Yeah, thanks, now out of the way.

... Well, right off the bat, 'Kabloomie Goblins' are off the list. That name is way too stupid. Even if their stats are better than I expected. Hmm? A lot of Gnomes made it onto the list. Multiple subtypes, so they might get Tinkerer abilities as a race. Some of them even had both a Tinker ability and things like Magic Artificer or Alchemist. Definitely worth noting...

Clockwork, Contraption, and Earth Fairies were also an option. Clockwork Fairies had a Clockwork Gadgets ability, while Contraption Fairies had Mystical Tinkerer. Earth Fairies didn't actually have an ability about Tinkering though? I looked through their information, but nothing told me why they were picked up in the search. The only ability they did have was 'Guardian Spirit of the Earth' which had a rather cryptic description. Maybe it had a secondary crafting effect?

Two subraces of Giant, a few types of Beastkin, a few variants of other races, some unique creatures, but nothing that called out to me. Well, one of the Giants had Trapsmithing, so that was a good combination. Expensive though.

I talked with the Kindlesprite about what would work, but she only had small insights to offer. Like Giants being too big to walk through the doors. The Fairies similarly would have trouble making weapons for human sized creatures. I thought there were some advantages as well though. Talking it out with her was rather helpful.

I also tried posting about the creatures that interested me on the forums. In case someone else had already or was willing to try them before I had the CP to make any. Oddly enough, the only answer I got was about Fairies. Specifically, the Elemental Fairy types had strange powers over their respective elements that wouldn't normally be apparent. Fire Fairies could enchant fuel to burn longer or hotter, or they could increase the power of allied attacks. They also had synergy with other types of creatures, and would request those creatures be created. I admit it sparked some interest in me.

Fairies had a somewhat low repop rate, and it couldn't be boosted using any of the methods that were popular on the forum. Then again, my Kindlesprites couldn't be boosted that way either. It kind of made sense to aim for creatures that wouldn't suffer from me specializing in a... Non-standard dungeon format.

I had warmed up to the idea enough that Fairies were definitely in. Next was whether I wanted them to support another creature, or if I wanted to focus on them exclusively. The Giant had potential, but it could benefit from Repop Up abilities, so I decided to leave it for someone else. The Gnomes were the same, though I was far more tempted by their abilities than the Giants'.

I had a minor epiphany as I scrolled through the list. If I let the Kindlesprites support the Fairies, then the Fairies would provide the skill and the Kindlesprites would provide the raw stats. There was no need to add any extra variables. Well, aside from whatever creatures the Fairies were going to request. Hopefully they weren't too expensive.

I finally settled in and did a last minute check of the Fairy I was going to create first.

Pretty expensive compared to the standard fantasy races, but their stats were worth it. With the exception of the Body, of course. That was even worse than the default Goblins'. No, it may have been worse than the Common Rockworms'. They would need to be protected, but it shouldn't make them worse as craftsmen. I checked my CP, only to find I had just enough. Where did the time go? I barely got anything done in the last five hours.

I hesitated for a moment looking at the screen, but a curious tilt of the head from the Kindlesprite was enough to push me forward. The surge of power was strong, but after seeing the Kindlesprite being created it was easily bearable. The Fairy that appeared was small enough to fit in my hand, with beautiful gold and green colored wings, white-blonde hair, and pale steel colored skin covered by a matching grey dress. She fluttered through the air for a moment, before unexpectedly diving into my computer. Into. She completely vanished into the solid part of the tower with a squeal of delight.

I shared a shocked look with the Kindlesprite. Well, I was shocked. The Kindlesprite just seemed mildly confused. I could barely make out a pale glow coming through the air holes in my computer, and my monitor flickered once before becoming noticeably brighter. The tower itself started making a horrific noise as the fan's motor accelerated and a cloud of dust blew out. Lastly, one of the LED's that had been broken mended itself and turned on. I assumed that far more important changes were occurring, but there wasn't any visible evidence of it.

"Umm, hello?" I tried to get the Fairy's attention, but the only response was a... well, I wouldn't use the word lecherous to describe her giggle, but it was close. I backed away a little. Maybe I made a mistake here?

A small face finally poked out of my computer. "Hey boss. Nice thingy you got here. A computer, right? I really really like it. I made some repairs and stuff so it'll work better than ever." Her face disappeared back inside. There was another giggle, then she flew all the way out and landed on my monitor. "Try it out, try it!"

I was curious about the extent of the 'and stuff' she'd done to it. I sat and loaded up one of the more intense games I had, making sure to turn up the graphics all the way. As I waited for it, I started talking to the Fairy. "Do you have a name?"

She tilted her head at me. "Huh? No, you can call me whatever you like. Ah, you can skip this screen if you click the escape key." I was surprised to find she was right. Who was the one who'd played this game for months here?

As promised, even with all the settings set to max, the game ran smoothly. Impossibly. My computer, as much as I loved it, was long outdated by the time this game was released. The details were so clear, and the sound was so loud I had to turn the volume down. If she'd been trying to demonstrate her utility, smashing success. I don't think that was her goal though.

It was literally the first thing I thought of, but I tried asking anyways. "What about Geni? As a name." I flushed a little. It seemed stupid now that I said it out loud.

Another head tilt. "Hmm? Sounds good, boss. I'm Geni now." She nodded, then slyly asked, "Whadya think about your computer? It's happier now, right?" She fluttered around gaily for a moment before landing back on the monitor.

"Call me Selene." I didn't really get what she meant, but the difference was noticeable. "I'm impressed. Can you do this with any machine?"

She looked around the room a moment, her eyes catching on my phone for a moment. She gave a slight frown and then turned her nose up at it. "Sure, but there's no point if it doesn't get loved. There's no point in something that just gets left to rot." She suddenly flew over to the Kindlesprite. "You got a name? You're kinda interesting, but also sorta not? It's weird. I like you." 

The Kindlesprite's brow furrowed slightly. "I will not receive a name until I evolve."

Geni fluttered around as if she expected more, but then shrugged and landed on the other creature's shoulder. "Well, evolve quickly then." She turned her attention to me. "Hey-hey, Selene. Got any work for me? I can start jiggering with stuff, but I..." She blinked as if surprised. "I wanna be useful to you. Haha, that's a weird thing to say, right?"

I blinked back at her. "I don't mind. We had two things that we needed made immediately." I gestured to the Kindlesprite. "Do you think you can make a tool that she can use to... chip clay from her body? And a way to keep that clay from leaving that room over there?"

The little Fairy thought about what I'd said for a bit. Obviously it was just as strange a request to her as it was to me. "The second one should be easier." Geni knocked on the other girl's shoulder, wincing a little at the impact. "But a tool that can break this is gonna need special materials. I'm not even sure I could make something like that from scratch. Uh, should I get started on the containment field instead?"

Containment field? Oh, for the clay? "You won't need anything special for it?"

She answered smugly, "Pfft. It's just a few simple engravings. Baby stuff. If I had a good stylus, I could do the work faster, but even with a handmade one I'll be fine."

I nodded briefly at that. "What would qualify as a 'good stylus' then?"

"Huh? I guess it's just a question of materials, again. I'd need something that could be warped into intricate wires and patterns, and something that could hold up to heavy impacts or grinding. Uhhh. Copper and Steel would probably work, but I bet there's better stuff that I don't know about right now."

I thought about it for a moment as the three of us stood to move to the entrance of the other room. "Would it be worth making some with the Crafting menu?" The question was quiet, I wasn't even sure if I was asking Geni or just talking to myself.

She answered all the same. "Well, with enough materials I could do lots of things. But I don't really know what kinda things you'd want me doing."

I glanced over at her for a moment before replying. "I don't really know what I want you doing either. Why don't you make something interesting for me? You can look for ideas on my computer if you need to. I or the Kindlesprite can show you how."

The Fairy seemed lost for a moment, before grinning. "Alright! I'll make you something really really cool, and you'll love it!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm. Normally I would be intimidated, but maybe it was because she was so small, I just felt like helping her out instead. One CP each caused a decent amount of copper and steel to appear. I wondered if there was a better way for a moment, before I got distracted by a jarring *CRACK* and a shocked gasp. I winced, and then tried to figure out what to do next. Things were moving forward now. But I was still acting without a real goal for the dungeon. Maybe it was time to fix that?

Cipiteca396

Geni wasn't in the first draft. I'm meeting her for the first time too, here.