Chapter 18 - Mutualistic

  “Three Familiars?” Elaine asked.

  “That’s what it says,” Jack said. “Is there any reason why you wouldn’t want more Familiars?”

  “Suppose it depends on the contract,” Daniel said. “If you are willing to pay the upkeep for them all, then it might not be terrible. Never heard of anyone having more than one though.”

  “Only three gold too,” Reuf said. “It is outside our budget, but not a bad price for the service.”

  “You can’t predict what you might summon though,” Zajowle said. “You might end up with none that you want and waste the money on the attempt.”

  “So, it’s like one of those loot box systems,” Elaine said. “But you get three options instead of the usual one. You even mentioned the summoned Familiars will be chosen based on the summoner, so there is probably a higher chance of getting something good than typical loot box systems.”

  “Loot box?” Zajowle asked intrigued. “What is this?”

  “It’s a,..” Daniel started, but Elaine stopped him fast.

  “No!” She almost yelled. “We are not introducing that to this world. Talk about being taken advantage of.”

  “Yeah,” Jack agreed. “Let’s leave that back on Earth. But this doesn’t change anything for me. If anything, it just means my odds are better now. I’m going to start the ritual.”

  Moving the prompts back to using his Akashic credit, Jack confirmed the purchase and watched as the ritual started to pull in a large amount of Mana. The lines of the ritual diagram began to glow as more Mana continued to coalesce in the center of the room. Jack felt a connection form between him and the ritual. It tugged at his heart as the Mana quickly reached a crescendo. In the next instant there were three flashes of light blinding everyone in the area.

  It took a moment for Jack’s vision to return to him. When it finally did, Jack was caught by another surprise waiting for him.

  “You!”

  *~*

  Zephyr sped through the caves. She had to wait until she was certain no one was around before returning to the entrance. Now it was the middle of the night, and she was certain the entrance was clear.

  Quickly, she made her way back to the others, only stopping when she saw the dwarf. He was sitting by the stairs waiting. Invisible or not, she was certain he had already noticed her.

  “You’re back,” Savgar called to her. “Had some fun out there?”

  Zephyr dropped her invisibility for the first time in days. “It was a lot of fun,” Zephyr answered. “At least at first. Then it was scary, but then fun again. Where did Daniel go? I don’t sense him here.”

  “He went with a few others to check out the city,” Savgar answered. “I expect he’ll be back later tonight.”

  “Should I wait here then?” Zephyr asked.

  “Up to you,” Savgar shrugged. “See anything interesting on the outside?”

  “Oh, loads of things,” Zephyr said. “There was a pebble that looked like a rock. I found a mushroom that was growing a second head too! And…”

  “Right, right,” Savgar said dismissively. This was why no one liked dwarves, they never listened to the important things. “Some of the others are resting inside their rooms. Why don’t you go tell them all about your adventure.”

  ““Is Teresa with them? Is she sleeping?” Zephyr asked. She liked Teresa but learned before not to wake the human without warning first. For some reason, humans didn’t like being woken by a sudden calming blast of freezing wind. It always put them in a sour mood and there was no speaking to them then.

  “Sure,” Savgar said. “She slept plenty anyways.”

  “Alright,” Zephyr said cheerily. She flew off leaving the dwarf to his sentinel duty. She went to the hallway Savgar indicated, but every door inside was closed. There was no telling which room was whose. To be safe, Zephyr knocked repeatedly on all of them. There was no answer from any right away, but she kept up her persistent knocking until one of the doors finally opened.

  “Zephyr?” Victor asked, rubbing his eyes. It was the wrong human. This one was nice, but he was more dwarf-like than Zephyr liked. “What’s going on? Are we under attack?”

  “No,” Zephyr said. “At least not that I know of. I was looking for Teresa. Savgar told me Teresa was in one of the rooms. Daniel isn’t around, but I have a story to share. Maybe Sylvian is around.”

  “Ah,” Victor said. “Teresa is sleeping. I think Sylvian is also. I wouldn’t wake them right now.”

  “Savgar said it would be fine,” Zephyr said. “Unless… Do you think he was trying to get me in trouble?”

  “Possibly,” Victor said. “Probably not intentionally.”

  “Stupid dwarves,” Zephyr muttered. “All they have is rocks in their head, and not even the pretty rocks. Ooh, let me tell you about the rocks I found. One was a pebble, but it looked like a rock. I think that counts.”

  “What’s the difference between a pebble and a rock?” Victor asked.

  Zephyr gasped. “That’s a good question!” Perhaps she misjudged this human. “First…”

  *~*

  “You!” Jack exclaimed. In front of him, three strange creatures appeared, but Jack already recognized one of them.

  “Been a while,” Jasper greeted him. “I see you haven’t died yet. That’s good.”

  Jasper was the first creature Jack met upon coming to this world. He was a System Familiar and had been sent to teach Jack during the short tutorial the System provided. While that felt like a lifetime ago, it had only been a few weeks. Even still, Jack doubted he would ever forget the first talking toad he ever met. But he didn’t think he would see him again.

  “Familiar summoning ritual, eh?” Jasper said looking around. “Can’t say I’m not surprised. But what is this?”

  Jasper said the last part after noticing the two other creatures sitting quietly on either side of him. Jack noticed the other two right away, but he was so shocked at seeing Jasper again that he didn’t give the other too much thought until now.

  One of the creatures reminded Jack of a vine you might find in the woods wrapped around a tree. It was covered with thorns and constantly shifting around as though looking for something to grab.

  The second creature looked like a small cat whose fur constantly shifted between black and white. The visage of the creature was in a constant state of moving as it appeared more or less detailed as Jack watched it. Other than the strange illusion the cat-like creature gave off, it acted like a normal cat, but Jack wasn’t certain it was a cat. Afterall, Jasper looked like a toad, but toads couldn’t talk no matter how much Jasper tried to convince him otherwise.

  “I’m not sure I like this,” the cat-like creature purred. “I prefer to do my negotiations one on one.”

  “Yay! Friends!” a high-pitch thrill of a voice spoke. Jack could only assume that came from the vine-like creature. “Let’s hug!”

  Jasper jumped away immediately, putting a large amount of space between him and the vine.

  The feline stood its ground but raised its two paws showing several sharp claws. “Touch me and die!” it hissed at the vine.

  “Perhaps some explanations before we start?” Jasper said. “Kid, what kind of Familiar summoning did you do?”

  Everyone was staring at the three new arrivals in shock or in the case of Daniel and Elizabeth, fascination. Jack scratched his head. “I’m not really sure how to explain.”

  “What was the exact name of the ritual Jack?” Daniel asked.

  “The System called it ‘Random Tri-Familiar Summoning’,” Jack said explaining to Jasper. “It was listed as Unique and Special as its classification, and it is supposed to summon three random…”

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  “Yes,” Jasper sighed. “We know the ritual.”

  “That ritual hasn’t been used in centuries,” the cat tsked. “No one here is a master of magic. I would sense it if you were. How did you come by such a complicated ritual?”

  Jack simply pointed to the still glowing diagram and the pedestal nearby. At Jack’s motion, the cat jumped to the top of the pedestal, inspecting it closely. After a moment of staring and even a few sniffs the cat jumped back down.

  “Abomination,” the cat hissed. “Well, whatever. We are here now. Let’s get this over with.”

  “Why is it an abomination?” Elaine asked. “Is there something wrong with summoning Familiars this way?”

  “I couldn’t tell anything wrong with it,” Daniel said. “But if there is a reason we shouldn’t use it, then…”

  “There is nothing wrong with the ritual,” Jasper explained. “Some Familiars just don’t like not being the center of attention.”

  The cat tsked again but didn’t say anything to refute what Jasper said.

  “Can I pet the cat?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Who is this cat?” the cat Familiar asked.

  “You bear a striking resemblance to a creature we have on Earth called a cat,” Jack tried to explain. “A feline.”

  “You get used to it,” Jasper said. “The humans keep calling me a toad or frog as well.”

  “I am not a cat, but I am feline, and I already expressed my feelings on being touched,” the cat replied as it licked one of its paws, showing off its strangely sharp claws.

  “You can pet me,” the vine said to Elizabeth creeping closer. “In fact, lets hug! I like hugging.”

  “Stay where you are Zyne,” Jasper command the vine. “Remember rule number two.”

  “I wasn’t going to hurt anyone,” The vine Jack now knew was called Zyne said. “I promise. Just a hug, that’s all.”

  “For you, rule number two includes hugs,” Jasper said.

  “Do Familiars normally act this way?” Reuf asked.

  “I only met a few,” Daniel said. “But yes, they all have their little quirks. I think of it as part of the price of binding with one.”

  “Rude,” the cat hissed. “But I like you. You may touch me. Thirty seconds only. You may begin.”

  “I’ll concede my time to Elizabeth,” Daniel said.

  “Very well,” the cat nodded. “Girl, you have thirty seconds, not one more.”

  Elizabeth didn’t need to be told twice. She immediately reached out to stroke the cat who purred at the touch. Once the time was up, Elaine pulled Elizabeth away just in time as the claws appeared.

  “He’s so soft,” Elizabeth said. “I’m sorry, what are you?”

  “I am female,” the cat said.

  “We should move this along,” Jasper said. “Ritual won’t end until the process is complete. We all know the drill. Name, Affinities, what you can offer, and what you want.”

  “Very well,” the cat said. “Naturally, I’ll go first. I am called Chiaroscuro but I go by Ciao for short. My affinities are Darkness and Light. While I can engage in combat, I probably won’t unless I want to. I am willing to offer my expertise in magical knowledge, and, should you prove deserving, I will let you gaze upon my visage and may occasionally allow you to touch me. If you prove truly deserving, I may even let you enjoy my company while I sleep. In exchange, I demand a suitable home to rest, knowledge to pursue, and regular offerings of food or Mana.”

  “The Mana and food shouldn’t be a problem,” Jack said. “But I don’t really have a set place yet, and I don’t intend to always be in one place. Is that a problem?”

  The cat thought about it for a moment before answering. “I am not a outdoor feline. But so long as I have regular access to magic research and a comfortable travel arrangement, I will consider it.”

  “That… shouldn’t be a problem,” Jack said hesitantly.

  “Me next,” Zyne practically yelled the moment Ciao finished speaking. “My name is Zyne, and my affinities are Primal and Fire. I can fight. I’m very good at fighting. I can offer my services there or as an extra helping hand from time to time. I’m also really good at keeping things close. Very close. All I need is a little bit of the Summoner’s blood. Just a little bit. You will never notice it, I promise.”

  The last part caught Jack off-guard. Jack looked around at the others who were just as confused as him. “Did you say you need some of my blood?” Jack asked to confirm.

  “Just a little teeny bit,” Zyne said. “You’ll never know it was missing.”

  “Zyne is a type of parasitic vine,” Jasper explained.

  “Parasitic?” Elaine asked, unsure if she heard that right. Jack was also thrown off by it as well.

  “We prefer the term, mutually beneficial relationship,” Zyne said. “A… Mutualistic relationship.”

  “You mean commensalistic,” Ciao interjected.

  “Mutualistic!” Zyne insisted.

  “Is that safe?” Elaine asked.

  “I can be safe,” Zyne said. “I promise, only hugs. Everyone likes hugs. right?”

  “Never let a vine creature of any kind… hug you,” Jasper said. “And no, it is very much not safe.”

  “I thought you said it would summon three Familiars compatible with the summoner?” Elaine asked Jack. “How did you get these three?”

  “I don’t know,” Jack said. “I at least know Jasper, but the cat and vine are new.”

  “I’m not a cat,” Ciao tsked.

  “I can be a vine,” Zyne practically pleaded.

  “Zyne is a type of vine species without an official name, but they do have several monikers they are widely known by, one in particular tells you all you need to know about it,” Jasper said.

  “What’s that?” Daniel asked.

  “Serpent vine,” Zyne said. “But we hate that name.”

  “No,” Jasper interrupted. “That’s not the one I’m talking about. Tell them the real one.”

  Zyne complained, but Jasper just stared at until it eventually mumbled, “Assassin vine. But it’s an unjustified moniker. We just give good hugs, no one ever wants to let go. I can show you.”

  “It’s completely justified,” Jasper said. “Jack, I’ll simplify things for you. Zyne is dangerous but tends to fit people who specialize in assassin like fighting styles and paths. Ciao is difficult, but she will fit well among spellcasters, and Mana focused paths.”

  Ciao curled up on the ground already bored of the situation. It let out a big yawn as Jasper addressed it but otherwise ignored them.

  “Then what about you?” Reuf asked.

  “I am probably the biggest oddity of the three,” Jasper said. “I’m more surprised to be here than I think anyone else. I don’t get binding contracts often. In fact, if you don’t include my work with the System, then this is a first for me. As you already know, my name is Jasper. My affinities are Earth and Water. I am not a combat Familiar and cannot help much there. I have a lot of general knowledge but cannot claim to be an expert in any field. And before you ask, if I form a contract with you then the knowledge I had working as a System onboarder will be removed, and even if you ask me now, I cannot tell you anything the System doesn’t want me to share. What I can offer is my ability to help advise and I also have a knack for planning, organizing, and managing but more importantly, I won’t lie or work against you.”

  Ciao tsked at that comment, while Zyne started promising that he would never lie to anyone.

  “What about the requirement?” Jack asked. “What do you need for your binding?”

  “I’ll take the standard Mana donation,” Jasper said. “I don’t really require a lot.”

  “Honestly, that seems like the best deal,” Elaine said. “Not that there was a lot of good options.”

  “What is the standard Mana donation?” Jack asked Daniel this.

  “He doesn’t even know the basics,” Ciao complained to no one in particular.

  “Standard is between one hundred to one thousand Mana daily,” Daniel explained. “The more you generate, the easier it is to meet the requirements, and your natural Mana regeneration can be used to pay the upkeep. You will have to determine how often you must meet that upkeep. Either a daily, weekly, or monthly donation. If your Mana is full then one hundred percent of the Mana you would naturally generate will go toward the upkeep.”

  “No refunds on overpaying,” Ciao said. “If you cannot afford the Mana, food will do as well. Only Uncommon or better treats. I also want the right to renegotiate my contract after a year. If you survive that long.”

  “I haven’t even decided if I’m going to choose you,” Jack said. “I’m more of a dog person anyways. Canines, if that helps.”

  Ciao hissed, and Elizabeth looked heartbroken. “You aren’t going to choose the cat?”

  “Not a cat,” Ciao insisted.

  “Right,” Jack said. “Honestly, I can see how all of them could be useful, but that is a lot to keep up with, and I am not certain I like the idea of donating blood.”

  “Just a teensy bit,” Zyne assured him.

  “It’s more manageable than it seems,” Daniel sighed. “I’m not sure if this is the best option but if you do want them all you can set the upkeep at a month. Most of the Mana you generate naturally when not using it should be enough to cover the upkeep. If one day you can’t meet the requirement, then the other days should help cover the amount by the time the month rolls around. As your Wisdom and Constitution continues to increase, fulfilling the requirements will only become easier. In the worst-case scenario, a few Mana potions may be all you need to donate.”

  “That actually doesn’t seem so bad,” Jack said. “And I’m sure I’ll learn how to make Mana Potions eventually too.”

  “You’re an Alchemist?” Ciao asked intrigued.

  “That, among other things,” Jack said.

  “Other things?” Jasper asked inquisitively.

  “I’ll explain later,” Jack said. “Does that work for everyone? Say five hundred Mana donation daily every month?”

  “Thousand,” Ciao responded instantly. “I am an Elemental. I need more.”

  “Fine, a thousand,” Jack said.

  “Five hundred works fine for me,” Jasper said.

  “No,” Jack said. “If I am giving Ciao a thousand then I’ll give you a thousand as well. Daniel is right, it isn’t that much really. I generate more than that in a day on average.”

  “Jack,” Zajowle said. “We need to work on your negotiation abilities.”

  “It’s fine,” Jack said. “But how much blood is a teensy bit of blood?”

  “Just a small cut,” Zyne said, creeping closer than Jack was honestly comfortable with. “A tiny cut is all. Then we can bond.”

  “This is probably going to be a mistake,” Jack said, taking out a dagger from his Storage, an act that caught the attention of Jasper and the cat. “But that hasn’t stopped me before.”

  “Alright, two thousand Mana daily every month, maybe food… we’ll see, and some blood,” Jack said piercing his palm. He held his hand out to the vine. It latched onto his hand quickly wrapping itself around it and the wound.

  The act and words must have been all that was needed. The ritual started to glow bright again as Mana was yanked out of him, and Jack felt three tendrils of Mana connect him with the three Familiars before him. It continued for several minutes as Jack’s Mana came dangerously close to completely emptying before the ritual finally came to a stop. By the time the ritual finished, Jack could taste blood in his mouth, and he was panting hard from the exertion.

  “This is unusual,” Ciao said. “How do you have so much Mana?”

  “Things happened,” Jack answered simply.

  Ciao tsked. “Should’ve asked for more.”

  “Well,” Zajowle said. “That was interesting. But unless there is anything else left to do, perhaps we should make our way back to the others.”

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “I think I need to rest a bit after that.”

  “Where’s the third Familiar?” Elaine said. “The creepy vine one.”

  Jack looked around but only Jasper and Ciao were where they originally were and Zyne was nowhere to be seen.

  “I’m right here!” Zyne’s voice came from nearby. “Look down at your hand.”

  Jack lifted the hand he stabbed for the ritual. Instead of the cut he expected to see, his hand was healed but with a small vine like plant growing out of the palm of his hand.

  “I don’t like that,” Jack said.

  “Me either,” Elaine said.

  “Parasitic vine,” Jasper said as though he should have been obvious.

  “Mutualistic!” Zyne yelled back. “And I don’t have to appear there. I can appear from anywhere.”

  As though to prove its point, Zyne disappeared back into Jack’s skin leaving no trace it had been there and reappeared on Jack’s shoulder waving a leafy branch at him.

  “This is going to take some getting used to,” Jack muttered.