It turned out my worries were unfounded. Circe behaved herself. Instead of pushing to bond with me again, she fantasized about all the potential familiars we could get.

“So, you wouldn’t want to have a really large familiar because they usually are still a bit aggressive while they get used to you. That means you need to be able to fend them off, just in case.”

“No lions, got it”, I said.

“What’s a lion?”

“Never mind.”

“Right. The big question is if you want a land-bound or air-bound familiar. I guess it would make sense for you to get the latter. They would be able to follow you around more easily. But you’ll also be able to teleport them after the first Breakpoint. Normally at least.”

“I don’t think that matters all that much. When I push my speed, very few flying animals will be able to keep up with me.”

“I guess? Well, you’ll also have to think about taking care of them. And what you want to put in the contract. Because you can set your condition to be protecting them or feeding them or finding them a home or a partner… There are lots of options.”

“You will want to think about your demands as well”, Mira said, “Do not ask for too much or even non-sapients will instinctively push back.”

“That makes sense”, I said.

“So, with that said, what do you have in mind?”

Circe propped her chin up on her hands and looked at me expectantly.

“… I don’t know.”

“A mouse? A rat? A hamster? A sparrow? Or maybe a crow? You could get a cat?”

I blinked.

“Let me think”, I requested.

There were a lot of options. What I had to keep in mind was what I wanted from my familiar. What could they bring to the table that I might need? And what would I have to offer in return? I identified the Skill description once again.

[Familiar Bond]: A [Witch] brings forth great change. To do that requires ingenuity. Two minds are better than one. Bond with a partner that agrees to your terms. Both of your souls will be connected and inseparable. Your familiar can not die while you live. Together you will be more than alone.

The bond was inseparable. That was why every [Witch] chose a non-sapient. They would form their concept of self around the witch’s personality and fit them. The bond would also bring them very close to my soul. There was a serious threat to whoever I chose simply because I was warped. What would it take for a familiar to survive the contract? Or was it a non-issue? There were so many questions.

When I thought about what I needed, there was not much. I had friends, some of them I called my family. I had knowledge of magic far superior to the small improvement a second mind could bring to my crafting and casting purposes. Maybe I could find someone to hunt for me? No. I liked hunting. It was a calming and instinctive task that settled my mind whenever I got to it. Almost like meditation. I… really did not need a familiar. Or did I?

“I’m not sure what a familiar could bring”, I said.

“Oh?”, Mira raised an eyebrow, “Are you overestimating yourself that much?”

“Am I?”

“True, you may be very skilled with your potions. But there is a lot more to witchcraft than that one Skill. You know nothing about herbs. You are not even offered the Skill. Rituals are much more complicated than potions as well. And once you reach the higher levels, you will wish for someone to take the load off your mind. Magic gets complicated even with high Attributes.”

“I guess? I’m pretty well set right now. But it might be worth the long-term investment…”

“There is a reason why most witches simply take the first animal they can convince. It does not matter what they are. It matters that there is a second mind to support yours.”

“Hey!”, Circe said.

Mira patted her hand.

“I do wish you would just take a familiar. Friendship does not require that deep of a bond.”

The girl pouted and looked at Grunk. The toad croaked.

“I think you are overthinking it, Fio”, Mira said, “If you do not want to bond with Circe, simply take whatever opportunity presents itself. The higher Skill levels will help you out more than a slightly more optimal familiar.”

I blinked.

“Right. I think that’s different for me. I don’t have a limit to my lifespan.”

The room fell silent. The humans looked at each other. There was a glint in Circe’s eyes.

“No!”, Mira said.

“But!”

“No buts. That is no reason to push when you decided to take it slow.”

The girl sighed.

“Fine. You’re right.”

Mira turned back to me.

“I do not know what to say, Fio. You are a difficult student. I still believe you should simply bond with someone that feels right. But for the time frame you are looking at, even a slight disparity between you and your familiar might lead to regret down the line. I know of no [Witch] with your specific circumstances. A few have lived long lives but none have ever found issues with their bond. You may want to meet one of them.”

Circe’s eyes lit up again. Before the girl could say anything, Mira silenced her.

“Yes. I believe it would be smart for you to go with Fio. You did mean to travel together.”

The girl squealed.

“There is one condition, though. You will upgrade your Class to [Witch] if you go past Brookfrid.”

“Eh? But that means…”

“It is not necessary. That was a stipulation you put on yourself, remember?”

Circe blinked rapidly.

“It was?”

Mira nodded.

“So I can just… become a [Witch] right now?”

“That would be possible. I do still want to have you bond with a familiar before that. But it is more important for Fio to have a teacher on the road that can help her reach the second milestone.”

“… Circe is supposed to be my teacher?”, I asked.

“Yes. She can teach you a lot about herbs, at least.”

“I suppose we can teach each other.”

Circe beamed at me.

“Yup! Let’s do that!”

The question of what familiar I would be looking for was put aside for the time being. The next few days were busy and lazy at the same time. The tower for my parents was standing on the third day after the festival. There was no furniture but the upper level could be used already. My parents decided to move in another two days later. That was when the boys finally reached sapience. We knew because they used [Identify] on Mum as she was bringing them back from a hunt. It would still take a bit to teach them Ordugh but they had a head start, already being used to the language. In fact, I was able to explain the arcane speaker and with their minor vis enrichment, both Hik and Sem were able to make noises with it that distantly resembled speech.

The tower itself resembled a watchtower with the upper level where guards would stand mostly closed off. At first, we used a bunch of straw to make it more comfortable but the way it got under our feathers was a bit uncomfortable and I got a few banks of moss instead. One corner had a hatch dropping down. There was another platform with a ramp right below so any owl could open it without issues. Humans would have serious trouble getting up. Only children even had a chance to fit through.

The lower level was furnished with a simple table. A few chairs stood around it and a high bench was fixed to the wall. The bench allowed my family to comfortably sit without dropping too far below the tabletop. Other than that, the room held two shelves with a few dishes.

There was no bathroom or kitchen but a corner just underneath the upper level was prepared to store anything in an easily reachable place. For owls. Right now, there was only a little food in there. My brothers were still not very used to the village but they were mostly awake at night and spent much of that time hunting. We had told them not to take a Class yet, or rather, Mum had, but they obviously did not listen. Only once she told them about apprentice Classes was there a light of understanding.

I even spent some time teaching Yuuna [Telepathy]. The Skill would be difficult to learn so I wanted to get a head start. Not being reliant on an easily displaced item for communication would be a great boon.

While certainly a change, the biggest thing Greypeak went through that week was not the owls moving in. It ended up being our experiments with the fertilizer potion. The little patch of wheat we had adjusted turned out some interesting results. Mixing the potion with water ended up doing nothing more than weakening the effect. It would be usable but not particularly impressive. Mixing it into the soil, though? That had a huge effect. Not only did the earth turn soft and humid, the farmer gushing about how perfect it was, the wheat also grew much thicker.

The stalks were ready for harvest by the end of the week for both water and soil mixture. The former was just normal, the way everyone expected. The latter, though, had at least twice the kernels. The stalks were thicker and the ears much longer and thicker. It was the talk of the village. This potion would allow them to grow much more, and different kinds of plants as well. Right now they were only producing wheat and potatoes in large quantities. There was excited murmuring about growing beans, carrots, asparagus, kale and all kinds of high-maintenance crops to enrich their dietary plan. They could also pick up more cattle with the additional feed they were able to produce.

We calculated the amount of fertilizer potion needed to mix into all of the fields and found it reasonable to brew as much during the winter months. There was still the question of its efficacy over long periods of time but that would be settled next year. All in all, the mood was great. Even when one of the hunters ran in from the north gate and informed everyone about a carriage making its way down the road. Greypeak was about to receive guests. The letter had had enough time to get to the lord of the region. This might be his response. Only that my eyes spied a group of five men in simple and well-used equipment looking ready to make a two-week trip through the wilderness.