A Dragon's Curiosity

Inside the guild owned store, Nisha and Henry both sat on a bench, waiting for their turn. Various adventurers discussed matters with the employees and some of them talked for quite a while, giving the elf time to converse with her step brother.

“Tell me again, why is it so important to have a monster companion? Isn’t it better to have a team of other adventurers?”

Leaning back and smiling slightly during the wait period, Henry displayed manners unlike that of a noble, queueing up didn’t bother him at all.

“That’s hard to say. On one hand, the variety of human companions is almost always greater and you can assemble a group to cover for everyone’s weaknesses. On the other hand, a monster helper won’t lay claim to any items or materials and the blood contract placed on them makes any betrayal absolutely impossible.

Furthermore, if the monster or beast you own has a different element from your own, you could delve into the dungeon alone without having to consider elemental weaknesses. If the element is the same, you could also try to work out a combination effect or nurture a monster  into a beast, which greatly enhances its worth.

Weighing the pros and cons, I think it’s better to have one than not. It’s slightly embarrassing to admit it, but I’m also looking forward to get a new friend today.”

Seizing up her brother, Nisha attempted to gauge how much truth were in his words, his friendly attitude towards monsters surprising her.

Picking up on the non-verbal cues, Henry didn’t give her the time to retort and instead elaborated further.

“It’s not unusual to change your opinion regarding monsters once you come in contact with adventurers. Most of the time, it’s very reassuring to have a trustworthy ally working with you to delve into the Dungeon. When I got admitted to the academy, I’ve experienced it quite often, since part of the education is combat training and expeditions to certain floors. Personally, I’ve managed to make do without a partner so far, focusing on my sword play instead. With my new aura manual, and your admission to the academy, dad figured I could raise my own as well.

Isn’t it admirable? I’d like to enjoy that too.”

Staring at a place far beyond the walls of the guild shop, Henry paused for a moment.

“Enough from that. What do you think and do you have any question about it?”

Returning to the present, he passed the baton to his sister.

“Hm, two things actually.

By what means are the monster controlled, is it painful for them?

And secondly, how does this place work? Where are the monsters?”

Looking around, there were neither cages nor other means to restrain the monsters, only several big doors leading to other rooms behind the counter.

“Good points. I’ve studied a bit and learned about it in the academy as well, so I’ve got a rough idea. Monster and beasts are reserved in the form of eggs, gathered in the dungeon. No matter which species it is - birds, lizards, even aquatic beasts - all of them are found as eggs. There’s no time limit for their incubation nor can you tell which kind of monster is inside an egg before it is hatched. The only thing anyone can gather from the shell itself is the floor it originates from, with the help of the identify spell.

Well, as for the monsters itself, they are born once the contract placed by the guild on the egg is activated, you can do it either by pouring mana or aura inside the seal or drop blood on it in case you can do neither. By being bonded to a human, there exists a chance they can exceed their original growth limit or even awaken as beasts, which is a great boon for most monsters, so they follow their partners quite willingly. And adventurers treasure their companions, I admire that. Of course there are some bad eggs … however, overall it’s a good arrangement.”

As they conversed, the man in front of them standing at the counter thanked the employee and left through the entrance, freeing up one of the spots on the long counter. The woman behind the counter beckoned the two to step closer.

“Seems like it is our turn. If you have any questions, you can ask them now. The guild is more informed than me, anyway.”

Rising from the bench, Henry nodded his head in greeting while Nisha quickly followed him.

“Good day, esteemed guests. What can I help you with?”

Giving the siblings her best professional smile, the employee welcomed them.

“Likewise. My step sister and me wish to purchase an egg for the first time, can you assist us with that?”

“Certainly, sir. If you would follow me through the door to your far right, I will explain the specifics once we’re in the sales room.”

Inside the high class hall, rows upon rows of shiny white eggs with unique markings lined the walls, displaying the luster and prestige of the guild. From the employee entrance, the attendant approached as well.

“Sir, you mentioned this is the first time you are purchasing an egg from the Guild. Do you wish for a full explanation? And how many eggs are you requesting for? Additionally, if you possess an adventurers card, there is a 50% discount on all items.”

Having said her usual piece, the woman bowed, waiting for further instructions.

Nisha materialized her card inside the pocket of her dress, currently she stored all important items in a secluded corner of the [Inner Space] to have easy access.

“Yes, we’re both new to this and haven’t owned a monster companion before. If you don’t mind, please explain it fully. Each of us is probably going to buy an egg.”

Giving the go ahead, Henry nudged his step sister, who was lost in admiring the multitude of colours adorning the shelves.

“No need to be so polite, this is my job after all. As a start, I should probably explain the origin of our merchandise. From time to time, adventurers discover an egg when a monster or beast is slain. These eggs don’t really have a relation to the species that leaves it behind, the content is entirely random. However, there is a certain trend regarding the general rank of the monsters hatching from the eggs.

In the first fifteen floors, the quality is usually around the first to third rank. Sometimes there’s an exception, but every egg in this room has been acquired in that range. There’s a low chance there will be a mid quality egg and an even lower chance for a high quality one among them.

Eggs found in the sixteenth to twenty fifth floor generally qualify in the mid quality range and usually contain a third to fifth rank being, although there’s a slight chance for the egg to be in a higher or lower grade.

Finally, everything beyond the twenty sixth floor is known as high class. Inside, sixth rank monsters are generally found. This is the highest regular rank, the Guild cannot guarantee that you will get better results from buying only high class eggs. Some adventurers also reported a higher success chance to obtain high potential monsters from mid quality range than from the high quality eggs, however we cannot ascertain this as the truth.

For the prices, a low class egg is valued at one gold, a mid class is worth fifty gold and high class fetches as much as a thousand gold. Of course, the price is half off for adventurers.

Once you decide on an egg, please bring it over to the counter, we will identify the item to ascertain the rank and prepare it to be ready to get hatched.

The process of hatching is fairly simple, you need to either pour mana, aura or a drop of blood on the seal to finalize the contract.

As for the bond, only the owner of the contract will be able to command the monster coming from the egg. And since the seal works both ways, if either side’s cultivation surpasses the others, the higher partner can assist the other to improve the training speed. Therefore, neither partner will be left behind and both can fight on the same level.

The Guild also offers stables for monster surpassing certain size limits, which would make it difficult to let it walk through the city. For regular and small sized specimens, you are allowed to let them accompany you, provided the owner is with the individual at question at all times.

If you are unsure what the name of a hatched monster is, the Guild offers a free service to all customers to identify their partners, to advise them regarding their diet or habitation, as well as special circumstances that may arise with rare species.

This should cover most of the basics, but if you have more questions, the counter is always open to answer questions, day and night.

If you would excuse me, I will now return to the front. Once you make your decision regarding an egg, bring it to me and we will discuss anything else.”

Bowing a second time, the attendant finished the long explanation and exited through the employees-only door again.

“Wow, that was a lot to take in. What do they do if someone can’t catch all of it?”

Thankful for her good memory, Nisha looked somewhat dazed nonetheless.

“It’s not always like this. I’ve been here with dad once, he had to take care of an incident regarding the son of a noble and his monster.

During that, the reception was quite different and the attendants turned quite demure.

I guess even the workers here get tired if they have to repeat the same speech a hundred times a day and just want to get it out of the way as fast as possible.

Well, it’s the same for me I guess. If I can get rid of my chores as fast as possible, I can play all I want afterwards.

How about it, have you thought about what kind of partner monster you want?”

Browsing the low grade eggs along the wall, Henry slowly opened a distance while walking away.

Catching up to him, the dragon pondered for a moment.

“Not really, I just learned about it a while ago after all. Have you any ideas about your dream monster?”

“Actually, I do. Ever since I knew my dream was to become a knight, I had a dream. Members of the royal house usually get conferred a [Blood Lion] when they come of age and start attending the academy or get assigned a tutor. Dad mentioned it in the past, yet he never got one and I didn’t get one either, even with grandma being a direct descendant. Anyway, I really want a mount as my partner. To ride into battle side by side with the royal [Blood Lions]. It sounds silly when I say it out loud, but that’s what I want. I know what you get is random, but …”

As if mocking himself, Henry denied that dream, discarding the wistful longing shown on his face.

“Actually, there’s another possibility, but it’s equally unlikely. If I could get a water monster that awakens into a beast, there’s a chance it could learn a healing spell. The combination of a knight with a personal cleric is almost unbeatable in the dungeon and there’s also plenty of combat situations where a water beast would be invaluable. Nonetheless, the chance to have a monster evolve into a beast is nothing but a pipe dream.

I guess that would be my dream results, however no matter what kind of partner I get, I’ll properly raise it. It’s my important companion after all.”

Meandering along the rows of potential contractees, Nisha followed her step brother while maintaining a distance of one step behind him.

The beautiful shimmering eggs captivated her as well.

“I see. I think I can understand it a bit.

No, let me rephrase that. Your vision, I can see a glimpse of it.

Say, Henry. Do you trust me?”

“What kind of question is that? You already know I do? Did someone say anything to you because you’re my step sister? Tell me their names and I’ll show them who they messed with!”

“No, it’s nothing of the sort. I said I can see a small part of the thing you want to see. Let me select the eggs. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Overtaking the brown haired boy, the dragon checked her surroundings for a specific light.

While the patterns appeared pretty to her, another layer of light was far more beautiful, giving small hints to those who could see them.

Heading towards the room containing the mid and high class eggs, she urged her step brother on.

“Come, I found the egg you’re looking for.”

Confidently heading for her target, Nisha left Henry no choice but to chase after her.