A Familiar Rhapsody

[Leigo]

30th of Spring, 512 AV Leigo’s head was throbbing ever so slightly. But after having hit his head on a book shelf recently, he was unsure if it was a symptom of overgiving or a more definitive physical ailment. Trying to let go of the pain, the man concentrated on maintaining his Res control. As the dirt rose to meet the liquid power on his hand, he could feel tremors running down his body. Unsure of their cause, Leigo almost lost control of it all as his attention fell upon the tremors. Not letting physical get the best of him, he listened to something else; something more motivating. Small screams came from inside the ruin, and very close to him if his ears were judge enough of such things. It was probably who got stuck under their own house after trying to abandon ship, so to speak. He and a couple of other men were there for quite some time, clearing the rubble and trying to pick out the unfortunate’s location. It goes without saying that their efforts so far weren’t bearing fruit. And then as the best possible motivator, the screaming stopped. Leigo could only hear breathing from then on; both his own and that of the men around him. Perfect serenity was unachievable under their circumstances, but it was as good as it was going to get. Thanks to his split attention, the pool of Res was almost split in two as it looked like it was going too slid down the back of his hand like thick slime of some sort. Luckily, he was able to stop it by focusing all of the res back together. Moderately taxing, it gave him enough room to crouch and stick his hand under the beam that all the noises seemed to spring from. Using his right hand he tried t disperse the Res a bit so he could elevate the wooden burden while pressure was evened out across its surface. The other hand was busy generating res that would make the earth follow it. Everything seemed to go smoothly until the two merged together and many small pillars started erecting from the ground. Even in the best case scenario, Leigo knew he could not hold it like that for long, so he had some of the nearby neighbors standing by to take up the beam once it was lifted enough to be carried. To all of their dismay, one factor was unaccounted for. The rain that had been falling for many days made the ground soft and muddy, therefore the structures too were less than adequately firm. In a desperate attempt to stop the pillars from melting down under the pressure, he employed just bit more of Reimancy, pooling Res in both of his hands while trying to quickly dry the pillars with what little fire he could muster. The luck they had up until that point abandoned them at that exact moment. Wind started to blow and all hell broke loose as the two res structures began to merge instead of helping each other grow separately. “Something is wrong, grab the beam if you can! There won’t be another chance like this!” quickly obeying, the neighbors started pulling out the beam and they seemed to be succeeding in their ploy. If there was some control left in Leigo, he lost it when he saw two small hands twitching under some stone. Quickly running around his own pillars, one foot after the other he climbed to top of the rubble and started sliding down awkwardly until he slipped and started rolling down. Finally he fell, next to the hands that had called out to him, hoping he wasn’t too late. “Be quick about it, we can’t hold it for much longer!” one of the neighbors yelled at him. As he started to dug those small arms out of the rubble, that same neighbor started yelling again. “What in name of Laviku are you doing?! He’s right there next to you! Stop fooling around and pull the man out, this thing is damn heavy!” In that moment when Leigo turned, he wanted to beat the man senseless; who could leave a child under the ruin and save the adult first? It was unheard of. However, once he glanced back to the rubble where the arms once were, none could be found. What was happening? What was wrong with him? A small moan close by dispelled his delirium. Using this moment of lucidity, he pulled the unconscious man that was next to him all of a sudden. Once the stranger was close enough, Leigo tossed him over his shoulders and begged the gods not to faint because of his Res abuse. Looking back at it, he would have probably wanted to perish right then and there. When Leigo finally turned around, he could see a most frightening sight. The two spells he had cast were definitely merging! The earth started to form some more crust around the leftover Res while insanely bright flames engulfed it all. It almost looked like… lava. Without a second thought, he yelled to the men holding the beam. “Let go of the damn thing! Let it go now!” strangely enough, they obeyed him with grave looks on their faces. However from their footing, it was impossible to discern state of the pillars. So what was it that they stared at? As he jumped over the melting beam, the unconscious man fell out of his hands and onto the ground. Not interested in checking up on his wellbeing, Leigo started eyeing the rubble again. Something did not add up. Strange thoughts kicked in again and he could once more see those same hands, calling out to him as they slowly dug themselves out of the ruin. What slithered out like a snake would disturb even the sturdiest mind. A little boy came out of the ruin casually, enveloped in flames. Leigo wasn’t sure what terrified him more, the fact that the boy wasn’t screaming, or the fact that he bore the same face Leigo had used all those many years ago. No one else seemed to be paying attention to the boy; what was wrong with these people?! Closer… Why did you let us die? Closer… Couldn’t you save us too? Closer… Come on, cast another one! Save us too! Closer… Strange whispers filled the air, and again it seemed like he was the only one who could hear them. Maybe he was the insane one here? Like most that faced such terror, Leigo too chose to run. Only one name and one place came to mind. Cadena Anaya Fianza, professor at the University and an old friend of his late father. She was the only other magic wielder he knew, she would know what needed to be done.

[Leigo]

* Leigo wanted to save the boy, but no matter how intense his wish was, his fear was so much more real. And as if reading his mind, the boy called out one more time before turning into ash completely. Coward! Come back, save us as well! Coward! Just you run! Coward! Coward! Coward! That one word echoed in his mind, but it was no longer coming from his younger copy. Instead every single object around him started yelling that one word. Same rhythm, more and more mouths joined, until it finally sounded like one giant chorus making an ode to his bravery. Even when he arrived at the University, everyone’s face seemed to be fixated on him. Just what was wrong with everyone? What was wrong with him? The angry chorus went on, driving him to warm tears, but something was wrong. He could feel those tears coming from both his mouth and his ears too. Smudging a bit of it across his fingers, he screamed in fear. What in holy hell was blood doing pouring out of him like a fountain? Random pains surged through him and grew more and more prominent as he finally could walk freely no more. Instead he started leaning onto the walls, careful to avoid stepping on one of the mouths who kept singing the grotesque tune he could no longer make out for anything other than uncomfortable buzzing. Stopping in front of the door he thought was hers, Leigo tried to knock but ended up crashing into the door instead. Once the door opened a scream came out of the room behind it, but it was the wrong one. The woman in front of whose door he had barged was most certainly not Anaya, she would have never screamed after all. As last grips of consciousness slipped through the cracks in his mind, he felt strangely at peace. Was this death? Was this it? He probably had it coming the way he abandoned that boy, the way he abandoned himself… Dying was not so bad, as long as the pain stopped. Coward… Coward… And then his eyes closed for what he thought would be the last time.

[Leigo]

* Once his eyes opened, Leigo could barely move, eyes were barely able to make out much of the room. And if someone was trying to tell him something, all his ears could pick up was white noise. “Am I… dead?” No response came to his ears other than something that seemed like high pitched laughter. “Are you Lhex?” No response again. “Please don’t make me into a worm or anything pathetic like that in my next life. I know I’ve made some mistakes, but I promise I’ll never repeat them in the next one. So please, don’t make insignificant!” A firm slap calmed his edgy nerves. “That’s enough melodrama out of you! No, you are not dead… but had you bled on my favorite rug you might have as well been better off like that! Now, can you tell me what happened?” “Anaya, is that you?!” “No, it’s your mother! Of course it’s me! But that’s still Miss. Fianza to you, spoiled brat!” Smiling for the first time in a while, Leigo enjoyed her explosive nature. She only meant well, even if she had no other means of showing it. Trying to tell the story, he found himself terribly ashamed of all three major faults he exhibited throughout the course of events. First he was a lunatic, then he was a coward, and it all tied up in one pretty knot with his idiot performance a few chimes prior. Not resisting the need to laugh, Anaya openly mocked him. Was he really that pathetic? “Gods, it’s like I can read it off your face… yes, it really was that pathetic! Now on a more meaningful note, was that your first instance of overgiving?” her voice turned from mocking to motherly within seconds. Instead of responding like he knew any student would, Leigo just smiled content that he finally had someone who cared enough to yell at him again. It really was strange how he missed little things like that more than the faces of his parents… strange indeed. “Yes… that was my first time overgiving… I think?” “Very well then, I’ve had a colleague of mine look over your injuries. You should be fine, but remember not to use your powers for a couple of weeks and you should be alright. Also, you are free to stay here until you get some more of your strength back, but then you will have to leave. Do you understand what I’m saying?” “Oh I understand alright, you are worried about me and don’t want to let me go off alone until you are certain I will be well. Isn’t that true, Miss Fianza?” “You really are a piece of work, just like your father was!” “You’re the one to talk…” They both laughed for a bit, but then the mood suddenly died out, just as quickly as it had rose. “I miss him, your father. A great man he was, unlike the scum that walks the streets today, all alive and well… terribly undeserving of life, let alone all of its perks, undeserving I tell you!” “You and me both… So how come you are still living alone? Weren’t you in the same situation all those years ago when you and my father were still friends?” “Well, there was someone, but he’s no longer around… not that it was your father or anything. We were friends, just friends!” she quickly started explaining to soothe the shocked look in his bloody eyes. “What happened to him?” “Why did you never visit me all this time? How long was it since we last saw each other? Seven years?” “Something like that, I didn’t really want to be reminded of my parents… and you were well… let’s not talk about it. So that man of yours, what happened?” “Let’s not talk about it.” “Is he still alive?” “I think so.” “And you still care for him?” “Of course I do, but a brat like you could never understand!” “So what’s stopping you from going out to find him?” “Let’s just say he’s lost to both me and this world.” “I knew it! That rumor all those years back, it was true wasn’t it?” “Yes…” her eyes seemed to fill up with tears, but she didn’t look away. “So he really did step through the portal?” “Yes…” and then she was definitely crying. Leigo wanted to comfort her, so he tried to stand up. As the sheets fell down from him, he yelled instead. “You perverted woman, what did you do? Where are my clothes?!” “We had to undress you in order to inspect your body for any additional wounds! Now lie back down and shut up, you ingrate!” Laying back down and pulling the sheets over his nudity, Leigo kept prodding at her. “So if you know where he is, why haven’t you gone to search for him yet?” “It’s impossible for one person to achieve such a thing.” “But you aren’t really just one person, are you?” pointing back to the shadowy cat, he grinned. “How did you know about Suiembro?” “I didn’t really ‘till now. But there are rumors going around… besides, I would have never taken you for the crazy cat lady type.” “Yeah, I do avoid that one a lot.” As they both laughed, Leigo found himself wanting to propose something more. “So if you and Suiembro can’t handle it together, maybe I can help?” “Hardly, it takes considerable skill in the field of summoning to be able to pull off such a thing. And you as far as I know have none.” “Yes, but I’m certain you trust me, unlike many others who would want to learn under you. Besides, you could always throw in a little something for me so the deal doesn’t seem too one sided.” “No!” like having read his mind, she was one step ahead again. “You are not getting a familiar. They are not toys!” “Who said anything about toys? I just always wanted someone to talk to other than you, and you know I am disciplined enough, taking this incident out of the picture of course, to handle one of them. Besides, from what I’ve read, bigger idiots than I have managed to procure some! Come on, isn’t that what you always wanted? To find your man and have someone to make sure that runs along smoothly?” “Yes, but…” “You don’t really have anything against it, do you? Other than the fact that you don’t wish to risk my safety, of course! So let me tell you something. You are not my mother, you are more of a family friend, so you should not look at it like you are losing a child, but like one of your friends offering a hand. You know, praise is also generally given in return.” “Oh shut up!” “I was being serious over here, you know?” “Yes, yes, just let me think for a bit. It’s not every day someone else’s kid offers to risk his life for you!” she sighed, looking away as if admitting defeat. “Alright, I’ll do it, but you need to be careful with the creature. Do you understand what shared life really is?” “What, so now you think I’m an idiot?” “Shush you, I was just being cautious!” “So how do we go about this?” “Once you recover a bit, we’ll see what we can do from there on.” “How long will that take?” “Give it a couple of days.”

[Leigo]

* Eight days later “… and do you remember that one time you visited with your father? It must have been like four full moon cycles before we all heard of his demise.” “I remember.” “Do you still remember why was your father acting so weird that time?” “Let me think. Oh, that! Yes, I remember, mom and he had a big fight about you. She called him a “lying sack of shit or something like that”, so even though I didn’t know what that meant immediately, some friends by the docks told me. From then, I was pretty much certain that you two kind of had a thing for one another.” “It was that, was it? I remember him telling me about many more quarrels with your mother, mostly for the same reason. It must have got to him, poor thing.” “Were you, you and my father?” “Were we what?” dodging the question, she also dodged out of the room as she brought back some chalk and started outlining a circle as perfect as the pillars of the university. Following her every step, he put in numbers as she moved to make more elaborate spaces for them. He could have asked her about his father again, but chose not to; after all he didn’t want her to get antsy and ruin the circle before the fun has even begun. “So why don’t you teach me some basic summoning now?” “Later, your mind should be occupied with other thoughts now.” As she finished, she turned to him to and added: “Also, you need to promise me you will never do anything like this for someone else. Trust me, you don’t want to repeat the mistakes of us old people…” “You know I will probably still do it one day?” “Yeah, I assumed as much. Still, can’t blame a girl for trying. When you do try to procure a familiar for someone, that one day, be careful.” “Am I not always?” Considering not even all of his bandages were off, it was obvious what she was laughing at. “So how did you get your familiar?” “Well, he got it for me.” “The one you’re searching for?” “Yes.” “What was, sorry, what is his name?” “Not now, I will tell you about him one day, but not now…” as she got lost somewhere in thought again, Leigo tried to help. It was lame at best. “How can you worry about anything other than yourself now that you have me to babysit?” “Yeah…” it was not yet a full smile, but at least it felt like they were making progress. Giving his aching wounds a rest on her bed, boy thought of another question. “Why is Suiembro so quiet all the time? Is he like shy or something? Is it even a he?” “Oh, he and I have been talking from the moment you entered the room. He doesn’t care for visitors much and dislikes your youth, so he does what’s best for all of us; staying in my head that is. Before we proceed, I have another question. You don’t really believe that he’s alive do you?” “No, just like you don’t really believe I can handle this responsibility. Yet we are both desperate enough to make additional compromises. It’s pathetic… but poetic too.” “I guess neither of us is as bright as they used to be. So, one more thing… actually it’s funny, I keep saying that, like I’m a bad guide or something.” “Well, you kind of are.” “Shut up and listen! I believe you’ve read up on familiars some more. Well forget all about what you’ve read for a second. Suiembro and I were talking and have concluded that your willpower wouldn’t be strong enough to handle certain types of creatures.” “Let me guess, you won’t summon a Kirt or any of the Pascid kind for me?” “That’s only a part of the truth. Suiembro believe that none of his kind would follow you either, not without swaying in any case.” “I can understand the first two, but why wouldn’t a Gordios want to do bond with me.” “Shouldn’t you answer this one Suiembro?” as the creature remained silent, she kept going. “Yes, yes, I’ll tell him. Suiembro thinks your youth is just one stepping stone that make a harmonious bond impossible with one of the light eaters. Beyond that, he wished to express his observation of you in a more descriptive matter. Would you like to hear it?” “Yes please.” “Weak bodied weak minded and young. Fix two, and we can converse. Until then… dislike is all I have for you…” and for the first time, the damn thing spoke, making Leigo feel pathetic. Still it was probably true. Had he pursued on this quarrel further, Suiembro would have probably refused to assist in getting him a familiar, so he let it be forgotten. Sighing in surrender, he pulled the conversation forward. “So I’m left with cuddly bubbles of joy, airheaded morons who think that anything they forgot never even happened and of course then there are the sociopath icicles. Did I miss anything?” he got interrupted when Suiembro laughed in a deep, distorted tone. “Big words for such a little man, still… they are lesser than my kin.” “Little man? Little man?! Who are you calling little, hell you are hundred times smaller than me!” “Like I said, weak minded… also, don’t pick fights with me, human… I am under no obligation to assure your survival.” “That’s enough, both of you! So have you finally decided which type of familiar you would want?” “Can he traverse to the side Lightfacers reside on?” “Yes.” “Then I would prefer an interview with one of the blobs first.” “Suiembro, is this alright with you?” “Yes mistress.” “Very well.” She sighed in relief as she focused djed to open a portal. As the whole thing unwounded, Leigo felt strangely stupid all of a sudden. How could he not after all. His knowledge was empty, non related or useless. Hell, he didn’t even remember the numbers he was writing down a few chimes ago. It was going to be a hard bargain, but well worth it… one could hope.

[Leigo]

* “Let go of me you traitorous Darkfacer scum… yuck yuck yuck you are! Oooh, an interview it is then! Excuse my rudeness, but his smell is unbearable. In any case, I would make a wonderful familiar, did you know that?” “No, not really… no.” “Aww, don’t be like that man! You should be happy because you got me, Roderick three, and not one of my stupid cousins. Four for example is hopeless, the day that guy gets bonded will be the one that…” “Roderick three, isn’t that a bit too human?” “Oh yeah, human… that Roderick was human. He come and bond with two, and then he left the rest of us behind. One got bonded too soon after, but his master never allowed him to talk to us… or that bastard just didn’t want to do it… talk to us that is. So what did you want to know again? Ah yes, we all named ourselves Roderick because we liked him more than that other guy… we didn’t know his name either. If we did, we would have probably named ourselves That Guy is lame or something… in any case. Am I hired? Come on, you know you like…” “Cut the connection please… I can’t work with that enthusiasm.” “What do you mean you can’t…” and the link to Fyrden died out. “Well that was… “ “Yeah…” “Shall we try another one? Perhaps an Irylid?” For a moment Leigo wanted to say he would try an Avavali first, just so Suiembro could go through the trouble of obtaining it, but he had a better idea. There was no way that prideful creature would help him had it known his thoughts, so he decided to bow his head instead. He could tolerate the pest some more if it meant getting what he wanted. Finally he concluded. “Yes please” Again, the same process of djed streaming through the circle and the same smell of blood and sweat and otherworldliness filled the room. “Suiembro, proceed.” “Yes mistress.” It took much longer than before for the Gordios to show up, accompanied with a strange orb like creature. Leigo couldn’t help but think it resembles the moon. Soon after, Suiembro crossed back to the other side. Maybe his own disliked him even more than the Lightfacers? For at least a dozen chimes they all stared at that thing as it stared back. Losing his patience, Leigo started the conversation. “So, do you wish to be bound?” “Correct! Are you always this impatient?” “Yes…” “Incorrect!” “Am I not the one interviewing you?” “Incorrect!” “So you are judging me as well?” “Correct!” “So you won’t leave that desolate place unless someone worthy of your companionship comes along?” “Correct! Tell me mortal, why should I ever leave this place… here I am eternal.” “That might be so, but from what I’ve heard your world is a desolate and miserable place. Wouldn’t you like to get out of there? Of course you would! After all, the only way to live is to have somewhere where living actually causes comfort.” “Correct! Please explain comfort.” “As in, sights to see, light to absorb, people to meet… a life to live.” “I could have all that?” “Correct!” and then Leigo started laughing for adopting this creature’s conversation skills. “Why would you give me any of this?” “Because I need someone to talk and think with, I need help… and I think you just might be what I’m looking for, depending on your next answers.” “You are not completely insufficient either.” It was probably the closest thing to a compliment an Irylid could give. “Thank you.” “Correct!” “I will present my terms of our contract, and then you present yours. Only then we can find a middle ground, agreed?” “Correct!” “Very well, I will need to observe your skills first.” “Correct!” What happened amazed Leigo, but the other two seemed unimpressed. Yes, he had read about their powers of transformation, but to see one changing shape so fast was unbelievable. “Is that all?” “Incorrect!” “Show me more.” “In the far right corner of the room, wooden object, half open drawer… there seems to be a book there.” And after going there to check, man returned amazed. He remembered reading something about incredible visual capabilities, but he had never imagined them to be so potent. “It’s your turn now, summoner!” “Boy, don’t do it! You’re still hurt!” “That colleague of yours, is she still close enough to help if things go the wrong way?” “Yes.” “Then just remember to knock me out if I lose it.” “But…” “Let it unfold, mistress!” “Suiembro, are you sure?” No response came, but since Anaya nodded, man presumed that the Gordios was certain. Forming a strangely small pool of Res on the palm of his hand, Leigo ignited the outer layer, watching it turn into a fireball. Next, he rotated the fireball faster than before, both above and under his palm before he let it fall towards the portal, igniting it all the way. As soon as the fire had crossed the portal, it extinguished. So there really was no air no Fyrden. Next, he formed a bit bigger pool, focusing all his leftover energy in a small lump that soon turned to dirt. Letting it slide off his hand, Leigo watched as it wandered to that other plane of existence, Fyrden. “Sufficient given your condition, is that all you can offer?” “No, I can also protect us, using shield magic and since we live in the greatest city in the world. Most of the world’s knowledge will be within our grasp.” “That is sufficient. Would you agree to travel on a regular basis?” “No, this place and I are one… just like we shall be should we forge a bond.” “Why is that?” “Home is where the heart is?” “That is unreasonable. I do not understand.” “I believe this is acceptable; you can teach me your ways of logic and I will teach you that emotions matter. Neither of us will be right all the time, and sometimes we will both be wrong. But I’m certain our bond can prosper through such a compromise.” “Correct! I don’t see the point in discerning emotion, but your deal is acceptable on three terms. One, you will travel to at least one other city before our bond expires. I have been in one place far too long to end my life in conditions alike. Two, none shall know of our bond unless I allow it. You may try to reason with me, but there will probably be no exceptions to this rule. And three, while you are free to learn and grow of your own accord, all the decisions that could endanger our existence shall be made with both of us in agreement.” “Four, you will not look down on mortals, because once we are bound you too will be one. Five, should Anaya or the whole of my hometown be in danger, that counts as an exception to your life endangerment rule and we will have to act on it. You can be there to advise caution and your advice will be taken seriously, but we shall proceed nonetheless. And six, you will share your opinions, insights, thoughts and emotions with me at least five times a day. Do we have a deal?” “Correct! Even though I still don’t understand the importance of emotion, nor why would you think us talking is that important. We have a deal.” “Anaya, help us bind please.” “Interesting… I might have misjudged you slightly…” Suiembro’s absentminded thought came as a surprise to everyone in the room, and probably beyond it. “Shouldn’t you two at least know each other’s names before you proceed?” “Yes, we should. My name is Leigo Abranox, what’s yours?” “I do not have one. Where I come from, my people don’t have much use for names.” “So pick one out for yourself.” Leigo smiled as he waited. “Onuo, that is what I would like to be called.” “Why?” “It’s aesthetically pleasing to the sense of sight.” “Very well then, now we can proceed. One more thing actually; do you consider yourself male or female?” “We are both and neither, I believe your word for it is androgynous.” “Alright, let’s do this!” Strangely enough, Anaya grabbed a knife and gestured him to stay still. She cut into the flesh on his left palm, filling it with these strange symbols he did not care to decipher. Struggling not to squirm because of the pain, Leigo was thankful once the butchering was over. She pointed to the portal. “Spread your palm in front of it.” After he listened to her, man extended his hand towards the portal, almost touching it. As soon as the first drops of blood fell into the world of Fyrden, Onuo started climbing those that were still on their way down, one by one until he reached Leigo’s hand. And so the bond began.

[Echelon]

Adventurer's Loot A Gift Experience is it's own reward. Leigo's Loot : Leigo Abranox Skill XP Reward Leadership +1XP Reimancy +2XP Body Building +1XP Rhetoric +2XP Familiary +1XP Lore: Familiar: Bonding, Familiar: Types, Threats of Delirium, Fianza's Love, Overgiving Items or Consequences: Written Fianza Signed Voucher for One Free Season of Summoning Lessons at Zeltiva University. (Does not attribute toward classes necessary to reside in the dorms on campus) Four more days for body to heal. Stiffness, intense itching, popping blood blisters on hand turning yellow then eventually into hard scabs and calluses. Three days of periodic episodes of delirium which tempt Leigo to use Reimancy for common uses which don't require it's use. The episodes will end with a bout of amnesia which will last for exactly thirty steps, before all memory except that of weather Leigo used or didn't use magic returns. (Onuo will remember the whole thing.) Familiar: Irylid. “Onuo" Lifebonded Notes: Careful with that magic. I enjoyed reading this, especially getting to see Fianza used. You did well. In the future please put a little more detail into setting up environments in your solos, and explaining what people look like as they speak, and what tone their voices take on. Not a requirement just a request. That said, have fun with you new Irylid, don't let him get hurt! - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.