Becoming the Witch’s Familiar

A metallic shift echoed through the stone room Sara was still confined in. With a few elvish words exchanged, a figure stood before the open cell door.

Still groggy from the long night she just had, Sara looked to see Mujad standing at the entrance. His outfit was quite elaborate as compared to the simple puffy shirt and slacks he wore the day before, most likely to dress the part of an authority that can release her.

Without so much as a word, he motioned for the succubus who quickly renewed her glamour. Jumping out of the sleep sack, grabbing the heels she wore the day prior, she walked over to him and the two quickly walked past the still waking elf men on the other side, down the hallway.

Upon stepping outside into the first rays of the sun, Sara was free.

“How did you manage that?” Sara asked, “Did The Eternal pull some strings?”

The young boy continued to look forward as he walked, “No. I did. You are research subject.” He spoke lightly.

With the streets coming to life, Sara was now better able to get a look around and see the ancient elven city, for all of it’s grandeur.

Al'Cygnus was the political capital of Merreign. Presumably one of the oldest cities in the world, the architecture was unlike anything she had ever seen. Made from the sheer white rock, presumably either marble or a form of sandstone, each building had it’s own unique flair due to the iterative processes enacted upon it by the almost equally long-lived owners, but maintained the same ivory veneer each other building had. Whether or not this was through effective government ordinance was of no concern to Sara, but the effect left even the most derelict of homes a pearly white tooth jutting from the ground.

With the buildings growing larger and more elaborate as the two silently walked back to the grand spire in the center of town, the roads became more maintained. As such, strange wheeled devices began to pop up alongside homes and businesses, indicative of the increasing social and economic standards that even a civilization where people can be a thousand years old must deal with.

“So…” Sara wanted to focus her attention on the boy and away from the early risers blatantly staring at the foreign woman, “Who do you know to get me out? The Eternal?”

The young man continued to walk, much similar to a tallman 12 year old, his voice still sounded prepubescent despite probably encroaching upon his first century of life, “No. Father is well known senator. Does not approve of research, but still helpful.”

Sara wondered if the young man was privy to her purpose of being there. She knew little about elven politics, but if they were similar to Alzahettian, a politician could be assassinated and it would be another Tuesday.

“I need to talk with the Sage when we get in,” the succubus shaded her vision, the heatwaves were beginning to pick up, “He’d like to know about a witch running around here.”

Mujad shrugged, “Eternal is not concerned. He just researcher, not authority.”

He seemed to be putting it bluntly for her since she kept assuming her pardon was due to him. It made sense how The Eternal appeared to care less about titles and influence and just remained in his literal ivory tower.

“Still, she could jeopardize his plans with the amount of information she knows…” In truth, Sara wanted the witch dead for a much more personal reason.

And was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen.

- - - -

The yellow dress glittered in the artificial light.

Ornate, gaudy and frankly, far too flashy, the skirt of the ball gown ballooned to nearly three times the size of the bodice above it. Sheer fabric sprinkled with small crystals glimmered sitting atop the main dress, alternating between layers of goldenrod and white fabrics, making it almost look like it was a sugar-dusted yellowcake. The shape of it was far too narrow in the waist, something that the bodice fit nicely over, but Sara was unsure if she could fit inside of. Far more modest than the prior design, the neckline gave a slight tease of the immense bust, just a bit of cleavage to entice those curious to venture forth. Cresting over the shoulders and down to the elbows was another wave of sheer fabric, much similar to that which loosely sat over the long skirt, tying the design altogether.

It was a beautiful dress, one that Sara was beginning to have second thoughts about recommending.

“There you are! We were beginning to wonder if you were out to feast yet again.” The Eternal was where she left him the day prior, still kicked up on the desk, a much larger pile of books beside him.

Sara’s stomach growled. The pangs arose once more while she was being detained, but being swept up in the action pushed her to subconsciously suppress them. “Very funny, mage. Is this what I’m wearing to your gala?”

The bird’s beak bobbed up and down as The Eternal nodded, “Correct. Do you have any complaints?”

With a shrug, the succubus looked over at Mujad who had taken a seat and began writing in a book of his own. At his request, she dropped her illusion once the two stepped into the tower so he could properly examine her, “It’s fine. I’m only wearing it for one night.”

“And the following morning.”

Sara pinched the bridge of her nose, “Sure. I’ll wear it to the hearing too, whatever.”

Taking a stand for what may be the first time in 24 hours, The Eternal shifted his heavy jacket on his shoulders, “Very good. Tomorrow night’s when we begin, so be sure to not go out hunting until then, save yourself for Bila.”

Just as he turned to leave the chamber, Sara reached out, “Wait, I have something to tell you.”

The Sage stopped and turned slightly towards her.

“I ran across a witch last night, one named Eldura who spoke of onomancy…” Seeing him tense up at the word confirmed what Ashara said last time about him, “I figured I’d let you know since she’s running around in your domain.”

With what appeared like a muffled sigh, The Eternal turned to face his student, “I appreciate you for letting me know, but unfortunately we are not in my jurisdiction. I have no political power nor obligation to quell such an abhorrent creature, so the best we could do is tighten the defenses around here.” Subconsciously shifting his jacket, he continued, “It may be in your best interest to not let her know of your name, onomancy is quite the serious matter.”

“It might be too late for that. She arrived calling me Samuel and reciting my own history to me…”

Now, it was The Eternal’s turn to run his palm on his face, making sure to work around the beak of his mask, “We may have to scrub the mission then. Bila-jihns certainly has a hand in this, it reeks of her interference.”

“Wait.” A flash of memory took Sara’s mind, “What she said implies she was here on her own volition. I know witches lie, but…” She trailed off, feeling the gilded sphere in her bust, her only pocket.

The Eternal leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms in a pondering stance. After a moment, he spoke with a level of speed she had not heard but a few times, “If that’s what she said, then we’ll have to hope that a witch did not lie for once. This opportunity is far too great to miss and plan for once again. You very well could be dead by then.”

“Dead again.” Sara almost jokingly corrected, “I just wanted to let you know, teacher.”

She could feel a smile from behind the mask. It was strange how she spent just enough time with the man to almost see how his body language conveyed just as much as his face would.

“Now you’re just trying to flatter me.” The Sage bluntly stated, “Rest up and run your rejuvenation spell.”

- - - -

Sara palmed the ball in her hand, feeling the ornate filigree of the sphere. Mujad continued his writing, the two moving down to another study lower than the one The Eternal favored.

The boy did not say much, alternating between deep focused writing and, well…

“How do attain orgasm?” He asked, delivering the question as bluntly as reading the weather report.

Squirming in her chair, Sara still had not grown used to the young boy bringing up things she never considered herself, “Uhh… Sexual stimulation? The witch told me I have nerve endings in my mouth, nipples and…” She trailed off, trying to find the right word, “...Main mouth.”

Another dense wave of silence washed over the room.

With his springing of her from the holding cell that very morning, she felt like she had an obligation to answer his very personal questions. “Is this something all elven children have a knowledge of?” She asked sheepishly.

Mujad shrugged, still scribbling away, “Nature is nature.”

The child’s simplicity reminded her of Ashara. She was sure if Mujad was more fluent there would have been a more elaborate answer, but she preferred the straightforward thought process.

“Okay…” Eyes still glued on his book, he sat upright once again, indicative of another question, “You seem prefer false body, rather than worm body. Why?” He had to stumble through that sentence, stuck on a few words.

Sara shifted her vantage to her main body’s, the two eye slits on her tail becoming the window to her consciousness. The bright sun peeking in from the window was blinding, while the shapes and colors were largely the same. “Because I was once a man…” It felt weird not having her mouth right beneath her eyes, feeling like someone else was saying the words she wanted.

“I once was a proud tallman noble, known for conquering lands for the Kingdom of Altalour in Alzahett.” She felt weird giving such information, but once the floodgates were opened, it all came forth, “They called me the Duke of Steel, the Arm of Altalour, I was a personal friend of the king, the man we wanted to unite the continent under. I had lived a long life with a wife and daughter, both of whom asked me time and time again to stay home, something I finally had to do.”

Her fists clenched, still strangely distant from where her consciousness now laid, “Having grown weary from being a scourge on the battlefield to becoming a local duke, I requested to take up a simple mission clearing a cavern of creatures alongside someone I considered a friend who was just as antsy. However, my old bones were already growing weary in the simple cave skirmish and decided to submit to my age and continue to prepare for the next generation.”

“My… friend did not like this answer and killed me.”

Her head hurt once more, something this body never experienced, but her soul did.

Mujad sat upright in his oversized chair, mouth agape. Finally processing it all, he put down his pen, “I am… sorry.” His face showcased his struggle to find more words, but came up short.

“It’s fine.” Sara crossed her arms as well as she could, “I’ve been given a second chance to kill this man who is looking to ruin what we’ve spent our life chasing. And I will be damned sure to accomplish this.”

With a bit more writing, Mujad looked up from his book, this time more timid to ask the question, “...And the symbol?” He gestured to her now fading pink crest on her lower stomach, something she showed him earlier at his request.

“That…” Sara trailed off, still riled up about the subject of Merle, “That was given to me when I became the witch’s familiar. She gets mana I collect from my… hunting.”

“Interesting.” She had already informed him of the ‘phallic shredding’ she could subject her prey to in order to collect more mana, something he continuously begged for more vivid detail of to the point of showing him her teeth.

She refused that outright.

“Last question.” Mujad must have nearly filled up the book he recorded notes in. Only a day and a half with a well-spring of knowledge over his chosen discipline must have been a dream come true, it was surprising he would be nearly satiated so soon.

His question was long and elaborate, having to take seconds every once in a while to find the correct word. By the end of it, Sara had interpreted the question like so: “If what your witch had said was true, with you being a dragon succubus modified to fit the form of a tallman, you would be compatible with all four major elements of mana. Given the infernal nature of succubi, do you also have the ability to manipulate dark mana as well?”

She stretched her limited knowledge of mana and spellcasting.

Mujad certainly had come up with the conclusion, he was just seeing if she had information to contradict it.

“I- I guess so…” She concluded.

His follow-up question was just as elaborate, briefly shortened to, “Since you have such compatibility over five out of the six elements, shouldn’t you be the best spellcaster alive?”

Sara sat back.

The witch had plainly said so, she was just… Too preoccupied to notice. The time with the underground lake came to mind as well. Feeling the water mana flow through her and then follow into the travelers came too easy to her in her time of need.

Ashara had created the greatest magical creature alive, Sara was just too dumb to notice.

---

World notes: Outer Mana

While most people understand the very basics of mana and it's elements, few outside of their specific circles can conceptualize the idea of the two "outer mana": Light and Dark.

The very essence of the soul, or what allows a creature to gain any variability of sentience, light mana is often thought of being tied to the goddesses, but this is not entirely true. While the goddesses utilized light mana to paint the continents with life, the magical essence is not directly tied to them like many would believe. This confusion may also stem from the Church of Quintessentialism's specialization and utilization of magics using light mana.

Dark mana, conversely, is considered exclusively tied to the devils and demons of the outer dimensions. Whereas light mana is the tangible version of intelligence and sentience, dark mana often is theorized by scholars to be life's natural state. Constituting primal instincts and confusion, is what constitutes the "base desires" of all living things, which is why the devils separate themselves in rings tied to these very concepts.

Any currently or formerly alive being is capable of tapping into these sources of mana that exist internally within the creature, but it must be done intentionally so, as compared to the natural elements that exist without any living intervention. This is also as to why they are only used as conduits for controlling naturally existing mana rather than the reconstruction or more native manipulation of itself.