So all I have to do is think something and you will hear me? Don thought skeptically. The Fairy hovered without reacting for a few seconds before prompting Don again.
"You have to let me in, you can't just think to yourself. It won't work unless you intend for me to receive the thoughts as well. It helps if you look at me too." She instructed patiently.
Don tried again but this time he looked into the glowing orb and willed it to hear him when he thought 'This is silly'. Unexpectedly the orb flew in a tight circle and praised him.
"Well Done! Now we can start planning our escape."
Our what? Don thought incredulously before remembering to include the fairy in his musings and repeating his thought at the little light.
"Our escape, it shouldn't be too hard considering your treatment today. I expect we will basically be able to walk out of here, so long as we recognize our opportunity when it comes."
Hold on, Don thought What are you trying to escape from, and why are you including me in your plans? He was suddenly worried that he was talking with some sort of criminal. Apparently, that thought made it across their strange mental link because the light flared and closed the distance to his face.
"I," the Fairy stressed, "am not the criminal here, From what I've seen you are quite the deviant yourself and it's just my luck that I'd get stuck with someone so, unscrupulous. I'm on a very important mission and you should thank whatever quirk of probability caused you to be the first viable partner to come along because, despite my careful plans to remain incognito, I can't do what I came here for if I'm stuck to a prisoner!" If a ball of light could huff, that's exactly what this one was doing. It bobbed up and down in time with a rhythmic intensifying of its glow.
Don was struck by the passionate diatribe and the accompanying emotions transferred over their mental link. Apparently, it was good for more than simple communication.
'I'm sorry, but I'm not a criminal either, I'm... uh.' Don faltered, what was he? The answer was obvious, I'm a... Damn. The memory is right there. I can practically touch it, sort of. Every time Don reached for it, however, it pulled away, staying tantalizingly, tauntingly close.
"Oh, oh dear." The voice sounded genuinely concerned now. The light drifted slowly to the floor. It dimmed, then in a gentle probing voice asked: "Can you tell me your name?"
"My name? it's... uh, well, what was it?" Don was beginning to feel really scared 'Who am I?' He still felt like the information was right there. He should be able to access it. He could remember all sorts of basic information that anyone would know. Stuff like how to perform the Affirmations, or calculate an orbital insertion, but any truly personal information was just... gone. That question: 'Who am I' started playing in a loop, without an answer he was starting to get lost in the repetitions before the light brought him back to the present.
The fairy landed for the first time, it's light dimmed to the point that Don was finally able to see the tiny woman which was generating the light to this point. She had thin limbs and a round face with short, silver hair flattened over her brow and twisting into curls by her pointed ears. She wore a simple tunic made from some kind of reflective material. Behind her, four translucent wings stopped moving but continued to gleam with a soft inner light. Pity and concern flowed across their mental link and Don squirmed from the intimacy of the experience. Some of that discomfort must have gotten through to the fairy because the stream of pity stopped.
"It looks like your reception today was a little too much for your mind to bear. Don't be alarmed. This is just one of the safety systems taking action like it was designed to. It's just going to make this next part a bit more complicated." The Fairy quietly explained. "You must have a lot of questions."
Don mentally agreed 'some'
"Well, I think we have some time to ourselves here and not much else to do so why don't you ask about anything that has you confused?"
Don nodded, 'I suppose I'd like to know who I am if that's okay' His thoughts came hesitantly, with the feeling that he was imposing on the Fairy by asking his question.
"That's easy enough" The fairy's wings blurred back into motion and the resulting orb of light shot back into the air. "All you have to do is think 'Character Sheet' and you will get a breakdown of your basic information."
No sooner had the thought Character Sheet crossed Don's mind than an impossibly thin screen appeared before him. He took a moment to marvel at the screen which was completely invisible before. So I guess these are a thing now. Don thought, then he turned his attention to the information it contained. Much of it was pure gibberish but the first line was easy enough to understand.
Name: Donovan Shepard
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Race: Demon
Title: -
Pet: Fairy (Soul Bound)
Level: 0 (0/100 EXP)
STR: 6 (10) CON: 18 INT: 10 AGI: 10 END: 2 (11) WIS: 10
Okay. So, I'm Donovan Shepard, he looked past the screen and it faded Who are you?
"You can call me Cel" The fairy answered.
Why aren't you using the silent communication method that you just taught me?
Cel floated away and Don felt a pulse of embarrassment from her before she replied. "Honestly? This is the first time I've had a voice and it's kind of a novelty." Another pulse of embarrassment came across their link "next question."
Don wasn't the most socially astute person, but having a direct line to the Fairy's emotions was giving him more tact than usual and he quickly moved on.
This thing says I'm a demon. Didn't you mention something about them earlier too? What are Demons anyway?
"Demons are universally feared for their wanton cruelty and unmatched prowess in battle! They revel in carnage and bathe in blood to relax afterward! It would be a stretch to call you a true Demon though. You haven't been raised in a Demonic culture or been subjected to their rites. Instead, you were raised by humans to have human sensibilities, more or less. Your demonic nature is just going to give you access to strength and abilities that mere mortals can only envy!" Cel explained cheerfully.
'Oh,' Don pretended to understand before moving on to his next question. 'What are Fairies, by the way?'
"Legendary magical creatures" Cel replied casually but Don could feel a little pride in her answer.
'and soul-bonds?' Don was starting to get used to asking questions freely. It was kind of nice.
"It's a special link between us. It lets us do things like silent communication but it also has some limits. I can't travel very far away from you for instance."
'Why did the screen say you are my pet?' Like most of the other terms Cel was throwing around, Don wasn't sure what a pet was so he was alarmed at the sudden flare of anger practically scorching him through the mental link.
"I am not a pet!" Cel practically screamed as she lit up so bright it made Don wince.
'Shhh' Don pleaded
"Don't you tell me what to do!" Cel was really screaming now and the strobing, bobbing light was causing the deep shadows in the room to stretch and warp alarmingly.
'The guards will hear you' Don reminded Cel.
"No, they won't!" Cel responded harshly "You're the only one around who can hear or see me for now and I'm starting to regret lowering the filter to talk with you." Anger was rolling off of the little Fairy in palpable waves. The light around her was changing to resemble the shimmer that surrounds any superheated surface. Don used the helpful cue to change tacts.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you, I don't even know what a pet is!' His new tactic seemed to avert whatever catastrophe the Fairy was building up towards. She wasn't calm again by any standard but when she next spoke, she wasn't screeching anymore. Instead, she spoke in the clipped tones of someone who was barely restraining themselves from saying what they really wanted to.
"A pet is something you own, control, make decisions for, and most of all, it is lesser than the owner. I want to be perfectly clear when I tell you that I am not your pet. We're either partners in this or..." Cell seemed to lose her train of thought before continuing in a more subdued tone "Really, I don't have any other options here. If you don't help me it will be a long time before I get another opportunity like this and by then, it might be too late."
The rage emanating from Cel was replaced with a hopelessness which was even worse.
What do you need help with? Don asked cautiously. He was getting more comfortable with the conversation but he feared another sudden outburst.
"Why should I tell a criminal my plans?" Cel snapped
Because you don't have any other options. Don helpfully reminded her. Cel responded with a spike of loathing but it faded quickly in light of the earnest desire to help coming from Don's end of the connection. Cel sighed.
"I guess you could say I'm here looking for someone." She said cagily. "The first step in achieving that goal is going to be escaping this Crypt you have so helpfully gotten us thrown into."
Don didn't even register the barbed comment. Something about her simple mission held his attention instead. He couldn't shake the feeling that it was a uniquely bizarre mission but it was also compelling on a level that Don didn't understand.
'I'll help you' Don found himself thinking. Relief flooded through their connection but Don was worried. He didn't have the authority to make a decision like that on his own.
How do you know I'm qualified? He asked just to be sure.
Cel's hollow laugh wasn't a reassuring answer.
"You're definitely not a good candidate but you are the only one to come along in all the years I've been waiting for a partner. That makes you uniquely qualified, literally. If you're willing to help, I guess I can't really ask for more at the moment. It will take a lot less time to train you to the job than it will take to find someone else."
Cel dropped back to the floor and held out a minuscule hand. Don looked at it dumbly.
"It's a tradition to shake hands when you settle a deal among equals."
Don complied by wiggling his fingers around to the best of his currently limited ability.
Cel giggled. It was a sweet tinkling noise.
"Were supposed to hold hands before we start shaking them, dummy."
Don complied by sliding his less bloody hand towards Cel. A lance of pain running through his injured shoulder stopped him. He moved his more bloody hand to the fairy instead. The inch tall woman bent down and used both hands to lift Don's pinky, taking care not to gut herself on his claw.
"Partners?" She asked while fixing don with a penetrating stare. Her eyes seemed to look beyond Don's eyes into something more fundamental and honest inside of him. He saw into Cel's eyes, past the dazzling green specks and into something vast.
'Partners' Don agreed before involuntarily uttering a pair of guttural consonants. The noise was covered by a familiar grinding at the far end of the crypt. The wall swung open again but this time, no light invaded the space and only one figure stepped into the opening.