The camp had further changed. Leah stood at the centre of it, gazing at the towering walls and the watchtowers that dotted the camp. The encampment was now transforming into something far more formidable, a proper stronghold nestled in the heart of the forest.

  A strong wind swept through the camp, rustling the edges of Leah’s new cloak. The fabric was thick and dark, a perfect fit for her short frame, concealing most of her form beneath its folds. She pulled the hood up, letting the shadow conceal her features. Beside her, Ibbi adjusted her own cloak.

  A rhythmic crunching of snow sounded from behind them. Leah turned her head to see Zytherin approaching, his long, graying beard swaying slightly as he absently stroked it. His boots kicked up flurries of snow with each step.

  He stopped a few paces away. "Are you ready to go, my lord?" he asked.

  Leah nodded. "I am."

  Her gaze shifted westward, toward the darkened forest beyond the camp’s walls. Somewhere within that tangled expanse lay the cave she had came out of—her birthplace.

  Her legion was becoming strong but she didn’t have any soldiers that could fly. She needed a race that could dominate the skies, so why not her own kin? If she could bring them into the legion, they would become the aerial force she required.

  Zytherin stroked his beard once more. "While you're gone, I'll oversee the capture of the grey elf tribes in the forest."

  Leah gave him an approving nod. With nothing else to say, she turned to Ibbi.

  "Let’s go."

  Leah took a step forward, spreading her wings. The wind howled past her as she shot into the sky. As she ascended, she flicked her hand, a blood tendril snapping out and wrapping securely around Ibbi’s waist. With a sharp pull, she lifted her off the ground, carrying her effortlessly into the air.

  They soared above the vast, snow-covered forest. They flew for several minutes, scanning the terrain for their destination. Then, through the thick stretch of trees, Leah spotted it—a small mountain rising from the forest like a jagged tooth. Its rocky surface was dusted with snow, and scattered across its face were multiple small cave entrances.

  Leah narrowed her eyes. This had to be it.

  She angled her wings downward, toward a small clearing that lay just in front of one of the cave entrances. The snow below shifted as Leah’s boots touched the ground with a soft crunch.

  Ibbi let out a soft gasp of relief as she touched the earth again, her excitement clear on her face. "I want to fly and conquer the skies again."

  Leah nodded absently as she surveyed the area around them. The cave entrance wasn’t the same one she had came out of a couple weeks ago. But she was sure this was the same place.

  Turning toward Ibbi, Leah spoke quietly, her voice low but firm. "Alright, let’s explore it."

  She strode toward the entrance, her wings folding into her. Ibbi followed close behind.

  Just as Leah was about to cross the threshold, a sudden crimson glow flickered in front of her. A translucent screen materialized in the air, its text pulsing faintly.

  **[System Message]**

  'You are about to enter a Tier One Dungeon.'

  Leah tilted her head slightly, her gaze lingering on the words. A dungeon? She narrowed her eyes before stepping forward, dismissing the message as she crossed into the cave.

  The air inside was damp, and the faint scent of earth filled their nostrils. The walls were jagged, and the ground uneven.

  They traveled on, the darkened passages stretching on for what felt like miles, the walls growing more narrow as they descended further into the heart of the mountain.

  As they ventured deeper into the cavern, Leah’s sharp eyes caught a passage to the left. A sudden shift in the air sent a prickle down her spine. Something was coming.

  A red hand emerged from the passage, its fingers curling around the jagged stone wall. A moment later, a figure stepped into view—a blood fairy.

  It was taller than Leah, maybe twice her height. Its wings twitched erratically, and its wild, crimson eyes locked onto them. Leah studied the creature. It looked like an older version of her—this had to be an adult blood fairy.

  The creature snarled, its fanged mouth parting slightly as it tilted its head. Confusion flickered in its expression as it took in Leah’s form, as if something about her was unnatural or unexpected.

  Then, without warning, it let out a feral growl and lunged, its jaws widening as it shot toward Leah with deadly intent.

  Before it could get close, Ibbi stepped forward. Her arm shot out in a blur, her palm smacking the blood fairy’s face with bone-crushing force. The impact sent the creature crashing down into the cavern floor, the stone cracking beneath it.

  "Ibbi, don’t break it." Leah said, as she watched the blood fairy struggle on the ground.

  Without another word, Leah extended her arm, and a blood tendril shot out from her palm, snaking through the air until it found its mark—piercing into the blood fairy’s back.

  She pumped her blood into it. A moment later, Leah retracted her tendril. She took a step back, watching as the blood fairy stirred, its movements sluggish at first before it slowly rose to its feet. Its once-wild eyes locked onto her with newfound clarity. Gone was the unrestrained ferocity—what remained was obedience.

  Without another word, she strode past the newly converted fairy, her attention fixed on the passage to the side.

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  She peered into the cavern beyond and saw a large space, its walls lined with jagged stone and illuminated by the faint, eerie glow of pulsating red sacks hanging from the ceiling like grotesque fruit.

  Near the back of the chamber, two more blood fairies lingered, their movements restless, their attention turning toward her as she entered.

  Leah acted before they could.

  With a flick of her wrists, two blood tendrils lashed out like whips, piercing into the fairies’ bodies. They let out brief, strangled snarls before their resistance melted away. Leah flooded them with her blood, the conversion instantaneous. As she withdrew her tendrils, the fairies stood still, their gazes now fixed on her in quiet submission.

  Leah then stepped further into the chamber. Her eyes drifted upward, settling on the pulsating sacks above. Her focus sharpened and titles began to appear on each one of them. she saw rows and rows of the words 'Lesser Blood Fairy' floating above, confirming their nature.

  Ibbi stepped forward, her eyes scanning the sacks on the ceiling before shifting back to Leah. Her voice broke the silence.

  "Were you born here?" she asked.

  Leah shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the hanging cocoons before finally turning to face Ibbi. "Not exactly here," she answered. "But it looked like this cave."

  She let the thought linger for a moment before shifting her attention back to the entrance. Without another word, she started walking, her cloak swaying as she moved.

  "We should explore further in." Leah said as she stepped past the entrance. They then went deeper into the unknown.

  They walked for several minutes, the path twisting and winding deeper into the cave. Leah’s senses picked up movement up ahead.

  As they continued, the cave began to widen, the narrow tunnel expanding into an open space. An opening appeared ahead of them, and Leah slowed her pace.

  When they reached the opening, they stopped and took in the sight.

  Before them stretched a vast chamber. The floor was crawling with blood fairies—at least fifty or more, scurrying in every direction. Some were in adjacent chambers built into the walls, while others flitted through the air, wings buzzing as they moved between holes in the stone ceiling. Just before them, a stone staircase descended down to the centre of the chaos.

  Leah stepped forward, her boot tapping against the first stone step. Instantly, a ripple of movement spread through the chamber. The fairies froze mid-motion, their heads snapping toward her in eerie unison.

  She took another step.

  A chorus of growls and snarls echoed through the cavern. The fairies crouched low, their wild eyes locking onto her, their muscles tensing.

  Then they moved.

  A tide of red bodies surged toward her, claws scraping against the stone floor.

  Ibbi shifted beside her, ready to pounce, but Leah lifted a hand, halting her.

  Calmly, she extended her other hand toward the oncoming swarm.

  Blood pulsed from her palm as tendrils erupted forth, splitting and branching like twisting veins. They shot forward, slashing and piercing through the mass of fairies.

  For a time, the chamber was a blur of movement—fairies lunging, tendrils whipping, piercing, and then converting. Each strike turned another foe into an ally.

  Fairies who had been snarling moments ago now stood motionless, their eyes no longer hostile but filled with unwavering devotion.

  As Leah slowly retracted her tendrils, letting them coil back into her body, the cavern had become silent.

  She took the final steps down the stairs, her feet settling onto the cavern floor. The blood fairies parted, creating a clear path as Leah and Ibbi walked toward the centre of the cavern.

  At the heart of the cavern, something caught her attention. In the centre of a raised stone platform, a black circular table sat. As Leah approached, she could make out a small object resting atop the table. It was a chest.

  Curiosity piqued, Leah reached out and lifted the lid. Her fingers brushed against the cool surface of the chest’s interior. Inside, nestled against the dark velvet lining, was a black ring.

  Leah’s fingers curled around it, and as she did, a system message flashed in front of her.

  [System Message]

  'Mana Regeneration Ring - Increases mana regeneration by 20%.'

  A satisfied smirk tugged at Leah's lips as she eyed the ring. It felt right in her hand, and so without hesitation, she slipped the ring onto her finger.

  Leah next shifted her gaze to the next opening at the far end of the cavern. She motioned for Ibbi to follow as she made her way towards it.

  The pair passed through the opening, moving deeper into the mountain’s heart.

  After some time, they emerged into another cavern. This one was larger, its space expansive and open. At the centre of the cavern, suspended in mid-air, was a massive white crystal. Its glow illuminated the surroundings, casting an eerie yet serene light across the room. The crystal pulsed with a faint rhythm, almost as if alive.

  As Leah and Ibbi stepped further into the cavern, the crystal pulsed more brightly momentarily. The air in the room grew thick with energy, and then, without warning, a swirling mass of blood formed in front of them.

  From the liquid emerged a figure, rising gracefully into the air. It was a blood fairy, but unlike the others Leah had encountered. This one was different. It was taller, draped in long, flowing red robes that billowed as it hovered above the ground. Its crimson eyes burned with intensity as it gazed at them.

  Leah’s gaze flickered, and the yellow title above said, 'Blood Fairy Mother'.

  The blood fairy’s lips curled into a snarl, and she raised her hands. Blood surged at her command, morphing into grotesque, undulating figures—blood puppets, shifting and twisting unnaturally as they took form. With a sharp gesture, she sent them forward.

  Ibbi grinned. With a swift motion, she reached for her waist and pulled out her blood axe. With a single, powerful thrust to the side, she swung the weapon through the air. A violent gust followed, slicing through the approaching puppets with ease. They collapsed into nothingness, splattering against the stone floor.

  The blood fairy mother’s eyes widened in shock.

  Leah took a step forward. A blood tendril snapped out from her, lashing around the blood fairy’s neck in an instant. With a sharp tug, Leah yanked her down, slamming her to the ground at her feet.

  Leah knelt over the struggling fairy, her gaze cold and unyielding. Her voice was low, laced with annoyance.

  "You should know your place."

  She next plunged her tendril into the fairy, and pumped her blood into her. In just a few moments the fairy’s struggles ceased, and she looked up at Leah with pleading eyes. Leah bent down and stroked the fairy’s hair like she was a dog.

  "Good girl. I’ll name you Elise."

  A moment later, a system message popped up in front of her.

  [System Message]

  'Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the Tier One Dungeon.'

  As Leah stood, the cavern hummed softly, and a large circular table emerged from the ground a short distance away. On top of it sat a chest.

  Leah approached it and opened it, and nestled inside was a black necklace. As she picked it up, another panel appeared in front of her.

  [System Message]

  'Mana Regeneration Necklace - Increases mana regeneration by 30%.'

  Leah didn’t waste any time and slipped the necklace over her head. Satisfied with her findings, she took a deep breath and turned her gaze toward the crystal.

  There was something about it—something that felt almost alive. It pulsed faintly, as if it had a heartbeat, and a strange thought ran through her mind.

  Without hesitation, she stepped forward. Ibbi and the blood fairy remained silent, watching her.

  Once she was close enough, she raised her hand, and a blood tendril sprouted from her palm, slithering through the air before embedding itself into the crystal’s smooth surface.

  The effect was immediate. A ripple of crimson spread from the impact point, darkening the crystal as it absorbed her blood. The glow pulsed faster, shifting from a soft white to a deep, blood-like red.

  Leah tilted her head, admiring the transformation.

  Then, a system message appeared before her:

  [System Message]

  'You have successfully converted a Dungeon Crystal.'

  A slow smile formed on her lips. This was something new. And hopefully something she could make use of.