October 22nd, 2023
12:48 AM EST
Alastar
A grounding frustration burned in Alastar as he was reminded of being left to fend for the museum on his own. This was their jobs, and while a part of him knew that it was definitely worth it for them to do whatever they intended to do, it felt… infuriating to him. It was his coworkers leaving, having to take care of this place, or even just his low blood sugar. He had to try to protect this place if anyone had missions to, like, steal something. Who knew what contents these quests would take.
As he looked at his hands he realized something, muttering it out loud. “Hell, even my quest ended with me stealing something. Well, my first one did at least.” With an exhausted sigh he got up and stretched, yawning. “Well, I’ve been up for too long, but I’d better get on this next quest.”
First things first, Alastar needed a room with a clear view of the night sky. It wasn’t what the quest said that made him think that to himself, but instead it was what the quest didn’t say. It didn’t say what the familiar would be. It didn’t say what kind of ritual to perform. It didn’t say anything but tell him he had to do it. So he wanted to do something under the class of the skylights, so that he could see the moon and stars.
Quickly, Alastar power walked through the museum’s main halls and into one of the buildings that had been added to the museum’s building over the years. Unlike the main building, which was nearly a hundred years old, and the new building, which was less than a year in the public eye, this building had been something added when he was a kid. The planetarium and the room around it, the space wing of the natural history museum.
Unlike the dark halls filled with dioramas that he’d walked from, when he walked into the space hall he saw the wide open space. The large spiral ramp that represented man’s journey to the stars, and all of the different meteorites and other things from space placed on display. It was a large open space, and the sky was visible through the glass ceiling. The clouds rolled over, though the moon occasionally peaked out from under them.
Alastar took a sharpie out of his pocket, and began to draw on the floor. “Sorry guys, but I need this now. I’ll help clean later.” He muttered to himself, trying not to feel guilty towards the janitors and others that would come in the morning. He drew a double circle, and within that circle he drew a symbol that had always fascinated him when he was younger. It was a triple moon symbol, with two crescents facing away from a central circle. Within that circle was a pentacle, a five pointed star.
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“I could make this more elaborate but… I’m not sure how.” Alastar said, muttering even more. At that moment, the moon was fully out from behind the clouds. Alastar knew that this was correct, the right moment for him to do his quest. With the water bottle around his waist in the center of the sigil, he began to chant and allow his mind to become intimately tied to this ritual.
“Goddess.” He said, taking the antique knife out of its sheath. “Hear my prayer. I wish not to be alone. Allow me to be granted one of your children, the spirits of the moon, to be my companion for all days. A being that can help me in any situation, as I move onward in this dark and forbidding time.” His voice rose as he spoke, the prayer coming right from the heart. He didn’t allow himself to filter what he said, because he fervently believed that was what this quest was about.
“Goddess Hecate, of the three faces, goddess of magic. I called you five times. Once for the chains that bind me to you.” He cut a small cut just below his left wrist. “Once for the guidance freely given.” He again cut himself, this time on the back of his right hand. “Once for the bondage I freely take.” This cut was along the base of his neck. “Once for the sights I have seen.” This cut was on his forehead, knowing that it would bleed a lot but not be dangerous. “And finally, one for the life I can give.” This final cut was against his thigh, blood running down into the circle.
The cuts were all very small, barely even nicks, but each dropped at least one drop into the circle. He tried to aim for his water bottle, but he failed that quickly and gave up. Again, he intoned his words. “Goddess, grant me a blessing for that which I wish. For me to finish this quest promptly, for me to give you what you need. Let blood be the catalyst, the bonds that chain this spirit to me, yet let that spirit join me of its free will. Let this relationship be born of equality, both in life and in the summerlands beyond.”
Finally, Alastar walked over to a first aid kit to start to patch his little cuts up. He’d gotten worse cuts washing dishes in previous jobs, so it wasn’t that bad. Thankfully, the knife itself was still extremely sharp. While he wasn’t looking, the circle began to glow a soft silver light. It wasn’t until he turned around that he saw the glowing. Rushing back over he almost fell, but as soon as he touched the light he felt something deep inside him. “Rise my familiar.” He said, dropping to his knees. His heart stopped for a fraction of a second, as a new notification popped up into his vision.
His heart beat, but he felt a rush of power leave him. Something more was happening than he’d expected. The weakness spread, the lightheaded feeling of having forgotten to eat, and he passed out half of his body inside the circle on the floor.