Chapter 6 – Familiars

  “How long do you think it will take her?” Reuf asked. They had stood there for a few minutes after the door closed as though expecting her to return right away.

  “Not sure,” Jack said. “It took me a few days when I did it, but I was only level two with just a handful of skills when I entered it.”

  “You managed to complete this at just level two?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Yeah,” Jack said giving Elizabeth a knowing look. “But it was dangerous, and I almost died a few times trying to get through it. There is no need to rush into it like I did. Now that we know where it is, we can always come back here.”

  Elizabeth nodded but continued to stare at the doorway.

  “I’m heading back down,” Savgar said. “No point in standing around here. There is only one way up, so we can just watch the stairs.”

  “I am curious about those other hallways on the floors below,” Daniel said. “Where do you think those lead to?”

  “Not sure,” Jack said. “We are beyond the part that was visible from the city, and I never explored any of the other hallways last time.”

  “Well, I’m going to go… scout. Yes, scout the outside,” Zephyr said already zooming through the air away from them.

  “It’s too dangerous for that,” Daniel called after her, but she was already gone.

  “Should we be worried about that?” Sylvian asked.

  “Yes… No… Probably,” Daniel said rubbing his temple. “I don’t know. She managed to escape notice the whole time we were stuck in the camp. Still… It’s a needless risk.”

  “She is probably getting stir crazy,” Elaine said. “Just needs to blow off some steam.”

  “That’s what I am worried about,” Daniel sighed.

  *~*

  Zephyr sped through the tower, flowing down the stairs and past the floors without stopping until she got to the floor she was looking for. That small human, Jack was his name, already told them the way he had come in the first time, meaning it was also the way out again. Even if he hadn’t, she would have known this was the correct way. She could feel it, the flow of air greeting her like family welcoming back a long-lost daughter.

  With excited glee, she flew through the doorway and down the cavern. She barely remembered to make herself invisible just in time as she shot out of the gap in the cliff wall and into the warm night air.

  Zephyr hovered for a moment, soaking in the slight breeze. It had been so long. She was so distracted by the feeling that she almost forgot to check if anyone was nearby. She may be invisible, but that wasn’t a guarantee that no one could see her. Quickly, she glanced around the area but relaxed when she confirmed that no one was around her, or near the entrance to the underground. She admonished herself for letting her excitement get the better of her.

  “That was risky,” Zephyr whispered. “Daniel wouldn’t have approved.”

  Glancing above, Zephyr could hear the Wenduags’ camp above. It was muffled and far away, but after months of being stuck around it, she was Familiar with the sound.

  “Okay, a quick recon and then I can go play in the breeze,” Zephyr whispered convincing herself. As though in response, Zephyr felt the breeze flow across her skin, tickling her. She had to stifle a laugh. “Okay, maybe play first? Yeah, just for a little while.”

  *~*

  “Do you think Zephyr will find anything?” Victor asked as they descended the stairs.

  “Maybe,” Daniel said. “It’s not really her area of expertise.”

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  “What do you mean?” Sylvian asked. “She has scouted for us before.”

  “I think she only did that as an excuse to fly around without supervision,” Daniel sighed. “Sylphs don’t handle sitting around in one spot well.”

  “How did you get a Familiar anyways?” Jack asked. He was interested in this subject ever since meeting a toad-like Familiar named Jasper upon arriving on this planet. Jasper had been his guide during the short tutorial the System had provided, but he wasn’t allowed to tell him anything about Familiars.

  “Wizards are required to create a contract with a summoned Familiar,” Daniel said. “It’s considered a secret of the Wizard order that we use them, but at this point there is little harm in sharing it. It is supposed to offer assistance and companionship, so we have less of a chance to go crazy from isolation. They can also aid us in our endeavors and keep our secrets. In most cases at least. The nature of the contract differs between Familiar and Wizard, and we do get a choice in the type we summon.”

  “Then why a Sylph,” Elaine asked. “If they hate sitting in one spot for a long time, then why did you choose one. I always got the impression you liked spending days on end researching and studying most of the time.”

  “For precisely that reason,” Daniel said. “Back on Earth, I spent most of my time in libraries and classrooms studying, learning, and researching. I could tell which room I was in just by looking at the whiteboard in it. Part of why I chose to come here was to learn and experience a whole new world, but I knew that without something pushing me, I would probably end up in the same situation. So, I chose a Familiar that would start yelling at me to get up and move, forcing me to go out and see the world.”

  “What does Zephyr get out of the arrangement?” Jack asked. “It’s not just one-sided, right?”

  “No,” Daniel said. “Zephyr was interested in learning magic, and bonding with me allows her to pursue that interest. Sylphs, as a rule, only have one Affinity, Wind, but with our bond, she can use my Affinities and learn and understand the others as well. It’s not something that they have the capability of doing without. But I think that it might have been more about learning more ways to cause mischief than it was about any actual scholarly pursuit.”

  “Can anyone get a Familiar?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind having a little Familiar myself,” Elaine said.

  “It’s supposed to be a secret of the Wizard’s Order,” Daniel started, but was interrupted by Savgar chuckling.

  “What secret?” Savgar asked. “Tons of people have Familiars. It might not be a common thing to see, but there is no secret to it. Maybe a long time ago, but now many organizations have found the way of forming contracts with Familiars.”

  Daniel stared at the dwarf.

  “What?”

  Daniel sighed. “It is true that many organizations and groups have learned to summon them, but each Familiar type has its own ritual. Those are the closely guarded secrets now, and the Wizard’s Order prefers that people not know that their members use them. Almost all the Familiars that they offer are skilled at being undetected. That is what I meant.”

  “That’s true,” Rayne said. “Most of the elven clans have someone that can form a contract with a Familiar or two, but they are hesitant on sharing that knowledge. Most people still don’t bother with them. They can be useful, but not many people want the responsibility of them.”

  “Responsibility?” Jack asked.

  “There is an inherit wildcard nature to a Familiar’s personality,” Daniel explained. “They can’t be dismissed, and ending a contract can be difficult. So, whoever you make the contract with, you may be stuck with. But that goes both ways.”

  “So, it’s like having a pet?” Elaine asked.

  “More like a child,” Reuf said. “One that doesn’t grow or mature as fast as normal children do, and, depending on the contract, doesn’t necessarily have to listen to you at all. Tyrians usually avoid them.”

  “I like Zephyr,” Sia said. Sia barely ever spoke. It was rare enough that when she did speak, it usually caused most people to pause in shock. They tried not to comment on this, afraid it would only make her not want to speak up more often. Well, all but one person.

  “Wait, you can speak?” Elizabeth asked. When she had first joined their group, she had been scared of the two tyrians and kobold in the group, but as the days have passed with Reuf helping her to regrow her arm, she had started to feel more comfortable around the beast-like people, but this was the first time she had ever heard Sia speak.

  Sia only nodded in response. “Sia is… shy,” Reuf explained simply.

  “So, can I make a contract with one?” Elaine asked, redirecting the conversation back.

  Daniel sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter at this point. I can make the ritual if you really want to. I don’t have the materials on hand, but they shouldn’t be too difficult to get eventually.”

  “Can you substitute the materials like you did with the Pact?” Jack asked hopefully, but Daniel shook his head.

  “I’m afraid it’s not as simple as a Pact ritual,” Daniel said.

  They continued to discuss as they made their way down to the lower levels. Savgar and Victor decided to stay behind near the staircase waiting for Teresa, and to make sure no one else came up while the others explored the side hallways. The first hallway had ten doors on each side and ended with a single large doorway on the far side. All the rooms were closed and looked to be untouched like most of the city they had already looked through. Jack wasn’t expecting this to be any different but was surprised at the message he got when he tried to open the first door.

  *Requirements met: Associate of the Akashic Order*

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