Ren was currently on his knees in the middle of the conjuration room drawing a summoning circle under the watchful eye of Master Boruk the conjuration teacher. Surprisingly there were several teachers sitting around the room watching Ren and even the headmaster was there. Being watched by so many teachers was making Ren a bit nervous but he didn't let it show. A summoning circle is a circle made up of runes and complex geometric patterns and required the utmost focus to make correctly because one mistake could be catastrophic. It was common practice for a summoner to have their circle checked by at least one other summoner of similar skill or better to avoid any mistakes. Ren put the finishing touches on his and Master Boruk looked over his work. The circle Ren had drawn was one of the simplest and was used by beginners to summon weaker beings. Ren was very thankful that he only needed a circle for the initial summoning and not to call up his familiar. Ren got the go ahead from master Boruk and started the summoning ritual.

Oh endless void,

Bearer of the Great Cosmic Wheel,

Grant this one passage through the shifting fog,

Give me a path to the outer planes,

Let me tread the road of the gods,

For I seek a sword and a shield to aid me in battle,

I seek a companion to share my triumphs and losses,

I seek a friend to experience my life with me,

Oh endless void I beseech thee to open a path,

[PLANAR SUMMONING]!

As Ren spoke the summoning chant the magic circle started to glow with a soft white light. About half way into the chant a gray dot appeared in the center of the magic circle and rabidly grew in size until it took up the entire circle. Grey mist that hugged the floor spilled out of what now looked like a flat, grey circle in the middle of the conjuration room. Ren spoke the final words of the summoning chant and all of the grey mist that had flowed into the room quickly flowed back to the center of the circle and solidified into mirror.

Images flashed across the surface of the mirror and could have sworn that there were sounds and even smells coming from it. The images moved to fast to really see what they were but some lingered just a little but longer. Ren saw a lush forest full of the largest trees he had ever seen. There was vast grassland that seemed as though it went on for eternity. The mirror showed the jagged peaks of snow covered mountain tops punching through a sea of pure white clouds. The images at last stopped at the image of a fiery hell full of boiling lava and writhing flames that looked to be either deep underground or in the middle of an active volcano.

A shadow of undetermined size appeared in the image slowly growing larger and larger until it took up the entire view. The mirror pulsed and the figure disappeared form the image the mirror pulsed second time, sending out waves of grey mist into the room. It pulsed a third time, then a forth, and then a fifth, sending waves of grey mist into the room each time. The mirror keeps pulsing until it reach number ten when a small red light floated out of the mirror and stopped in front of Ren. He held out his hand and the light settled into it and started to coalesce. After a few moments the glow cleared and revealed a small, cute, reptilian creature fast asleep in his hand. Ren examined the sleeping creature.

[

Status WindowName-RaceBaby SalamanderRankCommonLevel1/30Attack1Defense1A baby salamander summoned from the Blazing Abyss of the Endless Beastlands. It's as dangerous as it is terrifying to look at. Salamanders start weaker and have slower growth compared to other magical beasts but this slow growth allows them to build up an incredibly firm foundation and allows for more evolution opportunities.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"A baby salamander, while they're not the best for a novice conjurer they don't make bad familiars." Maser Boruk said, walking up to Ren and looking at the creature in his hand. "They require a lot of work to raise effectively and take three time longer to grow but if you work with it and don't become inpatient while raising it they can become one of your best allies. Good job but you’re not done yet. You still have to bond with it."

Ren nodded. He may have summoned a creature from another plane but it wouldn't become his familiar unless he bonded with it. Bonding with a beast was very simple, all you had to do was to get it to enter into a contract with you. There are many ways of doing this and there are several different kinds of contracts. The type on contract used depends on the summoner, the entity summoned, and the relationship between them.

The most common type of contract was the master/servant contract. This involved the summoned creature willing agreeing to work for the summoner as long as certain conditions were met. If the summoner goes back on their word the contract is voided and the summoned creature returns to their plane. The other contracts are the equivalent exchange contract, which is more like a mutual agreement to help each other, the partner contract, similar to the equivalent exchange contract but more binding and there must be a layer of trust between the two parties, the life contract, similar the partner contract but lasts until either of the parties die (until canceled for players), and the slave contract, which is similar to the master/servant contract but the summoned creature is forced into it and can only leave if they are strong enough to break the contract.

Ren woke up the sleeping salamander by gently poking it. It took a few tries but eventually it woke up, yawning and stretching as it did so. It stood up on its hind legs and looked at Ren, its tiny head cocked to the side slightly in curiosity. It looked at Ren for a few moments and, just as Ren was about to start the contract ceremony, it quickly cut one of its front feet on a tooth, bit Ren's thumb, and let a drop of its blood fall onto the wound it just gave Ren. As the blood mixed a golden colored magic circle appeared beneath them, glowing brightly. Behind Ren and the Salamander appeared glowing orbs, reddish-orange for the salamander and grayish-blue for Ren. From the circle below them shat a single golden chain made of magic. It pierced through the orb behind the salamander then the orb behind Ren, securing the two together. The orbs, chain, and magic circle faded away but the strange feeling Ren got when the chain touched the orb behind him remained. He felt a sense of trust and comfort coming from what he guessed was the baby salamander, who currently look very tired. The baby salamander climbed Ren’s arm and dropped into the breast pocket of his school robes and feel asleep. Ren was a bit overwhelmed by what just happened and didn't know how to react.

"It seems you have some promise as a conjurer boy. Getting a partner contract right off the bat is impressive even if it's not all that rare. Congratulations." Master Boruk said, clapping Ren on the back.

The other teacher in the room congratulated him as well then left to do their own work. The headmaster just nodded to Ren as he walked out of the room.

After spending a few moments to collect his thoughts Ren headed back to his room to pack for his trip to Jona to meet his sister. Along the way a window popped up.

 System Message Would you like to name your familiar?

"Yes," Ren said, "Name it Vulcan"

 System Message Are you sure you want to name your familiar 'Vulcan'?

It can't be changed later.

"Yes," Ren Said.

When He confirmed the name Vulcan shifted a little in his sleep before settling down again.