Nix stared at the Dragon Egg for a long moment, unsure what to think. Several different people stayed at his ranch beside the normal occupants of Fajii, Hyai, Shae, and his dad. Truth be told, he didn't mind the crowd. Life was meant to be a bit messy around the edges. He often used the downstairs guestroom as a place to do some crafting or just hide away when he wanted to be alone. He returned to the doorway. "Why is there a Dragon Egg in my house?"

Shae looked up from where she sat with Fajii and Mina. The three of them were huddled together, talking in low whispers. "That's Del's; Sai Tali asked that we bring the egg to safety."

Nix frowned at the Salamander, who ignored the look and went back to chatting. "Del!" Nix picked up the egg and opened a Breach.

The Orion moved toward him from her place near the fire. Without saying anything, she followed him into the Breach.

A moment later, the duo stepped into the Turtle House. Nix placed the egg in the closet next to the downstairs bedroom. "Do you want a new puppet form? Or are you content with this one?"

"I'm getting used to this one," Del admitted. "Where are you going?"

Nix went up the stairs and entered the Master Bedroom. "The HUD interface at this table is the best in the house." He took a seat on the couch, making room for the Orion to sit next to him. "Found an interesting crafting skill from the Bone Fortress."

Dell watched with interest while licking the bottom of one paw. "Not staying with Golem making?"

"Hmmm... No. Although it would be fun to go all 'Pacific Rim' on Khione." For a moment, Nix envisioned 50-meter steel goliaths with proper ranged and melee weapons. Most likely, any attempt at such a thing would result in him getting clubbed with the dreaded nerf stick.

"What's Pacific Rim?"

"Nothing." Nix opened the crafting catalog from the Bone Fortress and highlighted the one he was interested in. "Lots of interesting things, nothing super powerful. Check it out."

[Necro-Subcraft: Bone Manipulator]

Change the bone structure of both living and non-living creatures.

Del's blue eyes glanced at the hud. "The description is kinda vague."

Nix nodded slightly. "Yeah... but there are a lot of ways I could use it to upgrade my Emperor puppets."

Do you wish to learn the Bone Manipulator crafting skill?

"Yes." Nix brought out a low-level Nether Rat puppet and placed it on the floor before opening the new Necro-Crafting Interface.

[Bone Manipulation]

) Identify

) Living Project

) Non-Living Project

) Salvage

"Identify? Why is that there?" Nix selected it out of curiosity.

[Scan the immediate area for unidentified bones?]

"Sure." Nix watched as a brief splash of light filled the room.

Process Complete. Bone Manipulation 1/500.

Two unidentified bones were found [Bone hilts].

Nix brought out the Bone hilts he'd been awarded at the Bone Fortress and placed them on the table. "Identify."

Process Complete. Bone Manipulation 2/500.

[Bone Hilt]

Teranodon: An extinct primal beast of flame. The winged raptor was feared by everything that walked the land, including dragons.

Nix whistled softly before turning his attention back to the nether rat. "Identify.'

Process Complete. Bone Manipulation 2/500.

[Nether Rat: Animation]

different bone variants were found.

Otter [Feet]

Feline [Claws]

Rat [Skeleton]

Nix returned to the Main Menu for a moment.

[Bone Manipulation]

) Identify

) Living Project

) Non-Living Project 4) Salvage

"Let's go with Non-Living."

[Please choose your project.]

"Nether Rat."

) Non-Living Project

a) Bone Growth: Enables the growth of existing bones, requires a source.

b) Bone Grafting: Enables the grafting of two or more kinds of bones, requires a source.

"Time to order some new stuff." Nix used the table hud to access the Auction house. After quickly locating the items he was looking for, he put his order in.

"Shark teeth and snake bones?" Del had only been able to read the first few items on the long list.

Nix nodded and placed both into the crafting queue along with the Nether Rat.

[Nether Rat][Shark's Teeth][Snake Bone]

Increase in Bite Damage by 30 percent.

Increase in Skeletal flexibility by 20 percent.

Do you wish to continue with the Grafting procedure?

"Yes."

Process Complete. Bone Manipulation 3/500.

Nix smiled pleasantly at the Orion. "Come a bit closer, Del."

The Orion moved from her position on the couch to lay directly in front of him on the table. "Going to modify me?"

[Orion Emperor Puppet]

"Yep... Let's see... How about Bat Skull and Viper fangs." Nix placed the items into the crafting queue and studied the possible improvements.

[Orion Emperor Puppet][Bat Skull][Viper fangs]

Poison Counter applied during bite.

Increased Spatial Awareness, low-level Sonar.

"I could turn you into a super Ninja Orion assassin." Nix smiled at the Orion. "I'm just looking, Del. I'm not going to use low-level components on an Emperor puppet. Give me a sec."

The Orion watched as Nix placed several items onto the table. "Is it strange that I enjoy biting things?"

"Very." Nix nodded, "let's see what Salvage is.

[Salvage]

At the cost of Mana, you have a chance to salvage a random component from any creature you may have slain in the past. If the carcass is present, you may choose the component.

) Rare (1,455 possible variations)

) Legendary (11 possible variations)

) Primal or Higher (2 possible variations)

"Display Primal or Higher possible variations."

[Khione: Goddess of Winter]

[Oblivion Spider: Primal Ocean Creature]

"Nix? When did you slay Khione?"

"I took down a few of her Avatars, that must have counted." Nix stared at the screen for a moment. If this crafting skill had access to his kill history... He had definitely killed Khione before the Everspire expansion went live. Could they have overlooked that sort of detail?

The Orion purred contently while Nix started trying to salvage a random component from Khione. "Seems like the chance is a bit on the slim side."

"No shit." Nix attempted to salvage until his mana was nearly depleted before finally succeeding.

[Khione: Goddess of Winter]

Unidentified bone fragment.

Nix smiled at the Orion and scruffed her head with both hands. "Got something!"

The small piece of bone was perhaps two centimeters in length and slightly thicker than a sheet of paper. Nix placed it carefully on the table. "Identify."

[Bone Fragment]

Khione: Goddess of Winter

This is a fragment from one of Khione's ribs.

[Orion Emperor Puppet][Khione's Bone Fragment] Ice Element

Increased Armor Protection.

[Granted Abilities]

Level one Ice Blind. (Can be advanced.)

Level one Ice Spear (Can be advanced.)

Del focused on the benefits for a moment before fixing Nix with a blue-eyed stare. "I'll take it."

Nix clicked the Orion's nose with the tip of his finger. "That's not how crafting works."

Del hopped from the table back to the couch. "Why not?"

"My crafting icon grayed out as soon as I put the component in. My skill rating is way too low."

"Start working, Nix!"

"These things take time. The early stages are always easy, but you're right. It's time to get to work."

Over the next few hours, Nix was able to create several modifications to his lower-level puppets. The higher the skill became, the more possibilities were available. When he finally took a break, the skill had been raised to 27.

Del had long since fallen asleep, Nix found the Orion's constant purring rather soothing, even though he wasn't a cat person. The Ain'Dhassi ranger stretched and showed all of her teeth in a wide cat yawn. "How high did you raise it?"

"Only to 27. I started off with common and uncommon components. I'll have to switch to rare." Nix closed the hud. "Going to take a trip to the North Haven, and visit Shi. I'll drop you off at the Ranch."

Far to the North in Haven, a small Icecap had become the territory of Shi, the Black Ice Nemesis. Nix smiled after saying it in his head; when they first met; Shi had only been an Ice Spirit.

When Nix stepped through the Breach a few minutes later, he was somewhat surprised at the lack of progress that had been made. The only real structure was a large sparring platform. Dozens of tents lined one edge of the platform. The Inferno Leader waved when he spotted the Black Ice Nemesis.

Shi used one of the horse-sized Furies as a mount; with impressive quickness, it chased Nix down. "Greetings, Nix" magic

"Nice to see you, Shi." Nix could barely believe she was the same Ice Elemental he had met months earlier. Her black hair hung to her waist, seemingly at odds with her pale skin and white robes. She held an Ice Staff in one hand.

"You are always welcome." Shi slipped quickly off the Fury. "How bad is it?"

Nix immediately understood what she was talking about. "All of Colonial and Oasis is buried in Ice and Snow. The storm that rages over them shows no sign of slowing."

"What of the Gladis Hub?"

Nix shrugged slightly. "Don't worry about the Hub." The Inferno Leader scanned the area; it resembled a temporary camp. Shi and her followers were definitely missing the comforts of the Gladis Hub. "I brought you here hoping you would flourish."

Shi's face reddened slightly; although Nix's tone was polite, the implication was clear. Their progress was less than impressive. "I know. I have let my attachment to the Hub interfere with establishing a home here."

Nix watched the Acolytes as Cyan took them through sparring drills. No one would ever believe they were formerly a King's Harem. "These young women, they ever get out to socialize?"

Shi shook her head slightly. "We've been so busy training."

"I understand; this doesn't feel like your home."

[Whisper: Nix to Nebs] Need a City Administrators assistance for a few hours.

[Whisper: Nebs to Nix] Sure! Gideon and I are training at the Gemini Temple.

[Create Breach: Gemini Training Area, North Haven]

A moment later, Nebs stepped out of the Breach, accompanied by Gideon.

"Hey," Nebs grinned at the Inferno Leader. The Pathfinders lived in the Dragon Fir tree; they were the only non-Inferno group allowed to access Haven.

Gideon smiled slightly. "Bet you're glad there is only one of me this time."

Nix chuckled. "I'll take a dozen of you over a dozen Pon any day." The Inferno Leader motioned toward Shi. "This is Shi, the Black Ice Nemesis."

Both Nebs and Gideon offered the Nemesis a respectful nod.

Nix handed a rolled-up scroll to Nebs. "Time for these guys to get settled in. Not sure what kind of structures are available, but get with Shi and figure out her needs."

[City Production Scroll]

Create a settlement with a wide variety of possibilities. As the population increases, your settlement will promote itself. [Tier 1: Village, Tier 2: Town, Tier 3: City]

"A city production scroll?" Neb's smile widened. "You know I love this kind of thing."

Nix nodded. "I know it. I'm going to leave it in your hands." The Inferno Leader glanced at the surprised Nemesis, "I need a moment of your time."

Shi let herself be pulled aside while she attempted to absorb Nix's words. "We're starting a settlement?"

"Yes. I need a favor."

Shi raised an eyebrow. Nix never asked for things. "Whatever you need."

"Remember the Winter Sparrow you made for me? I had to use it when I placed Tharaka into an Ashobel puppet."

"Would you like me to make another?"

"Yes. It's for an extraordinary friend." Nix opened a breach. "No rush or anything."

Gideon approached when the breach opened. "This is how winter should be." The Assassin's dark face smiled at Shi. There was plenty of Ice and Snow in the area, but the temperature was comfortable.

Shi stared at the Assassin for a moment, her face blushing slightly. "Come visit us whenever you wish, Gideon."

Nix bit down on the laugh that threatened to come up. "I'll stop by in a few days, Shi."

Gideon waved politely but then retreated into the Breach before Shi could say anything further.