Master Of None

"You see, the art of carrying and keeping the eggs in a state that won't let them hatch is very specific. Take that lava falcon for example. It will stay in a dormant state as long as it is not in a heated state. If it was ever put in to a hot enough flame it would hatch almost instantly. But, that ice silkworm is the opposite. It can't get in to the normal warm spring air let alone hot air. It has to be kept cold but not too cold. If it was in a frozen environment it would hatch and look for nearby white frost roses to eat." Ash had been telling the stories related to the eggs he had gathered while also explaining how he was able to keep them from hatching. 

"So it was a lot like Onyx. His egg was dormant because he was unable to get the right amount of light elemental mana. Once we had kept him in the light for a while then he was able to hatch. Now he had realized his darkness elemental mana and light elemental mana affinities." Onyx was happy to see that other monsters related to him. It may not specifically be about abyssal serpents but it was able to give him insight about how he may be able to find other abyssal serpents or their eggs. 

"Brother, I feel that we should search for some places that have close to the right environments to hatch more abyssal serpents. If it is right on the edge then we may find them." This was a hopeful realization for Onyx that made him want to research areas that could meet his theory. 

"That is often what I look for. I found the ice silkworm near the foot of a mountain near a plains environment. The lava falcon was very similar but near the foot of a volcano where lava used to flow but had been diverted due to a rainstorm. Now, these are mostly based on the kinds of elemental mana and the heat or cold. But this egg here is different." Ash was truly enjoying showing off to someone that wasn't looking for something specific. 

He often had to bring certain monsters or monster types for a tamer due to their systems. It limited what they were looking for and also made the job of an egg hunter harder. This wasn't a bad thing but there was a lot less freedom than what Ash wanted. At this moment, Ash was able to share the eggs he had fun finding and could see the genuine interest that the three had by seeing and hearing these things. Although, he wasn't sure why Fleur seemed so interested in some of the eggs that had singular elemental affinities. But it didn't deter him. 

"This egg is a cloudy dove. It was very hard to get and I only have it because there is a chance that a cloudy dove egg will be rejected by its parents. You see, this grey spot on the egg was why the parents rejected it. A cloudy dove is a rare monster that will only stop flying because of its mating season and egg laying. When the egg is pure white then it matches the parent's pure fluffy white feathers. Why it is not then they may be darker like storm clouds which the cloudy doves dislike. Therefore, the egg is rejected." 

Walker was curious since he had never heard of a cloudy dove before and used his all around appraisal skill on the egg. 

'Imperfect cloudy dove egg

The cloudy doves are known for their perfect fluffy white feathers. They will often stay flying in the air for the majority of their lives and have almost no natural predators. This is because they produce a scent that keeps animals and monsters calm. They used to be hunted for this scent so that people could walk unharmed by monsters. Unfortunately, they were hunted too much and are now known for their scarcity. This cloudy dove egg had an additional water elemental affinity which caused it to lose the pure white feathers and is now going to be reminiscent of a raincloud.'

"So, the fact that it has an additional affinity changes it. It seems cruel that it would be rejected by its parents. Yet, because you found it will have a better life. It will also be much more rare than a cloudy dove is." Walker also knew that it had to have a more challenging hatching method. 

"It also needs to be hatched during a windy rainstorm. Cloudy doves only hatch during very windy days without any raid or too much sun." Ash answered the question before it was asked. 

"No, I do have a few prized eggs that I do not display. This one is an ancient egg that I am working on identifying. I would like to show you but it is a mystery I want to solve so I will show it off another time." The box that Ash put aside had a strange mana around it that seemed similar to the rot in the swamp lands. Fleur avoided it and gave it a glare.

"That leaves these two. I found this one in a crater. I thought it was a strange ore but it ended up being an egg. I have figured it to be a serpent type monster. While this here is something I found in the bed of a river. The dry season lowered the water levels and I saw a strange stone. This is either a stone finned catfish or a mud skin alligator, both of which are incredibly hard to find." Both eggs were strange and had different features. Walker couldn't hold himself back from using his all around appraisal on them to check what they were. Ash seemed to have his open form of appraisal but it didn't seem to say outright what the egg might be hiding. 

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