Chapter 87: Eventful Arrival (1/2)
Both Brenden and Mike got ready for whatever was fixing to break out of the gemstone, or egg. It shuddered a few more times, and then a small reptilian head poked out of the hole that had formed earlier.
It was covered in fine, pale-blue scales that turned lighter under its jaw and on the front side of its neck. Delicate webbed fins extended to either side of the creature's snout. Two rows of bony-looking knobs ran in sweeping lines towards its back, appearing to be undeveloped horns. A pair of large, deep blue eyes scanned its surroundings briefly before fixing its gaze on Mike.
Overall, it looked quite cute.
”Would you look at that. Is it some kind of lizard?” Mike asked, lowering his sword and getting closer to have a better view.
”I'm not sure if that is a good idea...” Brenden was saying when the creature suddenly burst into action.
With a high pitched cry, it exploded out of the remains of its egg, firmly attaching itself to Mike's face.
”AH! Get it off! Get it off!” He started flailing ineffectually at it, as the creature began scrambling up into his hair. Frantically trying to catch the agile lizard he overbalanced and fell backwards. The creature responded by scampering into his shirt.
”Ah, its in my clothes!” Mike yelled, raising a hand to smack at the lump that had appeared just below the neckline of his shirt, but paused when he saw those watery blue eyes staring back at him fearfully.
[Darn it. Why does it have to look so cute?]
He sighed, and calmed down. In response, the lizard creature huffed out a tiny breath, and slowly closed its eyes, as if drifting off to sleep. Mike had to remind himself that it was basically an infant, which had emerged from its egg mere seconds ago.
”Looks like it got attached to you.” Brenden replied while relaxing slightly. He was still getting the feeling that the creature was dangerous, but it was less hostility and more a sense of foreboding. Figuring that it was merely another part of the strange mystique that followed Mike around wherever he went, he decided to roll with it.
”Yeah, I guess.” He gently pulled the lizard out of his shirt and, after sitting up, placed it on his lap. Now that he had a chance to look at it, he wasn't sure that the term 'lizard' really fit anymore.
If he had to describe it, he would say that it looked like a tiny dragon. It was maybe 1.5 kg, and significantly smaller than the egg it had emerged from. A pair of delicate bat-like wings extended from its back that, although currently furled, looked as if they could extend to around 50cm. It had a slender body, with its long neck and tail each making up more than half of its length of approximately 60cm. It was currently curled into a tight little ball that Mike could fit into his palm.
Mike absentmindedly stroked a finger along the creature's back, feeling the slightly rougher ridge that seemed to form along its back. He noticed that it was quite warm to the touch, and therefore wasn't cold-blooded.
He used Appraise, hoping to get a little more information.
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Unnamed
Race: Dragon (Tempest Wyrm)
Age: 0
Class: Unspecified
Title: Familiar
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[Hm, that raises more questions than it answers. But if its a familiar, then that means....]
He quickly looked through his [Status] and saw the new Primary Skill he had apparently obtained by accident.
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- Bind Familiar (Tier 3, Rank 1) -
Through the use of an ancient contract sealed in blood, you have bound a magical creature into your service. This contract connects the souls and destinies of its participants, binding them to one another.
Rank 1 Effects: Soul Link
-Soul Link -
The bond created between master and familiar links their souls together. This allows both participants to gather a rough feeling for where the other is, within a set distance. It also allows particularly strong emotions to be transmitted along the link.
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[Well, that's interesting. I guess I'm bonded to this little guy now. I'll have to come up with a name at some point.]
After determining the true nature of the creature, he wondered whether or not the egg was still unidentifiable, so he tried using Appraise on the fragments.
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{Tempest Wyrm's Egg Shell}
Magic Material (Tier 3, Rank 5)