sent them here by themselves. “Astill knows, just-promoted recruits wouldn’t have been sent to face those things by themselves.”

“Yeah… I still can’t believe that we faced them and survived…” Dan murmured.

Me neither. If it wasn’t for that Quest, and I didn’t develop Radiance… Fel is right, I need every single tool possible.

An hour or two later, the Astillians were still soaking in the lake. Everyone but Nashariel was still considerably weakened by the curse.

Around them, the elves bustled with activity.

Groups went out to hunt or gather, others filled innumerable flasks with lake Valkania’s waters, and more still handled materials given to them. The elves mostly ignored the Templars, save for a few glances.

Nashariel was beginning to wonder when Fel would’ve come to fetch her. To pass time while her friends slept off their weakness, Nashariel opened her status. She recommended saving up the skill points, but what about the stats?

The omnidragon pondered. I went close to dying, again. Should I invest in vitality, or increase my offense? I'm using up a lot of mana recently, but perhaps I should simply put more oomph in my power to gain efficiency. Nashariel remembered how her breath had harmlessly bounced off the Dracolich until she exploited its weakness to Radiance. Yep, let’s split.

*Power: 450 – 900

Vitality: 750 – 1500

Hp: 15.000/15.000 *

Not much of a difference, but it should suffice well enough for now. What do I do now… Nashariel sprawled on the ground, already bored. Should I try to meditate on some other attunements? I don’t feel like taking on Quests right now. Which one…

Nashariel scrolled down the list, grinning at all the attunements in her possession. They already seem so many, and yet, there are so many others waiting for me… The girl stopped at Healing, remembering the terms of her deal. I think I'm pretty close to understanding this one. I mean, I literally grew up listening to its every facet! And if Fel wants me to heal others myself, then I must unlock this attunement, now or later.

The omnidragon closed her eyes.

What does Healing want? She asked herself. Well, it’s pretty obvious: it wants others to heal. Feeling no change, save for her secondary mind’s metaphorical eye-rolling, Nashariel reviewed everything she knew about the attunement, including the Hybrid skills she had witnessed. And, of course, the Templar’s Patron, Astill.

Better… feel better… caring? Healing cares for others. It turns everything into something that helps the patient to feel better in a kind way. Astill is known as the Lady of Compassion for a reason.

Healing is the act of lovingly caring for someone. Nashariel concluded.

*Healing attunement is now free to evolve! *

Already?! Nashariel quickly opened her eyes. How?

/It seems that living with that attunement, and having completed a Quest helped you considerably, primary mind/

I guess? Nashariel looked to the sky, seeing that a little more than an hour had passed. Should I try to unlock more? I’m pretty close with Conflagration and Blood.

The dragokin tackled the first one, deciding to test the last gift of the fire dragons.

The answer spontaneously came to her almost before she closed her eyes. Conflagration represents the moment a flame comes to life; its vitality, its frenzy. It lasts little, but its effects are seared in everyone’s memory.

*Conflagration is now free to evolve! *

The notification didn't surprise Nashariel in the slightest. Despite Sofia's mental healing, the dragokin's memory painstakingly remembered how broken her body was after the Core devastated it. Nashariel didn't need any practice to learn about it.

She reopened her eyes, seeing some sort of dust coming out of her. Nashariel brought her palm close to her face, watching the little spark while it floated above the grass. It resembled the embers flying out of a bonfire.

Nashariel snapped out of her trance. What the duck? She beat away the dust, using her wings to splash as much water as possible on the fuming grass.

And now I know not to work with Fire attunements on the grass…Nashariel stopped for a moment. I feel like… that should’ve been obvious. She sighed.

/You have been put under considerable stress. Perhaps you should rest/

Not a bad idea. Blood will be for later. Nashariel hauled her friends, then walked back to the Oak.

She reached their shared room, then, before sleeping, she ensured that the door was properly locked. That done, she dropped on her bed, then evolved right away.

*Healing attunement has been unlocked.

May those you decided to care for lay in your embrace safe from any harm, young omnidragon.

Conflagration attunement has been unlocked.

May your enemies be gone in a glorious flash in your name, young omnidragon.

Evolving…

Evolving…

Evolution complete!

Evolution complete!

2 free skills per attunement have been granted. *

That’s a bit dramatic. Nashariel thought, reading the message from Conflagration. That done, she went to sleep, using her evolution to secure a dreamless night.

The next day, Nashariel woke up in a very familiar swamp.

She jolted awake, quickly noticing a familiar freezing figure. “It’s not really polite to kidnap someone in her sleep, you know?”

Fel turned to see her. “We apologize, but we did not desire to waste time. We have let you sleep, even if we didn’t think that you needed so much so soon.”

Nashariel shrugged. “Me neither, honestly. Maybe it’s because I evolved lots of elements in a short time?”

“It is a possibility, we agree. We see that you bent two more attunements to your will. Congratulations.” The fae said in a cold tone, nodding towards her. “It’s time to respect your part of the deal, Empress.”

Nashariel sighed deeply in determination. “Sure. What do I need to do?”

Fel gestured toward the swamp. “This swamp runs deep; so much so that its toxins will reach the Willow shortly. We suggest that you attune yourself to this element, before tackling with its inhabitants.”

“If the city’s in danger, shouldn’t we hurry up?”

“No, we have around six hundred years before that. We trust that you will be able to attune in a much shorter timeframe.”

Nashariel slowly blinked a few times. "Six centuries is a short time?"

“Past your first millennium, your perspective changes considerably. You’ll understand, Empress of the many lives.”

“I… guess…?” The dragokin replied hesitantly. “So, I just dip in and wait out the essence?”

“Pretty much, yes. Meanwhile, you should attune yourself to the will of Acid.”

‘Cause bathing in there wasn’t easy enough. Without adding another word, Nashariel dropped.

Immediately, the swamp tried to consume her like last time.

Nashariel came out with a whimper, madly rolling on the grass. Pain reduction or not, that was Tier 2 acid and poison.

She shifted into Light, healing herself. That was too much without the adrenaline of a fight. How else can I do this? The dragokin stopped to think, under the curious gaze of the freezing fae. Any ideas?

/Perhaps fighting the monsters living in here…? Otherwise, I think that Poison attunement would counter some of the burn/

I can’t use attunements for that. Damn. A fight it is! Nashariel jumped up, returning to her true form. Remembering what had attracted the frogs last time, she activated and de-activated her Light aura repeatedly, seeming more like pulsing fireworks than a dragoness.

Soon, some monsters came out, starting to spit their acid at her.

Since last time, Nashariel had gained many levels for herself and in [Omnidragon physique]. The monsters' attacks still hurt a lot, but much less than before. Nashariel focused on enduring everything, then swooped in for the kills.

It’s going to be a loooong day.

Hours later, Nashariel panted heavily just outside the frogs' range. She wasn't yet at the point where her attunement clashed against her comprehension, but she made good progress.

Best thing was that her racial –Body skill had finally reached the cap. She had almost expected the effect.

*All this skill’s effects are considerably increased against dragons. Effect decreased for only partly draconic creatures. *

It didn’t help Nashariel most of the time, but this was the second –Omnidragon skill that specialized her against other dragons, so she deduced that this would probably be a common trait of all her second Tier racial skills.

As always, the requirements to break the cap were… interesting.

*Break cost: 250 points. Unlock all attunements. Survive against powerful enemies by yourself. Unlock at least six other –Body skills. *

So many points again… they’re worth the cost, but holy duck. “Not gonna lie, I was hoping for some help with my essence intake.” She grumbled with the fairy after sharing her progress.

"This skill helps you already, Empress. You're making significant progress in a short time, have no hurry."

"You would hurry too if you were bathing in acid."

“That… might be true. Apologizes, Empress.”

“It’s fine. I’ll try to attune a little, before starting again.”

“That would be wise.”

Nashariel closed her eyes. Once again, the blessing of the dragons came in handy, if only partly.

The omnidragon found her viewpoint shifting almost instantly as if something nudged her in the right direction. It probably was.

A minute or an hour later, Nashariel found something resembling an answer. It was still well incomplete, but she didn’t mind too much. She had very rarely dealt with Acid, after all, and an eased understanding couldn’t replace actual experience.

Nashariel returned to her fighting.

Two days later, the omnidragon shouted in victory.

*Acid attunement is free to evolve! *

It had taken so many monsters and involuntary baths to reach that point, but she had finally done it.

Nashariel evolved under the watchful eye of the Omen of Winter.

*Acid attunement has been unlocked.

May your enemies dissolve in your liquid flames, young omnidragon.

Evolving…

Evolution complete!

2 free skills have been granted. *

Acid wanted to consume everything, staying still while doing so. Nashariel wondered what Destruction, another Aspect of Fire, was about, then.

“Finally!”

“Well done, Empress. Are you ready to go below?”

That killed Nashariel’s mood. “If I must… still, you didn’t tell me how I’m supposed to destroy a swamp.”

“It's simple. The reason why this place is a Danger is that a powerful monster made it its lair. She lives under the seabed, impossible to reach for our children. But for you…” She trailed off.

“Did this monster form from the swamp, or did she make it?"

That was an important difference, as the latter case implied something much above her paygrade. Shivering, Nashariel rethought about Sarkashan and his skills terraforming a whole country in a single battle.

"We are positive that it's the former case, and that she simply filled the swamp with her essence. With her death and those of her progeny, this will no longer be a danger for our children nor the city.”

“I thought that this was simply a dangerous zone, not a problem.”

“She wakes only during Summer, and every place outside of the cities is in danger, especially the roaming hunters. Add that to the poisoning of the Willow, and you may see why we have asked you to deal with that.”

And I believe that she won’t appreciate me interrupting her nap.“Tips? A form without skills won’t be ideal against her.”

“The method of hunting is yours to decide, but she won’t fight you unless you slaughter her spawns.”

You could phrase that better, you know? Nashariel stretched, then shifted in her newly acquired Acid form.

Her scales were tinted with deep dark forest green, with a lighter tone on her stomach and tail. Her wings’ membrane resembled grass in a field. All in all, Nashariel thought of herself as a mean-looking Earth dragon, even if that element wasn’t present in this Hybrid.

A bit hesitant, Nashariel dropped into the swamp.

The waters… didn’t bother her too much.

Nashariel still felt the heat on her dragokin’s skin, but her scales were completely unfazed. She returned in her true form, and the tingles vanished completely. So I’m fine even if I’m a Tier lower than the place, and [Omnidragon physique] is preventing the poison from damaging me. Good. I wonder how powerful that monster is…

Nashariel carefully waded into the swamp. Probably thanks to her [Omnidragon adaptability], some parts of her body presented the same fins and membranes given to her by [Body of the Water dragon], allowing her to move quicker and better in the unfamiliar environment.

Nashariel hunted without mercy every frog that she came across, rehearsing her combat prowess below the surface.

At first, she found herself sloppier, as the acidic/poisonous environment wasn’t exactly the ocean, but she adapted quickly.

Glancing down, the swamp ran deeper than what she and her friends thought, but not beyond Nashariel's (considerable) eyesight. Just above the seabed, strange-looking catfishes swam, predating on the Giant frogs.

Their bodies were elongated and enveloped in a purplish mucus, with long barbels near their mouths and under their bellies. Each one of them equaled one of Nashariel’s legs in size. She saw one of them using a whisker as a spear, impaling a nearby Giant frog with no trouble at all. The barbels ripped apart the corpse, allowing their user to eat calmly.

*Mire/Water-Swamp ambusher Lvl 145-153

This monster hunts at the bottom of acidic swamps, ambushing its prey with its spear-like barbels. During more difficult fights, this monster collects the strongly acidic mucus on its skin with its barbels, creating a powerful weapon able to melt the other fighter from the inside. Curiously, this mucus is also exchanged with the partner during mating season in spring, where this acid is at its maximum potency.

These monsters aren't particularly durable nor agile, but they can move with sudden and powerful bursts of speed. To defeat them, you'll have to use ambushes or resist their attacks and retaliate. Avoid Acid-Based skills and spells, but attacks able to break their fragile bones are highly effective. *

So, basically, punch them to death. Nashariel mused. Putting her [Nullify presence] to good use, she swam toward the nearest prey. I hope that these are the ones.

She dashed toward the feasting monster, jaws opened wide.

The other, distracted, didn't notice a thing until it was too late. The moment it turned, the dragoness had already snapped her mouth shut. The catfish struggled for a moment before its bones collapsed.

Nashariel spat it a moment later. Astill’s mercy, this thing is disgusting! She lapped the surrounding acid to get rid of the taste, finding it much more pleasant.

She looked around her, searching for more. Next time, punches only!

Nashariel decked the sixth fish, breaking its spine and finishing it off a second later. I wonder when their mother will come out. The dragoness wandered through the seabed, looking for more monsters to slay.

The frogs had all vanished, for some reason. A scaled one, probably.

The omnidragon huffed. She moved, catching a glinting object in the corner of her eyes. Approaching, Nashariel noticed a high-quality sword, undamaged by the powerful acid. Magical, definitely. Can I identify it?

*Acid-Corroding blade

Quality: Medium.

Value: High.

Hoard value: Low.

Enchantment: Unknown, but Acid-based.

This magical sword laid here for some time, absorbing the surrounding essence into its enchantments and discarding all the impurities from itself. Such a thing will fetch the highest compensation from beings in need to fight golems and Stone-attuned creatures. *

Uh. Nashariel stared at the artifact, then shifted in her dragokin form. She grabbed the blade, chucking it inside her half-corroded mantle. Is this included in my deal with Fel? I didn’t harvest this. Not that I care too much about it anyway. Nashariel’s draconic greed whispered her about the possible treasures laying here. Later. I’ll sweep this place clean, but later. She decided. [Draconic hoard] hadn’t leveled in quite a while too.

The dragokin returned dragoness, keeping an eye open for prey, and the other for artifacts.

She swam toward the center of the swamp.

The catfishes multiplied considerably, as did their levels. Never above two hundred, but Nashariel was starting to see why no one tackled with the swamp, not even the hunters. That really put into perspective how valuable she was to the Omen. That deal was truly a steal for her, wasn’t it? Nashariel sighed. Still, I had no choice, not really.

A catfish lunged at her, almost piercing through her leg.

In response, Nashariel slammed her finned tail against him, then cut off its head with a precise slash of her claws.

I wonder how powerful the monster is going to be… in her experience, the general frailty of the fishes' bodies tended to lower their threat level, at least for her. Some stories talked about this fact becoming untrue at lower depths when even the bare skin of a seamonster was harder than stone, thanks to extreme pressure.

For now, Nashariel enjoyed the superiority of her scales while crushing another catfish skull. She thought she heard a grumble in the swamp. Letting out a predatory grin, she roared her challenge.

Nothing replied yet. Unlucky. Back to killing.

During her travel, Nashariel had scooped up a sizable chunk of artifacts of similar power to that of the sword. Each one of them was attuned to either Acid, Poison, or both. She decided that, if those weren't of interest to the fae, she would have kept them and sold them to the Tails; the shop was sure to pay her well enough for them, be it in coins or goods.

A particular influx of mana drew Nashariel’s attention. Swimming to the location, a crater, let her see nothing but rotten soil. Must be something below, then. The dragoness started to dig, her claws slightly sizzling against the earth at each passage.

Less than a minute later, she uncovered a small, glassy round object. A familiar one.

*Mire/???-Core (Small, fractured)

Quality: Medium+.

Value: High-.

Personal value: Unknown/High+. Likely to rise.

Originally belonging to a Cerebral-attuned Coral golem, this Core has gone through many elemental changes, even above its original Tier. This Core presents an unprecedented ability to change and adapt to every element, as proven by its very survival. Something unknown to most is happening to this fractured Core.

Warning: This Core is bound to its user. This Core is unable to properly function thanks to its structural damage.

Warning: This Core recognizes you as its owner. *

Corrosive tears welled up in Nashariel’s eyes. She hadn’t spoken a word to her friends, but she had missed her first personal artifact. Since it’s not aligned to Torment anymore, there shouldn’t be any problem if I retake it with me, right?

Nashariel yanked the Core in her mantle. The Tails will be able to fix it, I think. She wondered about the secondary unknown element, but she didn’t mind too much. She would ask the fae or the elves.

The omnidragon swam with renewed vigor, unleashing one of her Breaths in the distance. A few fishes and frogs angrily answered her unusual call.

She welcomed them all.

After going at it for a while, Nashariel noticed a funny thing.

She was basically invincible.

The dragoness was utterly immune to the monsters’ poisons, highly resistant to their acid, and her scales stopped most physical attacks. While true that Nashariel had to work to catch her enemies, she had more than enough stamina to do it.

I wonder how devastating Lightning could be down here. She mused, recovering after an intense fight. That Burrowing storm could, and it was the uncontested ruler of its lair until I showed up.

/It’s highly probable that a future Tier of [Omnidragon adaptability] will allow that, primary mind/

Nashariel snickered. True, but my budget is kinda occupied at the moment. It would be cool, though… she imagined herself while using the speed granted by [Gray lightning] with something defensive like the Stone attunement. Realizing that this could very easily happen soon made her-

An earthquake shook the entire swamp.

Moments later, Nashariel saw monsters dashing toward her.

She prepared her combat stance, but the others didn’t even look in her direction, swimming well past her form.

The omnidragon nodded to herself. Here she comes! She roared her challenge, seeing visible sound waves travel ahead.

The putrid acid turned even more corrosive, sizzling against Nashariel’s defenses. A dark shadow swam rapidly in her direction, making the seabed tremble.

The ruler of the swamp stood in front of her, opening her four-sectioned mouth in an angry snarl. She looked more like a Sea dragon than a catfish thanks to her massive size, but the sixteen barbels angrily swirling on her mouth and below her body were unmistakable.

*Mire/Poison/Sea-Swamp matriarch Lvl 225

This powerful monster evolves in lakes, eventually replacing the ecosystem with her powerful auras. She sleeps for months at a time, waking up only to hunt, lay eggs, and fend off powerful monsters. During periods of famine, she’s known to eat the weakest among her young.

This creature hunts by significantly raising the acidity of the surrounding waters, to the point of melting stones in minutes. Her barbels are also easily capable to pierce said stone.

This monster is vulnerable to low temperatures and slashing damage, but almost immune to acidic attacks. Luring her out of her controlled environment is highly recommended. *

She’s a damned Seamonster! Nashariel thought, somewhat pissed at her opponent being Sea-Tier while living in a forest. She reviewed her options and… darted the duck away. “How the hell am I supposed to kill her?!” She shouted.

The enraged monster behind her roared. She used her lower barbels as legs, aiding her swimming skills.

/… not in Acid form?/

“Brilliant idea!” Nashariel groaned while dodging a thrust. The attack was so powerful that it unbalanced Nashariel’s next steps, causing her to roll in the soil.

The Matriarch emitted a gleeful sound, then crashed upon Nashariel headfirst.

The dragoness managed by some miracle to roll away in time, using the temporary current as an accelerator.

The monster used the barbels to uplift her body from the soil, chucking away a half-rotten carcass buried in it.

/I think I have an idea. Would you like to listen to it?/

Gods, I’m not going to like it, am I?

/I don’t think so, primary mind/

Fel pov

The Omen of Winter stared at the swamp, tracking the Empress of the many lives with her powerful mana-sense. The dragoness picked fights and trinkets in equal measure, as a true dragon should. Or so Fel had been told. She didn’t know for sure.

As a young fairy, only two millennia and a half old, the world still hid many mysteries from her. Her older kins had often insisted that she needed to stay in the Court more often, but Fel didn’t see how her curiosity about the children could be sated in that way.

The small tremors of the earth brought her back to the present. Two rulers fight against each other… she thought, a hint of excitement bubbling up from her emotions, quickly culled by her inner frost. She coldly asked herself who would have prevailed, as this incarnation of the Empress was considerably weaker than the one she met while being a small, innocent Will-o-Wisp.

Her warmth… she remembered it dearly. This Empress seemed more ready to share hers, but-

Suddenly, the waters bubbled with raging fury.

From below, the mana of the Empress approached with high speed, followed by the other ruler.

Before Fel realized it, the two monsters pierced the swamp's surface, seemingly flying for a while.

The Empress was first, various wounds bleeding abundantly on the matriarch’s face. Still, with a maneuver that made the Omen proud, she repositioned herself behind the giant fish, shifting to Lightning.

Fel stared, shocked. How is she planning to survive? She asked herself. She had designed this challenge to teach the Empress the value of retreating before an impossible enemy, then coming back stronger to defeat it…

The aforementioned Empress of the many lives shouted an unarticulated, agonized scream as she grabbed the fish in a deadly grip while the powerful mucus ate her alive.

Through the quick beating of her powerful wings alone, she kept herself and the monster raised in the air, even if such strain showed very clearly on her puffed face. “Ten seconds of this?! Why have I agreed to it?!” She yelled at no one in particular. “Yes, I know, charge it already!”

Fel actually looked around her, searching for entities that had eluded her senses, then she remembered that this Empress had the [Dual mind] skill. Is the mind already sentient? The fairy wondered.

The Matriarch's black eyes went wide. She flailed as her life depended on it, and she was probably right if Fel sensed the Empress' mana right.

The air started to taste like before a thunderstorm.

Two barbels managed to bend backward enough to smack the dragoness, who snarled.

The mana inside her stopped charging.

Three heartbeats of quiet and stillness permeated the area. Fel enjoyed it the most.

A moment later, thunder and lightning entered the fight.

From the Empress, an unending tide of electricity expanded in a sphere around her. At the same time, her crackling jaws sunk into the monster’s head.

The matriarch spasmed uncontrollably, fuming from every bit of her wet skin. A bolt of lightning went through her, digging a hole larger than a tree's trunk, causing her to stop flailing soon after.

The lightning searched for targets, lashing out against a few trees, but the Empress didn’t stop. She directed the bolts from her mouth to the swamp below, without a doubt ending the lives of a few dozen creatures. The very swamp boiled, releasing clouds of toxic vapors.

Everything lasted for slightly less than a minute.

The Empress closed her mouth, electricity still dancing upon her scales, then wobbly flew toward the fae, showing nothing of the previous aerial mastery. She dropped the charred monster near the Omen’s feet, then crashed down.

Fel calmly walked to the carcass. "We don't think that there's much left to use from this."

The dragoness snorted. “I often get that. Still, the monster’s dead, so all is good, right?”

The Omen rolled her eyes like she had seen many of the children do in these kinds of situations. “We don’t complain about the results, but…” She pointed at the trees set on fire by the Empress’ display, just as one’s resin decided to explode, spreading even more flames around. “We hoped you would help the forest, not burn it down, Empress.”

The omnidragon took the scene in, then nodded between herself. "Duck." She sagely said, before turning into a Water dragon. She scrambled to her feet, using her Breath weapon to extinguish the flames.

Fel decided that this incarnation of the Empress needed some work, but she liked it. Nashariel…the name felt good in her mind.

Perhaps she would use it.