Joey walked up to Sarah and Claire with a smirk. "Okay, check this out." He said, sharing a description with them.

Fire Magic, level 5
- Rare Ability (3 Star)
- Can cast fire aligned magic.
- +25 MP and MP Regen.
- +25% spell effect.
- Can learn up to 15 spells.
- Can learn spells from other practitioners with moderate difficulty.
- Can create new spells with significant difficulty.
- Automatically learn one random fire spell every level.
- Milestones:
- - Empower Spell (Metamagic): When casting a spell, you may increase its mana cost and casting time by up to 50% (10% per level) to increase its effect by twice that percentage.

"Lets me hit way harder. The increased casting time isn't great, but it still gives me a lot of extra damage - I can kill most level 1 and 2 monsters with a single hit now, and some level 3 ones, too. Oh, and I got a new spell, also." He continued, before sharing it as well.

Explosive Charge
- Cost: 5 MP
- Casting Time: 10 seconds
- Duration: 10 minutes.
- Range: Hand.
- Effect: Creates a glowing red sphere of magic in your hand. Upon proximity with any other creature or with another offensive fire magic spell, this sphere explodes for significant damage in a small radius.

Sarah raised her eyebrows. "Well I definitely want to see that in action... But maybe not right now. Did you have any other options for milestones?" She asked, and Joey shrugged.

"Yeah, but they sucked. I could get an extra 1 MP and MP regen per level, or an extra 1 spell slot per level. Big whoops." He laughed.

Claire frowned. "...See, when it says 'proximity with any other creature, does that include us? And how far is 'proximate', exactly?" She asks, and Sarah looks over at her.

"...Yeah, good point. Okay, well, we stand well back when he uses that one, yeah?" She joked, and Joey crossed his arms.

"Don't need you stealing my glory anyway. How close are you two to leveling?" He asks.

Claire shrugged. "Level 4 and a half. Almost have enough essence to level up... But not quite."

"Yeah, same for me. Though I'm only at 30% to level 5, but still." Sarah said, sighing.

"The grind gets really slow at the end. But if we're going to have to deal with a swarm of intelligent spiders, I'd rather get ahead of things." Joey said,

---

Claire follows Sarah into her desk in the corner of the workshop, it's surface covered with scrawled notes and several open books. "So, uh, while I have you alone..." The dryad said, blushing softly. "I know this is a bit of a sensitive subject, but have you thought about taking Miria's eggs?"

Sarah stiffens. "Uhm! N-nooo, I thought you were the only one who was going to do that?" She said, turning to look at Claire with wide eyes.

Claire let out a low sigh. "Well, that's what Miria was thinking, but... If we have to deal with Nazis *and* spiders, then I'm worried we might need more numbers... Which isn't how Miria wants to do things, I know, but it's better to have the option... And if nothing else, they can help stand watch."

Sarah squirmed. "I dunno... Can we feed them? And like, won't someone need to raise them?"

Claire grinned. "Yeah, but according to the System, it only takes a week for them to reach maturity. I can easily make enough food to feed everyone, especially once I finish the hedge wall, which I can do tomorrow. I know how to raise kids, too, I had a roommate with a kid once, I helped her with him before... Well, anyway, I have experience." She shrugged "Any other questions? You can feel my egg bump again if you want too." She teases, grinning again and pushing out her belly towards Sarah suggestively.

"...Well." Sarah reached out and pressed her hands into Claires egg bump. "Actually, here, let me use my 'Sense Life' spell on you?" She asked, and Claire nodded.

"Go for it!" She said. "It is pretty neat, feeling another living thing inside myself like this."

Sarah's hands glowed with a nimbus of blue magic, speckled with green sparkles as she massaged Claire's belly. "...Oh fuck, I can feel it. It's like, implanted in you... Y-You're not just carrying it, it's connected to you. I can feel your body providing for it... Doesn't it hurt?" She said, looking hesitantly up at Claire, who grinned and shrugged again.

"It hurt a bit going in, and it aches a little too sometimes... I was feeling so good when it went in I barely noticed the pain though, and after that it feels nice being full. There's just something satisfying about it..." She giggled. "I dunno, I guess it's making me a little baby crazy. I like it though."

Sarah's face burned. "...So they don't just mess with your body, but with your mind too?"

"Yeah, a little bit, I guess. But like, regular pregnancies do that too. Lots of things mess with our minds, that's just life." She said. "Besides, it's kinda hot, ain't it?"

Sarah swallowed and bit her lip. "Uh, I guess... I-I dunno, I'll think about it."

---

Miria sighed, looking at her character sheet.

*Well, okay, time to make some decisions.*

*Name*:
- Miria Castlin

*Classes*:
- Tyrvexi Hive Princess, Level 4 [11%]

*Resources*:
- 65/65 HP, 85 Regen per week.
- 33/33 FP, 33 Regen per day.
- 50/50 CP, 50 Regen per day.
- 8/8 MP, 4 Regen per day.
- 0/1 Eggs, 0.2 Regen per day.
- 2/2 Intrinsic Quintessences.
- 79 Essence.

*Stats*:
- Strength 4 [79%]
- Constitution 4 [63%]
- Vitality 4 [72%]
- Intelligence 5 [2%]
- Instinct 4 [65%]
- Dominance 5 [23%]
- Empathy 5 [41%]

*Abilities*:
- Tyrvexi Princess Physiology 4 [76%]
- - Protective Chitin 4 [52%]
- - Antennae 5 [2%]
- - Extra Limbs 4 [64%]
- - Pheromones 4 [31%]
- - Increased Stature 5 [10%]
- - Sexual Anatomy 2 [69%]
- Tyrvexi Princess Mentality 3 [69%]
- Servitor Eggs 1 [52%]

*Skills*:
- Melee Combat 4 [49%]
- Leadership 4 [23%]
- Teaching 4 [14%]

*What to level? Do I want to go all in on leadership and teaching? And my eggs?*

She pursed her lips, considering her options.

*...No, I should get some other stuff too. Intelligence and Empathy... Still not entirely comfortable with Dominance, but I'll think about it. Instinct is... Iffier... I'll think about it too. What else... I guess my physiology trait is pretty interesting? Maybe that one next, just to see if I get anything neat from it. And some points in physical stats and melee combat, just in case. I am one of our stronger melee combatants...*

She looked the sheet over one last time, then nodded to herself.

*Alright, fuck it, enough putting things off.*

[-12 Essence. Leadership has reached Level 5! Choose a milestone.]
- +1 CP & CP Regen per level.
- +1% awareness of those you lead per level.
- +1 Temp CP per two hours while leading per 3 levels.

*...Oh, well that's easy. I'm not struggling for CP right now - not working that hard, I guess. Only have 9 people to lead, after all. So, awareness it is. Okay, teaching next then.*

[-13 Essence. Teaching has reached Level 5! Choose a milestone.]
- +1% ability to teach others per level.
- +1% awareness of those you teach per level.
- +1 Temp CP per two hours while teaching per 3 levels.

She raised her eyebrows and laughed softly.

*Once again, obvious choice is obvious. Yes please, I'd like to be better at teaching, thank you.*

She looked over her sheet again, lightly chewing her lip.

*...Well, I have 54 left. Should I spend it, or save it...? No egg yet, so I don't need it for that... I could spend it to level the ability... It is one of my more expensive things to level, though.*

Servitor Eggs
- Ultra-Rare Ability (4 Star)
- Can control fertility, stockpile Intrinsic Quintessence, and create permanent living Tyrvexi Servitors.
- Collecting Intrinsic Quintessence costs 5 essence from the donor and requires direct insemination.
- Eggs can be fertilized or unfertilized, and can be laid directly or implanted into hosts with suitable wombs, this does not harm the Host inherently.
- Servitors get two stats from queen of queens choice + Tyrvexi Physiology and Tyrvexi Mentality. The eggs can be fertilized with Intrinsic Quintessence before laying or implantation, this gives them an additional two stats and an applicable ability at random from the essence Donor. If implanted, they copy an additional three stats and two applicable abilities at random from the Host.
- Accumulates 1 egg per 5 levels per day, up to a max limit of 1 per level.
- Can store 2 Intrinsic Quintessences per level.
- Eggs gestate for 1 week after laying, or if implanted in a Host, for five days inside them plus one day after laying.
- Servitors mature 1 week after hatching.
- Costs 50 Essence on generation and another 50 while gestating.

[Raise? Cost: 47 Essence]

*...Fuck it, naw, it can wait. Lets take a look at 'Melee Combat' and 'Tyrvexi Princess Physiology'.

Melee Combat:
- Common Skill (1 Star)
- +2% ability to attack in melee combat per level.
- +2% ability to defend in melee combat per level.
- +1 FP per level.
- +1 FP Regen per day per level.

[Raise? Cost: 8 Essence]

Tyrvexi Princess Physiology
- Rare Ability (3 Star)
- Sub-Abilities:
- Protective Chitin 4 [52%]
- Antennae 5 [2%]
- Extra Limbs 4 [64%]
- Pheromones 4 [31%]
- Increased Stature 5 [10%]
- Sexual Anatomy 2 [69%]

[Raise? Cost: 11 Essence]

*Yeah, fuck it. Lets see what my physiology has in store for me, hmm?*

[-11 Essence. Tyrvexi Princess Physiology has reached Level 5! Choose a milestone.]
- Gain sub-ability: Regrowth.
- Gain sub-ability: Fur Coat.
- Gain sub-ability: Insectile Precision.

She raised her eyebrows. *...It's all sub-abilities? I guess that sort of makes sense, but damn, that's kind of a big deal, ain't it? They can't all be like that all the time, can they? Well, fuck it, I have dialogs saves up. Show me the descriptions for all those, System, let me see what I'm working with.*

Tyrvexi Princess Physiology - Regrowth
- Common Sub-Ability (1 Star)
- Gain the ability to regrow lost body parts very slowly.
- +2% regrowth speed per level.

Tyrvexi Princess Physiology - Fur Coat
- Common Sub-Ability (1 Star)
- Gives minimally protective coat of fur.
- +2% protection per level.

Tyrvexi Princess Physiology - Insectile Precision
- Common Sub-Ability (1 Star)
- +2% motor control per level, +5% fine motor control per level.
- Can spend 1 CP per second to double benefits.

She frowned. *Well, these are all pretty good... Hard to pick one. Probably the last one is best - gives me an offensive and defensive boost and lets me leverage my CP for combat. Neither of the benefits are super huge, but they're both pretty decent... Oh, that first ability could be big, though. But on the other hand, it's only really useful if I take a big injury and then manage to survive. Generally something I'd rather try and avoid in the first place...*

She chews on her lip for a moment longer, then makes her decision. *Yeah, fuck it, I'll take the precision, please. Now, lets get 'Melee Combat' too...*

[-8 Essence. Melee Combat has reached Level 5! Choose a milestone.]
- +1 Temp CP per combat per 3 levels.
- +1 Temp FP per combat per 3 levels.
- +1 Temp HP per combat per 3 levels.

*...Really? That's not the same thing Jack got. Is it random...? Well, that's annoying.* She sighed. *Ugh. Have to make the best of it I guess...* She looked her sheet over. *Well, CP are the one I already have a thing to spend on... But I can probably spend FP without an ability for it, that seems easy enough. I have a lot more CP than FP, too. I don't want to be taking hits and losing HP... I suppose it could happen anyway, and better to lose Temp HP than real ones... But, no, fuck it. I'll take the FP, and just try to kill things before they bite me. Now, let's see what that puts me at overall.*

Miria Castlin, Tyrvexi Hive Princess, Level 4, Benefits Summary:
- *Resources*:
- - 65/65 HP, 85 Regen per week.
- - 33/33 FP, 33 Regen per day, +1 Temp FP per combat.
- - 50/50 CP, 50 Regen per day.
- - 8/8 MP, 4 Regen per day.
- - 0/1 Eggs, 0.2 Regen per day.
- - 2/2 Intrinsic Quintessences.

- *Passive Buffs*:
- - +26% physical strength
- - +4% increased effect of all physical traits other than vitality.
- - +15% mental ability
- - +20% awareness of instincts.
- - +8% effectiveness of actions when following instincts.
- - +25% ability to dominate others.
- - +25% ability to influence others when taking the dominant position.
- - +25% ability to understand the feelings of others.
- - +8% chitin protection.
- - +2% chitin coverage.
- - +8% improved smell.
- - +4% improved hearing.
- - +4% improved strength, motor control, and durability for all limbs.
- - +8% increased strength of pheromone influence.
- - +4% increased pheromone range.
- - +1% increased physical size.
- - +4% sex slime potency.
- - +2% sexual motor control.
- - +2% sexual endurance.
- - +2% motor control, +5% fine motor control.
- - +10% ability to attack in melee combat.
- - +10% ability to defend in melee combat.
- - +10% ability to lead others.
- - +5% awareness of those you lead.
- - +15% ability to teach others

- * Passive Abilities*:
- - Have Chitin armor that protects against injury to covered areas.
- - Have Antennae that give improved sense of smell and hearing.
- - Can smell the moods of others, and pick up other subtle auditory and olfactory cues.
- - 5x as good smell as humans.
- - 2x as good hearing as humans.
- - Gives extra arms, specializes arms, and gives short tail.
- - Allows signaling mood and intentions via pheromones.
- - Can influence the moods of others nearby. 10x effect on Tyrvexi hive subordinates.
- - Stature is increased to 7 feet tall, with a greater than human physical strength.
- - Have vagina for genetic essence collection and sheathed ovipositor for egg implantation.
- - Emit aphrodisiac & muscle relaxant slime.

- *Active Abilities*:
- - Can control fertility, stockpile Intrinsic Quintessence, and create permanent living Tyrvexi Servitors.
- - Can spend 1 CP per second for +2% motor control or +5% fine motor control.

*...Insectile Precision really isn't much at this level, huh? I'll just have to level it up, then. For the rest...* She looked the description over again. *Well, I've got a lot of benefits to strength and durability. Still been having trouble hitting things lately, and looking at my benefits, I can see why... New ability should help with that. Decent benefits to leadership and teaching, though I'm not entirely comfortable with how much it plays into the whole 'pheromone dominance' thing. But, okay, fuck it, no one seems to be complaining, and if it helps us survive, then beggars can't be choosers. Though maybe I should still ask Sarah to look into it? She already has plenty to do though...*

---

Claire blushed as she walked up to Joey. "Uhm. Hey."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Yeah? What can I help you with?" He said, grinning, before his eyes widened and the grin fell away. "Ohhh, wait, is this about...?"

Claire's blush intensified. "Yeahhh. It's okay, I'm not mad about it or anything, but I figured I should talk to you. So uh, you want to make a... Donation, to Miria?" She said, and Joey met her blush with one of his own, a slight orange incandescence lighting up in swirls and freckles beneath the skin of his cheeks.

"Uhm. Yeah. If that's okay? I didn't really think things through when I suggested it. Didn't want to, like, offend you, or cause you relationship difficulties, or whatever..." He said, trailing off awkwardly.

Claire giggled. "No, no, I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay... We don't want to hurt you, or take advantage of you, or whatever..."

Joey sighed. "Yeah, I'm kinda annoyed that my age is the first thing everyone thinks about. Like, for most of human history I'd be old enough to die in a blood feud, but suddenly the thought of me getting laid is just the worst thing?" He said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, this is supposed to be a more enlightened age. We try not to do the blood feud thing either." Claire said, laughing softly.

"Yeah, and we'll see how well that works. Like, we have nazis on one side of us, spiders who knows where, and we both know my ability would help a lot." He said, crossing his arms. "Or do you not want a swarm of fireball throwing insect warriors to help cover your back when we get into a major fight?"

Claire frowned. "I see your point... Are you sure you're up for it, though? Like, here. Come put your hands on my belly." She says, gesturing him over, and he hesitantly does so. "Are you sure you can handle knowing that's your kid? Even if they are a bug monster? Can you handle having them around, worrying what might happen to them? If one of them ends up killed by a spider or something, which we can't guarantee won't happen, are you going to be alright?" She asked, and Joey grit his teeth and looked away, pulling back his hands.

"...Shit. I-I, I dunno." He sighed. "...I hadn't thought about it like that."

Claire smiled gently and patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah. I didn't really think about it that much before I went ahead with all this, but." She shrugged. "...I'm in my twenties, so I guess I'm just supposed to learn from my dumb decisions the hard way? Not that I regret it, I'm probably gonna go ahead with it again even. But I do wish I'd thought about it a bit more first. Oh well, eh? Live and learn."