Kael landed back on his square, his feet pressing into the mossy ground as his surroundings solidified into the familiar forest. The blue walls that enclosed the square hummed softly, the faint pulse of energy that had kept him confined..

  "Well, was it fun with the conclave?" Skrindle’s voice piped up from behind him.

  Kael turned his head toward the imp, his lips curling into a half-smile. "Yes, Skrindle. It went well enough. I’ll invite Lira and Nexi when we next meet. We’ll have a proper conclave."

  Skrindle hovered beside him, his wings flickering with a sense of impatience. "Well, it gets even better," the imp chimed, his grin widening in that sly, irritating way. "You unlocked another achievement. You should probably take a look."

  Kael’s curiosity stirred, and he glanced at the orb once more. The familiar words of achievement appeared, glowing brightly as if they had been waiting for this moment:

  Achievement Unlocked

  Conclave Master - Create a Conclave

  Reward: 1 Personal Skill Point

  Kael’s smile widened at the sight. It was a small but satisfying reminder of how far he had come. Three personal skill points. The reward was small but meaningful, a step in the right direction.

  "You’ve got three now, huh?" Skrindle’s voice was tinged with sarcasm as he floated closer. "Still hoarding them, Kael? Planning on using them anytime soon?"

  The skill trees stretched out before him, endless branches branching further into the unknown, and each choice seemed like it led in a hundred different directions. His mind wandered back to Zhara, the blue Master with bat-like wings that he met in the Marketplace.

  Wings. Kael thought, wings could be useful.

  "Can I give the points to Lira?" Kael asked after a moment. "So she can have larger wings, so she can use them to fly. That… That would help the conclave.”

  Skrindle’s voice came again, flat and matter-of-fact. "They’re Personal Skill points, Kael. PERSONAL. That means for you. No one else."

  "I know that. It’s just that there are too many branches, too many skills to choose from. How do I know for sure which one to pick? I don’t know what’s best for me yet."

  "Why don’t you tell me what you want to do, then we can choose a skill tree that fits? You’ve got to narrow it down, Kael. Otherwise, you’ll be here hoarding them forever."

  What do I want? Kael thought. What is the right choice for me?

  The question gnawing at the back of his mind. He thought of Shadow, his mount. How well it did in the Gauntlet. The griffins he had seen in Golden City, their wings wide and strong, soaring through the sky.

  He exhaled softly, his gaze turning to Skrindle. "I want Shadow to have wings," he said. “To fly. Take to the skies.”

  "Wings for your mount," Skrindle said. “Not a bad idea.”

  Skrindle’s translucent eyes widened slightly. His mischievous grin was replaced by something a little more thoughtful.

  After a long moment, Skrindle spoke. "I’ve got it. There’s a Transmogrification spell branch. It lets you cast spells to make your summons grow wings.”

  Kael frowned slightly, thinking of horse intruders and how it had to keep chanting for the spell to work. "I want something more permanent," he said. "I don’t want to be relying on spells in the heat of battle."

  "Permanent… well, there's always shadow magic."

  "Shadow magic?"

  Kael was intrigued. He never heard of shadow magic before.

  "Shadow magic lets Masters control shadows, shape them, twist them. Since Shadow is literally made of shadows, you could use that to make him fly, manipulate his form."

  Kael thought about it, the idea of controlling shadows both alluring and powerful. But the process sounded like something intricate, something he would need to master over time.

  "That sounds... complicated," he said.

  "Alright, alright," Skrindle said. "There’s another way. Grafting. A skill branch that involves analyzing different summons and merging their traits and parts together. You could essentially build the kind of creature you want."

  Kael’s interest piqued. His thoughts immediately turned to the possibilities. To combine the traits of creatures, to create something entirely new, more suited to his needs. It sounded like the kind of power he could use, something more tangible than a fleeting spell or intricate manipulation of shadows.

  It was practical. It was permanent. It was exactly what he wanted.

  "That sounds like what I want," Kael said.

  "Should we put a point in Grafting then?" the imp asked.

  His gaze flicked to Skrindle, then back to his orb. "What about the other two points?"

  “What about them?”

  The possibilities played out in his mind. He had been spreading his skills across many paths. Sword techniques, crafting, enchanting, finding recipes, magic spells. But now, Kael began to think differently. Maybe it was time to focus on the branches that were flexible enough to help him.

  "I want to invest it in Crafting and Enchanting. I can create weapons and armor for them and make them magical too.”

  "You’ve got a mind for these things, Master. Crafting and Enchanting are powerful. But..."

  "But what?"

  "What about buildings, Kael? The Construction branch?”

  "Buildings? The shelter is fine for now.”

  "But look, Master..."

  The imp raised his hands, and an illusion flickered to life above them. Kael blinked, momentarily distracted as the air shimmered with a vision. Kael could see a grand hall, larger than anything he had imagined, with intricately carved oak furniture, smooth, polished floors of well-crafted masonry. The space was filled with light, the furniture perfectly arranged, the walls sturdy and inviting.

  Above the illusion, the words appeared: Construction Skill Branch, The Architect’s Path.

  That name... The Architect’s Path. It reminded him of the Dread Architect. Did he have skills in this branch?

  It wasn’t just the name or the luxury—it was about crafting something permanent, something enduring. A home, perhaps, or a base of power. It was practical. Something Kael could use. But right now, he needed things to be practical, more immediate.

  I need strength, Kael thought, real power, something I can use now.

  He was about to speak, to voice his thoughts, when the sound of heavy, clanking footsteps interrupted him.

  "We’ve built structures for Avaris," Gerry said, his tone low and mechanical. "We can help build. Ain’t no need for a skill for that."

  Gerry had strength and durability, but Kael had always thought of him more as a fighter, not a builder.

  Skrindle scowled, his little wings fluttering in irritation. "The Construction branch gives you spells to build instantly," the imp snapped. "Its work will be way better than yours. Don’t kid yourself."

  "Avaris’s factory was solid." Gerry shot back.

  Kael watched the back-and-forth with a growing sense of amusement, but the conversation shifted when Three Arms appeared. Its high-pitched voice pierced the air.

  "Build! Build!" it repeated.

  Almost on cue, Jello wobbled into the room. It made its usual squelching noise, which Kael thought sounded almost like agreement.

  Kael couldn’t help but smile. It seemed that the decision was being made for him.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Alright," Kael said. "We’ll build the shelter without magic, then. Let’s see what we can do without relying on spells."

  "I’ll be using my Personal Skill Points for Crafting, Enchanting, and Grafting. I’ll focus on making our companions stronger and more versatile. If we’re going to survive what’s coming, we need more than just walls and buildings. We need weapons and armor, magical artifacts and the ability to merge our strengths."

  "Yes, Master." Skrindle bowed before Kael, a flourish of his wings marking the gesture. "First off, Crafting. You got more recipes now. Tools."

  Kael had long relied on using the wrong gear, improvising and making do with what he could find. Daggers as shovels, swords as woodcutter axes. But now, that might change.

  The Arcane Anvil sat there before him, glowing faintly with a soft purple hue. Humming with potential. Humming with the promise of creation.

  "You can craft hammers, nails, axes, and shovels now.”

  Kael stepped forward, his clawed hand reaching out to touch the anvil. His fingers brushed against its surface and the light layer of dust that had accumulated on it shifted under his touch.

  He hadn’t crafted much lately. Not really.

  From delving into the Demon World and meeting their god, to the Gauntlet and helping Vor, his focus had been elsewhere. But now that he thought about it, he realized how much more he could have done.

  I’ll work on that more, Kael thought to himself.

  His hand pressed firmly against the anvil, the cool steel coursing with magic. Suddenly, several hammers, axes, and shovels materialized before him, landing with soft metallic thuds on the moss.

  Kael’s eyes lingered on the pile of iron ore nearby. It was the product of Gerry and Three Arms’ labors. He reached out again, touching the anvil, and the pile of ore shrank before his eyes. In its place, nails of various sizes fell, landing in front of him with satisfying clinks.

  Gerry and Three Arms approached, moving with their usual mechanical precision. The large golem reached down and picked up one of the axes while Three Arms grabbed a shovel, its three limbs working quickly to grasp it.

  Tools in hand, they were ready to do the work. Without a word, they moved toward the forest.

  There was so much to do, so much more to build. The tools would help, yes—but it was his companions that would truly bring his vision to life.

  “Next,” Skrindle says, sparks coming from his hands, "is Enchanting.”

  The Necklace of Enchantment began to levitate, a soft glow pulsing from the crystal at its center. At first, it was gentle, like the first flicker of a candle’s flame. But then the light intensified, shifting to a blazing fire that crackled in the air around the crystal.

  The flames then turned into the crackling dance of lightning, arcs of energy flashing across the crystal, and then, with a sudden chill, the light turned to an icy blue. The light dissipated, leaving the crystal glowing faintly once again.

  "Ah," Skrindle’s voice chimed. “You unlocked something else that’s new.”

  Kael’s eyes flicked to the words that now hovered in the air, as if projected by the glowing crystal itself:

  Minor Fire Affinity

  Minor Ice Affinity

  Minor Lightning Affinity

  An infusion of elements, the very forces he could now imbue into the weapons and tools he crafted. It was a powerful step forward.

  "I need to try this," Kael said.

  He moved swiftly to pick up a crafted sword. It was a simple steel sword that was sharp but a far cry from the forging of a true master blacksmith.

  He focused on the necklace again, feeling its warmth. The crystal in the pendant flared with bright red light, spreading through his arm down to the sword without changing its appearance.

  "Did it work, Master?" Skrindle asked.

  Kael reached for the Scimitar of Flame, the weapon Lira had gifted him. He unsheathed it and the scimitar blazed.

  In his other arm, he set the newly enchanted sword aflame. At first, it was subtle. A faint, red-orange glow that enveloped the sword, but the fire remained thin.

  "What is going on, Skrindle?" Kael asked. "Why is my enchantment so much weaker than the scimitar?"

  "Well, Master, it did say minor enchantments."

  "Minor enchantment, right," Kael said. “At least a minor enchantment is better than nothing.”

  The sword was set down gently and the scimitar sheathed again.

  "Alright, Skrindle," Kael said, his voice low, "time for Grafting."

  "Ready, Master?"

  Before Kael could respond, the square around him began to shift. The world around him seemed to darken. The walls, the ground beneath his feet, even the sky overhead, all turned a deep, crimson red. It was as though the very land itself was bleeding.

  The red continued to pulse, moving with an almost sentient will, gathering into a swirling mass in the center of the square. The mass seemed to writhe, compressing and reshaping. Wth a sudden release, the color drained away, leaving the world returned to its usual hues.

  But in the center of it all, a tiny object hovered in the air, glowing faintly, almost delicately. Kael reached for it without thinking, his fingers brushing against its cool surface.

  It was a small syringe, no larger than his hand. The body was made of glass and metal and the needle was sharp, precise.

  The words drifted into the air before him, glowing with an eerie light:

  Essence Syringe

  Extracts the essential trait of a creature. Inject said trait into another creature for grafting.

  To take what was essential to a creature and inject it into another?

  Kael’s mind was racing with possibilities as he called Mush over. It glided over to him, its cold aura providing a quick chill. Mush had no face, no discernible eyes, but Kael had learned to read its movements. Understand its expression.

  "Can I extract your cold aura?" Kael asked.

  Mush shifted slightly, its gelatinous body rippling in response, and Kael could feel the unspoken understanding. Without further words, Kael carefully took the Essence Syringe and carefully pressed the needle into Mush.

  The syringe slid in without resistance. Mush didn’t flinch, didn’t recoil. It was almost as if it hadn’t noticed the syringe at all.

  He pulled the syringe out after a moment, inspecting it with a quiet frown. The needle was filled with a thick, green substance, a stark contrast to the expected blue that Kael had anticipated. The words materialized before him, glowing softly in the air:

  Amorphous: Creatures with this trait are able to stretch and mold their shape with great flexibility.

  This wasn’t what I expected. Kael had hoped to extract something related to Mush’s cold aura. Its chilling presence, the way it froze the air around it. But instead, the syringe had drawn out the essence of something far more fundamental: the very flexibility that defined all slimes.

  The moment seemed ripe for testing.

  Looking at the syringe, Kael’s gaze shifted to the rest of his companions. There was Jello, his large slime companion, who was able to shape and reform as the situation demanded. Jello must have the Amorphous trait too.

  Then there were his golems. Gerry, the towering metal construct who formed the sturdy backbone of his defense. And there was Blue, the wisps flickering in the corners of his square. Some of his other companions had already left for the Conclave Expedition, and Kael was left with fewer to test, but he wasn’t deterred.

  "Gerry," Kael called.

  Gerry, having just finished chopping down a thick tree with one of the newly crafted axes, turned around with mechanical precision. The tree, now felled, was dragged behind Gerry like a trophy and with a single motion, Gerry set it down in front of Kael.

  Kael approached, his hand still gripping the Essence Syringe. Without further hesitation, Kael pressed the syringe to Gerry’s form and injected the green essence into his steel body.

  Gerry stood there, unmoving, waiting for something to happen. Kael's gaze remained fixed on him, his mind racing with anticipation. Would this be the breakthrough he needed? If this trait could work with Gerry, he wouldn’t need to use a slime to partner up with him anymore. Gerry, with a new flexible wobbly arm would be more powerful.

  Kael held his breath, waiting for the transformation.

  Instead, there was nothing. The greenish essence simply trickled down Gerry’s massive body, dissipating into the air like mist.

  "Huh," Kael said, rubbing his chin as he studied the golem. "It doesn’t work with golems, I guess."

  “Maybe it only works on the fleshy organics,” Gerry suggested, returning back to work.

  Kael’s attention drifted towards the wisps, the little blue lights that hovered in the corners of his square.

  He approached Blue. The creature pulsed slowly, its glow steady but faint, a dim blue light that flickered like a flame in the darkness. Kael’s fingers tightened around the syringe, his mind focused. What essence would they have?

  He had hoped for one thing. Flight.

  If he could extract the essence of flight from them, perhaps he could use it for Shadow, giving his mount the ability to fly. Or Jello. Or Mush. He would have an army of flying slimes.

  He pressed the syringe gently to Blue, and the wisp’s glow dimmed slightly as the needle pierced its ethereal form. The syringe pulsed with energy as the essence was drawn out, the fluid inside glowing with a dim, almost spectral light.

  The words appeared in the air before him, as though the syringe itself were speaking:

  Glowing: Creatures with this trait are able to glow with a dim light.

  Glowing? That was it?

  Flight was what he wanted. Needed.

  Instead, he was left with something as mundane as a glow. Kael could not help but feel a flicker of frustration. He had expected something more. Something greater.

  But Kael wasn’t one to waste time on disappointment. It was still worth trying. The grafting process had its potential, even when he hadn’t discovered the rarest of traits.

  He glanced over at Jello, the large slime, who wobbled eagerly as it always did when Kael was near. But there was another one. Goober, who was also a level 3 defender slime, sat in the corner.

  "Goober," Kael said. "I’ll give you this, okay?"

  Goober didn’t flinch as Kael brought the syringe close. The needle slid into Goober's soft, green skin easily. The creature seemed completely unaffected, its wobbles unchanged, its gelatinous form undisturbed.

  Kael pressed the syringe, the glowing liquid flowing steadily into Goober’s body, the essence sliding in with a slight hiss. Then, Goober’s body began to vibrate.

  Was this the sign of the graft taking hold?

  And then, just as suddenly, it stopped. Slowly, the slime began to glow. The green glow intensified, the light radiating from Goober in waves.

  "Goober!" Kael called out. "You’re now Glowing Goober."

  The slime wobbled happily, its body pulsing with the new glow. It was a simple change, nothing extraordinary.

  But it was a start. There were still so many questions unanswered, so much work to do.

  Kael’s thoughts went back towards the Conclave Expedition timer. Six more hours.

  In six hours, his companions will return and he could use the Essence Syringe on them. Boney, Xal and Grymos. What essence would be extracted from the Skara? Or an Ossuary?

  Kael glanced out toward the edges of his square. He could do little but wait. A sigh escaped him, deep and heavy.

  There was something else that he had to wait for. Myke and the wyvern egg. The deal with him, the promise made, had not yet come to fruition. The dragon egg was still in Kael’s possession and the gold was nowhere to be found.

  Soon, Myke would arrive, and when he did, Kael would finally have the gold to expand his conclave.

  Gold to think bigger.

  ******