The Stubborn Light of a Dying Flame [Isekai - LitRPG]

Brittsha gathered up her books, throwing them and the blanket back into her Inventory. This would be her first ever contract, and she didn't have a lot of time in which to attempt it. Usually, this sort of thing was only attempted by animal mages. You needed a certain affinity for animals that Brittsha had never possessed. Still, she had chosen wind magic because she liked to go with the flow, so she didn't see any harm in trying something new.

The process consisted of two steps: transform into the animal you wish to form a contract with and telepathically offer a link. If the animal was intelligent enough, it could accept or reject this link. If it wasn't sentient enough to do either, the link would be rejected automatically.

Brittsha vaguely remembered warnings about picking a bonded animal wisely, as the contract couldn't be broken once it was made. Only the death of one or both parties would sever the link.

The most famous animal mages in history only had a few beasts under contract. The more you had, the harder they were to control. It required a strong will and extensive use of magic.

Brittsha had the former, so she hoped she could skate by without worrying about the latter.

She moved far enough away so that she wouldn't squish the calf with her transformation and changed into an Emurian. It was faster this time, sped along by both desperation and the familiarity that came with doing something a second time. She shook her head out, huffing in irritation as her remaining wounds split open, her skin having been stretched to the limit to fit her new frame.

The calf bellowed in alarm, backing into a corner and stomping nervously.

No, don't freak out! I need you calm for this! Brittsha approached the nervous calf slowly, trying to look nonthreatening. He growled in warning. Brittsha gave the calf a few feet of personal space. This would have to be close enough.

Taking a deep breath, Brittsha extended her mind, telepathically proposing a contract. She wasn't sure what words she was supposed to use, so she just made up her own. The calf likely wouldn't understand them anyway.

Hey, umm… I know we haven't known each other long, but the only way I can get you out of here is to take you out under contract. If you come with me, I promise I will keep you healthy and fed, and I won't use you to fight—you're just a baby, after all—so you don't have to worry about getting hurt. What do you say?

A long moment passed as Brittsha shifted nervously. Had she done something wrong? Was she missing a step?

Then the calf started to glow.

Yes! Yes! Accept the contract, please! Brittsha held her breath in anticipation.

The glow promptly vanished. Brittsha stumbled backwards, thrown off balance by the force of the mental whiplash.

The calf rejected the contract?! That wasn't an automatic rejection, there was force behind it. Why would he reject it? If he understood enough to reply, then he should understand enough to follow her reasoning, even if her exact words were meaningless to him.

Maybe Brittsha needed to be clearer about what was at stake. She planted her feet in the same place as before, trying again with a new strategy.

The System wants me to kill you, but I refuse. You will bond with me, and I will take you away from this hell hole. Come with me and I will protect you from the System and anything else that wants to do you harm until you are strong enough to protect yourself.

She would have fidgeted if doing so didn't shake the ground. The calf started to glow again, and she silently begged him to accept.

The rejection was so strong that it forced Brittsha back several feet. The room shook as she lost her balance, falling onto her massive backside.

Why not?! Brittsha wanted to scream. There was no reason for him to say no! She was trying to save his life!

She got back to her feet, stomping in irritation. She opened her mind to the calf, expecting fear or discomfort. She recoiled, taking a step back from the Emurian's rage. What? He was mad again? Why?! What did she do? He had seemed so calm when she healed him, what had set him off?

It took Brittsha a bit to sort through the calf's jumbled thoughts. They were simplistic, but directed at her and strong as they were, they were easier to interpret than usual.

She killed the little one…

Brittsha blinked as she saw, in her mind's eye, a horribly vivid picture of her human form getting stepped on by her Emurian form. The calf didn't quite remember how it had happened—because it hadn't—but it was the only explanation he could fathom for this monster to have replaced the nice little one who had taken away his pain. She had killed the little one and he would avenge his friend.

Brittsha just stared at him, dumbfounded at the level of attachment he seemed to already have for her human self. All she had done was heal him. Was it that easy to get on a monster's good side? Maybe this was the result of whatever had let the monster gain sentience in the first place.

Either way, being an Emurian was not doing Brittsha any favors right now. She changed back into her human form, startling and confusing the calf even more.

"I'm fine," she snapped, irritated with the creatures lack of intelligence. "I'm not dead. Are you seriously rejecting the contract because of that?!"

The Emurian didn't seem to register her frustration. It ran up to her, nudging her affectionately with its nose.

Brittsha scratched the creature under the chin as she might a Cani, shaking her head at the ludicrousness of the situation. "I shouldn't even find you cute," she commented, rubbing the Emurian's cheek. "You're a big dumb monster and you were trying to kill me less than an hour ago."

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She paused in her scratching and the Emurian nudged her, insisting on more chin scritches.

A notification popped up and Brittsha steeled herself for the worst, but it wasn't a reminder of the end of her trial time.

You have discovered the meaning of the trait Friendly [Morph trait — partial inheritance]. Using a morph trait regularly will increase the likelihood of it transforming into a personal trait. You can find the details in your traits menu.

Friendly? She had seen it, but this was the first time she was hearing of revealing traits like this. She navigated to her Character Sheet to check it out, hoping it might be useful.

(Level 1) Friendly [Morph trait — partial inheritance] — Humans are highly empathetic creatures that see most other creatures on their planet as potential friends. This has allowed them to domesticate and befriend some of the deadliest creatures on their planet. Having done this repeatedly over the millennia, they bring this attitude with them everywhere they go, and it has an effect on every other species they come in contact with.

Effects: Friendly is a passive trait. It has a calming effect on animals and other species, which allows them to more easily befriend those who are different from them.

This trait is upgradeable. Meet and befriend more creatures to enhance the trait.

Brittsha didn't even try to make a judgment about the trait. It sounded ridiculous at first glance, but she was more interested in the implications beneath the words: humans could make friends more easily than other creatures…

…could they form beast contracts?

Brittsha didn't have the advantage of morph-based telepathy with which to offer the contract, but she was willing to try anyway. She had less than five minutes to figure this out.

Brittsha took a deep breath. "I know we haven't known each other long," she said aloud, hoping her innate telepathy would allow the unconventional offer to work. "But I'm trying to save you from the System right now. If you accept—"

She didn't even get to finish her offer. The calf began to glow, bobbing his head excitedly. The bond solidified in Brittsha's mind. Unlike morph-based telepathy, the bond allowed her to see more of the creatures stream of consciousness. He was happy that they would stay together, afraid of the System, and still wary of the mysterious Emurian that kept popping up every now and then.

Brittsha laughed. "It was me, you doofus!" She pictured herself turning into an Emurian, hoping the telepathy went both ways.

The calf responded with confusion at first, then excitement as he realized the little one hadn't been squished.

"Didn't I prove that by turning back?" Brittsha asked incredulously.

The calf didn't respond, too busy exploring Brittsha's clothing with his nose.

Brittsha frowned. "Now… how do I get you out of here without being seen?"

A System prompt appeared.

You appear to have a bonded creature. This is allowed within the System but be aware that the System has no protocol set up for tracking this phenomenon. A brief explanation of the process has been added to your traits along with instructions for how to hide and transport your creature efficiently. The Benefactor congratulates you on your new companion.

"He sure set up a lot of subroutines," Brittsha muttered. She navigated to the explanation, zeroing in on the part about transportation.

If you have prior experience with beast contracts, you can likely skip this section, as most of this is common knowledge. The bond comes with certain innate magic that should work as long as there is some Miasma in the air. It doesn't take a lot, even for larger or more intelligent creatures. Simply ask your companion to return and they will transform into a small wooden figure that you can store in your Inventory or take around with you on your travels. Be careful with the figure, as damaging it will cause the creature to return to normal, regardless of whether or not they have the physical space to do so.

Transformed creatures are effectively kept in stasis, they won't need food or water, but it is still a good idea to feed them every time you bring them out, as even five minutes outside of stasis here or there can build up over time.

Brittsha closed the Menu. That was all she needed to know. She would probably have to store the baby in her Inventory just to make sure he didn't come out at the wrong time.

"I need you to return," she said, patting the Emurian on the forehead. "We need to go before the System kicks us out."

She thought she was going to have to convince the Emurian to transform, but he did so without complaint, dissolving into golden energy that flowed into Brittsha's palm. The energy solidified into a small wooden sculpture of the Emurian, his broken horn looking extra tragic on the small beast.

I need to figure out a way to fix that, Brittsha noted. Or he's likely going to get both of us killed.

She placed him in her Inventory, and a System prompt appeared.

You have defeated the Emurian in an unexpected way. No rewards will be given, but you will also not sustain a penalty title. You may reattempt the trial if you wish to gain experience.

Please return though the portal so the next player may make their attempt.

Brittsha rolled her eyes, not surprised in the least that the System had decided to retract the promised rewards. She supposed it was just as well. The amount of Experience she would gain from a Level 5 Emurian would be too conspicuous. She just needed to fly under the radar until they got out of the tutorial and she could decide what to do with her new companion.

Brittsha stepped through the portal, too preoccupied to notice the slight sting from the Essence on her skin.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sudden return of sunlight. Humans buzzed around the courtyard, busily helping injured and traumatized players as they stepped out of portals.

At Brittsha's appearance all movement in the courtyard stopped. She looked around, trying to figure out what she had done to gain their notice. The Success Rate of Hide plummeted as the rest of the people in the courtyard stared at her. That was when Brittsha noticed the large black 'X' that she was standing on.

"Are you all right?" a woman asked, looking horrified. Her name tag had two lines.

[Janet Lindale — Level 1]

[Tutorial Leader]

Brittsha glanced down at herself, remembering belatedly the amount of blood she was covered in—some of it in colors that wouldn't be seen from a human.

She cleared her throat. "It was… eventful, but I survived," she said, hazarding a mental peek at the emotions of the group.

Horror, concern and awe made up most of the emotional tapestry, with a few pinpoints of jealousy sprinkled in.

Brittsha cleared her throat. "Well, if you'll excuse me—"

She hadn't gone two steps before someone intercepted her.

"Let me heal your wounds first," the woman said. Her name tag read 'Emily Anderson' which seemed an odd name for a woman.

"No, really I'm okay," Britt tried, but the woman was already healing her.

Essence enveloped her shoulder and Britt gritted her teeth, gripping onto the woman for support as her legs tried to buckle.

"You don't look okay," Emily argued. "You look like something used you as a chew toy. Let me just—"

Brittsha pushed her away. "I said I was fine."

She didn't give Emily a chance to try again. Pushing her way through the crowd, Brittsha retreated upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut with a loud thud.

She collapsed on her bed, groaning in pain. If this was what she had to look forward to after every trial, it was going to be a long tutorial.