They both stared at the massive wolf as it crept closer, paws silent on the forest grass.
Moonlight shone through the thin leaves, catching on its fur and turning it into something almost ethereal if not for the glowing hellfire eyes and curling demonic horns that screamed they both soon will die a horrible death.
The Grimoire of Eternal Archive lay forgotten in the dirt a few feet away from them.
Klaus's heart hammered so hard he could literally feel it in his throat. 'What the hell do I do now…?'
He flicked his gaze to the tiny familiar hovering at his side.
It was just floating there, red wings fluttering softly, it was just staring at the wolf with those wide, curious scarlet eyes.
'Okay. Let's try the basics.' He raised a trembling finger toward the beast, channeling every raid leader voice command he'd ever yelled into a headset.
"Attack!"
The wolf tilted its massive head, ears flicking. The familiar did the exact same thing, tilted its head and blinked at Klaus.
"Pew?" It pointed one of its tiny fingers at its own chest, as if it was double checking who the order was for.
Before Klaus could facepalm, a familiar red panel appeared before him
[Quest Started.]
[Objective: Kill the wolf pack leader.]
[Reward: Deeper connection with familiar.]
[Failure: Death.]
The words hung there in front of him like a death sentence.
Klaus's eyes widened, his pupils shaking as they dilated. "You've got to be kidding me…"
The wolf didn't give him time to process the quest fully.
Then it exploded forward in a blur.
'I was the second best player! This thing's just a mob, how different can it be?!'
The answer hit him harder than the horns. No respawn here, no lagging or overgeared stats. Real pain and real physics.
He tried to sidestep but it was way too slow.
The curved horns slammed into his chest like a battering ram, launching him backward.
He crashed into the remnants of the burned bush, embers flaring up around him.
Agony ripped through his ribs, his lungs seizing as air refused to come.
His arms and legs trembled violently as he clawed at the dirt, trying to push himself upright.
The wolf padded closer, drool stringing from its jaws.
Those hellfire eyes regarded him with something almost like pity, it was basically pure disappointment from a predator that expected more sport.
'Help… please…'
Klaus's vision blurred as he looked up at the familiar.
It just hovered motionless for a heartbeat, then turned toward the wolf.
"Pew!"
A wave of heat rolled over Klaus. The air grew thick and oppressive.
Sweat instantly beaded on his skin despite the night chill.
"What are you—?" he rasped.
The tiny fairy raised both arms.
Flames ignited above her head, it was small at first, then it spiraled outward in elegant loops, like two dancers entwined in a deadly dance.
The fire twisted and pulsed with raw power to Klaus it was both beautiful and terrifying.
The wolf snarled after it sensed the threat but despite it he charged forward again, straight at the source of the flames.
However the spirals detonated.
A torrent of piercing fire lances shot forward, faster than Klaus could track.
They punched through its fur, muscle, bone, it was shredding the massive beast into smoking chunks in an instant.
The impact wave ignited surrounding trees as well though, branches cracked and fell like burning rain.
Thick black smoke was choking the air and stinging Klaus's eyes.
The wolf's remains hit the ground in wet and charred pieces.
[Quest Complete!]
[Deeper connection with familiar unlocked!]
[Pack Leader defeated.]
A flaming branch crashed through the hovering panel before he could even finish reading.
Klaus reeled as a sharp headache bloomed behind his eyes, like someone had plugged a new cable directly into his brain.
Something shifted inside him or his brain to be precise, it felt like a second heartbeat syncing with his own.
Then the familiar spoke.
"There you go, you filthy mutt! That's what you get for hurting my Master!"
The voice was unmistakably feminine, very high pitched and squeaky, but it was dripping with smug satisfaction.
Considering she just turned a demonic dire wolf into barbecue, the tone was almost comical.
Klaus blinked through the pain and smoke. "You… talk now?"
But there was no time to talk about that. The flames roared even higher.
They groaned under the heat.
"We need to run," he spoke up, forcing himself to his feet. But his entire body screamed against it.
The familiar giggled, it was a light, bell like sound and then it zipped down to perch on his shoulder.
Surprisingly, she didn't burn him. It was actually pretty cool to the touch, it was like holding a living candle flame without the sting.
"Left!" she shouted, pointing with one tiny arm.
Klaus didn't argue.
He bolted in the given direction despite his burning lungs.
His legs still wobbled from the earlier hit.
The smoke stung his eyes and throat as he weaved between flaming trunks.
Branches snapped over them like raining sparks. The familiar guided him flawlessly.
"Right! Duck! Straight ahead!" her voice cutting through the flames like a GPS in hell.
It felt like hours, though it couldn't have been more than minutes.
Finally, the trees thinned in front of them. Moonlight flooded in unrestricted now.
They reached the village edge.
'How the hell did it know the exact way out…?'
"I'm a female fairy, Master," she huffed, crossing her arms mid air. "Refer to me as 'she,' not 'it.' And give me a proper name already. I'm not going to keep answering to 'familiar' like some generic summon."
"You can read my mind?"
She nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Duh. Deeper connection, remember?"
Klaus glanced back. The forest was a wall of orange and black now the flames leaping high the smoke blotting out half the sky. No shouts from the village. No lanterns or lights at any house. It was just eerie silence.
"Should we… tell someone? Jen?"
Her entire face lit up at the name, literal flames licking her cheeks in delight.
"THANK YOU, GREAT MASTER!"
[Connection with familiar Jen deepened.]
She did a happy loop in the air.
"Also, Master Klaus, it would be in your best interest if we di—"
Red panels erupted around them like fireworks.
[Monster Slain!]
[Monster Slain!]
[Monster Slain!]
[Monster Slain!]
[Level Up!]
[Monster Slain!]
[…]
They kept coming endlessly.
"Uh… because the forest is on fire?" Klaus asked, staring at the scrolling text.
"Yep! As your familiar, you get full credit for anything I kill, even if you're just standing there looking pretty."
Jen zipped in joyful circles clearly still thrilled.
"You can see the system messages too?"
[Level Up!]
"Obviously. But I can't spill system secrets, or poof, I will perish." She said it with a bright smile like discussing her own execution was a casual small talk.
Klaus shivered despite the distant heat, it was honestly creepy as hell.
But the notifications didn't stop.
Level after level ticked up as the fire presumably roasted every monster still inside.
He sighed and turned toward the house where they had literally thrown him out earlier, however the entrance looked different this time.
Up close in the firelight, it looked…way too different. Stone and wooden walls decorated with tall arched windows flickering with candles glowing inside, a heavy wooden door carved with something Klaus couldn't identify, it reminded him of the books he saw earlier when he had to pick.
Though it was like a minor noble house trying to look impressive.
'Alderstein family… right.'
"Let's get this over with."
He mustered every scrap of courage left in his battered ten year old body and knocked, he was already freezing cold anyways due to being shirtless.
The door creaked open on its own.
'Creepy as hell…'
Jen landed back on his shoulder, her flames dimmed to a soft glow.
"Ready when you are, Master."
Klaus swallowed then stepped inside.