An hour later, I wake up from a nap inside the bunker. The gigantic meal I ate beforehand put me in a food coma. One drawback from System regeneration is the amount of calories one needs to eat after a fight. Replacing missing tissue, while magic, isn’t magic. The energy and materials need to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is food.
The fight at the Grand Carnivale was tough, and I lost a lot of health and body mass during it. Lucky for me, Carcosa has been producing food at a prodigious rate. If we were still rationing, I’m sure I’d be in a bad mood. Good thing a nap on a full belly puts me in a good one. With a pep in my step, I decide to get some paperwork done.
Sixty-six residents means sixty-six problems.
We should start an HOA. Why is the tax rate so high? I want to buy more alcohol at one time. When will we have streaming again?
It never ends.
Lucky for the residents, my good mood prevents me from denying the vast majority of their requests on principle. The more benign things I approve, and several of the others I approve after some slight modifications. Sadly, Jeremy the Blacksmith isn’t going to get to move his workshop any closer to the other buildings. Even with his forge being on the far side of the Control Zone, everyone can hear his hammer as it bangs metal all day long.
Signing the last denial of the day, I notice a very minuscule sound. My Talent Druidic Senses give me incredible hearing, and it’s unlikely I’d have noticed it otherwise. Almost a minute goes by before I hear the sound again. It’s coming from the storeroom. Maybe it’s the egg?!
I rush into the storeroom and to the incubator, then remove the wooden enclosure. I watch the egg inside the straw nest for a long, agonizing minute before it shakes ever so slightly.
“Hot damn!” I clap my hands and give a little fist pump to myself.
It’s been almost three months since I first put the large, cobalt blue speckled egg in the incubator. After the first month, I thought it wasn’t viable. Ketrell, the orc Shop keeper at the Valley (Kingdom) of the Twin Rivers, assured me I should keep waiting. Not only was his good name on the line, he assumed the egg belonged to a rarer species, which meant not only extended incubation times, but a more powerful monster inside.
I check the liquid reservoirs: empty. The modifiers for strength, durability, and size have all evaporated away and, hopefully, altered the DNA of whatever’s inside.
Another shake. I’m almost humming with excitement.
Why, I have no idea. I’ve never been one for pets, and whatever this thing ends up being will probably be kept by someone else. Then again, I’ve never been responsible for bringing something to life before. I feel a bit like Dr. Frankenstein, you know, except without all the angst.
Messages are sent out to the core group. I do not know if this thing will bond with the first person it sees, but if it does, I don’t want to be the one. Five minutes later, Sarah arrives.
Sarah’s raven black hair is spilling over the edges of her plate mail. Normally, she keeps it up in a bun when adventuring, but here in the Settlement, she always lets it down. Her armor is back to new again, shining like it the day she got it.
“Holy shit!” The Cleric leans in on her elbows, getting as close to the egg as possible. “Are there any cracks in the shell yet?”
“I don’t know. I just heard it moving a few minutes before I messaged everyone.”
Andy is the next one to arrive. “Damn, I bet fifty Credits it wouldn’t hatch.”
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Sarah smirks at the Rogue. “You don’t know what kind of animal it is?”
“Beyond the fact it’s probably a reptile, no.”
The Rogue cocks his head to the side as he examines the incubator. “Four months' incubation time. This thing better be real awesome for that sorta wait.”
“This is going to be interesting.” Sarah straightens up and flips her hair over her armored shoulders. “Who’s getting it?”
“That’s why I called everyone down here. I don’t know what this thing’s going to do. It could imprint or attack immediately.”
Curtis walks around the corner. “Why would it attack?”
“Ketrell told me it could be any native Earth monster variant.”
The others let out a collective oh.
“Should we take this thing somewhere else?” Andy’s dagger is in his hand.
“No.” I look around the space. “This bunker can keep something in as well as it can keep it out. If this hatches and the monster goes nuts, better for it to be contained than running loose.”
The egg shakes, and a crack appears on the shell. Sarah claps her hands together.
“Everyone move back. This baby is going to be mine.”
Not disagreeing with her, we all move into the main living space. I close the door to the storeroom, leaving Sarah to whatever fate befalls her.
*****
Two hours go by before Sarah opens the door and steps out. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you Brad?.”
Stoat-Dragon (Level 1)
HP - 30/30
Abilities - Bite
In the Cleric’s hands is a tiny lizard-like creature. With the scaly head of a bearded dragon, and the slender furred body of a stoat, it’s odd looking, to say the least. Roughly the size of both of Sarah’s palms, I ask the obvious question.
“Why is that thing so big?”
“Brad? tried to eat my finger, so I fed him something. He grew right before my eyes.”
The stoat-dragon perks up at the mention of his name, turning his head to the side like a dog. Sarah gives the beast a few head scratches.
“Why do you keep saying its name like a question?” Andy eyes the creature with suspicion.
“When you say his name, he always turns his head. It kinda makes sense, if you think about it.”
I do and it doesn’t.
Donnie, having arrived in the last hour, lets out a heavy sigh. “Honey, we had five dogs before the world ended. We don’t need to replace them with some kind of lizard monster.”
Gasping with dramatic flair, Sarah pulls Brad? towards her chest. “But he’s so cute!”
With perfect timing, Brad? squeaks. It’s adorable.
Unfortunately, I have to be the voice of reason. “Sarah, Brad? is a monster. We can’t have monsters inside the Settlement.”
“I’ve trained like a dozen Beagles over the years. Those dogs are as stubborn as a rock. This thing can’t be any worse. Besides, you’re the one who hatched it and gave it a bunch of modifiers.”
Everyone looks at me with the she’s right, you know look.
“Yeah, ok, fine. You’ve got a point.”
Sarah smiles and gives Brad? a kiss on his head.
“But you’re responsible for it. You have to feed it, house it, and make sure it doesn’t maim anyone.”
Sarah nods. “Those terms are agreeable.”
“Honey, I’m fine with Brad? staying inside our house until it gets dog sized. If it bites any of us, it’s outside forever.”
A more solemn nod from Sarah signals her understanding.
I take the second egg from my inventory. This one is colored a pale red.
“Should I start incubating this one?”
Those present discuss amongst themselves for a moment. Donnie speaks for the group.
“We figured it would be better to see what it is than not. You have any modifier liquids for that one?”
“Speed, intelligence, and dexterity. The machine can only hold three at a time, but Chugg sells modifiers that can increase the chance of hatching certain species.”
Justin, who arrived a few minutes ago, perks up. “What species does that egg belong to? Never seen a red one before.”
“The guide says it’s of avian origins.”
Curtis opens his menu and swipes in the air. “A quick search shows pale red eggs belong to six different species, one of which is a phoenix.”
“How much is it to increase the rarity chance?” Andy checks his funds. “I’ve got 8,000ish Credits.”
I open the pricing guide from our Shop. “Chugg sells the cheap ones for 1,000 and the expensive ones for 5,000. Ketrell might have different options.”
Andy taps a finger against his chin. “The prudent thing would be to try to hatch something rare. I don’t know what sort of livestock marketplace will turn up in the future, and having something valuable would be beneficial. Even if we can’t sell it, a powerful monster, especially one that flies, is useful to have.”
“That’s an excellent point.” I check the time. “It’s too late to make a trip tonight, so I’ll go to VTR tomorrow morning. Plus, I can make that food delivery they’ve been waiting on.”
“Who wants to chip in for an expensive rarity modifier?” Andy makes eye contact with everyone present.
Curtis and Justin chip in. The others decline. Including my donation, we have 10,000 Credits. With a plan in place, the group disbands and I head off to put together a convoy for tomorrow.