Humans Don't Make Good Familiars

Part 13: Jake Arrives

"Ah! Loud..." I said as I began to disappear. I had no time to think, the next thing I knew I was standing in the middle of an alleyway, and Suma was standing, or hiding, behind me. To make matters worse, we were cornered by three larger dark colored nymphs and their incredibly angry looking beast familiars.

"What's going on?" I asked before feeling a sharp pain in my side, as if I had broken a rib or something. "Ah, son of a- what the crap?!" I yelped. "Suma, are you okay?" I asked almost instinctually. I don't know how I knew, but I could tell that the pain I was feeling wasn't mine, but hers.

"I am... fine." She said, her voice filled with pain.

"Stupid commoner, you think summoning your familiar will help? If a lowly piece of trash like you could summon it, then it can't possibly be strong enough to make a difference." The shortest and most decorated of the three nymphs said. I ignored him and asked Suma a question.

"Was it one of them who did this to you?"

"Yes," she said between pained breaths. I felt a deep burning rage welling up inside me but calmed it long enough to think straight.

"What are this world's laws regarding this?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"It is illegal; nobles cannot-" She started to say.

"Shut up and stop ignoring me you stupid commoner! Nobles of higher birth such as myself can do as we please to you." He said. I can't read the facial expressions of Sumas people very well yet, but I know a blowhard when I hear one. His voice dripped entitlement. He and his two goons were perched atop their beast familiars, sitting on some kind of horned saddle. The familiars they were on looked very strange, the middle nymph rode some kind of hyena creature with dark blue fur and a bobbed tail. The one to my right, the tallest, rode some kind of reddish orange lizard thing that resembled a salamander. The one to my left rode a small dog sized feline with thick white and grey fur, and tusk like protrusions on its face.

"If I defend us, will I break some kind of law that will get you in trouble?" I asked looking back to Suma. I wanted to make them pay, but not if it hurt Suma afterwards.

"I... I do not..." Suma tried to say.

"You stupid familiar, don't turn your back on me!" That noisy nymph shouted, and I felt something hit my back. Waves of pain shot through my body, I became nauseous and felt like I suddenly developed a fever; I fell to my knees and threw up. "Heh," the nymph laughed, "that's what you get for-" My fist colliding with his body stopped his boasting and flung his entire body against the wall; he hit it with a crack and fell to the floor with a small thud. Immediately, that hyena creature lunged at me, but I had already started summoning Destiny, so instead of biting me... it got a mouthful of the tip of my spear and was impaled. The other two gasped and their familiars backed up.

"That hurt!" I said enraged and screaming. The noble I hit didn't respond, in fact he didn't even move. I slowly, and with great difficulty, stood up and used my shoe to pin down the half of the familiar that wasn't on my spear so that I could pull it free. The creatures green blood oozed off my spear in a thick goopy mess. The feathers on the remaining two nymphs were puffed up, making it seem as if they had doubled in size. Suma quickly flew over to the noble I had hit and cast healing magic on him; slowly, he started to groan and move again. "Is he alive?" I asked trying to remain calm and not let my concern over having just knocked a noble out show in my voice.

"He is alive... barely." Suma said, her tone a mix of annoyance and pain. The two other nymphs hadn't moved, but upon hearing that their friend was alive their feathers settled just slightly. I couldn't think clearly, I was still in a ton of pain, so all I could do was turn to the other nymphs and demand that they leave. "Jake, I need help." Suma said. I turned to help her just as the other nymphs flew away and their familiars vanished.

"How can I help?" I asked kneeling beside Suma.

"You hit him hard, he has internal bleeding, and broken bones all over his body. I could heal him, but I am running out of magic. I already healed myself earlier, summoned you, used magic to eat, and to enhance my speed in an attempt to get away, as well as a few other things; I am starting to run low." Suma said.

"What do I need to do?" I asked.

"Remember how I tried to take some of your life force and got knocked on my tail feathers? We are gunna try that again." She said and stopped healing him to face me.

"Do it... but be careful." I said. A magic circle formed around the two of us. Suma began to glow in a violet aura and turned back to the nymph. This time, when she started healing him, instead of a golden glow from her hands, a much darker blue and almost black glow emitted. "Are you okay Suma?" I asked.

"I am... fine... I did not take a percentage, instead, I am letting your magic flow through me. This way I only use as much as I can handle." Suma said. Suddenly, the Nymph began screaming out in pain.

"AHGHAGHHAHHAH!" He cried out and trashed around as if he had been set on fire.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I- I do not know!" Suma shouted confused. She stopped the healing spell and her aura, as well as the healing glow, disappeared just after the magic circle vanished. The nymph continued to scream and shout in pain for several minutes, despite Suma's efforts to heal him repeatedly; whenever she would start the spells again and try to heal him, the screaming would resume after he calmed down. Soon, the screaming attracted the attention of several other nymphs claiming to be town guards, all of them rode Borog beasts.

"Step away from him!" One of them demanded upon turning the corner and witnessing the scene.

"This man needs a healer! I have been trying but he is not responding..." Suma pleaded.

"Step away now!" One of the other guards yelled.

"I cannot! He will die!" Suma said. I knew this wasn't going to end well, so I scooped Suma up in my hands and held onto her as she screamed to be let go. "Let go of me Jake, let go!" One of the guards went over to the nymph and examined him, lifted up his wing, and then casting some kind of spell, before turning back to the other guards and saying he was dead.