A Gamer Into Trails

Valflame Palace.

The next morning. January 3rd.

7AM.

The sun dawned, starting the next day. With the rays of the sun peering into the guest room I was staying in, which was beside Alfin's private quarters, it was enough to stir my mind awake for the day. For some reason, I had a very soft and fluffy dream. One that I typically didn't have. Once my mind was awake enough, I was suddenly struck with a very fluffy feeling, causing my eyes to flutter open.

Once my vision became clear, I saw a silver-haired girl with two foxy ears sticking out of her head. I was greeted with a large and silvery-white bushy tail. Much larger than the tails I was normally used to seeing. It was only one tail too. A smile crept on my lips as I observed this girl, happily snoozing away as she clung to my chest. It was as if she was completely unaware of her current surroundings. Part of me wondered how she even got in here. I haven't seen this girl before, but I'd be lying to say that I didn't share a certain connection. It was as if I've always known this girl. It was clear as day once I saw those fox ears and bushy tail. I also recalled those notifications sent my way while I was back in Crossbell City that involved this girl.

"Is that you, Tama?", I said, reaching my hand out. I ruffled the silver-haired girl's hair. It was very soft and silky to the touch. Sensing that I was awake, I could see Tamamo's ears perk upward, as if greeting me for the day. It didn't take long for Tama to rub her eyes with her hand, yawning. She then stretched her body, and arched her back.

"Is it morning already, Master...?", Tamamo softly uttered, still taking a moment to wake up.

"Of course it is silly. I won't even question how you managed to come into my room. I'm pretty sure I left it locked. Must be one of your abilities.", I said, musing at the fact that Tamamo made her way into my room.

"The dumb fox is always a crafty one. If she strives to do something, it typically happens.", Another voice called out to me, causing me to shift my head to the windowsill. I saw a black cat calmly sitting, poised. She then hopped down onto the head of the bed frame.

"And I thought you'd act more surprised, seeing Tamamo finally obtained a human form.", The black cat asked me, speaking in human tongue. I knew this cat from anywhere. It might have only been a day or two at most since I've last seen her, but she's been a good friend to my Familiar during the times I've been away, even if Celine has a sharp tongue.

"Heh, it's nice to see you again too, Celine. I won't ask how you got into the window for that matter. You probably know your way around Valflame Palace already.", I said with a playful smirk.

"Well, duh. I was forced to go on those "adventures" with this dumb fox. I know this place like the back of my paws.", Celine retorted, rolling her eyes. "And something seems different about you. What's changed?", Celine questioned with growing curiosity.

"Perhaps I've found my resolve to move forward. A lot is going to happen from here on. The Vermillion Trials are just the beginning of it. You weren't there, but Vita contacted us yesterday.", I explained. Celine raised her eyes, not expecting me to say that.

"Vita huh? It's been a while since we've last been in contact with her. At the very least, it sounds like she's doing her actual job for once. I don't know the crowds she's been mingling in lately, but she should be a guide right now. And you know Emma will be your guide through the Vermillion Trials, right?", Celine asked me.

"Of course I do. I already have several people wanting to attend the trials with me, and everyone is going to start heading here in the coming days. Some already are here, for that matter. You are right in Vita being a guide. We just received an update from her. The Awakener she's with is at the very end of his trials. I have no doubt he will be able to complete 'em.", I responded.

"That quickly. A bit unexpected if you ask me. But then again, Vita's a genius at what she does. Even Emma pales in comparison to the magic Vita can cast.", Celine mused.

"What's this about magic now...?", Tamamo uttered, still in a drowsy state. She took a good moment to rub her eyes with her hands, finally waking up. Her eyes were fully awake now, and she saw the violet-haired boy before her. Her lips curved upward into a big smile.

"You really are back, Master!", Tamamo happily greeted me. "How do you like the new me?", Tamamo asked, allowing me to get a good look at her.

"Haha, I kind of already learned what happened, Tama. It's nice that you were able to achieve this state. How do you like being human?", I asked, seeing Tamamo jump off the guest bed I was sleeping in. Thankfully she was dressed, in which she had a navy-blue blouse connected to a darker grey skirt, which highlighted her silvery-white hair. It made for a nice contrast.

"I think I like it! It made my tail like, super big. It's very fluffy too. I can also store several times the amount of mana inside it compared to my individual tails! It is a bit hard to tell which form I like better, though. Sometimes, I just want to laze around like this.", Tamamo said, channeling her mana inside her body. With a single poof, her human figure was nowhere to be seen. What replaced a girl was a silver-white fox that was no bigger than two or three feet big. She was no longer a girl, but that of a fox.

I was already well awake by now thanks to being reintroduced to Tamamo.

I wanted to try something.

"Say Celine, can you come over here for a moment?", I asked.

"What do you want now?", Celine asked, but she acknowledged me. Jumping down from the bed frame, she hopped onto the bed, coming closer to me.

"Create Party. Target: Celine.", I commanded my Gamer System.

[Ding! A new Party has been formed. Gamer Naoto has sent an invitation to Celine - Lv69.]

"Meow!?", Celine exclaimed in shock, seeing the atmosphere in the room change before her. In front of her own eyes, Celine saw a blue screen manifest, asking to join Naoto's Party.

"Just press it. I want to see if it actually works.", I requested.

"Fine. But if something happens to me, I'm telling Emma.", Celine responded. 

Seeing it was a request from me, I wasn't playing around. This worked with Lechter and Tio, but they were actual humans. Celine and Tamamo, on the other hand, were Familiars. They were magical constructs created through Mana. It wasn't just humans that resided in Zemuria. I wanted to see if the Gamer System applied to more than just humans. And just seeing how things are going, it might!

"Like this?", Celine questioned, reaching one of her paws outward where the blue screen was. She saw a visible [Yes/No] before her, and recalling what Naoto requested of her, Celine's paw tapped on [Yes]. Upon doing so, the two of them were greeted with a second notification. This time, Celine's eyes turned wide in shock as she heard a mechanical-like voice speak, as if it was directly speaking inside her mind.

[Ding! A new Party has been formed. Current Members: 2/6. Welcome to the grind.]

 Current Members: Naoto: Lv111/250, Celine: Lv69/250

"What in the hell is this?", Celine questioned, still showing a look of disbelief in her eyes. Yet Tamamo just stared at Celine. Instead of showing confusion, Tamamo acted as if she could see this blue screen. That was because she could see it, even without being in the Party!

Now back in her cute fox form, Tamamo jumped back on the bed, approaching Celine and I. She now had seven glistening tails instead of that large bushy one. I do wonder, what will happen when Tamamo reaches nine tails? Is she going to transform into a demon god, releasing her mortal shackles? Haha! Just a joke. You'd see that way more frequently in those eastern martial arts stories in my previous life.

I was going to review Tamamo's Status to see what had changed since she evolved again, but I decided to give the Gamer System another spin, and see if I could invite non-humans to it, aka, Familiars.