'There they sat, in an oasis of greenery among buildings that thrust into the sky like spears. Spears built to fight the gods. Before them the sun dies on the horizon. Ever burning, it refuses to give up the fight. Alas, the powers of darkness pull it down, beyond the horizon. Maybe the sun will rise again tomorrow, to fight another day? Regardless of what the future holds, the powers of darkness hold sway over the land now.

And in that darkness, our hero takes the next step in his life. Much like the sun, towards victory or despair, only time can tell.'

The egg sat, trembling, in my lap as the sky grows dark. Honey fiercely rebukes me when I attempt to aid the creature’s birth, I could only sit and watch. I flow all my meager Source fueled energy into the egg, hoping to give the creature strength.

“You have to let it fight its own battles, Snowflake. This is a cruel world and it will need all the strength it can get,” Honey urges me. I feel like I’m seeing all different sides of her today. Passion for going to the next floor, compassion towards an unborn creature… Normally the only thing I see her get this worked up about is giving me a good thrashing. A little seed of affection sprouts in my heart, with her name on it.

Her words remind me of my own situation, I too would have to struggle free of the chains that bound me if I wished to live a free life. I can’t believe I had been so naïve!

But then again, what choice did I have? Naked and alone in a new world. So, weak that apparently, I would get eaten alive by the local rabbit population if I wasn’t careful. I may still. By the sounds of it they are vicious and bloodthirsty. Their leader, the Bloody Bunny Butcher of-

A noise! I reign in my wandering thoughts and focus on the sight before me. I take a moment to silently vow that I won’t let my familiar get trapped in a similar situation such as mine. It may be naked in this world, but it will not be alone.

A small black nose pokes out from a little hole gnawed in the side of the egg shell. A mewling sound reaches out to me, a cry for help.

If you had been watching my heart beat inside of my chest at that moment you would have seen it still for a moment. And in that moment a crack would have formed at the speed of sound.

As much as I want to help, I have to harden my heart. Maybe this is how Honey feels?

“You can do it,” I whisper. “Break free! Many adventures await us.”

I can’t say for certain it was responding to my voice, but I can say it redoubled its efforts. My gentle encouragement continues non-stop. I speak of all the great things we will accomplish and how we will never be separated.

”We’ll be together till the end, you and I.” I tell it confidently. No matter what came out of that shell, we are family now. We bear the markings of each other’s souls.

The minutes ticked by and the cracks grew. Honey even went so far as to lean against me to watch the spectacle. Her presence was a comforting one. Before tonight I had feared Honey but I appreciate what she is doing to train me. To be fair, I still fear her.

The egg shell breaks apart, it’s membrane covered-innards climbing out to greet me. It’s crystal blue eyes shine in the darkness, reminiscent of the eyes I bore in my old world. A small yawn with razor sharp teeth is our first hello. Her eyes meet mine.

“Nevasca,” I whisper, giving my future a name.

Achievement Unlocked: A Familiar Soul- Soul bind a familiar. Adaptability +1

Achievement Unlocked: Beast Biologist- Discover and name a new species. Adaptability +1

Calculating Familiar bonuses….. Dexterity +2, Wisdom +2, Intelligence +2

“It’s cute, but what the fuck is it?” From my side, I hear Honey’s exclamation.

***

“I’m telling you Snowflake, nobody has never even heard of anything like her.” Mordai informs me of this news, looking exasperated. “None of the Beast Masters knew anything. I couldn’t find anything in any of the Bestiaries. There wasn’t even a rumor about a sighting of her kind in the Dungeon. It is strange.”

“Anyway,” he continues. “Don’t worry so much. She has teeth, claws and judging by those paws, she’ll get bigger. That’s good enough for now, you can discover her specialty later.”

Letting out a sigh, I look down to study Nevasca. I had hoped that there would be at least a little information. Maybe a clue on what she would be like when she got older. Or just what creatures vaguely similar to her were like.

Posed between me and Mordai, the black baby-bird like feathers on her long sinuous tail and up her spine, are erect. That long feathered tail, almost the length of her feline body and half again, whips back and forth aggravatedly. Ears back, her wolf-like muzzle curls up in a snarl. Comedically large paws grip the ground with tiny, sharp claws extended. The size of a house cat, this little black and white creature looks prepared to fight to the death.

A brave sentiment considering the sheer mass of the red-skinned behemoth before her. I suppose at 2 days old she doesn’t know the meaning of fear yet? Oh, the fires of youth. I hope this protectiveness mellows out, or it may cause problems.

Sighing, I scoop Nevasca up into my arms. Her body relaxes when she feels my touch. I scrunch up my nose and try to escape her incessant licking of my face. It is futile.

Honestly, the puppy-like behavior reminds me of when my hell-hounds were this big. Although it had only been a couple weeks since I was summoned to this world, it feels like it has been so much longer since I saw my puppies. A sense of vertigo overtakes me when I ponder these thoughts, so I push them out of my mind. I hope my Dad and clan are alright. They never got along with others. Too righteous for demons, too demonic for everybody else.

“Seeing how bloodthirsty that little monster is, it is no wonder Honey wants to train you two to fight together already.” Mordai comments with a laugh and a hand on the small of my back.

A good guy Mordai. A little too touchy, and a little to malicious looking, but a good guy. Him and Honey are the two closest things I have to friends in this place. Nevasca doesn’t count. She is family.

“Come on,” he says. “I have the starting gear the Guild is assigning you. Besides, I have a feeling my skills will be required today.”

I grumble a bit at that. The Guild didn’t allow me to pick my own weapons since I am classless. They assigned me foot-soldier gear instead. Something about not wanting to invest too heavily in my future. Assholes.

***

‘Shield forward, to meet any attacks upon its sturdy wall. Spear in hand, laying in wait for a chance to strike. Nevasca at his side, protecting his open flank. Clad in chainmail and prepared for the worst he faces his nemesis. The obstacle course.’

Irritated, I project my thoughts toward the Narrator. ‘Why do you even talk if you’re only describing what I’m doing? I am fully aware of what I’m doing!’

The reply almost instantly boomed in my head, leaving me shocked.

‘Nobody ever said you are the only one who can hear my narrations.’

Deciding it was about time I taught Mr. Narrator who was boss around here I chew him out. Unfortunately, before I can get in to what I really think, I am interrupted by Honey.

“Alright Snowflake. It is time for you to learn how to fight. The first step is to be able to run away in full gear. You have to get used to the weight of the gear and the length of your weapon.” Honey instructs me, gesturing to my 6ft spear. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you, just because we had a moment the other day.”

“Don’t worry Snowflake, it took me a while to get used to the weight and length of my weapon too! Massive thing is always getting in the way!” Mordai chimes in, standing beside Honey.

A chuckle is wrenched from my lips by Mordai’s off colored humor, but a stern look from Honey puts me right back in my place. Becoming closer to Honey has been insightful to her personality, she is a bit of a sadist. A lot more spheres of water than usual are spinning around in her hand, the cool water enhancing the fiery passion in her grin.

Knowing I’ll get shot at if I dawdle, I take off running. Nevasca follows along beside me. Teamwork is important.

“I wish you’d cradle my balls in your hand like that,” I hear Mordai say behind me. Then I heard a thump. And then a scream of pain. And then another thump. And another. I begin to think Mordai enjoys the pain.

I run faster, for I do not.

***

My chest still heaving from the obstacle course I face Honey. Mordai is off in the distance nursing his wounds. Nevasca is at my side, her breathing unaltered by the obstacle course. Envious of the natural athleticism of the pup, I cross my fingers hoping she’ll be big enough to ride when she is older.

Honey has a shield in her left hand and what looks like a wooden axe handle in her right hand. Technically would be hand or paw? A little of both? Will she hurt me if I ask?

“Your stats are about as good as they’re going to get without leveling,” Honey informs me. “To survive you need to hone your skills in combat. Today I’ll face you, tomorrow another Awakened, another the day after that, and so forth.”

I wish she’d discuss these things with me before deciding on her own.

“Hey, why a spear? Isn’t a sword a better weapon? More versatile and whatnot?” I ask.

Honey opens her mouth and I brace myself for her words of wisdom. Maybe she’ll say how the spear is a great but underestimated weapon? Maybe from our weeks together she thinks I could master the spear? Maybe I can take the spear to whole new heights of fame. No longer a commoner’s weapon, but the weapon of true warriors!

“A shield to keep you alive and a spear to keep enemies far away from you. A perfect combo for someone as weak as yourself.” With a few words, she crushes my aspirations. “You don’t have time to learn a proper weapon and you don’t have the stats to compensate for inexperience.”

“Come on Honey, I thought we were friends,” I protest.

“We are friends, Snowflake,” she replies. “And if you are going to survive, then as your friend I need to whip you into shape.”

She pauses for a second after saying that, I think she is either waiting for a heels and leather joke or deciding whether or not she will say one. The moment passes. Finished with her hurtful words, Honey begins her hurtful actions.

In an instant, a layer of water forms on her shield. She pushes the shield of water, launching it at me, rushing in close behind it.

The water crashes against my shield, rocking me back a step. Before I can recover, her actual shield bursts against mine. Coming from the bottom, pushing up and out, my shield is knocked up in the air by hers. My hand still grasps my shield, but it is useless. My whole body is open and unprotected.

Her lead foot plants, firm on the ground. She pivots. The motion starts at her slim and powerful legs. It follows into her flexible waist, bringing her shoulders around. Her arm trails behind her turning shoulder, outstretched with axe handle in hand. Everything slows down for me as the axe handle comes hurtling through empty space toward my ribcage.

I close my eyes and furiously channel the Source to strengthen my body for the impending blow. A furious screeching roar echoes out. I feel the edge of something slide across my ribs.

Opening my eyes, I see Honey furiously trying to pry Nevasca off her face. Watching her claw and bite in a desperate manner to protect me, my eyes start to well with tears. Until I watched Nevasca’s feathery tail curl around the axe handle and with a clench the handle is cut in half as if by a razor.

Hooooly shit. Can you channel Source to make soft things sharp? The applications for that could be endless!

Wait! If I don’t do something Honey will have to get serious and Nevasca will get hurt!

I drop my weapons and rush forward, laying my hands on my familiar. I can only assume she can’t understand words so I do my best to channel the concept of training through images. From my mind, through my hands, to her, I channel the images. The best image I could use to describe the concept was as friends fighting, without killing, to become stronger.

The images flow and I can sense an echo of understanding. Nevasca relaxes into my arms and lets me pull her off Honey.

Honey, surprisingly, gives me a beautiful smile. Her dark and smooth skin clear of any imperfection, it was apparent that Nevasca had done no damage.

“Good,” Honey purrs. “I like her. This means I won’t have to hold back so much.”

I shoot a glance at Mordai, who has gathered a group of other Awakened and seemed to be taking bets. I hope he’ll be able to get over here to heal me fast enough.