Humans Don't Make Good Familiars

Part 6: A New Toy

While we waited, we spent a week training what we could. We went over potential battle tactics, what positions we could take on a battlefield, and she also explained what combination magic was. Apparently, it was something we could still do, despite me not having any magic. It was performed by my lending her some of my "life force" as she called it, then combining it with her own to create a unique attack or effect.

"Are you ready Jake?" Suma asked as she prepared to perform the ritual to take some of my life force.

"Ready," I said. A magic circle formed around the two of us, then slowly they warped to form a figure eight that connected between our bodies. I felt a feeling like a cold chill run down my body and a wave of blue traveled from my end of the circle to hers. As soon as it touched her body Suma began crying out in pain and fell to her stomach. As soon as she hit the ground the circle vanished, and I ran to pick her up. "SUMA!" She laid motionless and limp in my hands as I carefully picked her up and cradled her in my arms. "Suma! Suma!" I yelled, and after a moment she slowly opened her eyes. "Oh, thank goodness." I sighed in relief.

"By the dragons, that quite hurt," Suma moaned.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened."

"No, it... it was my fault. I failed to realize how strong you actually were and tried taking ten percent of your life energy." Her voice sounded as if each word was a struggle to get out. "It was a foolish mistake. I should have performed a free-flow technique rather than a portion one. It would have been safer, but I was overconfident; I thought I could handle it." Suma explained in a pained tone of voice.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She took a few deep breaths, "I will be fine, I just need to rest a moment."

Suma rested in my arms for at least thirty minutes before asking to stand up on her own again. "Are you okay," I wondered.

"I am fine, I was simply knocked on my tail feathers for a moment," she replied.

"Maybe we should try again later and take a break for now, it has been a couple of days, let's go see if any of our order is ready yet." I suggested.

"Yes, that is... a good idea." She said sounding exhausted. I started walking towards the city, but when I looked over my shoulder, Suma hadn't moved.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Um... could I... ride on your shoulder?" She asked meekly.

"Sure, no problem," I chuckled slightly and carefully lifted her up and placed her on my shoulder. She was short, maybe a foot tall, but while she was perched, her head was above the top of mine by just a bit.

We made our way back to the metalworker's shop, which was only about a ten- or fifteen-minute walk from where we had been training. Once inside, the nymph who we had spoken to a few days ago perked up and greeted us excitedly.

"Hello, my unusual friends, I have a part of your order ready for you! It was a fun and unique build. I all but needed to invent the tools needed to complete it, but I have it ready for you. It was the long one, with the wooden shaft." He said and flew over to a table. He reached down and drug the wooden end of the spear to the edge of the table, grunting as he did.

"Let me help," I said and picked it up.

"Ah, thank you." He said. The spear was genuinely nice, well-crafted, and sturdy, but thick enough that I was fairly sure it would do some damage. It was almost as tall as I was, from the tip of the sharpened metal cone which made the spear, to the base of the wooden shaft it was about five feet long and had a two-and-a-half-inch diameter. Normally, a spear would have a blade at the end, but I opted to have this one utilize a thin cone-like rod, rather than a blade, that way I could be sure it wouldn't snap. It wouldn't be slicing anyone up, but it will be one heck of a blunt force puncture weapon. "The rest of your order should be finished in four days. I must say, I have had great fun making such unusual things." The nymph said.