Chapter 8 : The Mysterious Beast Egg

**Chapter 11: The Mysterious Beast Egg**

The moment Alina and her companions stepped through the massive stone doorway, they were met with an entirely new problem. Instead of finding themselves in a grand treasure hall—like Rowan had optimistically predicted—they stood inside a cavernous chamber filled with… eggs.

Hundreds of them. Some were the size of their heads, others as big as a boulder. Strange glowing patterns covered their smooth surfaces, pulsing faintly in the dim light.

Rowan whistled. "Well, well, well. Looks like we stumbled into someone's nursery."

Cassian arched a brow. "And whose nursery do you think this is? Some ancient chicken overlord?"

Zephyr ignored them, eyes scanning the chamber warily. "This isn't good. If these are beast eggs, their parents won't be far."

Alina stepped closer to one of the smaller eggs, curiosity getting the better of her. As soon as she reached out to touch it, the entire room trembled.

Rowan groaned. "You just *had* to touch it."

Before Alina could argue, an ear-splitting roar echoed through the chamber, and a massive shadow loomed over them from the entrance. A colossal beast with shimmering golden scales and six glowing eyes stepped forward, its presence radiating overwhelming power.

Cassian slowly stepped back. "Yeah, that's definitely *not* a chicken."

The beast let out another thunderous roar, shaking the very ground. Alina barely had time to process the situation before Rowan grabbed her wrist. "Time to run!"

The group sprinted through the maze of eggs as the enormous creature gave chase. It swiped at them with claws the size of tree trunks, missing them by inches. The wind from its attack sent Alina tumbling forward, nearly smashing into another clutch of eggs.

Zephyr, ever composed even while running for his life, shouted, "Don't let it break the eggs! It'll get even angrier!"

"Great! So we're dodging both the monster *and* a potential parental meltdown? Wonderful!" Alina yelled back.

As they zigzagged through the chamber, Rowan suddenly grabbed a nearby egg, cradling it as he ran.

Alina nearly tripped. "What are you *doing*?"

"Stealing an egg, obviously! What else do you do when you find rare mystical eggs?" Rowan grinned. "It's called making an investment."

Cassian looked at him like he had lost his mind. "You mean a *death wish*?"

The beast let out another ear-splitting roar and lunged at them, forcing the group to dive through a narrow tunnel at the far end of the chamber. As soon as they were through, the walls behind them rumbled and collapsed, sealing them off from the enraged creature.

Panting, Alina lay sprawled on the cool stone floor, catching her breath. "That… was terrifying."

Rowan, still holding his stolen egg, grinned. "But also thrilling."

Cassian groaned. "You better hope that thing doesn't track us down."

Zephyr sighed. "Let's just keep moving before we attract anything else."

As they ventured deeper into the ruins, Alina glanced at the egg in Rowan's hands. Something told her their adventure was only getting started.**The Egg, the Beast, and the Bad Decisions**

As the group trudged through the narrow tunnel, Alina kept throwing suspicious glances at the egg clutched tightly in Rowan's arms. It pulsed with a faint golden glow, making it look far too mystical to be something he could just *take* without consequences.

"You know," Alina finally said, breaking the silence, "I feel like we're about five minutes away from that thing hatching and either bonding with you or trying to eat your face."

Rowan grinned. "Either way, it's a win. Imagine if I get a cool pet out of this!"

Cassian groaned. "Or imagine if its *mother* finds us first and roasts us alive."

Zephyr, ever the pragmatist, shot Rowan a sharp glance. "We should leave it behind."

Rowan gasped dramatically. "How *dare* you? Do you know how hard it is to find a beast egg? It practically fell into my arms! The universe *wants* me to have it."

Before anyone could argue further, the tunnel suddenly opened up into another massive chamber. Unlike the previous one filled with eggs, this room was an ancient hall, its walls lined with glowing inscriptions. In the center stood a raised platform with a floating crystal, pulsating with energy.

Alina's eyes widened. "That's gotta be important."

Zephyr nodded. "It's most likely a relic left behind by the ancient sect that once controlled these ruins."

Rowan, clearly feeling emboldened by his earlier egg theft, sauntered forward. "Well, there's only one way to find out what it does—"

Before anyone could stop him, he reached for the crystal.

The moment his fingers grazed it, the entire chamber *exploded* with movement. Walls shifted, ancient mechanisms clicked into place, and suddenly, an *army* of stone golems began emerging from the floor, their glowing eyes locking onto the intruders.

Cassian glared at Rowan. "Why must you *always* touch things?!"

Rowan held up his hands innocently. "Look, I was just testing it—"

A golem swung a massive stone fist at him. Rowan barely dodged, rolling to the side with an undignified yelp.

Alina groaned, summoning flames to her hands. "We don't have time for this. Fight first, yell at Rowan later!"

The battle erupted into chaos. Cassian used his fire to blast through the weaker golems, Zephyr moved like a shadow, cutting down enemies with precision, and Alina unleashed a combination of elemental attacks, sending ice shards and lightning bolts flying.

Rowan, meanwhile, was mostly occupied with *not dying* while still cradling his egg. "I'm protecting the *real* treasure here!" he yelled as he dodged another golem's attack.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last golem crumbled to dust, leaving the chamber silent once more.

Alina wiped sweat from her forehead. "Next time, let's *not* touch mysterious floating objects?"

Rowan patted the egg. "Fine, but only because I already have my prize."

Cassian and Zephyr exchanged a look of mutual exhaustion.

This adventure was far from over.