I read through the entry displayed on the Interface again.
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Air Fairy Sometimes called Sylphs, they are Fairies born of wind, storm and sunlight. Reclusive and shy, Air Fairies are the most rarely encountered, and second most uncommon kind of Fairy. Those who attempt to capture them often find themselves lost and misdirected, unable to follow even the simplest of directions. Contrarily, those who capture their affection will mysteriously travel faster or find unprompted gifts of clothing or other finery. Holding one is said to bring warmth and good fortune.
| Create (20 CP) | Body | Heart | Mind | Spirit | Abilities | Back | |
The description specifically mentioned clothing, so it seemed a much safer bet than the Water Fairy had. With no reason to delay, I pressed the Create button.
What appeared was a being of transparent glass, slightly intangible around the edges and filled with multi-colored gases. The face was delicate, but with startling blue-white eyes that looked like endless loops of electricity. Her dress was long and white, flowing well past her feet. Long silky wings streamed out behind her in an imaginary wind, somehow avoiding her overly-long translucent hair.
The Fairy took one look at everyone gathered around her before vanishing from sight. Ah, should have seen that coming based on the description. I wasn't able to understand how she disappeared. If it was a spell, I might have seen the mana. Most likely she'd just flown away so fast my eyes couldn't keep up. Impressive, if true. I didn't even see an afterimage.
In my peripheral vision, the Kindlesprite pointed up. I followed the gesture to see the stalactites up above. Though I couldn't spot the Fairy herself, it made sense she would go up there. I softly ordered the others to wait for now. Though I was also nervous about meeting a new person, the new Fairy seemed to have it much worse. After a quick casting of Air Armor, I jumped up and dug my fingers into one of the many hollows in the stalactites. I reveled in the short flight for a moment, before sharpening my focus around me.
Up close, I could feel how much thicker the air mana was in this place. It was always present in the air, understandably, but here it was almost twice as dense as normal. Well, it still felt thin compared to the water mana in the river, and it was practically nonexistent compared to what saturated Corina's temple. I wasn't confident the Air Fairy could survive here at all. We'd need to work fast to make it more habitable for her.
I still couldn't find the Air Fairy, but I assumed she was nearby. All my other creatures had immediately greeted me when they appeared, so I doubted she would just flee entirely. By now, I had a fair idea of the 'program' the Dungeon gave newly made Creatures. To begin, an introduction and orders.
My voice echoed oddly in the mana heavy air, carried in strange patterns on the wind. "Hello there. My name is Selene. I'd like to give you a name as well, once I've had a chance to meet you properly."
I briefly waited for a response, though I knew it wouldn't come. "I understand Air Fairies are shy, so it's alright to stay hidden. But I don't know if the mana here can sustain you. I want that to be your highest priority, if it's something you can do. If you need any help, you can ask one of us. I can add a Feature to the Room, just like the lake and river, or you can ask Corina. She's the Oread down below, and she's the one who shaped these stalactites if you have any advice for improving them."
"The other thing I want from you is to act as a tailor for everybody. I've been planning to start buying Arachne Silk from the other Dungeons, but I was waiting to see if you had anything to say about that. And for the ore to trade for it, of course. Lastly, I'm planning on creating another Nymph soon. It'll probably be a Naiad, but if you need me to make an Aurad immediately I can do that." There was no response, but I was confident she heard me. It was a little inconvenient that I couldn't talk to her face-to-face like the other Fairies, but it's not like I didn't understand wanting to avoid people. I relaxed my grip and dropped back down to the ground.
I briefly considered whether it would be better to start on the Market, or to create the Nymph first. I was sure the Market would be complicated, so I went with my original plan and left it for later.
Right now I had four Fairy types. Geni's Contraption Fairy genus didn't seem to have a specific Nymph associated with it, or I wasn't spotting the relation at least. I already had Corina to match Mica's Earth, so that left Water and Air. There were two water Nymphs, but though the Nereid was interesting, it didn't match my goals in creating the Nymphs. Which left the Naiad that Mara had suggested, and the Aurad.
... In the end, I would probably end up creating both. They were just too useful to overlook. If I was desperate for a reason to pick one over the other, I could say that the cheaper one would leave me more CP to play around with the Market. In reality, I just picked the Naiad at random.
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Naiad The personification of rivers, lakes and other freshwater domains. Naiads are the most proactive of nymphs in their attempts to seek out lovers. They use powerful Enchantment magic to lure travelers to them, who then wake after days, weeks, or even years with no knowledge of where they were. Such individuals often find themselves ostracized by their female companions or wives afterwards, for no reason they can discern. Those who seek out Naiads with rotten intentions are said to vanish, never to return again... Though some are found as bloated corpses far downriver from their last known location.
| Create (40 CP) | Body | Heart | Mind | Spirit | Abilities | Back | |
Somehow I had my doubts about the association between enchanting people and enchanting items, but if nothing else she could improve the water Features of the dungeon. I directed a brief glance towards the ceiling. After a moment, I focused on the lake and pressed the Create button.
As with Corina, the Creation started by reshaping the lake itself. While the sand and stone surrounding it was unaffected, the mana density of the water jumped up considerably, and a slight glow began to emit from its surface. An upswell of water in the center of the lake became a swift series of waves that sped across the distance. I took a step back as the water lapped at my boots.
Looking back up, I saw part of the flow of power spread down the river and out of sight, while the rest condensed into a dazzling point of power. When it faded, I could just make out the silhouette of a woman under the surface. She floated there for a moment, stretching her body out, before turning and swimming towards us.
When she finally broke the surface, I was strongly reminded of Corina. Their physical features were nothing alike, rather the feeling came from her overwhelming beauty and the nearly predatory look she directed at me. Her eyes were dark blue, and her shining blonde hair was too short to reach her shoulders. Her skin was lightly tanned, but still pale like the sand on the shore beneath us. Her- Seriously? Her bikini was blue with orange straps and a half-skirt-thingy.
"Thank Go- Nyx I already made an Air Fairy." I Withdrew an old hoodie from my Bank, then quickly cast Gentle Clean on her to get rid of the water dripping off her body. "Here, put this on for now. You're definitely getting the first outfit once that's possible." I couldn't help the fed-up tone that tainted my voice.
Somehow, I'd put the Naiad on the back foot. She'd taken the hoodie I handed her almost without thinking about it, and the look she was giving me had turned into confusion. She stood there awkwardly holding it as water collected around her feet.
Mara fluttered up and softly landed on the Naiad's shoulder, patting her gently and whispering something to her. The other Fairies soon closed the distance as well, investigating the newcomer. Corina only offered an amused if slightly bitter smile.
The Naiad listened to Mara blankly for a second before startling to attention. "Oh! Um, hello uh, my Lady. Um, Selene." She amended after a quick whisper from Mara. Her aura was taking on a decidedly humiliated tone as she struggled to introduce herself. "I'm a Nymph- er, a Naiad. I... Can enchant things yeah. But I think I'm better at enchanting people, like charms and enhancements... ya know?"
About what I expected. "But as long as you can do it, I'd like you to help everybody with enchanting Spellbooks and other items. Aside from that, I'd like you to work with Corina to alter the terrain." I pointed to the still seated Oread, at the same time releasing my grip on the Dungeon's water mana. "Get to know everybody and figure out what you can do to help out."
She looked at Corina, and her mood instantly improved. "Oh, I'm looking forward to 'getting to know' you!" She immediately returned to flirting...
Corina looked startled for a moment, before turning a bright smile towards the Naiad. "Likewise. Why don't you sit with me so we can... Talk." She glanced my way, the only sign of her thoughts a flash of concern. It disappeared as she changed the subject. "Before that, did you want to give her a name?"
I did want to give her a name. I had a few prepared, but I was quickly coming to the conclusion that I didn't want to be near these two at the same time. I picked the name that seemed appropriate without thinking about it too much. "Loralei. Now, I'm going to go look at rocks. For the Market thing. Later." I waved a little, and started walking away.
The Kindlesprite followed me, and after a moment Mica and Geni each landed on a shoulder. Most likely they wanted to discuss the Market details, but I didn't feel like asking. We crossed the river and headed into the mineral fields. I paused when I found the first interesting looking rocks and pulled up the Interface. Hopefully I could find something worth selling here.
Naiad used Seduce on Selene! It was completely ineffective.
Naiad got Confused!
Aurad? Aren't air nymphs called Aurai?
It's a weird plural/singular situation. Aurae is the plural, and Aurad is the singular.
Though apparently Aurai doesn't get red squigglies saying it's not a word. Which just makes the word that much more frustrating, lol. The clash with Aura Perception and now this-
Doesn't she need to relinquish control of the water mana to Loralei?
Yeah, she kinda did it automatically when she ordered her to help Corina alter the terrain. I do probably need to edit this chapter later, to make that more meaningful and for other reasons.