Dragon Tamer: 3. Opal Crystal (Patreon)

A couple months ago I binged YouTube watching people buy button quail eggs from their local organic grocery store, incubate them at home, and then see what hatched out. Because quails bred faster than rabbits and organic stores didn’t freeze their eggs, some of the the eggs would be fertile. Out popped tiny baby button quail. 

The hatchings were slow and laborious. The chick inside was a weak thing and it would take upwards of a day to peck its way out of the shell. Once it was finally free, it would be a few hours until it dried and became a cute, peeping ball of fluff.

That's the long way of saying none of that happened here.

The opal crystal flashed and crumbled into dust in my palm. Then, a zig-zag crack split the egg shell from top to bottom.

Oh geez. I hoped the egg was ready to hatch or this was going to be messy.

The crack widened. Then something popped out from the crack and unfurled. It was… an ear? A big, triangle shaped ear, shaped somewhere between a rabbit and a corgi. A second ear popped out the other side of the egg. Then the rest of the egg crumbled into a thousand pieces and fell away.

I had a newly hatched, big eared baby something sitting in my lap and gazing at me with opal eyes the same colorations of the crystal.

Ding!

You have hatched baby Fennec Dragon! (♂). Would you like to name this creature?

There was no other way to describe the baby fennec dragon other than adorably cute. In addition to ears which should have been able to pick up radio signals from deep space, it had a round head and a tiny, foxlike snout. It was sandy colored with a creme belly and a short triangular tail. Although it was clearly a reptile, it had tufts of peachy colored fuzz on its head with scatterings of deeper coloration around its neck like the beginnings of a mane. 

I reached out and touched its head. The scales were as soft as down feathers. In fact… yes, he was covered in thin, babysoft feathery coverings.

Less reptile… more dinosaur? Or were dragons something else?

The fennec dragon closed its eyes in bliss, letting out a little purr.

A name. He needed a name.

“I just got transported here, so I don’t know what kind of a name would be appropriate.” I searched my mind for inspiration. As usual, my thoughts fell back to Star Trek. “You have too much hair to be Jean-Luc. How about… Tiberius?”

The little dragon fox gave a coo of happiness.

Ding!

You have Tamed “Tiberius” Fennic Dragon.

Please choose one of three Opal characteristics.

Extreme Weather Specialist (Opal)

As a desert biome creature, Fennec Dragons deal with harsh cold and heat. As his tamer, you may share this bounty. Be comfortable in temperatures ranging from -10 degrees C to 40 C. Gain special endurance to persevere in temperatures outside of those ranges.

Temperature ranges increase at higher levels.

I blinked. “Um, what are those in Freedom Units?”

Ding!

Really Hot or really Cold.

Wow. The system or the world… or the gods had some snark to them after all. 

There were two more options.

Treasure Hunter (Opal)

The sands have long held secrets and treasures, and Fennec dragons have evolved to find and use them. Discover rewards from slain creatures. (Opal) First tier: Two items per creature. (%5 percent chance of special or rare drop.)

Item amounts and chances increase at higher levels.

Expert Scout (Opal)

Put the value of the big ears to your own gain! Fennec Dragons have exquisite hearing. Hear music like you never have before, ease-drop on enemies and locate prey with pin-point accuracy. (Warning: May need ear plugs to sleep.)

Auditory perception increases at higher levels. High Opal tiers are said to use sound as a second sight.

I read over the options with a frown. If I understood this right, by taming Tiberius I had the option of making one of his abilities my own. Did choosing one restrict him from the others?

Tiberius, who seemed exhausted by the business of hatching, noticed me looking at him and gave a little peep. He curled up in my lap, small pointed nose touching his tail.

I stroked his downy back, lost in thought.

They were all good, but one stood out Hello, loot drop! 

It sounded like this world had different habitats, like Earth. I was in a nice forest now, but for some reason a fennec dragon had laid its eggs in a forest. Was it lost or was there a big desert nearby? I hoped not. I only wore jeans and a t-shirt. 

Hearing enemies was a big bonus, too. I had no idea where I was or if I could speak the local language. Travelers usually could in isekai books, but I didn’t see any translation skills in my profile sheet.

In the end, there was only one decision I could make. Being able to grab loot provided both short and long term benefits. 

“Treasure Hunter,” I said.

You have selected: Treasure Hunter (Opal Attribute). Are you certain?

“Yes!”

A pleasant tingle lifted through me, like warm gentle static. 

I wasn't done yet.

Ding!

You have used (Opal) bonding crystal. Please choose an opal attribute to share.

Strength

Dexterity

Constitution

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

Luck

I sat up straighter. Here was something I understood. Partly. I still didn't know what Opal meant in context. Maybe I could ask?

"Help?" I asked.

The screen stayed put, unwavering.

"Query: Opal."

Nothing.

"Google: Opal."

I frowned at the screen then shrugged. For now, I'd assume that Opal was a rating. Hopefully, a good rating.

Now, which one to pick?

I looked down at the snoozing little Tiberius and considered my option. 

"Please choose an Opal attribute to share," I murmured. "Share."

Okay. Baby fennec dragons were criminally adorable, but they didn't seem that strong. Tiberius's little paws resembled a dog's more than a person's. His natural dex likely wasn't high.

Charisma? Considering how fast I'd fallen for him, it had to be high. 

Constitution? Well, the attribute screens mentioned desert environments so he likely had a strong constitution.

But the screen said fennecs found treasure in the sands. That indicated not only high intelligence, but luck.

I knew which one I wanted to pick from the start. I just had to consider my options first.

"I choose luck," I said.

After a quick confirmation, the screen disappeared. It seemed my choices were over.

I looked again at my character sheet.

Name: Harmony St. Claire

Race: Human (Traveler)

Age: 18

Level: 1

Attribute: 

Luck (Opal)

Occupation: None

Craft: None

Dragons 1/5

Tiberius

Fennic Dragon

Level 1 - First tier 

Shared Attribute: Treasure Hunter (Opal)

(Loot ability. Two items per creature. 5 percent chance of special or rare drop.)

This was… good? I wished I knew where Opal fell on a rating system. 

Oh well. That was a problem for future Harmony. 

Time to experiment. Dismissing the message, I looked around.

The tail of the dead egg-sucking dragon lay within arm’s reach. I touched it and a menu appeared.

Would you like to loot this creature?

“That’s the plan.”

Ding!

You have received: (1) Egg-Sucker Dragon Hide (Ruby Level). (1) Egg-Sucker Steak

The body of the dragon dissolved into very Star Trek-ish transportation glitter which sank to the ground. A moment later, a perfectly folded, though wet, hide appeared on the ground next to me. On top was a round cut of meat. 

My gaze went from the loot to the sleeping little creature in my lap, and down to my bum leg. 

“How am I going to carry all this?”

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