A Tyrant, Sort Of

Cutting out mineral hearts from orecruncher corpses wasn’t the most pleasant of tasks. Their bodies at least yielded to her sharp claws without difficulty. Lugging the objects back was a short, unbothersome trip. The hearts were much smaller than the hivemother’s, though not negligible in size, else Sable would have left them. On average, they were around a third the length of her claw.

Which, on reflection, wasn’t a great measurement standard to use, seeing how she was growing considerably as the days passed. Regardless, the additional metal—though not the most valuable, being comprised mostly of digested iron and copper and other lesser ores—was a welcome addition to her hoard.

From there, Sable ventured out onto a leveling expedition. She had gathered what the favorable hunting grounds were from speaking with Skatikk. There unfortunately wasn’t as convenient a task as the Danner Quarry, nor did they know of any dungeons she could fit inside, so Sable needed to sate herself with regular hunting. Her progress, this time, would aid herself alone.

The Fang Hollows were a dangerous, criss-crossing series of ravines located far to the north of the Red Plains, in territory no tribe laid claim to. Within those rends on the land lurked two monsters in particular Sable was interested in testing tooth and claw against. [Toxic Mirebeasts] and [Brimstone Wyrms] were among the most dangerous creatures found in the Red Plains—at least in high quantities.

As with the orecrunchers, Sable intended to indulge in a tiny bit of massacre. She had skills to be earning and spells to be honing, and experience came easiest in bulk. Doubly so when she could fight so high above her level.

Settling down into the sulfurous chasm, Sable peered around the darkness, the glare of the sun far overhead, almost cut off by the angle of the ravine, which twisted down in a jagged slope. If not for her keen eyes, she might not have been able to see at all. As it was, the darkness was little different than broad daylight.

She ambled along the ravine floor, keeping tense, but otherwise not too worried. Fights today wouldn’t be anything like the hivemother. Those sorts of boss monsters were much, much rarer. No, just mundane mobs for her, today.

And possibly a new minion. She wanted a traveling partner for Aylin. Not just to secure her safety, but because having a strong companion might help her level faster. Though, that assignment would go to Granite, not this newest member; she wanted a higher-level, more fearsome beast to guard her hoard. Hence, seeking out two of the monsters with the deadliest reputations in the Red Plains.

For all Sable’s advantages, she wasn’t the sneakiest of creatures. Trouble found her, not the other way around.

The [Brimstone Wyrm] burst from a crevice, and Sable received only a half-second snapshot as her head whipped in its direction. Searing yellow eyes smoldered on a wedge shaped head, and jagged obsidian teeth adorned its gaping mouth in rows. Its scales were mottled ash gray and ember orange, the same pattern as the cracked, dry soil of the Red Plains when viewed from above.

The monster slammed into her.

Sable swatted it, and it went tumbling across the stony floor, thrown like a ragdoll. She disdainfully leveled an [Inspect] its way.

[Brimstone Wyrm - Lv. 8]

Too weak. These were the fearsome, semi-draconic monsters she’d been seeking, but this one was too small and low-leveled to be a worthy thrall.

Still gave experience, though.

Scrambling back to its feet—not that it actually had feet, being a scaled worm-like thing—the monster shrieked at her, the cracks between its scales pulsating orange and red, decrying its fury at having been thrown with such ease.

Sable roasted the worm on medium-high. She stopped when it was crispy on the edges.

Even resistant to fire, the wyrm crumpled under white-blue flames. Her increase in levels and stats had once again empowered her greatly. This monster was surely stronger than most of its level-eight peers, but not remotely capable of fighting her.

With the creature dispatched, she stood over its smoking corpse and nudged at it with a claw. Did it have something valuable inside, as the orecrunchers did with their mineral hearts? She decided she wasn’t in the mood for dissecting it, not after so much of the activity earlier in the day, and so simply moved on.

Without a doubt, the bodies of the creatures were worth something, but she didn’t feel like dealing with it. Maybe for higher level monsters, where she was actually challenged, she would bother.

After cooking her way through droves of the lesser threats found in the Fang Hollows, Sable ran into the second monster she’d been entertaining as a new addition to her collection.

The [Toxic Mirebeast] was a slimy, earthen-colored beast of vaguely amphibian design. A bulbous head and large eyes almost made it seem non-threatening, if not for the horrific architecture of the rest of its body. Slimy secretions dripped from it, and one of the most disgusting scents she’d ever experienced filled the air, wafting away from its body with a green tint. Noxious fumes, but they only made Sable’s eyes water. Her natural resistance extended even to chemical warfare.

But the smell was a deal-breaker. She would not have her hoard coated with that stench. Disdainfully, she tore the beast apart with frostfire and claws, shuddering and repressing a gag at the smells that emanated from its corpse. She hastily moved on. [Brimstone Wyrm] it would be.

She supposed adopting a semi-draconic creature was thematic, anyways. Her little cousin. A legless, pathetic one, but fearsome in its own right.

Her hunts progressed. The highest level monsters she found hovered around fifteen; that seemed to be the strongest found in the Red Plains. This part of the world, Sable had discovered, was simply weaker than most. Monsters didn’t reach high levels, and neither did the people—hence why Sable remained alive, not hunted down by a level fifty goblin [Marksman]. She could fight far above her weight class for being a level five, but not that high.

She took her time hunting through the Fang Hollows and seeking a candidate for a new thrall. A few hours in, an always-welcome announcement pinged in her awareness.

***

[Path: [Frostfire Sorceress] advanced from Level 5 to Level 6.]

[Skill gained: [Sovereign Mind]]

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[Sovereign Mind] - Grants massive resistance to mind-altering effects.

***

Sable paused. Resistance to mind-altering effects? Well, obviously those existed, since she had some herself, and seemed to be poised for even more powerful ones, but for some reason she hadn’t registered that such things could be a threat to her.

It wasn’t a skill she’d hoped for, but now that she’d received it … yeah. Pretty glad. She’d rather not be brainwashed.

Or have her thoughts influenced in any way. It sounded like the skill gave her resistance to anything that altered her mind. Illusions and such—did those apply? Or did it mean strictly in the mind-control way?

Regardless, a welcome skill. Though having something flashy and combat-suited was more exciting, the utility and defense skills were just as great. Heck, [Soar] had maybe been her favorite, speaking from a sheer time-saved perspective. And that would only grow as her empire expanded.

Pleased, Sable continued forward, scorching her way through the many criss-crossing depths of the Fang Hollows.

Finally, she found a suitable target. Level fifteen, the [Brimstone Wyrm] was the highest advancement of the creatures she’d found thus far, and the largest, too.

A scuffle ensued, not as contemptuously easy as the previous, and afterward, Sable crushed its mind like the pitiful creature it was. At least, in comparison to her. Not much wasn’t pathetic when lined up to her magnificence.

At the egotistical thoughts, Sable paused, then shrugged. She had to keep that in check, but she admitted it was simply part of her now.

And it was somewhat true. She was pretty awesome.

In short order, her collection of thralls had expanded to three.

***

[ Entity [Ignisfang] added to Thrall ]

[ Thrall capacity: 2/5 -> 3/5 ]

[ Entity is of inferior sapience. Granted moderate boon to intelligence when interfacing with skill-user. ]

***