Zaelen poked the white egg.
CRACKKKKK!
The white egg split in two and a wet, feathery head poked out.
“Chirr!” cried a baby chicken. Its eyes focused on Zaelen. “Mama!”
What is that? It doesn’t even look like a chicken. More like a slime chicken.
Three more eggs split.
“Mama!” “Mama!”
ARGHH, MORE SLIME CHICKENS.
|||Pffft, you got called mama... ahahaha!|||
Kierin (x3) registered as [Servant]
Kierinis registered as [Servant]
And why is there a kierinis? Is that a different species of kierin? A subspecies? Eh, it looks similar to the others too. All of them are slime chickens.
|||That’s... to be expected. Have you never seen a bird hatch?|||
Why would I? Give me the sub-slime chicken stats.
|||...Is that supposed to be the kierinis?|||
Baby Kierinis (Obsidian)
Name: --
Level: 1/50
HP: 30/30
MP: 15/15
SPD: 6
STR: 2
Skills: [Screech Lv1] [Peck Lv1]
Resistances: None
|||Wow, I’m surprised it understood you and gave you the stats|||
...It’s so... weak!
|||It just hatched, give it some slack...|||
But it’s my key to slime-murder... Zaelen eyed the chickens. I’m gonna have to fatten them up. How long is that going to take?!
|||How am I supposed to know again?!|||
“MAMA!” shrieked the black chicken.
“I’M HUNGRY!” shrilled the white kierin.
“FOOD!” screamed another.
I am going deaf. Zaelen put his paws over his ears. The other wolves seemed to be only hearing shrill screaming, but that wasn’t exactly pleasant either. I mean, who wanted to hear sounds like metal screeching against metal, only ten times louder and more ear-piercing?
“FOOOOOOOOD!” they all screeched in unison.
⋆❖^⧫/-\⧫^❖⋆
The chicken babies hopped around on Zaelen’s back as he stalked through the long grass of the plains, searching for slimes. Zaelen figured that after the chickens leveled up, they’d be of more use. The kierins had grown rapidly, and the golden drake figured that they could fight now. A wolf skidded to a stop in front of him with a furiously squirming slime in her jaws.
“Okay, now kill it,” said Zaelen, dropping the white kierin in front of the slime.
“Chirrr? Mama? Foooood?”
“Yes, it’s food,” decided Zaelen. Wow, these chickens are obsessed with food.
|||Like you’re obsessed with slime murder?|||
They take after their father. I’m so glad.
|||You mean their mother. Hehe|||
Old man, you need to check your hearing.
|||Wow, you avert everything to me being an old man?|||
“Fooood!” cried the kierin and launched itself at the slime. It burbled as it sunk into the slime.
“Errr, are you sure they won’t... die?” asked the wolf.
Zaelen nodded, though he wasn’t so sure himself. But then, the kierin opened its mouth and started to efficiently tear off small parts of the slime with its small beak and gobbling it down.
Since the kierins are technically slime chickens, isn’t this cannibalism?
|||...What if they aren’t slime chickens and you’re just delusional?!|||
“S-squeee?!” cried the slime.
Zaelen winced. Ughh, that’s like eating slugs.
|||You know that birds DO eat slugs?|||
Well, yes, but I can’t imagine why. WHY IS THE CHICKEN STILL EATING THE SLIME. IT’S DEAD ALREADY.
Zaelen picked the kierin chick up and put it back on his back.
“Foooood!” cried the kierin plaintively. “Moreeee!”
More wolves arrived, all carrying slimes in their jaws. Soon, there was a ring of wolves all watching the fight between the kierins and the slimes with intense interest.
“FOOOOOOD!” screamed the chicks and lunged. It seemed they had learned from the first one. They ferociously ripped off chunks of the slimes. Zaelen checked their stats.
Kierinis (Obsidian): Lv 5/50
Kierin (Silver): Lv 4/50
Kierin (Blue): Lv 8/50
Kierin (White): Lv 6/50
They’re leveling up nicely... thought Zaelen as the kierin’s levels rose further. Eventually, the wolves all arrived. Zaelen curled up and watched as the kierin chicks destroyed the slimes. They would have to keep at this for a while, however.
|||Aren’t you worried about slime extinction?|||
That would be wonderful.
⋆❖^⧫/-\⧫^❖⋆
Kierin (Blue) has reached Lv 50/50
Kierin (White) has reached Lv 50/50
Kierinis (Obsidian) has reached Lv 50/50
Kierin (Silver) has reached Lv 50/50
Would you like to choose their evolutions?
(Y/N)
I get to choose? That’s a nice perk. Zaelen sent the rest of the slimes up into the air with [Wind Surge] before scorching them into cinders with [Dragon Breath]
[Wind Surge Lv1] -> [Wind Surge Lv2]
[Dragon Breath Lv2] -> [Dragon Breath Lv3]
Yes, of course I will.
“Mother, what are you doing?” asked the black kierin. Or, rather, kierinis. Actually, who cared about the species name? They would always be slime chickens to Zaelen. Or at least chickens.
As they’d grown, their language had grown as well. It seemed that they’d picked up upon the wolves’ language instead, so the wolves could understand them as well.
“Zaelen is not your mother!” reprimanded Iceria, her fur bristling.
Zaelen ignored the commotion.
Showing Evolution Options for kierin (White):
-> Upper Kierin
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Aetherin
Showing Evolution Options for kierin (Blue):
-> Upper Kierin
Aquaerin
Show Evolution Options for kierin (Silver):
-> Upper Kierin
Mystirin
Please choose an option:
The one that’s not upper kierin. FOR ALL OF THEM. Cause I don’t want to see more of the same chickens everyday of my LIFE.
|||Thought you wanted to eat chicken tenders?|||
...Well, it’s not like I can eat these chicken tenders. Sadly. There was a sudden bright flash of white that made Zaelen squeeze his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the chickens... were still chickens. However, they’d grown even bigger.
The white kierin now was something called an aetherin. The chicken had kept its ethereal white plumage, but in the quickly darkening sky, you could see a blue glow emanating from the feathers. There were shimmering, iridescent highlights of silver and pale blue, giving the chicken a starry quality. The keirin had also gained a crest of white feathers that resembled a crown of light. Some could call the aetherin majestic and elegant, but to Zaelen, they would always just be chickens.
|||Of course they are...|||
The blue kierin had become sleeker and more streamlined, and of course, even bigger. Does becoming bigger mean that they’ll eat even MORE?! Its feathers had become a gradient of blues and teals, like the ocean. Its feet had become webbed, and its beak was sharp with a slight curve. The long, flowing tail feathers somehow resembled the appearance of cascading waterfalls. Its name had also become more complicated. Hey, system, do you think that the aquaerin tastes more like chicken, or duck?
|||Why do you even think about these things?|||
Cause I want to eat something good.
|||I thought you said you wouldn’t eat them?|||
There can be... exceptions.
|||... ... ...|||
Zaelen saw that the black ‘kierinis’ had transformed too. Seriously why’s it a kierinis and not a kierin? There’s not a difference between them! Its name had become fancier too; something called an eldirin. Why not just call it a sub-slime chicken?
|||HOW. DOES. THAT. WORK. IN. YOUR. DEFORMED. BRAIN|||
Its wings were a mix of silver and deep gold, reflecting some kind of glow. The eldirin’s head also had a crest of feathers like the aetherin, except these looked like a crown of stars instead of a crown of light. Intricate star-like patterns trailed all over its body.
The last one, the silver kierin, had become black, and its plumage was adorned with intricate, arcane patters and runes that glowed softly. The wings looked quite delicate with a translucent quality that made them look like they were made from stardust. The tail of the mythirin, as it was now called, resembled tendrils of magical energy.
The wolves curiously padded around the chickens, sniffing. “They look... different,” commented Iceria. “Like when we evolved.”
“This must be the alpha’s work!” asserted Cryos. “After all, he is the alpha.”
Another wolf snorted. “And a good one too, unlike Nyx and Aurora.” Murmurs of agreement followed.
“Mother, tis’ your doing?” asked the eldirin.
“Yes. And for the hundredth time, I am not your mother. Anyway, let’s get back to hunting slimes. Can you find them?”
|||What will you do if they don’t...?|||
Zaelen froze, his mind considering that question. What will I do...? However, his doubts proved to be false as the aetherin stepped forward.
“I believe that there are slimes some way from here. There are none in the close vicinity,” replied the aetherin.
Zaelen was impressed by how much their speech had matured. “How do you know this?”
“I have a skill called [Sense],” affirmed the aetherin. “Would you like me to lead the way?”
Zaelen bobbed his head.
|||Why do your plans actually work out...?|||
⋆❖^⧫/-\⧫^❖⋆
Zaelen had decided that he wanted to fly. No, not fly by riding one of the chickens. Actually fly. By himself. Which meant breaking the curse that wasn’t actually a curse, if you asked the system. Why? Because it stopped him from evolving. He’d found out that there were a few ways to break the curse. The easiest ways (which weren’t all that easy) were to go to the three places; some sort of sanctum, a nexus (whatever that was), and a spire. Which meant delaying his mission to execute slimes.
However, the system had pointed out that after he’d gained flight and possible other perks that came with reaching the places, he could more efficiently kill slimes. So Zaelen had decided that yes, he would.
Turns out the wolves were more knowledgeable than they seem. Alright, let’s go to the moldy pancake.
|||WHAT. JUST WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?|||
Moldy pancake?
|||HOW...|||
How what?
|||Let’s get this straight. How do you relate the Obsidian Sanctum with MOLDY PANCAKES?!|||
Not moldy pancakes. Just one. Moldy pancake.
|||A-alright. I’m not arguing with you anymore|||
Zaelen cackled aloud, and a few wolves sent worried glances his way. He called for them to start traveling.
⋆❖^⧫/-\⧫^❖⋆
Zaelen glared furiously into the forest. What was the problem? Well, it was that while they were in the middle of chasing down a group of slimes they’d come upon while heading to the moldy pancake, some sort of wasp flew in and saved the slimes. Saved! Zaelen roared in fury after the quickly disappearing wasp.
Creature: Aurexcarapax
...Why are all the species names so... FANCY?! And why’d it save the slimes?!
Zaelen curved his neck to look at Iceria. “Do the slimes and wasps have some sort of pact or something...”
Iceria blinked in surprise. “You truly are wise to know the happenings so far away! We have only heard glimpses of this strange occurrence.” (Yes, they’d traveled a decent distance so far)
|||If only she knew...|||
Heh. But she doesn’t.
|||Eh, I guess the wasps are doomed|||
|||Nothing to do about it|||
“Let’s go kill some wasps. We can put the journey on hold.” Zaelen turned. “Aetherin, find the hive and lead us to it.”
“I’m afraid that I must intrude. Do you mean we are to storm the aurexcarapaxes’ hive without a plan? They are an intelligent species, you must know.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I have a plan.”
“And that is?” prompted Iceria.
“Why should we have to kill the entire hive? If we cut off the head, the body falls by itself,” smirked Zaelen. “And smoke isn’t exactly hard to find.”
“...smoke...? I understand the rest of it, but what about the smoke?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Aetherin?”
“Yes mama?” chirped the aetherin.
|||I’m impressed how your brain can make decent plans|||
Unlike you?
|||When did I ever say that?!|||
Hush now, old man. Stress isn’t good for your mental health.
|||Wha-?!|||
|||I’m not the one whose mental health you should be concerned about here! Maybe take a look at yourself!|||
Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine. After all, you acknowledged that the impromptu plan I just made was decent, didn’t you?
|||How do you ALWAYS manage to find a way to turn the conversation against me!|||
I’m built different from you. Heh.
|||Yeah, I highly doubt that|||
Aww, are you jealous, system?
|||For the last time, STOP making your weird inferences about me!|||
Last time I saw, inferences meant a conclusion made with reasoning and evidence. So you’re basically agreeing to what I’m saying.
|||What--|||
Zaelen paused. Eh, never mind. We’ll talk about this later. I have to go smoke out some wasps. Zaelen poked his head out of some bushes. He’d expected something like a beehive, but in reality, the entrance to the wasps’ hive... was... a burrow.
WHEN DID WASPS LIVE IN BURROWS?! EXCUSE ME?!
|||Does it matter?|||
Yes. I wanted honey.
|||Pretty sure that just because wasps live underground, that doesn’t change their entire way of life|||
|||Also, since you plan to smoke out the wasps, wouldn’t the honey be unsafe to eat?|||
You just need to boil them.
|||I think that’s for killing off germs, not smoke itself|||
...How do you know that I plan to smoke them out anyway?
|||I can read your mind somewhat|||
Somewhat? What do you mean by that?
|||...Oh look! There’s a wasp!|||
Zaelen swung his head around to see the yellow insect crawling out of the hole. It promptly got drenched in water by the aquaerin. Then, of course, a slime was thrown with [Wind Surge] onto the wasp. Yes, a slime.
Now, you might be asking, why would Zaelen do this? Turns out that the slimes’ acidity can melt the wasps’ armor fairly quickly. And not that the slime would get spared after it had done its job. No, the aquaerin would just kill the slime after with a very useful skill it had gained called [Osmosis]. Yes, Zaelen had somehow managed to create a skill that was solely purposed for killing slimes.
|||Shouldn’t you be the one to have the skill, not the water gun?|||
Now, ignoring the system’s comment, the wasp was easily burnt to a crisp with a few fire spears. Smoke billowed up from the sizzling wasp. Zaelen used [Wind Surge] to shove the wasp into the hole, and then used the skill again to keep the smoke from drifting out.
Learned new skill: [Wind Barrier Lv1]
[Wind Surge Lv3] -> [Wind Surge Lv4]
Soon, a few wasps started to crawl out of their burrow. And then more. And more. And more. A stream of wasps soon poured out of the hive. Wolves sometimes sent driftwood and other foraged vegetation falling down to join the burning wasp corpse so the fire wouldn’t stop. It seemed like the wasps either didn’t care about the random things falling from the sky, or they didn’t notice in their panic to get out.
Once it slowed to a trickle, Zaelen motioned furiously for the large heap of underbrush they’d prepared before the fight (the things that had been thrown before were foraged after the fight started) to be thrown. As soon as it was, the fire roared up. Zaelen stopped blocking the smoke and heavy, black plumes of it drifted into the sky.
The wasps, having settled and started to edge back towards the burrow, scattered again, disappearing into the forest. A few more wasps managed to escape the burrow, and then the fire had become a wall, blocking any other aurexcarapaxes from coming out. Or coming in. Zaelen suspected that most of the hive was gone. Now, this might’ve proved a problem for how the wolves would’ve entered, but keep in mind that their fire resistance was very high.
To keep the chickens from boredom, Zaelen had stationed them to keep watch over the blazing entrance in case the queen escaped. Then he and the wolves slid into the tunnel. The blazing flames only took one tick of his health, and from what he observed, the wolves didn’t seem to be affected much either. Zaelen saw that the smoke had taken up most of the burrow; it was so thick that he could barely see anything. However, Zaelen simply used [Wind Surge] to blow all the smoke out.
While his MP was going down quickly, it didn’t matter. The wolves would fight the queen, not him. A yellow shape suddenly appeared down the tunnel they were following. In a split second, it was brought down by several wolves. While the wolves’ claws couldn’t slice directly through the wasps’ armor, it didn’t matter how strong the armor was if it wasn’t protecting all of you. There were gaps at the wasps’ joints, and the underbelly’s armor was much softer. The eyes, antenna, and mouth were also an option.
Zaelen smirked as the wasp soon went limp under the barrage of wolves. They continued on, deeper into the hive to find the queen. They met quite a few aurexcarapaxes on the way, not that the insects posed a problem to the little ‘expedition’.
And then, there were startled yelps, and wolves suddenly disappeared in front of Zaelen’s eyes. He craned his neck to see what had happened to them... and he fell in too. And of course, if he, the alpha, fell, the other wolves came charging after him and inevitably fell too.
Zaelen realized that the smoke, while he had thinned it out somewhat, was still thick enough to block a tunnel opening in the ground that was almost vertical. Eventually, it flattened out somewhat, creating a slide. Zaelen sat up and enjoyed the ride. Almost feels like I’m flying again. Like I did before I died.
|||So, you get alarmed when a few wolves fall, but you don’t get alarmed when you yourself falls?|||
|||Incredible logic there, I must say|||
Old man, stop your squabbling.
|||Back to me being an old man again...|||
The slide suddenly ended and practically spat Zaelen out. However, since he had been sitting, he landed upright.
|||Are you sure you aren’t a cat?|||
Hush. Zaelen glanced around to see other wolves standing up, with more shooting out of the tunnel. Iceria skidded to a stop beside him gracefully. “A-are you okay, alpha?!” she cried. Zaelen nodded. He had HP Regen anyways.
HP: 285/300
A few wolves suddenly gave howls of alarm. Zaelen sat and looked on as an obsidian black wasp much larger than the others skittered into view. Eight wasps followed.
“That’s... a bit larger than expected,” commented Cryos.