Touch of Fate

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)

These are the fragments that remained behind after the birth of a Wyrm, the highest class of dragon kind. Because of the species, these fragments have a high affinity for both the Air and Water elements. Rarely seen in modern times, such materials could form the core of numerous magical items, especially ones that deal with protection and growth. Due to some unknown factor, these fragments have decreased in potency.

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[I really need to pick up some kind of crafting skill to make use of all these materials I've been finding.]

Brenden leaned back against the wall, watching as Mike worked through the new discoveries. He wasn't quite sure what this all meant, but suspected that it was another of the unusual circumstances that surrounded the Hero.

Mike lifted the little dragon again, and tried placing it on his hammock. Almost as soon as he broke contact with it, the familiar woke up and scrambled up his arm, before settling down in the crook between his neck and his shoulder.

Brenden laughed at their antics. "I don't think its going to let you go that easily. Now, I don't know much about little winged lizards, but if its anything like a humanoid child, it won't want to be separated from its parent until it grows up some more."

"Parent? What do you mean? I just happened to be nearby when it....was.....born. Crap, did it imprint on me?" Mike asked himself, after coming to a sudden realization.

"Don't know anything about imprinting, but it probably sees you as a father, or...." He snickered, "a mother."

After giving the beastman another glare, Mike sighed. "Would you mind getting the others? I think we need to involve them on this."

He shrugged in response, and sauntered out of the cabin. Pretty soon he came back with Tal and Sera in tow. The pair immediately noticed the new addition on Mike's shoulder.

"Oh my gods! Its precious! Look at those eyes!" The Oracle was immediately won over, and promptly started fawning over the dragon.

The elf also displayed an intense interest, but was more focused on the mystical aspects of the creature.

"What species?" She asked pointedly.

"Apparently, its a dragon of the Tempest Wyrm variety." Mike replied while backing up slightly as Tal pressed herself closer.

"What? Like the dragon that created Wyrmrest Lake? I thought that thing was supposed to be massive. This cute little thing couldn't be related to such a monster." Sera said while trying to pet the scales of the dragon's neck.

This apparently annoyed the creature, since it immediately sunk its teeth into her finger.

"Ow!" She shouted while drawing her hand back.

The dragon huffed and moved to Mike's other shoulder, placing his neck between Sera and it.

The Oracle looked at it with watery eyes. He could tell that she was truly devastated by the rejection, so he gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Its attached to me, but I don't think it trusts anyone else yet. Give it some time."

"How attached?" Tal asked, focusing on that particular aspect of his statement.

"Well, it seems I managed to form a familiar bond with it......mostly by accident." He replied sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

Tal issued a sigh, and looked vaguely tired."Not surprised."

"Yeah, you can't take anything Mike does personally. I'm convinced that he's got some kind of aura of luck that he drags along with him. Seems to be a mix of good and bad though. Almost as if he's been blessed or cursed by the gods to lead an interesting life." Brenden cut in philosophically.

[I'm really starting to regret asking for that when I reincarnated.]

Recovering from her previous defeat, Sera was once again trying to get close to the dragon. She commented distractedly, "Yes, yes, Mike's weird. Can we talk about something more important. What are you going to call this cutie?"

The dragon was watching the Oracle with one eye. As soon as she got close, it climbed up onto Mike's head to get away from her.

"Well, I don't even know what gender it is." He had tried to wrack his memory on reptiles, but had come up blank.

"Then we just need to come up with something that would work either way." She replied, now on her toes, reaching for the dragon. The little creature was sitting with its head straight in the air, like a snake ready to strike, and eying the approaching hand warily.

Mike stopped her, earning a reproving look. "What do you guys think? Since its a Tempest Wyrm, maybe something to do with storms or rain?"

"It hatched out of a gemstone, so something to do with gems, maybe?" Brenden added in a slightly disinterested manner from his position near the door.

"I think its a she, and I think we should give her a beautiful name. Something like Melody. Or-Or Alexandra. I always liked that one." Sera chimed in, trying to bypass Mike's warding hand.

"That might get awkward if it turns out to be male." Mike replied, finally scooping up the dragon and sheltering it with his body.

"Ancient race. Long history. Need noble name." Tal exclaimed, propounding the need for a respectable title for such an esteemed creature.

Mike mentally debated, wondering what direction he should go.