[Z]

“When is it going to do something?” Ask an impatient flame nymph.

“Soon just be quiet.” I say focusing all my attention on the egg. Over the course of a month I’ve surrounded my captured egg with a total of twelve essence. And I can feel its defenses weakening. My essence is pressing against its outermost layer of skin like water charging at a dam.

Then it happens one point weakens giving slightly. That’s when I make my move. I press my essence on that point forcing my way in and it ruptures. I invade the egg subjugating the skin then I attack the insides. Yolk is what primarily makes up the eggs mass. It's rich in vital nutrients and it is the food for the most important part of the egg the young ant. It lies at the center and is black. It makes an attempt to resist my assault, but my essence overcomes it in seconds. Finally I have fully subjugated the egg.

I move my mind out of the egg telling the flame nymph I’ve done it.

“Good now we can start primarily increasing your ES you are only two essence away from creating your own eggs.”

In the last month I have increased my ES from four to six and I just subjugated my egg. Things are all going according to plan. Once I reach eight ES I’ll start mass producing eggs to build up my army.

“Okay I’ll get started right now.” I begin to cultivate, but something brings me concentration right back.

“The egg!” I yell surprise. Focusing back on my egg.

“What is it being attacked?” she ask following my mind.

“No its growing!”

The ant in my egg grows exceptionally eating all the essence rich yolk then it starts on the egg itself devouring it. It doubles and triples in size becoming half the size of the ants above it. I have to expand its room to accommodate for it. Free from the egg it begins to move around soaking up my leftover essence. That gives me an idea. I widen the breathing hole allowing for more air to come in and essence. The the ant or larvae as it is called has just created a vacuum of essence that is being filled by that above it. Hah now the ants won’t be getting a free meal. Speaking of which. They are swarming the air hole desperately trying to break it open with their mandibles.

“No you don’t that ground is too hard for you.” That doesn’t deter them though they are attacking it like their lives depended on it.

“Z! Look your ant is still growing you need to widen the room again.”

She’s right it’s now the size of a full grown ant I quickly widen it to miniature cave that is about four times its size.

It’s still sucking up all my used essence. After a few seconds it grows again till it is twice the size of a full grown ant. It’s in its pupa stage now which is right before it becomes a full grown ant which is happening right now.

It’s skin hardens into a shell. I can see my creation moving violently inside breaking its cage.

Cracks begin to appear on its side then a ant leg jabs its way out followed by others. Then it arches is back causing the shell to break in half. Finally released from its former skin it gets to its feet spreading them out.

And boy its a beauty. Twice the size of those smaller ants its black exoskeleton shines brightly and its mandibles look ready to slice my enemies in half.

“Wow that thing is huge.” The flame nymph commentates. I feel her checking out the ant too looking all over it.

“I thought yours would be the same size, but if they all turn out like this then we want need that big of an army. Maybe only like fifty or so.”

I mentally nod to her thinking of something. I feel more energized for some reason.

I go and look at my essence status.

Affinity:Earth

Rank: (Not Attained)

Essence Storage: 6

Essence Regeneration Rate: .3 Per Day

My ERR has come up a point. Does that mean that the more creations I have the more essence that I take in. This can be interesting.

“Hay I rose a point in ERR I think having the ant did it,” I tell the flame nymph my theory.

“It is possible,” she says,”dungeons before were always packed with monsters. I thought that that was just how they were, but with this new information….Change of plans let some of the ants in with yours.”

“What!” This doesn’t make sense she was real adamant about sticking to the plan.

“Hear me out. Remember when I told you that sudden burst of essence could have big increases on ES I think that now is the time to do that.”

“You also said that it could shatter my spiritual body if I took too much in. Why can’t we just stick to the original plan.”

“Because it will take you months of cultivating to pull it off and I think that it will be better to get this done as quickly as possible. Think Z if one ant raises your ERR by a point then that means we will just need ten for your to get a essence a day then twenty to give you 2 then forty then fifty. You could grow exponentially fast.”

“I know but what if my spiritual body shatters if that happens we are both dead …. I just released something I don’t know your name.”

“Don’t change the topic Z trust me it will be better in the long run if you do this.”

“I get that but what's your name I feel bad for not learning it after all this time.”

“Oh my god fine I don’t have a name can we please go back to the topic at hand.”

“You need a name,” I say,”I need to call you something what if I need to call on you.”

“Z now is not a good time for this.” She says her temper raising.

“I realize that, but you need a name. How about this you let me make you a name I will do what you want me to do.”

“Huuhg fine shoot away,” she groans angrily,” if it’s stupid I will hurt you.”

“Okay,” I say happily thinking hard.

“Hurry please I wish to do something this century.”

“I am. I’m trying to think of something that matches your personality.” I think for a little longer then I come up with an idea.”Enkindle that sounds like a good one don’t you think.”

“Peachy can we go back to the important thing now,”

“Yes Enkindle.” I give her my complete attention.

“Now let a few ants into the little cave with yours. As it kills them the essence will flow into you and because you are already full it will expand drastically. And if you feel like you are about to shatter start spreading your influencing into the earth. I Know it irks you that it isn’t a perfect sphere.”

I think about her idea going over all the parameters in my head.

“I’ll just do one ant to start it off with, but I’ll have to make the room bigger which will cause the one above it to have a bulged which will no doubt create a disturbance.”

“That may work in are favour you said that the eggs give you about three essence from killing them so once your done with the ant the eggs will help you keep gaining ES.”

“Alright sounds like a plan,” I double the size of my ants cave by pushing the sand upward which like I said earlier pushes up the eggs up making the ants go crazy. The ones near the hole break away except one which stubbornly won’t quit. He’s the lucky customer.

I widen the hole. The ant was about to strike with his mandibles flies in crashing into the cave. I quickly close it up before the others can come to their ally.

The ant gets up quickly immediately finding my ant. They look at each other for a few seconds before charging. Both are run primarily by instinct so neither has the advantage of experience. They meet after a few steps were my ant rams hard pushing the other one back by brute force. The other ant snaps furiously with its mandibles trying to gouge out mins eyes. It doesn’t work his are simple too short.

Mine slams it against the wall cracking its exoskeleton but it doesn’t give up it uses its legs to try to push off the wall. That's when mine pulls back causing it to fall on the ground then it finishes it by clamping its mandibles around the other ones neck severing it’s head. It twitches around for a few seconds before finally collapsing.

I brace myself for the rush.

“Good luck Z don’t die.” Were Enkindles words of encouragement.

The essence hits me hard like filling a balloon already filled to the brim with water. Pain courses across my being. I scream out in agony as the incoming essence stretches my spiritual body. I can feel it forcing its way in pushing the essence already there to a dense circle.

“AHHHHHHH!” I scream again. The essence it's too much its starting to tear my spiritual body. I need to get rid of it.

I start subjugating grains of sand quickly relieving the pressure. It takes about four before I’m safe.

“Holly huhha huhha crap,”I say breathing heavily.

“You okay Z,” Enkindle ask,”I thought you were going to scream yourself hoarse there for a second.”

“Yeah,” I say still taking in large gulps of air mentally even though we don’t have bodies we still do bodily functions mentally it’s somewhat calming.”That just hurt alot thats all.”

“Well get over it you have to do it again.”

“Right now!” I ask exasperated.

“Yes you need to be able to mass produce ant eggs so you will need more essence. Seriously we just had this discussion. Now go and start breaking those eggs they won’t have as much essence as the full grown one so you shouldn’t feel that much pain.”

“You’re a slave driver.” I say moving my mind to the eggs.

“Think of me more as a personal trainer now. KILL THOSE EGGS.”

I start creating holes under eggs quickly sucking them in, then covering them cutting off their air supply. They die within seconds their essence rushing towards me. I brace for the impact as new essence forces its way in.

I do this several more times relieving the essence when it becomes to great. Finally when my spiritual body is sore beyond belief does Enkindle let me stop.

“I can’t do it anymore,” I say to her.

“That is alright you should be good enough. Check your essence status to see how much your ES is now.”

I sluggishly follow her command. Not directly looking at my spiritual body feeling like it would be mad at me.

“Check Essence Status.”

Affinity:Earth

Rank: (Not Attained)

Essence Storage: 17

Essence Regeneration Rate: .3 Per Day

“I’ve gain eleven essence.” I say astonished. This made the pain worth it by far.

“I told you that it would work,” Enkindle says.”Now start making eggs we need to build up our ranks.”

“Yes ma’am.” I say getting on the task. My hallway looks like an ant disaster zone with ants running everywhere and eggs thrown around to the side do to my movement of the earth.

This destruction did not go unnoticed. The most powerful ant in the colony has been informed and she is not happy.