The girl sat up, rubbing the pain from hitting her back on the stairs.

Wait… stairs! She realised.

They had found the stairs, they were home free.

A wave of relief flowed through her and she slumped on the clean-cut stone steps. Her mind trying to catch up with everything that had been pushed back while surviving by the skin of her teeth.

Just as she was about to shut down and fall into unconsciousness, a thought occurred, forcing her to wake up and address the situation.

She looked at the assemblage of bones next to her. How would she repay it for her help? How long was it going to stay with her? If it followed her out of the tunnels, it would probably be eradicated by the temple priestesses.

She dug around in her pockets for the spare drops she kept when her bag had become too full.

That reminds me, why did the skeleton just search my bag without asking first? One should never peruse a ladies belongings, she thought.

Pouting, she continued rummaging until she found another bat’s ear and placed it atop the skull of her companion. Once it was fully attached she began.

“Mr. Skeleton, I-I’m not quite sure how to put this nicely” she began, hesitation making her voice quiet as she looked at the floor.

“Yo-you see, undead like y-yourself aren’t very welcome in the world. Ne-necromancy is an illegal form of magic in most places, and ones that are found wandering run at whatever they see, but are killed and treated with holy water. Undead aren’t very intelligent are they?”

The undead cocked its head to the side.

“N-not that you’re not intelligent! I’m just saying this because we need to figure out a way to keep everyone from killing you” she added hastily.

The skeleton turned away, its hand reaching under his skull as if to curl its fingers around its chin, but grabbed nothing but empty space. The bony fingers opened and closed repeatedly until it turned its head and fixed its eye on something behind the girl.

The skeleton stood up and stepped over the girl, much to her discomfort. And started pulling the black metal pegs from the posts holding lengths of chain used for railings.

The chain hit the stairs with a jangle and slinked to the floor.

The girl looked curiously at the shifting and rearranging going on in front of her, but tried not to look through the bones, as it brought back her nausea.

And after a short time the walking collection of bones turned and handed the end of the chain to the girl. Her eyes followed the length of the chain upwards and saw it disappear into its ribcage from the collar bones and weave through breaks in the ribs and around the base of its spine.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Having to look through the skeletal structure of her companion brought a lump to her throat as she struggled to keep from retching, but once the nausea passed she looked directly into the eye of this undead.

Her eyes filled with surprise and wonder, gazing at the simple stare of the broken skull before her.

“You- you really...?” the girl spluttered, a strong wave of positivity flowing over her. Tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

The skeleton looked away thoughtfully, and then shrugged its shoulder and held its palm out.

For the first time since entering the tunnels, a smile broke over her face, stretching from ear to ear as tears began to flow freely.

The Skelton stood before her, waiting for the girl to calm down.

The girl sniffed and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“You know, I always wanted a familiar”

At this moment the ear atop the skeletons head melted and turned to ash. Followed quickly by the chain woven through the skeleton beginning to glow, growing brighter and brighter until it was nothing but pure white.

The chains shape then morphed and shrank into a small tapered strip, and when the light began to fade, a black and purple ribbon had replaced the chain entirely, and faded from the centre, disappearing in the direction of each of the two beings.

The undead’s eye, which had dilated greatly, suddenly contracted.

“Although a skeleton would not have been my first choice, no offence of course!” the girl added hastily.”

***

THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN!

MISTAKES WERE MADE!

I DO NOT CONSENT!

Who said anything about familiars!? Why is the chain glowing!? Why am I feeling like I fell apart again!?

When that human was saying “You- you really...?” I thought it just meant “are you sure this will work?”!

Whoa, feeling a bit light headed, what’s going on? I feel… calm.

Y’know, maybe this won’t be so bad, it could be a privileged life.

Wow, the chain is changing shape, I wonder what it’ll…

…

A ribbon.

That’s really all it takes to hold me down? That’s just disappointing, but at least the light’s fading, and I can feel my normal temperament coming back.

Wait… why was I okay with this!?

My vision is focusing again, and I think I can move. Now I need to keep calm and act appropriately.

***

The moment the pupil of the undead’s eye contracted, it bolted for the tunnels.

“W-wait! Come back here!” the girl cried, shocked and upset that the moment she had gained a familiar it had abandoned her. Her tears welling up at the returning feeling of abandonment.

She sat on the steps for a while, her thoughts again turning morbidly to darker outcomes.

“e-even if I’m ou-out of the tunnels, h-how would I g-get b-back?” she whimpered, “I’ll be wolf food or captured by bandits…”

She trailed off, shuddering at the memories of the empty eyed girls and women who were rescued from bandit groups.

At least I might be useful somehow if bandits take me, she mused in her head.

But a feeling swept over her, one she’d never felt before.

Drive.

Drive to escape, drive to complete a purpose, and drive to become complete.

The feeling swirled in her, but also felt a little out of place. She lifted herself from the step she sat on and resolved to make it back to her big sister one way or another. And as she raised her head, she was met with a shocking sight.

The skeleton.

The skeleton had come back. And it looked like it was waiting for more commands.

“You- you did what I told you…”

The skeleton nodded.

“y-you can hear me!? Without an ear!?”

The skeleton tapped the side of his caved skull, which she took to mean their new bond let the undead listen in his own head.

“o-okay then, let’s get out of these tunnels and back up to the forest, we’ve got a bit of a walk back to the town”

The skeleton nodded and the two companions (although one may be unwilling) began to scale the steps.