Vol. 2, Ch. 80: Egg Hunt
The next day, everyone had gathered in Kalloway’s office in the cathedral after classes. Gurigea and Harvine had quickly laid out what had happened and what Neska and company had been up to.
He had decidedly strong opinions of the Seekers. “Red clad bastards,” he growled. “Flapping around on mounts, scaring students, descending on them like they’re chasing criminals! This is outrageous! Tell me that Resalio was informed already!”
“She met with Lord Jondon yesterday. He did not believe we could handle this matter internally. So now we get the zealots in red, until the matter is resolved, worst case. Which I’m counting on, unfortunately.” Gurigea let her membrane sacs deflate, even though her voice was quite monotone and carefully worded.
Syra still bristled at the memory, and Neska swore she sounded like boiling water. “Perfect. Great. Fantastic. So now all we need to do is track down a bunch of cultists to get out and about.”
“I’m sorry, this discussion is for what the staff is going to do,” Gurigea interrupted Syra. The elementa’s anemone-like hair went on end, before Neska tapped her shoulder with her tail, in a subtle move.
The elemental let out a grumble, but took the hint. Neska waited a moment to interject.
The discourse between the professors continued, with Harvine adamant that Neska and her friends could aid the investigation. Gurigea was proving difficult to convince, citing rules and safety. Kalloway tapped a pen against the edge of his desk rhythmically, and his lips pressed, as if this were not the first time he’d been in the middle of the two arguing.
Neska ignored that, reading through her notebook and practicing the rune shapes for her diagnostic schematic, trying to improve her prior spell. The diagnostic rune was perfect. The location rune was…iffy. I didn’t get a firm fix on their position. The time of day was right, which means they do the prep work at night.
Now, do I add another rune to the instruction matrix and try again? Results can be mixed if you repeat the same diagnostic. Do I use a different binder other than my blood? What to do, here?
Rituals were almost a clean slate for what one could accomplish with them. In fact, they were often used to–
“Cassia, I’d like your opinion.” The discourse between the two professors had stopped, and all eyes were on her.
Great. Do I tell him what I’m doing? He might try to stop me, intending to protect me from harm. Which is counterintuitive, because pursuing this assassin and strengthening my prowess is the correct move, and leaves me at less risk down the line.
“The Seekers need to be dealt with. Either they need new leadership, or they need to be disbanded. To say nothing of my prior experiences with them. And to do that, we need to show that we, the academy, can stand on our own and lead with actions."
Kalloway looked at her sternly, then let out a quiet breath. “Well spoken. And also, quite difficult. You should avoid the Seekers like the plague. They are troublesome every time they come to campus. But what are you currently doing? If I have any indication of your witch, you’ve hardly been sitting idle the past few days.”
“She found information on the assassin,” Gurigea announced. “I would rather confirm this information first, because it has grave implications if it’s accurate.”
Kalloway nodded proudly. “So, looks like my teachings weren’t a waste. But Cassia, if you must be doing rituals…and questionable ones? Next time, ask me, and we can perform it here.”
The problem is, Kalloway, I don’t entirely trust you. I think there’s a reason Risha kept so many secrets to herself. “I’ll consider it if it doesn’t hinder my capacity to learn and grow strong enough to, you know, stop a monster invasion.”
“We’ve all been doing that, Cassia,” he said, an exacerbated look crossing his face. “I don’t think you realize the last five years have been a goddamn reprieve. The Varadur have been making no headway on pushes into territory, and we’ve taken back some of the Taspian plains.”
“But how long can we hold it?” Harvine asked in an edged tone, pursing her lips. “Also, be nice. Not everyone comes back as an Awakened with all their memories–”
“I know. Don’t remind me,” he said, his voice hovering on the edge of a shout. “Who do we send to check it out?”
“Hadley,” Juni called out. “She’s a scout and a damn good one. She’s just started at the academy, so if she were to begin investigating, she has a certain degree of anonymity.”
“Seconded,” Neska called out. “She needs to stretch her legs. I’d go myself to investigate, but there are other things I can do here. Jurik may be good company, and it’s only a few hours' ride from here.”
“I’d trust them. They looked like they’d been through hell when they first arrived at the academy, and the Major gave them some latitude,” Harvine said, taking their side.
Gurigea looked like she didn’t want to concede, based on the way she puffed her cheek sacs. Then, she let out a grunt. “Okay. I’m willing to give you some room to maneuver. Have them check it out discreetly. Maybe find out where the missing mount went. You can’t stable a bird like that just anywhere. Our esteemed Marisano has always been a headache for the academy, and bending over backwards for his–”
“Gurigea, enough. This is not about settling grudges with that man, and certainly not through his son,” Kalloway interjected. Then he glanced at Neska. “What will you be doing in the meantime?”
“Studying. And I also need a monster egg. For science.”
He blinked, his mouth slightly agape. “Do I really want to know where you’re going with this?”
“Uh…probably not.”
“Then don’t tell me anything more. As long as whatever you’re doing doesn’t result in damage to the campus or cause a bigger headache on my desk, you’re free to pursue resources.” He rubbed his chin before glancing around. “Alright, I think that’s enough. But Cassia, Brent, all of you, I can’t emphasize this enough: Don’t tangle with the Seekers. I have always been wary of them because they are trained to kill, not discern good monsters from bad ones.”
Syra let out a soft tsk. “Not telling us anything we don’t intimately know already.”
He gave her a discourteous glare. “Promise me you won’t make things more difficult and stick to the campus, please. As much as it would please me to humiliate the Seekers into becoming decent human beings, never underestimate the danger of a man utterly convinced of a terrible viewpoint of the world.”
Two days went by. In that time, Neska found a certain irony in what should have been an easy task, but proved to be the most difficult: getting a monster egg.
The griffin stables were a no-go. None of them was currently brooding. According to one of the riders, male and female griffins had to be separated at certain times of year.
She flicked her tongue in annoyance. “This is silly. Just put them together for a few days, and out comes our solution.”
The rider laughed so hard he slapped the railing along one of the griffin pens. “You uh, sound like you don't know how much of a challenge this is, do you?”
“Yes, actually, I do.” She waved to the male griffin the rider was assigned to. The creature stepped forward, talons clicking with every step, white and black feathers ruffled slightly, but it approached slowly. It nudged her hand as she patted its beak, the creature letting out a trilling sound a moment later. “They require specific circumstances to mate. Typically, a male will take two breeding partners," Neska said, showing off her knowledge.
“Huh? Randal, why are you behaving for her and not for me?” He asked, clicking his tongue and looking annoyed. The griffin ignored the rider and let out a contented trill as Neska gently ran her claws through his head crest feathers, clearly enjoying the attention. "Traitor," the rider grumbled, folding his arms and giving the griffin a stink-eye.
“Juni, come on over, stop being a timid mouse!” Neska called out.
“I am perfectly fine with the distance between me and my all-in-one, natural-born predator,” she said, giving an anxious wave. She had flat-out refused to get close until she saw the animal pacified, and finally dared to get closer. “How do you do that, Cassia?”
“Do what?”
“Tame magical beasts. Are you a hidden princess with a musical talent I don’t know about? Because I swear it’s the only reason all sorts of animals gravitate toward you,” Juni said in an amused tone. “Also, on a side note, how do you know so much about griffins?”
“Reading. I’d better know all my facts when it comes to magical creatures,” Neska replied nonchalantly. “For griffins, one female acts as the primary, the other acts as a secondary. The primary griffin female lays the eggs; the secondary griffin is tasked with nest gathering, foraging, and feeding the hatchlings up to three months, with the male assisting in this effort. Then they trade off on the next mating cycle, with the male protecting both clutches vigorously. They are an unusually socially bonded avian chimera species.”
“We call this a harem, usually. I don’t think it applies to just birds, however,” Juni said with a wicked smile. “Plenty of other species gather multiples in their orbit, building power in their small circle.”
“No, we’re just talking about griffins,” Neska frowned, wondering what Juni meant. “This polyamorous relationship between breeding partners is fascinating, as few other monster species exhibit such complex social interactions, barring a few. Dragons, in particular, have been observed with a single female gathering multiple male partners, and down-selects a mate through their needs for a particular clutch. Intelligent humanoid types are a little different, though I daresay goblins barely qualify for…intelligent.”
Juni sighed, throwing up her hands in resignation. “Never mind. So, no luck on donating a vibrant griffin egg in the name of mad arcanistry?”
“Uh…no,” the rider said, looking on in dismay at the two of them. “Why did you need this egg?”
“For a familiar. It's a special request for a witch friend,” she deflected. “Rarer, more powerful species will yield better results. The donor egg would be transmuted into a familiar that great care would go toward raising and training, if you were worried about ethicality.”
“I...am on the fence on how I feel about that,” he replied, folding his arms and leaning against a fence post. Meanwhile, the griffin continued to get head scritches from her and wanted all her attention. "Don't steal my bird's loyalty."
"Me? I'm just standing here, giving him attention. Snugs might be a bit much, though," she admitted.
He raised a brow before shrugging. “I mean, I get it. Witches do witchy things, and it sounds alright, and you seem knowledgeable…but we have none of the griffins looking for a trio. Normally, they mate in winter and raise hatchlings in spring. Sometimes you get a few that go early, in the fall, but…that’s not common.”
Neska pouted. She was so keen on having a familiar that she might be able to ride someday. She’d spotted a rather odd ability upgrade for her Tier two witch, but the prospect of riding a levitating broom seemed…unsafe. Foo. Well, onto the next plan.
Juni crossed off a line in her notebook as they continued. “Maybe we should add ‘animal husbandry’ to your desired skill list,” she mused.
“Pass. Where would I fit in all the other abilities I’m trying to take?” She glanced at her notebook, looking at other candidates.
Juni let out a surprised sound. "Wait, tell me that 'animal husbandry' isn't an actual ability."
"No comment." Neska continued before Juni could fixate on it. “We’ve ruled out griffins, several other protein birds, and a few reptiles they keep in the bio labs. None of my candidates will work.”
Juni shook her head. “Have you considered a fish?”
“What on Galwein would I do with a fish? Have you seen fish eggs? They’re tiny!” Neska stuck out her tongue, annoyed. “It would take forever to grow them to a suitable size, and then they’d be better served swimming in a therapeutic fish pond. Maybe if it were a water dragon, but…eh…nah, terrible idea.”
“That would not be the worst use for a familiar,” Juni pointed out. “But why a bird egg, exactly? You know Brent’s trying to reach out to everyone he knows, but apparently, there’s a big thing about pursuing monster eggs. Because a murderous monster lays every egg, and that’s before the Varadur get to them. So acquiring them is usually, you know, imperiling.”
“See, the way I figure, if the familiar changes based on the witch, it’ll be half me, and half of it will be my mortal enemy, so I will no longer feel singled out.” Neska reasoned this should be an easy point to make.
Juni thrust her hands out to point at the long list of other familiars. “Why can’t you do it the easy way, and get another snake? Or maybe a mouse–wait, no, terrible idea.” She cupped her face with her palm, shaking her head softly.
“It would dispel the narrative that I keep you as a sidesnack, and not a best friend,” Neska mused, putting a finger to her snout as if pondering the idea deeply. “Alas, my favorite pick for a mouselike being is super rare. I do not know where on Galwein I’d find a miniature giant void rodent,” she finished with a click of her tongue.
The mouse wouldn't let it go and then pointed at the list again. "Why couldn't you do an easy one, like a rabbit? Rabbits are low maintenance, cute, fluffy, totally not going to steal snake cuddles from me.”
Neska raised a brow at that. “Snugs must be used sparingly so they remain special. Except for familiars. Unlimited snugs for them.”
“You just made my point,” Juni said dryly.
A rabbit might make a good scout, but she wasn't sold on settling for a monster rabbit or a skinwalker. “Well, for one, I don't believe that rabbits bring good luck. Also, the great big nasty pointy teeth. They're dangerous in subtle ways.”
“What about a magpie or another bird? They're cute, small, and not a threat to rodents!”
“I don't think non-stop thievery would be appreciated. The next thing you know, they'll steal a shiny, dangerous rock, and I'll be on another mad quest. I’m already maxed on quests: stopping a monster army.”
The mouse let out a squeak of resignation. “Okay, Neska, I'll meet you halfway. How about a slightly less dangerous predator and mortal enemy of myself? What about a cat?”
“Oh, I like that, but cats don't listen to anything you tell them to. Except for the one cat who brought me extra meals. She is sorely missed now,” she said, sighing softly.
Juni gripped the paper tighter. “Okay, there must be something else on this list. What about a fox?”
“They’re sleepy and known tricksters. Pass, I can't have a familiar that is only useful half the time.”
“What about a cow?”
Neska stopped sliding forward. “I threw that on there because…Well, I can’t remember why. I cannot believe that's actually a familiar. But what would I do with a cow monster?”
Juni opened her mouth to speak, then faltered. “I have absolutely no idea. Okay, what else is there, exactly, that we can pick that isn't a predator to you, me, or even both of us? You’re not gonna let this go until you get some dangerous bird egg!”
“Well, it has to be within the premises. I do know that the witch classes help their students acquire less common specimens. I suppose that leaves talking to Kalloway. Maybe he can help. I don't expect this help to come for free, though, or easily convince him.”
Jun glanced at the cathedral on the north end of the campus. “Do we have to? Maybe Jurik could help! He's good at acquiring all things monsterish, and he's able to leave campus.”
“He's also going to be busy checking out our leads, and I feel like I'm working against an invisible clock. Kalloway it is, then.”
"How are you convincing him, anyway?"
"Arcanist breakthroughs: the weak point of every academic," Neska said, smiling proudly. "Follow my lead."