He stared blankly at the portal that opened in front of him, its swirling energies shimmering with a deep red glow. The air around it cracked, and small lightning bolts came from the edges of the portal.

From within the portal, a small creature emerged. It was about three feet tall, with dark brown skin and glowing yellow eyes that flickered like candle flames. Tiny, curved horns adorned its head, and a pair of bat-like wings fluttered behind it. The imp’s long, pointed tail swayed lazily as it stepped into the room, nervously taking in its new surroundings.

His initial shock gives way to curiosity. He had read about imps in his studies, but seeing one in person was an entirely different experience. “Uh, hello?”

The creature looked up and, to Daniel’s surprise, began to jump excitedly. “KHIE, KHIEK!” it chittered. As Daniel made eye contact with the imp, he felt a faint connection forming between them; he could faintly feel the nervousness and excitement that the imp felt coming through the link.

Lost in thought, he failed to notice the imp darting across the room and leaping onto the desk. “Hey, stop that!” Daniel commanded, and the imp froze in its tracks. “Let’s see if it’s my summon. I should be able to view its status.”

Name: NONE

Race: Imp

Summoner: Daniel von Mios

Level: 1

Attributes:

Strength: 3

Dexterity: 8

Intelligence: 4

Constitution: 2

Skills:

[Minor Flame] Level 1

[Sneak] Level 1

Traits:

[Darkvision]

Curious, he started with something simple to test the imp’s ability to follow commands. “Jump” he instructed. The imp obeyed instantly and jumped in place, its yellow eyes fixed on him, waiting for the following command. Pleased with the response, Daniel decided to try something more complex.

“Fly around the room,” he said. The imp flapped its bat-like wings and took off, circling the room with surprising agility. It easily manoeuvred around the table, impressing Daniel.

“Good,” Daniel nodded, thinking about the following command. “Can you pick up that letter?” He pointed to the letter on the desk. The imp flew down, grasped the letter in its tiny claws, and returned it to Daniel. “Great job,” he praised, taking the letter from the imp.

Curiosity piqued, he decided to test its combat abilities. “fire a flame”, he commanded, pointing to a spot on the stone table. The imp’s eyes glowed brighter momentarily before it spat a small burst of fire out of its mouth and onto the table. The flame flickered for a few seconds before extinguishing itself.

“Impressive," Daniel murmured. “Now, let’s see your stealth skills. Use Sneak.” The imp moved closer to the wall, and its form shimmered briefly before blending into the shadows, becoming almost invisible. Daniel could still faintly see its wings fluttering, but if the imp stood still, he would have a hard time spotting it.

“Come back into the light,” he ordered. The imp reappeared instantly, looking at him with what Daniel imagined was a proud expression.

When the imp was summoned, Daniel’s mind had been filled with a rush of information. He decided to test a piece of that newfound knowledge. “Return,” he called out. A portal opened, swallowing the imp and leaving him alone in the room.

“Interesting,” Daniel murmured to himself. I wonder where it goes when I dismiss it.” He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost time to meet Alex and get dinner.

“Wait, does it show up on my status screen?” he said out loud.

Traits:

[Low-Light Adaptation] Level 3

[Nimble Fingers] Level 5

[Lesser Calm Mind] Level 8

Summons:

[Imp: NONE]

“I should give it a name…” he murmured. “But first, let me get dinner.”

….

Daniel unlocked the door and turned to Lucia with a grin. “Are you ready to see our room? It’s massive.”

Lucia nodded. As the trio entered, her eyes widened in amazement. “Wow, this place is incredible!” she exclaimed, taking in the large apartment.

“We have so much more space here,” Daniel said proudly. “There’s a study area, a small gym, and with all these empty bookshelves, we practically have a small library if we fill them up.”

Lucia looked impressed. “This is really nice,” she said as she sat down on a couch. It’s similar to my room; it’s on the other side of the building.”

“I didn’t know you were a representative of a professor?” Daniel asked.

She shook her head. “My family sponsors the academy, so they gave me a better room and no roommate.”

“So you mentioned you wanted to show us something during dinner. What do you want to show us, Dan?” Alex said from his spot on a lounge chair at the head of the couch.

Daniel, who was seated facing Alex, replied, “So I accidentally did something when I tried out some new magic earlier.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Uh-huh… what have you done this time? Did you manage to summon something from your dreams again?” Alex teased.

“Well, you’re right about one part. I did manage to summon something somehow,” Daniel admitted, flicking his fingers. “Come out.”

A portal opened above the coffee table, and the imp slowly stepped out.

His friends froze as they eyed the creature. “Is it an imp, Daniel?” Lucia was the first to speak up.

Daniel nodded. “Yeah, I managed to summon this guy somehow,” he said, scratching his head.

The imp looked at the new faces, and Daniel could feel a nervous energy coming through their link.

“At least you did it without nearly giving me a heart attack this time,” Alex remarked as he stood up, crouched down to reach eye level with the creature, and made eye contact with the imp. “So, what is its name?”

Daniel glanced at the imp, pondering for a moment. “Well, I haven’t really thought of a name yet. Any suggestions?”

Alex straightened up, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, how about ‘Sparky’?”

Lucia chuckled. “That sounds more fitting for a dog than an imp.”

Daniel nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I don’t think ‘Sparky’ suits him.”

Lucia leaned forward, her eyes brightening with an idea. “What about something like ‘Gnarl’? It reminds me of a character I read in a book once. It was a loyal imp to an overlord.”

Daniel considered Lucia’s suggestion, and after a moment, he nodded. “Gnarl, huh? Yeah, I like that. It has a nice ring to it.”

Alex grinned. “Gnarl it is, then. Welcome to the team, little guy.”

After giving the imp its name, Daniel felt the link with Gnarl growing stronger. The imp responded, standing a little taller and looking around more confidently.

“So, what can he do?” Alex asked. “Can he, I don’t know, attack?”

“Yeah, doofus, did you forget the lessons about basic creatures found in dungeons? Imps are known for their sneak attacks and fire abilities,” Lucia said with a smirk. “They’re also known as little thieves since they tend to steal shiny things.”

“Shiny things, huh,” Alex said thoughtfully. He walked over to a drawer and retrieved a dagger in a sheath. “Do you like this, little guy?” he asked, pulling the dagger out of the sheath.

Gnarl jumped back and eyed the dagger cautiously. “Come on, it’s okay,” Daniel said soothingly, sending calming energy through their link.

Gnarl slowly approached Alex, snatched the dagger from his hands with lightning-quick reflexes, and ran to a corner to inspect the blade up close. “Khiek, khieck!” it exclaimed excitedly.

“It’s yours, little fella. Here, let me tie the sheath to your body,” Alex offered, approaching Gnarl slowly. The imp allowed Alex to fasten the sheath around its waist, seeming quite pleased with the arrangement.

“By the way, how are we supposed to feed him?” Lucia asked, watching Gnarl admire the dagger with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Daniel scratched his head. “I could feed him my mana for now, but I’ll probably start feeding actual food later.”

Lucia nodded thoughtfully. “Imps typically eat meat and berries, but if you feed him mana, it should sustain him until we figure out a proper diet. We could ask one of the summoning instructors?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if I should also take the summoning class now,” Daniel said, looking thoughtful. “Besides the general classes, there are the personal classes I want to attend. Plus, I have extra responsibilities since I’m a representative. My schedule is already so busy.”

“Well, we can figure that out together,” Alex said, fastening the sheath to Gnarl. “Let’s see what this little guy can do and worry about the rest later.”

Gnarl seemed content with the dagger, still examining it closely as if it were a treasure. “So, Daniel, What can Gnarl do?” Lucia asked, leaning back on the couch.

Daniel thought for a moment. “Well, I can command him to do simple tasks, and from what I’ve read, imps can be quite useful as a scout. He can also spit out a small flame.”

Alex chuckled. “Let’s see how he can handle a dagger. Come here, buddy.” Gnarl walked over to Alex excitedly, as if they had been best buddies for years.

Alex knelt down and held out his hand. “Here, let me show you how to hold the dagger.” Gnarl hesitated a moment before handing it over. Alex began showing Gnarl how to grip it properly. “Alright, Gnarl, this is how you hold it. Try to keep a firm grip, but don’t squeeze too tight.”

Gnarl watched intently, his glowing eyes focused on Alex’s hands. He took the dagger, mimicking Alex’s grip. His tiny fingers wrapped around the hilt, and he held it up, looking to Alex for approval.

Nice work, Gnarl!” Alex encouraged. “Now, let’s try a quick jab. Just a small, controlled thrust.” He demonstrated the movement.

The imp hesitated for a moment, then made a jab forward. The dagger glinted in the light as it cut through the air, but the movement wasn’t as fluid as Alex had demonstrated.

“Hmm, almost!” Alex said with an encouraging smile, “Now, try a few more. Remember, control is key.”

Gnarl practised a few more jabs, each one more confident and precise than the last. Daniel watched, impressed by how quickly the imp picked up the technique.

Lucia leaned in, watching the training session with interest. “He’s learning fast. With some practice, he could be quite the little fighter.” Daniel nodded.

Alex stood up, clapping his hands together. “Alright, Gnarl, that’s enough for now. Let’s take a break.”

Gnarl chittered happily, clearly pleased with himself. Daniel felt a surge of pride through their link. “You’re doing great, buddy,” he said, patting the imp on the head.

“I’ll make sure he’s the best imp swordsman that ever existed on the Eldoria continent”, Alex said with a bright smile.

As the evening progressed, they discussed how the first day tomorrow would be. Gnarl, now comfortably settled in his new environment, occasionally chimed in with enthusiastic chittering, seemingly pleased to be part of the team. As the night grew late, they decided to call it a day.

Alex glanced at Gnarl with a smile one last time before heading to bed. “Welcome to the team, Gnarl.”

The imp chittered in response, and Daniel felt a wave of contentment through their link. “Come back,” he commanded, and a portal opened and swallowed Gnarl.

….

Daniel woke up to the sound of his alarm blaring on his nightstand. Groaning, he reached over to turn it off, then took a moment to rub the last bits of sleep from his eyes. The soft morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room.

Slowly, he made his way to the shower, noticing that Alex had already left. The room was eerily quiet without his friend’s usual morning chatter.

Groggily, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, the cool water helping to clear the lingering fog of sleep from his mind. After a quick shower, he dried off and put on his school uniform, straightening the collar and smoothing out the creases.

Daniel grabbed his bag and headed to the main hall, feeling more awake. The pathways outside were already bustling with students, and he had to weave through the sea of them, who were busy talking amongst themselves.

Upon entering the main hall, he was greeted by the sight of students gathered in small groups around the announcement boards, eagerly checking what class they had been placed in. He made his way through the crowd, scanning the lists for his name.

After a moment of searching, he found his name pinned under Shadewood’s class. Since he was Shadewood’s representative, he was automatically placed in the class Shadewood counselled. Just as he was about to leave, someone tapped him on his shoulder.

“Excuse me, but could you help me look?” Daniel turned around and saw a tall, slender boy standing behind him, with slightly darker skin than most Theatans. “Yeah, sure, what’s your name?” Daniel asked.

“My name is Torin from Emberfall,” the boy replied. Daniel noticed the lack of a surname; a common thing that commoners did was use their city of origin instead of a last name. “Sure, let me take a look.” After a quick scan, he noticed that Torin was placed in the same class as him.

“Look, we are in the same class”, Daniel pointed at the list of Shadewoods class. Torin quickly found his name and grabbed his schedule. “Thanks for your help,” he said gratefully, a hint of relief evident in his voice.

“No problem,” Daniel replied with a smile. “We should head to class now, I don’t want to be late on the first day. Come, I’ll guide you.”

Torin nodded in agreement, and they made their way out of the main hall, weaving through the bustling corridors of the academy.