∼ Clingy Familiars and Stubborn Growth ∼

Chapter - 047

"Gyah! I said's stop it!" Nyx protested as he felt a coarse and wet tongue run the side of his neck.

Looking back, it was unsurprisingly the thrasher, an eager smile on her brutish face as always. Nyx got chills down his back seeing this, picking up the pace a little so that he could catch up to Aria. He rubbed his neck as he held onto Aria's robe, grumbling about his familiar's peculiarities.

His new minion could take both verbal and mental commands, regardless of her ability to understand the language, though she might not always carry them out exactly how you meant it for. It was because, although the link between the two as a warlock and a familiar did most of the work, the thrasher as a summon could not perform tasks that it is inherently incapable of. That went without saying of course, but might not be so obvious when issuing certain simple tasks.

For example; tying a knot. The thrasher neither knew what a knot was nor how to tie one, not to also mention her large and clumsy fingers that were entirely unable to do such a dexterous and finesse-demanding exercise. So it was essentially impossible for her to carry it out.

But that was not all, as Nyx's commands weren't entirely absolute either. While a familiar could neither disobey nor in any way shape or form try to harm their master, a command could be misunderstood and forgotten in many different ways. Unless he specifically and very detailedly gave her command to keep her distance from him that she as a thrasher understood, she would not do so. And the one time Nyx actually tried to do so, he immediately regretted the pure hurt on his minion's face.

No! He was not getting soft - it's definitely not because of that, not in the slightest! So stop thinking it! Ahem- he just prided himself a... benevolent master after all.

He had long wowed himself to never stoop as low as the warlock who had captured him, having himself witnessed how poorly that human had treated his two familiars. More so just to be in spite of the long-dead human prick than of actual care and kindness. Still, he wasn't exactly thrilled with the thrasher's tendencies despite his leniency.

Tugging at Aria's robe, he managed to catch her ear, whispering conspiratorially as he cast glances in the familiar's way that just smiled dumbly back. "How do I's change familiar?"

The thrasher was powerful and useful alright, but Nyx was actually getting nervous around her for some inexplicable reason. She was just too... clingy. She barely did anything other than bringing him food she had hunted and staring at him all day long.

B-But it wasn't because he was afraid of her! At all!

"No Nyx," Aria shook her head with a knowing smile. "A soul contract with a familiar is forever permanent. Only the gods have the power to reverse such a thing, and even so, at a great cost for even them. It would essentially mean to sever an immortal soul back into two. But regardless, Nyx. Do you realize what you have accomplished by contracting her? Are you truly sure you would want a different familiar?"

Not reall- ahem, of course, he did! Who did she think she was talking to?

The almighty red, wouldn't have summoned something poultry as a second-rate familiar.

She was good though... right?

Noting Nyx's less than subtle internal musings, Aria smirked, shaking her head amusedly if not a bit disbelievingly.

"Nyx, you pushed yourself harder than you should have." Aria started out, somewhat reprimanding. "However, in doing so, you have accomplished a remarkable feat. Not only is your familiar a lesser demon right from the start of your contract, but she also bears The Mark of Wrath. She is a demon of major sin, just like you. Destined for great things."

Now, all those things sounded great. But Nyx couldn't shake the feeling he was in for a world of trouble with... her at his side. He looked to the thrasher, finding her suddenly closer than before. He gulped.

"Calm down Nyx, she is just infatuated with you. After you showed how strong and determined you are in your sparrings with Eric, it is no surprise," Aria said, giggling lightly.

Aria had spent quite a bit of time looking through her grimoire, pulling up old texts about demons and especially thrashers. She knew a bit, which was why she had told Nyx to simply take her admiration in stride, however, forward they might be.

She could see the clear conflict on his face at this.

"Have you checked her attributes and statistics yet?" She asked. "Try and call up her status, as you do your own, then you might reconsider your stance on the matter."

Surprised, it hadn't really occurred to the demon that he could look at the status of his familiar, for he only knew it was possible to view one's own. But if Aria said so, he tried, just this time directed at his familiar. To his delight, it worked like a charm.

Soulbound Familiar Information

Attributes Name ??? Health 50/50 STR 12 END 5 Race Thrasher Stamina 20/20 DEX 8 INT 3 Level 15 Mana 0/0 VIT 5 CHR 2 Traits Demonic Rage - (Racial), Fire Resistance - (Racial), Mark of Wrath - (Demonism) Titles None Skills Dash - [Superior], Thrash - [Inferior], Pursuit - [Inferior]

Now that Nyx could look at her information, probably because they in some ways now shared a bonded soul, he had to admit that what he saw wasn't bad at all. Although the number of attributes paled in comparison to his, Aria had given Nyx extensive lectures on just how abnormal his attribute count was for his level. But besides all that, a lone testament to the thrasher's ability was of course that she had nearly single-handedly brutalized the furry creature that had stalked and attacked them.

Though Nyx had himself not witnessed it as he had been passed out, one look at the unrecognizable carcass of the furry creature and Nyx needed no more convincing.

"You can de-summon her any time, but I would not recommend doing so now. Because you will not be able to summon her again before your mana vessels recover." Aria added once he was done.

Nyx saw the wisdom in that as he himself would prefer to avoid any more incidents where he had to fry his brain just for the chance to stay alive. Despite all of the thrasher's, although admittedly small, faults, she was more than worth it - Nyx soon came to conclude.

Silenced and determined, the travels of Aria, Eric, Nyx, and his familiar continued.

They continued on through the wearisome trek of the woodlands, camped, and did away with any inquisitive would-be monster who got too close. Without a horse or the basic comforts of a proper road, as they still feared the pursuit of black-clothed men, their journey went on for longer than desired. Nonetheless, they persevered.

With the knowledge of south marking their destination and the sun shining through the canopy above, they would find their way. Weary and fatigued or not, Eric and Nyx did not let that hinder their almost now ritual sparring matches. Morning, Midday, and Evening, they would go at each other.

Although Eric gained little more than the satisfaction of hurting the arrogant demon's ego up at the start, as Nyx continued to grow, even Eric got something out of it. The more he fought with the fast little creature, the more he became accustomed to the capabilities of his new class. As Nyx grew, so did his skills grow too.

Nearly a week later, Nyx could see some considerable growth - or at least, that was what Aria led him to believe; that upgrading his capabilities was apparently no simple or easy matter for any mastery or skill, regardless of their complexity or the individual training them.

[Hand-to-Hand Combat] Category Level Rank Advancement Physical Inferior Apprentice None Description Effects The art of fighting. -Minor understanding of how to fight using your fists- [Demonlogy] Category Level Rank Advancement Demonic Superior Apprentice None Description Effects The study of the demonic. -Minor understanding of the demonic- [Mana Manipulation] Category Level Rank Advancement Arcane Moderate Apprentice None Description Effects The manipulation and conjuration of the arcane. -Minor control over mana- [Words of Power] Category Level Rank Advancement Arcane Inferior Apprentice None Description Effects The study of a medium of the arcane. -Minor understanding of the runic language-

Whilst - other than [Mana Manipulation] - there was no affirmative presentation of his growth, Nyx could still feel that all his skills and masteries had become better. Including his practical application of them. So even though the two, [Hand-to-Hand Combat] and [Words of Power], still said "Inferior", he knew they had grown.

They had broken camp early in the morning, getting themselves ready for another lengthy, and hard slog through the dense undergrowth of the woodlands when they unexpectedly - reached the end. Bushes thinned, the trees dispersed, and open plains greeted sore eyes. It was a sight so sweet it could almost make a man weep.

Finally coming out of the dense and seemingly boundless woodlands that had been the ever-present constant for days on end, they were more than stunned by the new vista and grand terrain before them. Plains of emerald-green, spotted with golden-yellow yields on the horizon marking towns and cities. Rivers of crystalline blue waters, emptying into small lakes. And lush wildlife, thriving in lands free from the overbearing influence of monsters.

But most pronounced was far, far in the distance. Lining the skyline, like a wall that breached the skies and consumed the horizon, was a mountain range like no other. It was never-ending. It was overbearing. It was unfathomable.

It was The Spine of Argon.