With the sun shining its morning light on us, we were gathered on the inn's spacious roof. The familiar bonding ritual only needed me and the actual soon-to-be familiar, but Lavanda, Caryly, Reylia, and Phyralia all wanted to see it firsthand. Lavanda had already seen it once since she was there when I made Tara into my familiar, but she still wanted to supervise me in case I did something wrong. She also already had her own familiar with Randal, who was on the roof with us, so at the very least, she could help if I forgot something.
I spent a good time, preparing and revising the actual ritual described in the book Lavanda gave me a long time ago. Even if I had already done it once, there was always a risk of making a mistake that could have an unwanted effect on our very soul. I had to be extra careful since this time I was doing it with three familiars at once, and two of them being way bigger than me would only complicate things.
Before starting, I wanted to check on a single thing before I bonded us all together for eternity. Once multiple souls are linked together with this ritual, it is permanent and no magic can break or change that fact. There would be no turning back for them and me. It was not like if one of us died it would kill us all, but matter that concerned the soul shall not be taken lightly.
Looking at Gnash, Mendry and Lendwrek all waiting before me, I wanted to tell them something first. Kneeling before them and looking at each of them in the eye, what I was about to say was not an order, but more like a request.
“I want to thank you three for the support you all gave me, it means a lot to me and I want to make sure you understand that. What we are about to do is eternal. There is no turning back or changing mind later. We be all linked forever with a bond that goes beyond our dimensions. The gods themselves will be witnessed to it, and we are connected with both mind and soul to a certain degree.” Waiting for their reaction, I took a pause. Since they were all smart enough to understand my every word, I was sure they understood full well the importance of what was about to happen. Waiting for me to continue, I took a calm and decisive breath.
“It's why I want to give you three the choice of doing it or not. This is a once-in-a-lifetime decision but also an opportunity. While all of you will be taking care of me, I will also be taking care of you, this goes both ways. Honestly, this is not that different from what we have been doing up until now, but it will make it official. According to the book, it was the gods that decided to allow multiple familiars to be bonded to the same person, but that particular part does not go both ways. If we do it, none of you will be able to bond with anyone else ever again. As I am an elf, we will have a lot of time together, probably thousands of years if nothing kills us in the meantime. It will also link you to Tara and Hybry who are already bonded with me. Due to past circumstances, they both didn’t have a real choice in becoming mine.” On my side, Tara and Hybry were waiting. They both looked at their maybe companion in the hope that they accept to join us in our little family.
While it was hard to discern the spider's attitude about the whole familiar thing, Hybry was clearly happy to be with me at all times, I just hope Tara felt the same. She didn’t really have a choice at the time. It was that or die. Even if it is what it is, I sincerely hoped that she didn’t regret it.
The little hydra was expressively enthusiastic about his bigger friend joining us. Rubbing his heads against each of them. Being immediately bonded with me the second he was born, I and the other were all he knew, so he wasn’t really an objective viewpoint to say that it was a good idea to join me. But he did have an effect on them, as nobody in their right mind could resist being charmed by its cute squeak.
“That's why I want to give you three the choice. You could say no and let things stay as they were up until now, accept, or walk away entirely and leave us to live your own life. I would totally understand if any of you wanted to leave, as there is no telling when is gonna be the next time I get ourselves in a dangerous situation that could kill me or any of you. If that is the choice you make, then there will be no hard feelings and I would still forever cherish the time we had together in my heart.” Hybry looked visibly sad at the idea that they could decline and leave us. Bowing his heads, he looked them all with his pleading eye to stay.
“Bonding with me, also have some advantage and I want to bring them up. You all be fed the best food I can get, the best accommodation to make you comfortable and my forever dedication to you and your well-being, and that also goes for your egg Mendry. I understand that he is very important to you and will do my very best to make sure nothing happens to him. With the meagre offerings I can give to you three, I hope that you can all stay with me for now and forever.” Bowing my head before them, I didn’t know if it was because I was asking them such a big favour or if it was to hide my crying face.
With tears rolling down my cheeks, I couldn’t contain myself at the idea that they might leave. In this world, far away from the hospital bed I spent my life in, they were all I had. With the exception of Lavanda and her wyvern Randal, Lendwrek and Mendry were the ones that have been with me the longest, and they might actually beat her with all the flight and hunting we did back on the island. If Lavanda was something close to a mom to me, then Lendwrek and Mendry were the uncles and aunts I never had. Just their presence alone was generally enough to calm me. Without taking into account the fact that they are dragons, I always felt safe with them. Something that I never thought was possible with how much time I spent at death's door.
Gnash was a totally different matter. I had only known him for less than a few days, but being man best friend, he already made himself a place in my heart. It is true that I saved him at the expense of leaving me manaless in hostile territory, but I made it clear that he could do whatever he wanted with his life. Except for the spider in the corner of my hospital room and the cat roaming around sometimes, I never had any real pet before. When I heard people say they would do anything for their dog or cat, I didn’t believe them, but now, I understand what they meant. For my cute little plagued dog that looked like a living carcass, I was ready to fight entire armies just to pet him again and see him happily swing his tail, but it was his to decide his own fate.
Staying still with my head low, I waited for their answer. Snuggling himself against my side, Hybry comforted me as best as he could. I felt his heart and soothing intent through our bond. At the very least, no matter the darkness that we would face, we be together. Tara, on my right, did not do the same, but I could feel she was at least pleased with the life I gave her.
The book mentioned that the bond between one and his familiar will grow with time and experience, allowing us to better understand each other thoughts and intent. Right now, I wasn’t able to decipher what she was thinking whatsoever, only that she liked learning about the world and things she had never seen before when she was stuck on her island.
Hearing Gnash’s paws padding against the stone, I felt his decayed tongue against my cheeks. Looking at him, he put his head against mine and swung his tail faster than I had ever seen. Understanding his choice to stay with me no matter what, I wasn’t able to contain myself and hug him tight. Letting my tears rain on him, he let me stay like that for a few seconds, before unleashing a barrage of happy lick on me. It was like we were battling with each other for who liked the other more.
Now that Gnash was with me, there was only Lendwrek and Mendry left. Looking at each other like they were talking between themselves. I gave them as much time as they needed. In their eyes, I was probably just a little girl who needed babysitting to avoid getting herself killed one way or the other. I didn’t really know what their life was like before they met me, nor what their ambition was. My best guess was that they were waiting for their egg to hatch and live a simple life, safe and far away in the sea of flying islands. Now far away from there, I had no idea what they wanted. Their egg was their priority, that much I could understand, and I didn’t expect them to put it in danger just to hang around with me. That's why I said I take care of it too. That was the very least I could offer them.
Minutes later of waiting later, I received an answer. Instead of gesturing it or somehow telling me what they decided, Mendry spoke with Tara with a few low growls. Responding with shrieks of approval, the spider understood the dragon's words. Walking up to Lendwrek, she used her sticky legs to climb on him, going toward his saddle. The dragon let her do her things as the spider opened one of the bags hanging near the main seat and searched for something inside.
Recognizing the bag, it contained our travelling instruments, like a compass, sundial and most importantly maps. I barely ever look at the ones, but it seemed to have spiked the interest of the two dragons, as the spider took out the biggest map of the lot. Dropping to the floor, Tara unrolled the gigantic two-metre map on the cold stone. This very map was one used generally to indicate a specific location to big familiar or mount since intelligent monsters weren’t that rare to have. I bought this one when I was shopping for supplies, just before going to the plague land. At the time, I thought it was a great idea to have one as it could easily help my dragons find landmarks. Now, I just hope that they weren’t looking for somewhere to go and abandon me. If it was their wish, so be it, but it would nonetheless leave me with a broken heart.
Observing the map, both dragons approach their head as closely as they could to discern the different signs and drawings designating areas. Helping them with some indication, Tara seemed to have the ability to understand the writing to a certain level. Pointing at different locations, the spider gave elaborate shrieks about what she thought.
More deliberation between the dragons later, they seemed to have made up their mind. With Tara back to my right, Lendwrek and Mendry both placed their head in front of mine. Poking my front with their snout, they felt that they both wanted to bond with me, but there was something more to it. Lost trying without any idea of what they meant, it would have taken ages for me to understand, if not for Tara sending me her thoughts about what the dragons wanted. Absorbed in my spider feeling, I slowly tried to decipher her emotions and mind.
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A feeling of heavy wind coursing through plains of green grass, a landscape filled with animals, monsters and creatures that I had never seen before were everywhere I could think of. Overwhelmed by unparalleled freedom. I was lost in these sensations until I was able to understand what they wanted.
Lendwrek and Mendry intended to bond with me, but they also sought to fly to unknown lands. That it was for adventure, hunting or beautiful landscape, I didn’t know, but it was their decision. I was still grateful that our time together meant something to them. Even if they were far away, our bond would keep us together, no matter the distance.
Now that I had their approval, we were ready to begin the ritual. Taking out bottles of liquid mana, I opened them up and diverse the freezing blue liquid atop my head in a shower-like manner. The cold, almost icy sensation of the liquid made me want to stop the ritual right there for a second, but I steeled my nerve as I felt every inch of my body screaming for a second against the extreme temperature it got exposed to. Seeking through my clothes, I felt the raw mana invade me for a second until it disappeared into my body, leaving me dry like nothing happened.
Taking another bottle, I did the same with Gnash and showered him in the liquid mana. His body trembled as the cold liquid mana invaded his being. Shortly after, he was back to normal, but I was able to feel the mana coursing through him, searching for his affinity. When it understood that Gnash had a Plague affinity, the mana incorporated itself in said affinity until it was undetectable.
Searching into the mana I absorbed, I kneeled and held Gnash's head in my hands as I put my head against his. Detecting a shared affinity, the mana in us reacted, and our body began glowing a deep green light, the colour of plague mana. Swarmed by an unsettling sensation, I stood still and accepted the familiar mana forming a bond with my own. As Gnash affinity has been shaped using mine, it wasn’t totally different from my own mana for the most part. The main difference was that it had a small part of Viperearth plague mana was not enough to stop our forming bond.
When the light dissipated, the raw mana flow in our body dissipated, having formed an invisible bond between us. Taking a moment to concentrate on my own soul, I sensed that Gnash was now a part of it and that I was also a part of his. We were bonded.
Assaulted by more licks, I held my dog in a hug, making sure that he knew he was mine.
Walking up to Lendwrek, it was now his turn. Reaching for more bottles of liquid mana, I showered myself and then threw more vials at his hard scales, trying to cover every part of his giant figure with an icy-cold mana. Breaking on contact, it took a total of fourteen bottles to bathe him in the raw sensation of mana. Feeling the strange magic coursing through his skin, he lowered his head to my level and I pressed my forehead against it.
The feeling was totally different this time. It was like being invaded by pure raw fire as my mana was trying to match it to become one with it. Illuminating the whole area with burning crimson red, the blazing mana emanating from both of us raised the ambient temperature as the bond was forming. With sweat coming out, I hold on and let my mana melt with Lendwrek's foreign magic. Almost exploding around us, our mana harmlessly retracted into our bodies as the light it was emanating died out.
Seconds later, I felt the connective bond that Lendwrek and I now shared. While still young, the bond allowed me to feel the dragon's soul. It was incredibly more complex than Tara, Hybry, Gnash or mine, not because of their different species, but because of their age. Our collectively young minds were palling compared to the thousands of years stored in the dragon mind. The mighty old being was infinitely more mature and was still yearning for more knowledge, but that was about all I could decipher. Its soul was simply too big for our young connection, but with time, I was sure that one day I would be able to grasp more of Lendwrek's knowledge and understand a bit more of what was going on in his mind.
Staring in each other eyes, he gave me a single lick of his tongue and covered almost my entire body in one slurp. Thankfully, he didn’t soak me at all, since we were dry from the ritual.
With Gnash and Lendwrek finished, it was now the dragon lady's turn. As she saw what I did with Lendwrek and Gnash, she deposited the egg to Tara and exposed her neck and wings to make it easier for me to paint them with liquid mana. Throwing my bottles at her, I was able to cover her up entirely with one less bottle than her husband. I had bought a lot of them in case I would need more than necessary, and it had been a good call. After splashing myself again in mana, I had only two more bottles left over. For the time being, they would stay in my bag, unneeded.
Hugging Mendry snout, the mana inside me searched the dragon for a shared affinity until it found out that blazing flame running through both of us. Yet again, swallowed by crimson light, we both concentrated our energy on each other to facilitate the process. As my soul was already accustomed to a dragon soul, the bonding was a little faster than with Lendwrek. With the mana flowing through us, it solidified itself until it was a permanent, unbreakable, and invisible link between us.
With the mana dissipating, I glimpse into her soul, searching for her mind. Her thoughts were warm, protective and less wandering than her husband's. She was focused on a single thing that allowed her mind to be cleared with a very specific objective in mind. Protect her egg. It was all I was able to see in her soul.
Taking a few steps back, I fell on my but as I inhaled deeply. With the three new presence in the back of my soul and mind, my brain was trying to get accustomed to their unique existence. In that case, accustomed means to have a big headache until I get used to it to the point of not feeling it anymore.
Fighting through the envy of going back to my hammock and not waking up until the next week, I got up and walked to my dragons. Lying on their belly, they gave me easy access to their saddles and the bags hanging on them. Untying the ones containing my stuff, I made sure to not forget anything important in the bags left on the saddles. Instead of taking back their saddles, I thought I let them both keep it. It never felt like it was bothering them, and it could be useful in case they met other adventurers or people. Someone might be tempted or scared by a wild dragon, but a saddle was proof that the beast belonged to someone else. Unless they intended to piss off someone strong enough to tame a dragon, nobody will dare touch them. If it came to it, they could always just throw the saddles away, and it wouldn’t bother me at all. I could always make another one later as needed.
When the headache started to die down, I hugged their heads and scratched their sweet spot under the chin until they couldn’t take it. Now bonded with them, I could feel that they yearned for adventure and exploration of new lands. As I already settled down in Dawnriver for the time being, staying constantly around me would have limited their freedom of travel.
Approaching Tara, who was holding her egg, Mendry delicately took her egg with her sharp teeth and deposed it into my arms. Looking into her eyes for an answer, I was sent through our bond feelings of safety, trust and freedom. My best guess was that they both have taken a step back from potential danger since they had their egg. Not wanting to harm the little one before it was even born, any potential threats were avoided altogether for its survival. A dragon egg could take years and even decades to hatch, and the boredom of protecting it was starting to get to them. With me now added to the equation, they could safely leave the egg in my hands and enjoy again some adventures as a dragon couple.
It was not like they intended to abandon either me or their egg. I could always ask them to come back if I needed their help, and they would visit on their own occasionally. Once the dragon would hatch out of its egg, they would make sure it grew up as the mighty beast it was destined to be, but until then, holidays were calling.
With the egg warm in my arms, they began flapping their wings and took off to the sky. Aiming for the unknown, they both disappeared on the horizon. With a single tear dropping on the egg, I was grateful that they trusted me. I would do my very best to protect that egg and make no one find out about it.
A dragon baby was potentially an enormous asset to anyone getting their hands on it. If a single person with a shred of guts ever found out that I had a dragon egg with me. Ruffians, bastards or the king himself might come for it, and it was bound to cause trouble. I didn’t care about what he wanted for the good of his country or people. They would meet the edge of my blade the second they dared try getting their hands on my egg. If anybody wanted it, it would cost them infinitely more than just blood.
Pressing her S-ranked boobs against my back, Lavanda gave me a hug to vanish any sadness I was feeling. I have been so focused on the ritual that I actually forgot they were here, watching the whole thing from the start. At least, I didn’t have to worry about them talking about the egg to other people. I trusted Caryly and her daughters with my elven instinct and Lavanda with my heart.
Patting me on the head, Lavanda spoke in a calm, comforting tone.
“You did great, that was a beautiful bonding ritual. I’m proud of you. You did your best for them, and they trusted you in response. Now, what is the oath of any familiar or summon master?”
“In our most dire time, through the nightmare of this world…” I whispered, knowing by heart the only sentence written on every single page of the book she gave me about summoning and familiar.
“We swear to always shine and do our very best for our dearest friends…” Lavanda followed. Having made that oath herself.
“No matter the distance, the obstacles and the danger against us…”
“That it is beasts, calamities or gods…”
“We will face them together, in this life and the unknown that comes after it. May our bond be as strong as my love for you.” I ended.
This was the oath I made when I first tame Tara. At the time, I didn’t really think much of it, but now, I understand its importance. Even if it was nothing official or magic, this oath was the proof of my dedication to my familiars. Something that I will have to work hard to honour.
Rubbing his head against my leg, Gnash didn’t want to be left out of the hug. Hybry too wanted to join as he climbed on Lavanda and settled on my head. Tara wasn’t as affectionate, but she did extend her leg to pet the little hydra.
“You said it beautifully.” Lavanda said. “With Lendwrek and Mendry away for the time being, you need some training to be considered a full fledge A rank. You will need to be strong to protect them and the gift they gave you. We start this afternoon.”
“Can’t we do it tomorrow morning? I’m a bit tired.” I replied lowly, knowing full well what she was about to say. There was no changing her mind.
“Training is best done tired. To improve, you need to push your limit to their limit. In three hours, we leave for the guild. Be ready by then.”
“Are you going to end the hug, so I can get a nap, or are we going to stay like that longer?”
“Is this complaining that I hear? Do you want it to end?”
“No, just wanted to know how long we could stay like this.”