Reincarnated as a Familiar

My story is one of those stories. That’s right, I died, was reincarnated, and remember my previous life. Not that it’s terribly useful as I am now.

I don’t remember my old name. I’m not altogether comfortable with the idea that I have a name. You see, as I am now, my true name is my greatest liability. If someone were to learn it, they would have a lot of leverage over me. And, if they had any idea what sort of power I have, it would be a disaster for everything I know.

After my human life came to a sudden and frankly boring end, so boring in fact that I won’t get into the details, I wound up here. It’s dark and empty as far as the eye can see. There are specks of light in the far distance, and small and large things hurtling in wide and tight arcs. It’s a lot like I imagined deep space would look like, but it’s not accurate to say that I see it. It’s more like I have a finger sitting on everything.

When I got here, there was no goddess, no tutorial, no briefing, no negotiation. I just blacked out and then I was here. I didn’t really think to do anything other than shout, “HELLO? Is anyone out there?” before I got my first dose of what I have become.

You see, this is a sort of space between worlds, and I’m on the supply side of a very interesting trade. Whenever someone casts a summoning spell, where they would call forth a tame monster to fight for them, I get a ping. If I think it’s a good deal, I can accept it, and that’s when the fun begins. Speak of the devil!

Incoming Request

World: D-339a

Spell Level: 4

Duration: 1 hour

Mana offered: XXX

Karma: +X

This isn’t really a great deal. It’s not bad, it’s par for the course. I’m just not very partial to D-339a. It’s a boring sort of world. But, for the sake of entertaining a good guest like you, I’ll do it.

Request Accepted

Select your form.

Choice: Night Panther

Select spawn location.

With a satisfying splash, color bathes the dark background, a floor spreads out from directly underneath, and nearby objects block the horizon. There’s my client, in the brown robe with the staff. He’s behind a wall of heavily armored fighters, who seem to be defending a wagon. I chose to spawn on a thick limb of a nearby tree, so my client might get a little panicked that his spell fizzled.

This is a really bad situation, truth be told. My client’s party was smart to form a shield wall and summon help, but the bandits don’t have any obligation to close in. They’re probably preparing fire arrows. Once the wagon is on fire, my client’s party will be forced to choose between bad and worse.

I enter stealth and stalk my way around the scene, behind the bandits. Sneaking up behind them is a breeze, they never imagined they’d get attacked from behind. Just one more careful step, and…… pounce! 1 in 1! Bite the neck! Instant kill!

Next target…… pounce! He screams out as I’m subduing him. I get to his neck and bite, instantly killing him. Now the bandits know I’m here, and they’re in a bit of chaos over it. The assassin playstyle is its own kind of fun, but this is the part I like most. “ROOOAAAAAAR!”

Just as the closest bandit almost lost sphincter control, the wall of fighters started their charge. They noticed the bandits’ confusion, but it wasn’t until I announced myself that they knew they had this in the bag. I spot my client crying tears of joy.

The bandits try to fall back from my client’s party, but I’m in the way. Like a dog harasses sheep to make them go the right direction, I don’t have to risk anything anymore. I just have to be too close for comfort, too far to attack, and in the way; the armored warriors will take care of the rest.

Victory. Only a few minutes after being summoned, too. This is the power of summoning magic. This is why beings like me exist. The more valued summoners are across the worlds, the better off I and others like me are. Now I just have to stay within a certain distance of my client and protect him and his allies until the summoning spell expires, and I’ll return to the space between worlds.