Dragon Mage 097 - A Familiar Creature (Patreon)

373 days until the Arkon Shield falls

I left the temple still dazed by the implications of Aurora’s last words. Had she been trying to warn me? I wondered. And if so, of what?

I had known the Trials was a part of me, yet the idea of it listening in on my every thought was disturbing. Now was not the time to ponder the matter, though. I still had a lot to get done before tomorrow.

Glancing inwards, I focused on the Trials message, heralding the changes to myself.

Your skills in air, death, earth, life, water, sorcery, anatomy, light armor, staffs, and lore have advanced to level 68.

Your spellpower and channeling have increased to level 68 and your constitution to level 51.

Your skill in dragon magic has advanced to level 108 and reached rank 3, Seasoned.

I dismissed the alerts and hurried towards my cabin, but after a moment’s thought, I changed direction and headed to the craft hall instead. My gear and my armor required mending again, and there were other things I needed too.

✽✽✽

I passed through the craft hall in a whirlwind, speaking first to Melissa, then Anton, and Albert in quick succession. Not even with Anton did I pause for a longer chat. Time was in too short a supply.

After leaving the three crafters with terse instructions on what I needed, I rushed back to my cabin. Melissa had promised to personally see that my orders were delivered, and I had faith that she would.

My cabin was undamaged. It didn’t look like anyone else had been inside since I’d left for the fort. Seating myself cross-legged on the fur rug, I considered the tasks before me.

First and foremost, I wanted to take a stab at golem crafting, then I needed to improve my arsenal of dragon spells, and lastly there was my staff to see to. It was going to be a long night.

Best I get started, I thought, placing the elemental stone of fire on the rug. Beside it, I laid down the champion core. Cupping my chin in my hands, I stared down at the items.

How do I go about creating a golem?

Eric’s message had made clear that a core served as the means of communication between a player and his pet. I have to combine stone and core. But how? Reaching down, I nudged two closer together. Nothing happened.

Hmm…

Gathering my will, I analyzed both items again.

The target is a full champion core. The special properties of this item are unknown. Your lore skill is insufficient.

The target is an elemental stone of fire. Current state: dormant. No enchantments are contained in this crystal. This stone may be etched with the spiritform of rank 4 spells from the Discipline of fire and is large enough to be attuned as a Focus. The spirit within this stone is gifted in Magic, has mediocre Resilience, exceptional Might, and no Craft.

My brows drew down as I read the last Trials message. My lore was finally sufficient to get further information on the elemental stone, but frustratingly not on the core. Still, the newly revealed stone data was interesting.

I wondered what the effect of casting my magic through an attuned crystal would be. The stone belonged to the element of fire. Would it enhance my fire magic? And possibly even my dragon magic? It was an attractive idea, and I was curious to explore it further, but not today and not with this elemental crystal. Reining in my wayward thoughts, I turned back to the subject at hand: golem crafting.

Perhaps I need to awaken the stone first?

It was worth a shot. Drawing on my magic, I fed mana into the crystal.

The stone grew warm, then hot, and the rug beneath began to spark and smolder. Hastily, I moved the stone onto the bare floor. The wood underneath blackened but did not catch alight, and reassured I wouldn’t burn the cabin down around me, I channeled more mana into the stone.

You have awakened an elemental stone of fire.

The crystal’s heart flared to life, and I sensed the elemental spirit stir. Unlike the first time I’d interacted with it, the elemental did not recoil from my touch. In fact, the only emotion I sensed from the creature was tiredness and a strong desire to return to its slumber.

“I promise I will not keep you long if this fails,” I murmured. Picking up the champion core, I rolled it closer to the elemental stone until the two objects were touching.

I sensed curiosity flicker in the elemental as the core’s diamond-like surface touched its own.

“Go on,” I whispered, “absorb the core.” I had no idea if such was even possible, but I had to believe the process was similar to my own induction into the Trials. In what seemed a response to my urging, the elemental spirit sent a tendril of itself into the core.

Then the core began to glow.

I sat up attentively. Something was happening! A Trials notice unfurled in my mind.

Champion core installation initiated. Basic interface installed. Analyzing host and target entities…

Child species… fire elemental.

Parent species… human.

Existing spirit bindings… none.

Parent sorcery… present.

Control core size… adequate.

Analysis complete. The parent and child entities comply with all requirements.

Jameson Sinclair, do you wish to transform a fire elemental into a creature champion and meld it to your spirit? Beware as a living creature with free will of its own, a fire elemental may reject the melding.

“Ah,” I breathed, my thoughts racing as I considered the alert. I didn’t entirely understand the Trials’ latest message, but I had no doubt now that I was on the right path.

Yes, I thought emphatically.

Champion core activated by player Jameson Sinclair. Commencing metamorphosis…

Pure white light burst from the core, forcing me to squint against the sudden glare. The light coalesced into a beam that swept the room like a searching spotlight before coming to rest on the elemental stone.

The crystal pulsed scarlet in response to the harsh light bearing down on it, and for a moment, it seemed intent on resisting the intrusive white light, but then red and white intermingled, bathing both stone and core in a rosy glow.

The core shrunk, and the stone expanded. My eyes widened. The elemental was absorbing the core! The process didn’t abate until the stone was larger than one of my closed fists and nothing remained of the core.

Then the elemental crystal began to contract.

I stared at it in consternation. What? Why? Is the stone rejecting the core?

Insufficient energy available. Cannibalizing child entity’s matter.

“No, no, no!” I shrieked. “Don’t do that!”

The Trials paid my protest no heed, and if anything, the crystal’s shrinking only accelerated. Doing the only thing I could think of, I flooded the crystal with mana. The elemental stone’s rapid contraction slowed but did not stop.

I kept pouring energy into the crystal but feared I’d just made a costly mistake. I wrung my hands in worry. When the combined object was the size of a marble, another Trials message scrolled across my vision.

Core embedded…

Creature primary data updated…

Traits revised…

Status modified…

Verifying configuration…

Metamorphosis completed. An elemental stone was degraded during the transformation and shrunk into a sliver.

A new entity has been born. Identity: unnamed. Species: fire elemental. Designation: elemental seed. Meld status: not started.

Warning: Melding of the parent and child is incomplete. If the meld is not established in one hour, the core will be destroyed, and the elemental seed will lose its creature champion Traits.

I blew out a heavy breath. For a moment, I’d thought I had lost both the stone and core, but the metamorphosis was successful, if barely, and now the crystal was a seed. And what exactly is that? I wondered.

Opening my magesight, I studied the object on the floor. The elemental within was fully awake and moving about energetically. But despite the physical transformation of its housing, the spirit was little changed. It remained nearly the same as when I’d first beheld it. I frowned. So how was it a creature champion now? And how did I complete the melding?

Thoughtfully, I reached out to pick up the marble-sized object for a closer inspection.

Physical contact established. Attempting meld…

I snatched my hand away at the unexpected Trials message and almost dropped the elemental seed but managed to close my first around it in time. Then another sensation drew my attention.

My own core was awakening.

Roots, the Trials had buried long ago in my mind during my own induction, lifted free and reached out to the seed in my hand. I half-sensed messages race between the two cores but their contents remained opaque. Connections snapped into place, core to core, and I felt my heart lift. This, I realized, was what the Trials had meant by melding and, so far, the process appeared to be proceeding smoothly.

Meld failed. A fire elemental seed has rejected your offer.

Huh? Opening my palm, I stared down at the crystal in my hand. It was pulsing sullenly. It had rejected the meld. But why?

In my magesight, the threads of the elemental’s spirit continued to flutter and dance about. This time though, they had an angry air to them. Reaching into the crystal with my magic, I tasted its emotions.

Hurt.

Betrayal.

Fury.

I sighed. The fire elemental had perceived the melding as an attempt to leash it, and it most emphatically did not want that. It desired only to burn free and wild.

Now what? I wondered. Setting the crystal down on the floor, I drummed my fingers against the wood. In hindsight, I realized I should not have found the spirit’s refusal surprising. Like my own dragonfire, the fire elemental was filled with an unquenchable thirst and rage. In fact, the resemblance between the two was almost uncanny.

At the comparison, I felt a tug from the magic within me.

I stilled, remembering the near-disaster with the orc commander, and almost suppressed the mana stirring in me. But something told me that this time my magic wasn’t angry. It was… intrigued.

Hmm. What had caught its interest? The fire elemental? I had no idea what my magic was about, but at this stage, I saw little harm in letting it act. Remaining passive, I watched keenly to see what my magic would do.

Mana rose out from my center.

My eyes widened, but I didn’t react. Forming into thin filaments, my magic wove itself into a shape I knew well. Dragonfire. When the construct was completed, the flames sat still within me, as if waiting for further instructions.

What does it want me to do?

The sliver on the floor glinted. I glance down at it. Its spirit was pressed up against the walls of its crystal-housing. The elemental had sensed the fire’s presence within me, I realized, and seemed perplexed by it. Understanding what I needed to do, I willed dragonfire out of my hands.

Almost before I could complete the thought, flames leaped from my palms and into the crystal.

Magic flared within the sliver, and it turned first bright red, then blinding white. Within the confines of the crystal, dragonfire and elemental inspected each other, spiritform and spellform closely intertwining. A heartbeat later, the elemental pulsed with new emotions.

Surprise.

Awe

Happiness.

I sucked in a cautious breath. My dragonfire was wooing the elemental. Almost afraid to hope that it was enough, but knowing that if ever there was a moment, it was this, I picked up crystal again.

Attempting meld…

Communication flashed between the cores again, and new connections formed. This time, they remained in place. A second later, threads of my own spirit unraveled to join with the fire elemental. Bonds were forged, and emotions coursed between. I could sense the elemental in me, and it, me.

Melding completed. Child entity successfully joined to parent entity. This spirit binding is permanent and can only be undone by death.

Congratulations, Jamie Sinclair, you have gained an elemental seed as a familiar. You are the first human to have acquired a familiar. For this achievement, you have been awarded: lore.

Familiars are sorcerous pets that are bound to a player by ties of spirit. Every familiar is different, but they have some Traits in common. The pets serve their owners as both companions and Focus and can channel a player’s magic through the unique bonds forged between their spirits.

Familiars are also creature champions and advance in level as they gain experience. However, their growth is capped by the player’s own level and core type installed.

Familiar Data.

Name: unnamed. Base species: fire elemental. Growth Potential: unlimited, full core installed. Rank: elemental seed, rank 1. Level: 1.

Known Techniques: none. Etched spells: 1 of 1, flare. Traits possessed: creature champion, sorcerer’s pet, fire spirit, elemental, crystal-bound, and dragon-touched.

Trait: Creature Champion. Rank: 2, uncommon.

As it advances in level, your familiar will automatically gain Traits, Attributes, and Techniques according to a predefined pattern determined by its base species.

Trait: Sorcerer’s Pet. Rank: 3, rare.

As a creature bound to you by ties of spirit, your familiar can act as your eyes and ears.

Trait: Fire spirit. Rank: 2, uncommon.

Given its innate nature, your familiar can only cast fire magic spells and cannot itself be harmed by fire.

Trait: Elemental. Rank: 3, rare.

Unlike other familiars, elemental familiars cannot channel their owner’s spells. However, they are creatures of magic themselves with their own mana pools. As such, they can cast their own spells. These, though, must first be etched onto their spiritforms. The number of spells that your familiar may hold increases with its rank.

Trait: Crystal-bound. Rank: 4, epic.

Most familiars possess a body of their own. Yours, however, does not. This comes with both significant benefits and drawbacks.

Your familiar cannot be killed as long as its crystal housing remains unbroken, although it can still be drained and banished when manifested. Additionally, your pet’s growth and the spells that may be etched in its spiritform are limited by the size of its crystal housing. Current rank cap: elemental seed. Current spell cap: common spells.

Trait: Dragon-touched. Rank: unique.

Your familiar has formed a kinship with your dragonfire, allowing its spiritform to be etched not only with fire magic spells but also those that employ dragonfire.

I rocked back, overwhelmed by the avalanche of Trials notices.

“A familiar,” I murmured in awe. I believed myself conversant in the Trials’ mechanics, yet somehow Overworld still managed to surprise me at every turn. I shook my head, amazed that I’d gained a familiar. And an unusual one too, if its Traits are anything to go by.

At the thought, I sensed a flicker of irritation pass through the elemental. I glanced down at the sliver on the floor, wondering at the cause. The blinding-white light emanating from it had faded to a luminous amber. The color of the crystal itself had changed too, I noticed. No longer was it dull-red but gold.

The color of my dragon magic.

I sensed annoyance again.

My brows drew down. “What is it?”

Images flickered across the spirit bond binding us together.

“Oh,” I said aloud. My familiar was female. “Pardon me,” I murmured and picked up the seed, triggering another Trials message.

Do you wish to name your familiar?

I rubbed my chin in thought. “Ash. How does that sound for a name?” I felt my familiar taste the name and pulse her acceptance a moment later.

An elemental seed has been renamed Ash.

I rose to my feet. “Well, Ash, let me show you more of your new home.”