Great Potential

[Unnamed]
Title: None

Race: lvl 5 Reptal (I)
Class: N/A

Opinion of user: Scary, Strange, Somewhat Tasty, Big, Possibly Friendly

I considered the information in front of me. 'No name nor title, I can't expect it to be some mythical being right off the bat huh?' I glared at its third opinion of me, 'It better not expect to be allowed to bite me again. Regardless, it seems to be a sort of monster, though I wonder what exactly a "Reptal" is." As I was expecting, the HUD came to my aid.

A Reptal is a reptilian monster that serves as the first form of many great monsters. Some of the potential late forms of Reptals include Basilisks, Hydras, and even potentially great snakes like Ouroboros or Jörmungandr. These forms are of course at appropriately late stages, but are still strong for their stages and have unique abilities.

I smiled as I looked at the response. 'Now that is potential! I assume the first two are earlier than the last, but they all sound quite impressive. Hydras and Ouroboros would both be quite representative of growth. Not like I would turn down a Basilisk or Jörmungandr. I wonder what kind of Basilisk it is, as there are versions that are snakes or ones that are many legged reptiles.'

To my slight surprise, the HUD made no answer to my question. I puzzled over why it would not until I settled on a somewhat satisfying answer. I didn't know anything about the Basilisks of this world, and that would be more specific than the general knowledge the HUD provided, so it would not answer.

I let out an annoyed sigh, alerting the Reptal that I had returned my attention to it. It froze, staring at me with a large piece of jerky hanging across its mouth. As it did the lizard equivalent of squinting at me, it slowly scarfed down the jerky, not stopping the stare down for a second.

I couldn't stop an amused chuckle from escaping me. It was a surprisingly adorable thing to watch. My laughing did not seem to make the Reptal any calmer, but it didn't seem panicked either. As I recovered from my chuckling, I considered how best I should approach taming the Reptal. 'There are a few options. I could see if I can corrupt it, but that almost feels like cheating. A part of me wishes to do it the old-fashioned way, and I am inclined to agree with it. I can't just rely on these abilities to do all the work, I have to make sure my own mind and skills are sharp.'

The Reptal seemed confused at my considering expression. It tilted its head at me, and proceeded to make a cute chirping noise as it did a motion similar to a yawn. It was at this moment that I decided I would make this creature love me, as it was too adorable to use as a simple pawn. This little critter would be my most treasured companion, this I would make sure came to be.

I carefully approached it, holding out my hand to the edge of the cage to give it a sense of me. It backed up, so I paused, halting until it was ready. I stayed still for over a minute, waiting for it to approach. Eventually, it cautiously approached, and began inspecting my hand. As it sniffed and licked at it, I very slowly moved it into the area of the cage, pausing whenever it did or whenever it moved away.

Once my hand was within the cage, I carefully tried to pet its side. It did not respond favorably, spinning around and biting my hand. I grimaced, but held firm. I knew if I jerked or flailed, it would not help. So, I calmly and slowly spun my hand, forcing it to let go due to the limited room to maneuver.

After begrudgingly letting go of my hand, the Reptal seemed startled to watch my hand heal at very fast speeds. It backed up to the other side of the cage before looking at my face again. It seemed somewhat suspicious of me as it approached again. I held my hand out in front of it, and this time it let me softly lay my hand upon it.

It was a surprisingly satisfying feeling. To somewhat gain this little creature's trust. I carefully maneuvered, making sure to never surprise it with my movements. In order to perhaps gain a bit more favor with it, I carefully used some magic to grow a berry from the bush the cage was made from. I slowly picked them of, and held them in a cupped hand out to it.

The Reptal again slowly began eating, and I was satisfied to leave it there for my efforts. As I prepared to extract my hand, I had a thought. 'Wait, what if I used Gaze Into Fate on this guy? Would it work? I wonder what kinds of things I may see...'

My curiosity piqued, I cautiously used Gaze Into Fate as I looked into the Reptal's eyes.