Luna slowly woke. She was laying on a large bed in a dead goblin fire mage's work room, nestled in luxurious furs. It occurred to Rainer that those furs would have cost thousands of dollars back home. They may well be just as valuable here. He'd taken a terrible risk cutting his way into this room and fighting its owner, and it had paid off. Much was gained. There was a wall full of scrolls yet to read so that he could commit them to long term memory within sleep learning. Killing the fire mage had given a big chunk of experience that pushed him to level 3. He had created Arcane Blade, his first tier 2 spell, and that had netted him skill points and the title of Arcane Scholar, which apparently granted a static 5% experience bonus and would have given him Arcane Energy Manipulation had he not already gained the skill thanks his Arcanist class bonus. Arcane Blade was everything he'd hoped it would be, even if the mana cost was quite high. It had sliced through wood and bone as easily as it moved through air. It was quite curious that its current level was [1/15] rather than [1/10], however. There was no particular reason a tier 2 spell couldn't use the same 10 point system that other spells and skills did, so Arcane Blade was somehow unique. He had yet to loot the goblin's body, as he only took the time to search for the key to Luna's cage.
Most importantly, he'd gained a potential ally and source of information. The small fairy could somehow knew English, and he had sacrificed 6 precious skill points to restore her to health. He really, really hoped his kindness would be appreciated and that she would be able to answer the many potentially vital questions he had for her. Looking at the lovely, tiny person in front of them, he glanced back at the dead goblin who had tortured her so brutally. Whatever compunctions he'd had over killing goblins fled. He felt only triumph and the exhilaration of finally being a true mage, wielding powerful forces that had defeated a foe at least 10 levels higher than he was. Finally, just seconds ago he'd gained system message that intrigued him deeply. It had appeared as the mysterious physical changes to the small fairy had finished.
[Familiar contract initiated, Make Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna your Familiar? Y/N]
Rainer had very little idea what to make of it. Had he somehow gotten the option to bind Luna to his service when he infused so much of his mana into her? Would he enslave her if he accepted the contract? Insult her if he refused? Would making a Fae Princess his familiar anger a Fae Royal Court somewhere? What did she want him to do? These questions rose rapidly to the top of his "things to ask Luna first" list. And then she was awake.
"Luna feels so much better! Thank you, Rainer the A-raa-caa-naa-ist! Thank you! But Luna's beautiful green hair is now silver, why is this? Luna's silver hair is still beautiful of course, but how? Why? And Luna's wings are a new color! Did the Araa-caa-naa-ist change Mother's mana? Is such a thing possible for such a weak human mage? He is not a true dragon in disguise, is he? And why does the human look confused at me now when he is the one who has done all these helpful and confusing things?"
Luna read well the dumbfounded expression on Rainer's face. The little fairy had gone from asleep to eagerly interrogating him before he could blink. He'd been pretty sure he was the one with questions for her!
"I'm sorry Luna, but I don't know the answers to most of your questions. You fell unconscious soon after you told me that you needed mana from me in order to heal yourself, and I was afraid your life was in danger. I spent skill points to raise the [Fae Anatomy] skill to 4/10 after I couldn't figure out how to give you mana. That worked, and you healed, but your body changed colors somehow. I have many questions for you too, Luna, but first I have a secret to tell you. Can you promise to keep my secret?"
"A secret! Luna loves secrets! Thank you for giving Luna mana and a secret! Luna will keep the secret, Luna will!"
An almost comically solemn expression replaced the exuberant joy that had lit up her face at the mention of a secret.
"Princess Luna Emralira-Igna does swear to keep faithfully the secret Rainer tells her, and to tell it to no one, not even the stars and moons. Now tell Luna the secret, tell, tell!"
Solemnity was clearly not the fairy's default state, as one sentence after her formal vow, she bubbled over with happy excitement. It was all Rainer could do to keep from laughing, even if he had just decided to take a serious risk.
"OK, Luna, here is my secret. I am not from this world, and I do not even know the name of this world. I am from a different world called Earth. I spent the last several months working on a spell that I tried for the first time yesterday, but it did not work as I planned, and somehow sent me from my home to this world. On Earth, things are very, very different. There are no classes or levels or system messages or status screens. A young child here knows more about how this world works than I do, and I need help to learn. Will you help me, Luna?"
"Luna will help! This secret confuses and makes sense. Rainer is a hero who is not a hero, and comes from a different world like heroes do, and Rainer is dumb like a baby human child, but knows powerful magics that move him from his silly world to the real world, but because he is dumb like a dumb human child does not understand his own magics and came to the real world by mistake, and Luna will have to teach him many simple things, but Luna is wise and patient and will teach the confused Araa-caa-naa-ist!"
Somehow that was all one sentence. Somehow, Rainer couldn't quite argue with the parts of it that made sense to him. And so, with a sheepish grin, he decided to just start with his questions.
"Luna, just before you woke up I got a message asking if I wanted to make you my familiar. Do you want to be my familiar?"
"Rainer is very rude for not taking Luna as his familiar yet! Luna is a fairy and a princess and is wise and beautiful and perfect, and Rainer should not need to think about taking her as his familiar! Luna accepted right away even though Rainer is just a dumb Human hero who is not a hero! Hmph! But, Luna hopes Rainer will not ask her to make fairy dust like the bad goblin Rainer killed? And that Rainer will not make her go home?"
If fairy dust was the reason the goblin mage had imprisoned and tortured the poor fairy and producing it hurt her, there was no way he was going to ask that of her. And if she didn't want to go home, he wasn't about to force her to. Still, he wanted to be sure this was what she actually wanted, and not just some sort of honor debt because he'd saved her or something.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"I apologize, Princess Luna. I only waited to accept because I wanted to make sure you wanted to be my familiar.
And I won't force you to go home or make fairy dust for me. Are you really sure you want to be my familiar?"
Luna glanced pensively at the dead goblin mage, then turned back to Rainer and looked him in the eyes.
"Luna was very scared, goblins do mean things poking Luna with heated up sticks and hurting wings. And the strong goblin...Producing dust is very hard for fairies. Yet hero saved Luna and not ask for dust that all humans want and even healed Luna. It is like Luna is in story of The First Hero.”
"Luna, I'm not sure if I'm really a hero or not, or even what a hero means here."
"Silly Rainer. Hero means to have a hero class. Hero Mage, Hero Warrior, Hero Mouse, Hero Baker. Hero is blessed of World Tree and World Tree gives hero information like World Tree gives to Fae. Heroes can use Appraisal. But Luna does not mind if Rainer is a silly hero who is not a hero."
"If some day you do not want to be my familiar any more, can I let you go from the contract?"
"Rainer can break contract, but Luna will be a very good fairy princess familiar, so Rainer will keep his fairy always and please not send Luna away?"
"Sorry, I was just checking. It would be my privilege to accept you as my familiar, Luna."
Rainer mentally clicked yes and accepted the contract.
[Familiar Gained: Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna]
[Title Gained: Fae Contractor]
[Change visible title from [Arcane Scholar] to [Fae Contractor]? All effects still persist Y/N]
[Familiar: Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna]
[Fae Enchantress Lvl 6]
[Current Shared Skill: None]
[Familiar Skills: Summon]
Wait, level 6? Did my mana do that somehow? What are Familiar Skills and what is Summon? And a new title? Thank you, world tree? What does this one do?
He took a look at his new title in his system screen.
[Title: Fae Contractor: One who has entered into a rare and powerful contract with a member of the Fae. 5% experience bonus. Gives Familiar Skill: Summon]
Huh - well, 5% experience bonus is nice at least.
"So, Lun-"
Before he had a chance to even finish her name, the fairy had flown up and kissed him on the cheek, and her kiss brought with it a series of system messages. Luna mistook his surprise for embarrassment and was deeply pleased with herself.
[Talent Gained: Gift of the Fae, Luna Emralira-Igna]
[Gift of the Fae, Luna Emralira-Igna: The Gift of the Fae Princess Luna Emralira-Igna. Grants 100% total increased mana regeneration.]
It was incredible! 100% total increased mana regeneration! Just as he'd earlier suspected, most percentage bonuses, such as the bonus to Arcane skills and spells from his class and his talent, were additive. But this was multiplicative. It truly doubled his mana regeneration! His slow mana recovery was in many ways his greatest current limitation as a mage, and this was exactly what he'd needed. Each point of the Willpower attribute had previously increased his mana regeneration rate by .0001 per second, but that attribute worked twice as well now. He quickly put the 2 attribute points he had earned into Willpower. It was possible that some other attribute would be more helpful in the long term, but right now he had to survive this mine, and his slow mana regeneration rate was one of his greatest current weaknesses.
"Thank you for your gift, Luna! It's one of the best gifts I've ever been given."
The 7 inch Fae - did she grow an inch so quickly? - beamed with pride.
"Luna, do you know where the mine entrance is, or where I can find water?"
"Luna does not know how to get out of the mine, but Luna can make water for Rainer, unless Rainer wants to find it instead for silly human reasons?"
She can magically create water on top of doubling my mana regeneration? My new familiar is a life saver! Quite possibly a literal life saver!
"No, no, that's OK - if you can make water, that would be wonderful. Please?"
A small orb of water formed a foot in front of Rainer as the fairy briefly concentrated. He wasn't sure how it held together in the air, almost as if it were in zero gravity, but to his relief it was very easy to drink from it. It wasn't until he had water in front of him that he realized just how thirsty he was, and he gulped it down before asking Luna to make more. Then he gulped that down too. Now his only immediate problems were escaping the mine and finding food. Feeling much better about his situation, Rainer thanked Luna for the water and set about exploring the room. He felt oddly at home. A mage's workshop seemed comfortable, familiar, even as weird and dangerous as his current reality was.
He started with the dead goblin fire mage. Carefully he removed the furs from its body and searched them, and found an enchanted ring in a pocket. He appraised it.
[Ring of Fae Transference: Allows a fae wielder of the ring to return to the Fae-City of Laeria. Conforms to user’s size.]
I guess I should have thought twice before I agreed not to make her return home. Though if it comes down to a life or death situation, I could always just ask her anyways. Asking isn't forcing, after all.
The goblin's fingers were covered in rings, most of which were broken. Apparently the arcane energy of Rainer's spells had disrupted the fragile enchantments they had held. Two of them were still working, however. Around the goblin's neck, Rainer found a couple of enchanted amulets that were also undamaged.
[Ring of Mana Shield: Allows the user to surround them self with a protective Mana Shield. Can be used once per day and lasts for 30 seconds.]
[Ring of Greater Fire Ball: Allows the user to cast a large ball of magical fire at a target. Can be used five times per day.]
[Amulet of Mana Shield: Allows the user to surround them self with a protective Mana Shield. Can be used once per day and lasts for 30 seconds.]
[Wolf Tooth Charm of Will: Increases the users Willpower by 2.]
Nice! I'll have to experiment with these, but they apparently don't even require me to spend mana to activate. They must somehow be able to regenerate their own independent mana reserve. I'd been lacking any type of defensive magic, so those Mana Shield items are an incredible find. The fur that goblin was wearing looks quite valuable too. Death from cold kills slower than death from violence, but I'd end up just as dead. I'm less likely to be slowly overwhelmed by goblins now that my mana regeneration rate is triple what it was an hour ago, but that doesn't mean I'm safe - there are a ton of potentially fatal dangers in this world, and worst of all, I don't even know what most of them are.
Rainer carefully searched the room. Under the bed he found a well-made leather backpack. Evidently, backpacks were a useful and simple enough item that even goblins on another world had developed them. In the desk was a potion that could temporarily increase his mana regeneration by 400%. The real treasure trove though was all of the notes and scrolls. He didn't even try to understand the spells inscribed in runes on aged parchment. Instead he just let his eyes travel over them and commit the visual image of the runes to his short term memory. It was a trick he had learned for sleep learning. As long as he spent his next sleep-learning session cementing them into his mind, he would remember them perfectly. It was almost as good as a true photographic memory. Even glancing over the runes, he was deeply grateful that whatever mage inscribed them was not the current owner of the room he sat in. They were all fire spells, and the complexity and sophistication they revealed to even a cursory glance humbled him. Many required incantations to be chanted aloud, which was not his preferred method of spell casting, but the power of the spells tantalized and worried the young Arcanist. He hoped not to meet the mage who created them for a very, very long time.
Rainer wrapped the scrolls and notes in one of the furs on the bed, and carefully secured them in his back-pack along with the Enchanted FlameLit Orb. Thanks to his armed arcane bolts he had little need of a light source, but he hoped that even a mundane enchanted item held monetary value. At worst, he could study it when he had time and safety.
No sooner had he finished his search of the room than he was overcome with a bone deep exhaustion. He had had a very, very long day. He woke up that morning in his familiar bed, and was now in some kind of fantasy RPG world, trying to escape a goblin infested mine along with his new fairy princess familiar, and he'd killed a double digit number of intelligent beings. Even with the two naps he'd taken, Rainer needed to sleep, and it wasn't likely he'd find a safer, more defensible position than the one he was in. He deployed 4 more armed arcane bolts, bringing him back up to his maximum of 8 and exhausting the remainder of his mana. He shoved the heavy wooden desk across the room to barricade the entrance that had been boarded up before he cut a hole in it, locked the door, and moved the bed in front of it. Finally, he asked Luna to keep watch before laying down in a pile of the furs he'd taken from the dead goblin and the bed. Within seconds, he was fast asleep.