1340
The group of five made their way forwards as always. Today, they found themselves passing by the beach.
"I'm tired of walking." Complained Joseph "Let's take a break."
"We've only been going for half an hour." Zach pointed out.
"Yeah. What's yer point?"
"Just stick with it, yer gonna be fine."
Joseph didn't respond, just made an annoyed face, before collapsing onto Daimyo's back.
"Just carry me. I can't walk anymore."
Daimyo tried to push him off but Joseph refused. He eventually gave up and continued with his very lazy partner on his back.
Ben took this in.
"Can I get a ride too?"
"No."
"Why?"
"There's only room for one, you'd make it too heavy anyways. Also he's my partner, not yours. Get your own." Daimyo clicked his claws in vague agreement, now getting used to carrying Joseph around.
Ben's first instinct was to slam them both into the ground, but he somehow resisted.
A few hours later, Callum suddenly froze. The rest were confused, not sure where he was pointing.
"Isn't that a Plesioth over there?"
They studied the monster. A scaled wyvern on two legs, with webbed feet and wings. The blank eyes stared back at them.
"Seems like it." Joseph agreed.
Zach paused. "Wait, something feels off."
"What?"
"Ain't Plesioth supposed to be… way bigger?"
"Dunno."
"Neither do I. But this one's only a little larger than us, so uh…" Zach cut off his own thinking aloud "Where's Ben?"
"He should be right next to- no he ain't. Um…"
Callum pointed again. The others spotted Ben sprinting at the monster, carving knife in hand, laughing.
"When did he even get that!?" Joseph asked as he began to run after them.
"No idea!" Zach followed behind.
By the time the others had arrived, the fight was already over, with both sides lying on the floor.
Ben quickly sat back up.
"That was a good fight!"
The Plesioth got up at the same time. It seemed to agree.
"Then, wanna come with us? For travelling and stuff."
The Plesioth nodded.
"How did that work?" Callum asked.
There was no answer anyone could give.
"So, anyways… I'll call ya Plessy."
"That name sucks." Joseph argued.
Ben looked over at Daimyo, a regular sized Hermitaur. "Shut it, at least mine's accurate."
"He'll be a Daimyo eventually!"
The group continued back down the same path as before.
A few months later, another encounter happened.
Night had nearly fallen, so the group had split up in the flooded forest to find anything to eat. The last to return was Zach, holding something that caught their attention.
Even Plessy was actually surprised.
"I...it's an egg…." Ben muttered.
Callum dashed forwards. "Zach! Did ya lay this egg?!"
Zach took a heavy sigh before replying in as disappointed a tone as possible. "Yer messing with things that shouldn't be messed with."
"Good job! Good job, Zach!" Joseph continued "Now I get to see what my-"
"It's already over, dude."
"I know, I know, I was just annoyed it got cut off before I even got to say my part. Anyways, where'd ya find that?"
"Floating down the river."
"Oh, cool. So, more importantly, how are ya gonna cook it?"
"No, I'm not."
"...It's a monster egg."
"Yeah. I know. That's why I got it."
"What if it's dangerous?"
Zach glanced over to Plessy, who was having fun flopping around.
Joseph didn't bother to look over. "Yeah, point taken. Yer the one who's gotta raise it, tho."
"Mm, sure."
For the next few days, Zach carried that egg everywhere with him. No matter what. He never left it on its own. It was inseparable from him. There was no way of arguing that he didn't care for it.
After about a week, Ben finally decided to ask.
"Oi, what even got ya so attached to that thing?"
"Getting attached to random things isn't something I don't do."
"Yeah, but this is way more than usual."
"I dunno… I just took an interest in it."
"Why?"
"Well I saw it when it was floating down the river and it stuck out to me. So I took it."
"What do ya think even happened to it?" Callum asked.
"I dunno. I've never heard of a monster that sends its eggs down rivers on purpose, so it must've fallen in somehow. But either way, it was completely on its own. So since we're in the same situation more or less, of course I've gotta help it out."
In the face of such ridiculously pure-hearted and well-intending reasoning there was nothing the others could do to respond.
A few weeks later the egg started to crack. All of them gathered around to watch. It took a while, but eventually something emerged.
"It's uh… something." Ben observed.
"Wow, thanks, I couldn't tell." Joseph replied.
"Any time."
"Ain't this uh… a Ludroth?" Callum asked.
"Those are meant to be spongy, right? This thing ain't spongy at all." Joseph asked back.
"They gotta grow it first."
"Oh yeah, now that I think about it that's kinda like Zach's afro." Ben noted "Weird coincidence."
"Haha… yeah." Zach replied "That is weird."
"Do ya really believe such a thing as coincidence exists?" Zach gloated in his thoughts. "Everything was calculated from the start. Ludroth eggs are noticeable by their unique markings, even from a distance. Of course I would save a Ludroth. After all, afros are god. Do ya really believe I would accept a monster without an afro? Life without afros is meaningless. All that reasoning was just a mere farce, there is no reason more important than the quality of possessing an afro. This is my victory. Now-"
"So what are ya gonna call it?" Callum asked, catching him off guard and cutting off his mental victory speech.
"Uh… um… Zappy."
Joseph and Ben both stared for a few seconds before yelling in unison "That doesn't even have anything to do with it!"
"Yeah but I like it, so shut up."
A few weeks later, Callum was sat by himself, staring at the sky.
"Man, I sure wish I could have a monster too." He thought, before feeling a presence behind him.
It was something completely incomprehensible, accompanied by a distorted voice and incredibly ominous chanting.
A voice was heard in his head.
"Do you desire an alliance?"
"...Y-yes."
"Very well. My power is now yours."
Callum returned to the others.
"Yo, guys. Made a friend."
Sanchez ran out from behind him before starting to run circles around the campfire.
"Ah, a completely normal Jaggi." The rest thought, none the wiser.
This was how the group of eight was formed during their travels, leading them towards Port Tanzia.