Chapter 80: Down By The River

Their drive took them out of the grassland and down a road that led through a marshy area, where the Crocolisk could be found. There were other magical beasts in the area, ones that hadn't been flagged as the most likely ones to build a strong team with Hawk, and some of them were not shy about being around the roadway when they passed. For example, a large antlered animal roughly the size of their truck, with long legs and a thick neck that promised those broad antlers weren't just for show. "What exactly is that?" Karl muttered as they passed it by. "Southern Moose. They're not a magical beast, but most of the Common Grade beasts won't mess with them." Alice replied. That was understandable; the beast was massive. Up ahead, they spotted a few smaller magical creatures, and the others watched Karl carefully to see if he had any sort of response to them, but Karl was just in wonder at all the scenery, unlike anything he had ever seen before. "First up, there should be a Stoneskin Rhino nest around here somewhere. It is further back off the road, so we will have to walk in to find it. One team will come with you; the other will stay to guard the truck so we don't have to walk home." Daniel informed him seriously. "Alright. Let's go see what we can find." Karl agreed. According to the map, they would have to pass by a bit of the marsh, then they would be back at the river, and that was where they were likely to find the Rhino nest, as well as many other predators. "Stop. Don't leave the truck. It looks like we found one of our options early." Alice ordered, and Daniel abruptly, but silently, pulled his door closed again. Off in the trees, there was an enormous furry creature with a mottled pattern of golden spots through jet-black fur. That should be the Golden Dire Bear that they had informed him of, and it had a small cub with it. The problem was that they were together, and the mother was paying close attention to her young cub, which meant they wouldn't be able to sneak up on it and see if Karl could bond with it. "The mother is Commander Rank, and she doesn't look impressed to see us here. How about we go a little further along?" Jodi suggested. Karl considered the options for a moment. The Golden Dire Bear would be a good team member, especially as they grew so naturally powerful, but getting into a fight with one on the off chance that the cub would forgive him and work together seemed risky. "We know where they are now; we can come back later, perhaps with some meat, and see if that puts her in a better mood." Daniel agreed, while Jodi began to drive slowly until the bear decided that they were no longer a threat and went back to watching her cub. "It's a bit further from the river, but up ahead here, there are some survivors of the Giant Lizard breeds. There aren't many of them left, at least not outside the breeding farms in the west, but any of them should be a viable option. They're not dragons, but there are some Drakes among them, and almost every species has some sort of innate skill." Jodi explained as he turned down a dirt path. They drove for another ten minutes, when Jodi stopped the truck and pointed to the far side of a clearing where there was a large group of animals, roughly the same two meters tall as the Golden Dire Bear had been on all four feet, but with thick scales and three horns on their wide heads, as the Cerro were described. They were happily munching plants with beaked mouths, which made Hawk happy, and they seemed to be nonaggressive unless threatened. "Those are a subset of the Cerro. They're less than half the size of the ones we were looking for, and they lack the full extent of the healing ability, but they have a rather unique racial skill that you might like. These beasts can coat themselves in magical lightning. They use it both as armor and as a weapon when they charge." Jodi explained. "There are eggs in the nests, and they're closer to us than to the beasts. Do you think that we should take a little trip out and see if we can get one to test?" Daniel asked. Karl agreed that they looked like they would be a suitable option, and they had heavy scales all over their body that looked impenetrable, as well as the three long horns and the armored head. [Let me. I will be in and out in seconds. Hawk suggested. "I will send Hawk," Karl informed the others, then opened the door a crack to call the bird out into the open. Hawk streaked through the trees, and as soon as he grabbed an egg, alerting the herd to a predator in their midst, Karl called him back into the Beast Space. He could feel the egg, the life form inside of it, and it had been pushed to the other space when Hawk entered his home, but it was not ready to hatch. There was something missing for Karl to form a bond with it. "I think it's a possibility, but I need to do something, and I'm not sure what," Karl informed the others as Jodi began driving again. Slowly, as if the bird had nothing to do with them. "Then we will keep looking. Place the egg here in the padded bag, and we will hold on to it in case it's the best option." Alice explained. In the taming space, Hawk shook his feathers, and something else moved to the secondary space. [Did you get something on you?] Karl asked curiously. [Not sure, what happened?] Hawk asked, unable to see the other space or its contents. There is a tiny egg. Like miniscule. Karl explained as he examined the egg. "There is another tiny egg there as well. I think that it was on Hawk when he came back. I'm not sure what it is yet." Karl informed the others. "Can you bring it out? Or is it too fragile to move easily?" Alice asked. "It looks very soft, not like a bird egg, but there is something alive in there for certain, I can feel it," Karl explained, then moved the egg to one of the padded bags. The others looked at it in horror, and Alice opened the door. "Get that thing out of here. That's a Bloodbath Spider egg."