Chapter Text
Zumi was nervous. It was normal, after all. She was about to summon her own familiar, the creature that would follow her until death made them part. How could she not be nervous?
“It’s going to be fine.” Zumi told herself, trying to keep calm “Just breathe. Everything will be ok.” Zumi prided herself on her positivity and energy. She was always able to look at the bright side of things and she was used to keeping calm. But at that moment, all she could feel was anxiety and stress. She wasn’t used to the feeling and didn’t exactly welcome it.
Zumi looked around. She saw tons of familiar faces from the witchcraft and sorcery tracks, but unfortunately she was the only necromancer there. Necromancy was seen as taboo due to its relation with dark magic and death. No one wanted to study it nowadays, and that stressed Zumi out even more. Although it wasn’t her responsibility, she felt as if she had to show people necromancy was fun, and she needed to prove how much she had learnt.
And so, with nothing else to do but wait, Zumi sat down on a bench, waiting for her name to be called. She hugged a black cat plush she carried everywhere, hoping to get some emotional support
“Even if my familiar sucks, you’ll always be there for me, won’t you gumdrop?” Zumi asked the stuffed cat. It didn’t respond, staring into Zumi’s soul. “You know, sometimes I wonder why we’re even friends.” Zumi groaned, closing her eyes and laying back, her short and wavy midnight hair falling through the cracks.
As Zumi waited, she caught occasional glances of her classmates summoning their own familiars successfully. As everyone stepped up to invocation hill, they performed the summoning ritual, after which light would appear. For the witches, it came from their cauldron, whereas for the sorcerers the light came from the sky. Supposedly, for Zumi the ground would crack open and the light would come from there. It sounded way cooler than the other two, but since there was a lack of necromancers, Zumi had never seen it before. As everyone performed the ritual, the light would come in different colors. Normally it was a red light, indicating a low level familiar. There was also the occasional green or orange light for medium and high level familiars. She even saw someone invoke a purple light, belonging to premium familiars. She couldn’t help but wonder what light she would get. “Probably red” she thought “I’m not exactly what you would call a premium student.” There was one thing that never changed however. The light would always disappear and a familiar would appear in its place. All her classmates’ happy cheers just stressed her out even more. She wanted to be able to cheer like that, what if she wasn’t given the chance to?
After a while, a short girl with dirty blonde hair approached Zumi, holding what appeared to be a small dragon. The girl in question was Dorry, Zumi’s childhood friend. Zumi gazed in awe at the tiny creature in the sorceress’ hands
“Wow, Dorry, did you summon that? It’s so cool!” Zumi said, unable to hide her excitement “What was it? Red? Green?”
“It was orange, actually.” Said Dorry, a small blush appearing on her face. It was clear she wasn’t used to others praising her. “I thought he was a dragon at first and got incredibly excited. When I looked at it from up close however, it turned out to be a wyvern” Said Dorry, stroking the creature’s head. Once Zumi got a good look at it, she realized her friend was right. Examining it closely, it only had two legs. “But still, he’s the best thing I could have ever asked for.” Dorry said, smiling widely.
“Huh. Color me surprised, I would’ve sworn it was a dragon.” Said Zumi, stroking the wyvern as well. It seemed to enjoy the attention it was getting, purring softly like a cat. “So, what did they tell you in the study? What magic do you specialize in?”
“I haven’t gone yet. I was on my way when I saw you lying here. Nervous, huh?” Dorry said putting on a small smirk.
“Yeah.” Zumi admitted. “It’s just, I want to set a good example for the future necromancers, if there are any. I want to show them that it can be fun, and I can’t exactly do that if my familiar is nothing special. I know it’s selfish, but if I manage to become a famous adventurer, maybe people will stop judging Necromancers.”
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I bet you’ll get an ultra rare, never-before seen familiar that’ll surprise everybody.” Dorry said, winking at Zumi.
“Sure, and I bet right after that I’ll win the lottery and meet the king.” Zumi said sarcastically. Just then, principal Bellbottom called out “Zumi Sanderwich.”, indicating that it was her turn to perform the summoning. “Well, wish me luck.” She said, trying to appear brave for her friend.
“Good luck!” Dorry called out before the two girls parted ways.
As Zumi headed to invocation hill, she was starting to get anxious. As the moment of truth approached, she couldn’t help but think about what would happen if the ritual didn’t work.
“Don’t be stupid, Zumi.” She thought. “The ritual always works. The principal makes sure of it.” But even as she thought this, she still wasn’t sure. Zumi knew it was just the nerves, but what if she really didn’t have it in her to summon her familiar? What if she just stood there, waiting for something to happen, but ultimately nothing appeared? Well, she was about to find out. When she reached the top of the hill, she took a deep breath and calmed down. She looked at the horizon, at the sight spread out in front of her. It was beautiful, such a vast world layed in front of her, and she felt hopeful. This was the start of her journey, and she was going to make sure it began well.
Zumi pulled out her cat plush, Gumdrop, from her robe. Through some quick transfiguration magic, the stuffed animal turned into a long, black staff. She had gotten the idea to use him as a staff when the teachers told her she couldn’t bring him to class. This way, the 2 would always be together. With one quick thrust, she slammed it into the ground and began pouring all her magic into the staff whilst reciting a prayer to the spirits. The ground started to quake, and the sky began losing its color. All seemed to be going well, but Zumi couldn’t lose her concentration.
“Come on… just a bit more…” Zumi mumbled. Summoning a familiar drained mana quickly, but she couldn’t give up. She focused, and the ground started quaking harder. And just then, with a boom… everything went back to normal. Zumi waited, five, ten, fifteen seconds. Nothing happened.
“What? No, no, no! Open up!” Zumi screamed. She couldn’t believe it. Her worst fears were somehow coming to life. How? Had she not done everything correctly? Why hadn’t it worked? “Open up! Open up, you stupid ground!! OPEN UP!!!!” Zumi slammed her staff into the ground again and again, to no avail. She started trembling, unaware of the concerned looks her peers were giving her. She was supposed to be setting a good example for future necromancers, how could she do that if she couldn’t even summon her familiar? She looked at her staff through teary eyes. She could see a tiny black cat keychain that appeared through the transfiguration spell. Gumdrop, her plush, her friend who had been with her since the beginning. And he wasn’t the only one. Her family, her friends, Zumi had so many people believing in her. She couldn’t give up that easily. She would summon a familiar no matter what, even if she drained all her mana in the process. She took a deep breath and focused on the keychain, trying to calm down. Gumdrop had always been there, through the highs and the lows. Zumi tried focusing on the memories they had lived together. All the sick days, the passed exams, the practice sessions they had been through. Memories like those supposedly made finding a familiar easier. She didn’t think it was true, but right now she’d anything if it had a chance of making the process easier. As Zumi thought of those memories, she picked up her staff again, infusing even more magic than earlier into it, her robe swaying with the wind.
“Look, I don’t care if you don’t want to give me a familiar, but I’ve got to set a good example for future generations.” Zumi said, spinning her staff around her like a baton. “SO OPEN! THE HELL! UP!” Zumi slammed her staff into the ground. The spot where it impacted started glowing and exerting energy, making her robe sway even more. Zumi didn’t flinch, determined to finish the process. Once the light disappeared, nothing happened yet again. Zumi’s heart sank, but just then, the ground shook. And unlike the previous time, it didn’t stop shaking. And it became more violent, as if the very earth was scared. The sun hid, leaving the sky without color, an endless night over them. The ground started to split open, revealing a small beam of light. However, this light was different. It wasn’t red or green or even orange, it was black. It couldn’t even be considered a light, it was more like a thick shadow that stretched upwards into the sky, disappearing into the night. Zumi had never seen something like it before, but as she turned to principal Bellbottom, she could tell he did.
“What have you done!?” The principal yelled, a terrified expression on his face. Zumi had never seen him so afraid, a man of that much power. She had to have done something horrible. “Evacuate the students! Call security! And you!” He pointed at Zumi, concern spreading across his face. “Stop the summoning immediately! It might still be possible to close the portal!” Zumi had no idea what principal Bellbottom was talking about. Close the portal? After it had taken her so much effort to open it? Why? Why was she being punished? This was her one chance at having a familiar, why should she miss out whilst her friends were already celebrating with their own? But she saw the worry on his face and she knew he had reason to be, even if she didn’t understand right now.
Reluctantly, Zumi lifted her staff up from the ground. Her heart sank as she saw the shadow get smaller, but she knew it was the right thing to do… or was it? Deep inside, a selfish part of her took over. To hell with ‘the right thing to do’. She deserved a familiar after 3 years of hard work. She was going to get one. Zumi slammed her staff into the ground yet again, the shadow getting bigger as she did. Zumi ignored the incoherent screams coming from her friends and the school staff.
“No way! I deserve this familiar! I have no clue what a black light means, but it’s my familiar! Even if it’s dangerous, I’ll tame it, you’ll see!” The incoherent yells got louder, but it was too late. The shadow started to disappear, but this time, it started gradually blurring out until only a gaping hole remained in the ground. The sky got its color back and the ground stopped shaking. Zumi wanted to walk over to the hole, to see the fruits of her labor, but she couldn’t. She had exhausted all her mana and her head hurt like it had never before, her body feeling as if it was going to split apart at the slightest movement. She tumbled to the ground, laying on the soft grass. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the school scientists coming to take her and her familiar, and before she fell asleep, Zumi could swear she heard meowing in the distance…
Zumi was dreaming. She didn’t know how, but she realized immediately. That had never happened before, and she was very confused. This dream wasn’t like the ones she normally had, with rainbows and candy. No, in this dream she was surrounded by a black mist all around her, unable to see forward. She wasn’t standing on solid ground but she wasn’t falling either, she was floating. In the distance, she saw something. A light. She tried to reach it. She wasn’t able to. The light got farther and farther away, until it disappeared, leaving Zumi in complete darkness. From the sky, three red eyes appeared, gazing at her intently. Zumi met their gaze, not flinching. A voice called out from the ground. “Yes, I choose you…”
When Zumi woke up, she looked around. She saw beds and desks, all sorts of doodads and gadgets scattered around. She had never been here before, but she knew where she was. She was in the lab infirmary. For a second, she wondered why she was there, laying on a bed, but then she remembered. She had passed out summoning her familiar, and she felt so embarrassed. What a good start to her journey.
A scientist entered the room shortly after she woke up, carrying a binder with a bunch of spreadsheets. He smiled at Zumi and approached her. He couldn’t be more than 20, with messy brown hair and a pair of glasses. He was waiting a white lab coat with a white shirt underneath, the stereotypical scientist look.
“Miss Sanderwich, glad to see you’re ok.” He said, opening up his binder. “We proceded with the study while you were sleeping. Would you like to know the results?” Zumi couldn’t help but smile at the news. It seemed everything had gone well after all.
“Yes, please do!” Zumi replied enthusiastically. Her story as an adventurer had officially begun, and she couldn’t wait to here what it was going to be like.
“Very well.” Said the Scientist, pulling out a couple spreadsheets from the binder. “First is the issue with your familiar. You somehow managed to open a black light, reserved for only the strongest familiars. It’s incredibly rare, and I have to admit, it was my first time seeing one. Creatures with a black light are normally monsters able to destroy cities with ease, or the ghosts of ancient heroes brought back to give guidance, but yours… well, it’s better if I just show you, miss Sanderwich.” The scientist left the room and after a few moments came back with a small, black cat. It had big eyes and was smaller than normal. It was wearing a party hat and it had a small, X-shaped locket on his collar that read ‘Jello’. Zumi looked down at the small animal with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment.
“You’re not saying…” Said Zumi, hoping she had just misunderstood the scientist.
“I’m afraid I am, miss Sanderwich. This small cat is your familiar.” Said the scientist, empathetically. “Trust me, I’m just as confused as you are. We’ve run a couple of tests and he just seems like a normal cat, but for some reason he has an insane amount of mana, more than some of the mightiest sorcerers. Our current theory is that ‘Jello’ has some kind of latent power that he has yet to awaken.” As Zumi processed the scientists’ words, she couldn’t believe him. This tiny cat was powerful? There’s no way, she thought. But she was relieved, at least she wasn’t stuck with a 50 meter tall kraken as a familiar, that would’ve sucked. Plus, the cat was kind of cute, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“So, I’m stuck with a cat that hasn’t unlocked his powers yet as a familiar, great.” Zumi said, her voice tinged with a tone of sarcasm. She had hoped she wouldn’t get a cat as a familiar, cats were witch’s familiars, and she didn’t really like them. She had always been expected to become a witch by others since she was a girl, but she thought it was pretty boring and didn’t want anything to do with them. Necromancers were just cooler. But oh well, she liked cats, so one as a familiar wouldn’t do any harm, right? “Anyways, tell me about my magic, doc! What do I specialize in?” Zumi enquired, her voice adopting the energy tone it usually had.
The scientist went serious. He grabbed the spreadsheet he had pulled out before. “There’s no easy way to say this, miss Sanderwich. You’re special in terms of magic as well. You don’t specialize in normal fire, arcane or water magic. You specialize in cat magic.”
Zumi smiled “What?”
“Cat magic.”
“One more time?”
“Cat magic.”
Zumi’s face went blank with a mixture of confusion and despair. “What do you mean cat magic!? What the hell is that!? So you’re telling me that instead of being able to summon fire or cause explosions, I can… I can… what the hell can I even do!? What is cat magic!?” Zumi rambled, trying to wrap her head around the new information she was given and her hands around the scientist’s neck.
“C-calm down, miss Sanderwich! It’s not as bad as it seems!” Said the scientist, frantically trying to get away from Zumi. “Look, just try to summon a spirit right now and I’ll explain.” Zumi glared at the scientist, her eyes like daggers, but reluctantly obeyed. She followed the instructions her teachers had given her over the years and tried to summon something. It was harder, since she didn’t have her staff, but she managed to do it and from the ground emerged a spectral, 4-legged being, a tiny cat. Zumi scowled at the scientist.
“Wow, what a cool power! Quick question, um, how the hell is this supposed to help me in a fight!? It’s so tiny! It’s even smaller than my familiar, and it’s not even alive!” Zumi said, rambling again. As if in response, the tiny spirit bit Zumi’s finger. “OWWW!! WHY ARE YOU BITING ME!!??”
“Miss Sanderwich, I beg you, calm down.” Begged the scientist. He was starting to get desperate. “I promise it’s not as bad as it seems! With proper training, I believe you can become just as strong as a normal necromancer! And it’s not entirely bad, we’ve done our research and due to the cats small size we’ve determined that they’re way easier to summon than normal spirits. That could be good when summoning an army, right?” Zumi tried to calm down. She had to admit, she liked cats, and a great deal of her anger was coming from the fact that she was slowly starting to seem more like a witch with all the cats. She took a deep breath.
“Fine, I guess you’re right. It can’t be too bad. But how? How do I specialize in cat magic? How is that even possible?” Zumi asked, slowly calming down. The tiny ghost cat started licking her where it had bit her, which brought a small smile to her face.
“Well, you see, magic is a bit weird.” Explained the scientist. “Everything has magic, even if it’s a small amount. When we grow up, we slowly gain affiliation to different types of magic. Normally, the affiliation is to things that have higher magic quantity, like the elements. There are also a couple cases of people with rarer types of magic affiliation, like with outer space or with the sky. You’re even rarer than that, you’re affiliated with something that has barely no magic at all. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just different.”
Zumi looked at the spectral cat on her lap. “But how? Is it just because I like cats? Because I’ve got a plush of one? If so, then why aren’t there more people that use cat magic?” She asked.
“We still aren’t entirely sure, but our theory is that it works a bit like chromosomes.” Said the scientist. “You’re exposed to certain types of magic every day, no matter how small the exposure. As you’re growing up, your body chooses a path to take as to what magic to specialize in. It takes its affiliations and chooses one by luck. So someone could have 80% chance to specialize in fire magic, 15% chance to specialize in space magic and 5% chance to specialize in fashion magic, and it’s just luck as to what the body chooses. Of course, it’s just a theory, but it’s proven to be true quite a few times.”
Zumi tried to comprehend what the scientist was saying. She had to admit, it felt nice being rare, maybe that way she could make a name for herself. She could already see it: ‘Zumi the cat necromancer’. She could show others that being a necromancer doesn’t necessarily mean being dark and emo. “Ok, you win, I’ll try not to judge cat magic. So, what kind of spells can I use?” Zumi asked excited, her earlier despair fading under the promise of ghost kitties.
“Oh, uh, well…” Stammered the scientist, looking away.
“You have no clue, do you?” Said Zumi. She sighed and shook her head. “Well, I guess it could be fun learning new spells all on my own. I could write a journal to help other cat magic users. Yeah, that’s the spirit!”
“That’s nice, miss Sanderwich!” Said the scientist, trying to keep up with Zumi’s enthusiasm. “I don’t think there will be future cat magic users, but it’s nice nonetheless!”
“Shut up, science guy!” Exclaimed Zumi, trying to keep positive. “Anyways, when can I leave? I don’t have a graduation, do I? I’m the only necromancer from my year.”
“Oh, no, you don’t…” Said the scientist guiltily. Zumi reassured him that it was ok. “You’ve recovered completely, so you can leave whenever you want, but you should probably say goodbye to your friends and teachers before you do.”
“Oh, Dorry!” Zumi exclaimed before quickly getting up from the bed. She had completely forgotten about her friend. “Hey doc, did a small girl by name of Dorry leave recently?”
“Oh, uh, yes, we performed her study just before yours." Said the scientist, clearly surprised by Zumi's sudden energy. "She left some time ago, but I doubt she's left yet if that's what you're thinking." Zumi sighed in relief, she was going to be able to say goodbye.
"That's great to hear." Zumi said with a smile. She grabbed her bag, which was on the bedside table, and her staff, quickly transfiguring it to become a plush again. She stuffed it in her robe and approached Jello. "Come on buddy, let's go." She opened her bag for Jello to get in. The cat just stared at her, his eyes glaring at her soul. "Come on, buddy. Get in the bag." The cat looked at the bag and jumped, missing the bag completely and landing on the floor. Zumi sighed. "There is no way this dude is powerful..." She grabbed Jello and placed him in her bag, his head sticking out slightly.
"Thanks for everything, doc. I feel a lot better now, I'll do my best to master cat magic." Zumi said, smiling earnestly. "Really, thank you. Well, I'd love to stay, but I've got a life of adventure ahead of me."
"I understand. Take care, miss Sanderwich." Said the scientist. He watched as Zumi waved at him, walking down the hall before disappearing behind a corner. He sighed. "I'm worried that cat might actually cause more nightmares than adventures. Please be careful..." Mumbled the scientist to himself, his words tinged with worry.
Zumi rushed down the hall, hoping to catch her friend before she left. Jello peaked his head out of the bag, his party hat somehow still on.
"Knowing Dorry, she's probably cleaning her room so the cleaners don't have to." Zumi said, heading to the dorms. Dorry's parents wanted their daughter to learn at the best academy possible, so she had ended up here. She always said she hadn't wanted to move from her hometown, but Zumi was incredibly grateful to Dorry's parents for their decision. After all, she wouldn't have met Dorry otherwise. Once she reached Dorry's door she was relieved to see her frend doing exactly what she had expected her to do. She shook her head in amusement. "You never change, do you Dorry?"
Dorry looked over her shoulder, going through the stages of fright, shock and relief in a matter of seconds. "Zumi!" Dorry exclaimed, jumping up and embracing Zumi in a hug instantly. "I was so worried! When they told me you had collapsed I wanted to go see you, but they wouldn't let me! Thank god you're okay!" Zumi flinched at the sudden hug from her friend, smiling and giggling shortly after.
"Please, I'm fine, it was just summoning a familiar, no big deal." Zumi laughed, secretly overjoyed by the fact that her friend was concerned about her well-being. "And I could say the same for you! I thought you had left without saying goodbye. You know how worried I was?"
Dorry sniffled and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry, I should've messaged you. But you know I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to my best friend." She said, smiling softly. "I can't believe we actually graduated. We're going to be adventurers!"
"Of course, and the very best at that." Zumi added. "In just a few hours we'll be gone, forging our legacy as adventurers. Or dead, who knows?"
"D-don't say that... I'm already nervous enough as is." Dorry sighed.
"I'm joking!" Zumi reassured her. "You'll be fine, you'll see. Besides you have that wyvern with you now, right? If anything goes wrong he can defend you."
"Yeah, but it's still just a baby. I'll have to defend it until it grows up." Dorry said. "Oh! That reminds me, some scientists told me you got a black light. I told you you'd get an incredible familiar! So, what came out? A kraken? A dragon? A hydra!?"
"Calm down!" Zumi laughed. "It was a false alarm, it wasn't anything special." Zumi grabbed her bag and Jello popped out its head. "Dorry, meet Jello, my stupid familiar. no offense." She said, looking at the cat. It replied by poking her arm with its hat.
"O-Oh, well, he sure is... unique." Dorry said, trying to be nice. Zumi sighed.
"Don't worry, I know he's not the best thing in the world, but it's fine." Zumi said. "Besides, I didn't expect much in the first place. He's even kinda cute, so who cares if I don't have a wyvern like you do? I'm still going to become an incredible adventurer."
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Dorry encouraged. "It's a shame we have different goals though. We could set off together if you wanted to head to my hometown."
"Sorry, but I don't think I'm ready to leave the Kingdom of Montoya yet." Zumi apologized. "I want to train and get used to adventuring before I leave someplace far, but I promise I'll see you on the road someday when we're both seasoned adventurers."
"Of course! I'll show you how much I'll have grown by then!" Dorry declared enthusiastically. But realization dawned on the two shortly after. They were actually setting off in different directions, who knew when they would see each other again? As the silence started becoming uncomfortable, Dorry spoke up. "W-Well, I guess I should get going. It's a long road to Parafernia."
"Oh, y-yeah, of course!" Zumi spoke, her heart sinking at her friend's statement. "Well, I guess I'll see you then..."
"Y-Yeah, see you." Dorry replied, starting to pack up her things. Zumi turned to leave, but couldn't bring herself to go through the door, because if she did, she wouldn't be able to see Dorry again for a long time. It was selfish, but even if it was only for a couple moments more, she wanted to stay with her friend, talk to her, enjoy the last instants they would have together until they met again. Zumi turned around nervously, hoping Dorry wouldn't mind staying with her for a bit when she was suddenly met with Dorry's arms being flung around her in a tight hug, not letting go. Zumi was shocked for a second, but after seeing her friend's face full of tears, she understood perfectly. Dorry didn't want her to leave either, but she was being brave, because if she wasn't she wouldn't be able to embark on her journey, to accomplish her dream.
"Promise you'll write to me?" Dorry managed in between sobs.
"Every day, Dorry. Every damn day." Zumi replied, holding back tears. "Can I... stay here for a bit? Until you're finished packing, at least."
"Y-Yeah, of course! And maybe a bit longer, please." Dorry pleaded, wiping her tears on her friend's shoulder. And so, the 2 girls stayed up all night chatting and playing as a final goodbye to each other, no, as an "Until we meet again".
After that, the 2 girls had set off in opposite directions with the common goal of being adventurers. After the night they had just had, they promised to embark on their adventures peacefully, no more teary farewells. So that's exactly what they did, leaving the academy together and then finally saying goodbye at the train station. And although Zumi wasn't going to see her friend for a long time, for once it was ok, because they had promised to meet on the road in the distant future, and that's exactly what they would do.
Zumi's first destination was the town of Havensville, where she lived. She needed to collect some supplies for her journey, and she also had other plans. She also wanted to test Jello's abilities, if he had any, and the forest next to her house was perfect for that. So she wandered the path she had walked thousands of times before one last time, saying goodbye to the academy she loved and readying herself for the journey that awaited her.
As she stepped foot in the town, she was greeted with the same familiar faces as always congratulating her on her graduation. It was a small town, so she wasn't surprised at the fact that everyone knew her. Zumi's first order of business was to go to the tailor to have her necromancer robe modified. She had gotten the idea the night before, talking with Dorry.
"Cat magic!? What!? That's way better than mine!" Dorry had gushed.
"Please, it can't compare with your fusion magic." Laughed Zumi. "And it's not even powerful, all my spells are about cats."
"Well I'd love to have cat magic, you were lucky. Ooh! What if you played into the whole 'cat necromancer' thing and modified your robe to look like a cat?" Dorry suggested. "You could add cat ears and blotches of color to make it look like a calico cat! It'd compliment your black hair."
Zumi put her arm on her friend's shoulder. "Dorry. You're. A. Genius!" Beamed Zumi. "Oh my god! I'll go to the tailor first thing tomorrow!"
And so, Zumi left the tailor after about an hour of waiting with her new white, colorful robe. The tailor woman had even managed to get the cat ears perfectly up through the use of magic, fashion magic. Zumi wondered how that would fare in battle. Maybe you could conjure a giant pair of scissors to cut through your opponents? Zumi made a mental note to investigate further on the matter. But for now, she was headed to The hood's good's to collect her necromancer welcome package, gifted to all necromancers that manage to graduate from Rastoria Magic Academy.
When she entered, she was greeted by Kasper Kölge, the necromancer in charge of the shop with whom Zumi had chatted a multitude of times. He was one of the only necromancers in town and the only one with adventuring experience, so it was safe to say he was a role model of sorts to Zumi.
"Hey, if it isn't my favorite teenage girl! Wait, wait no that sounds wrong, t-that's not what I meant." Kasper stuttered. Zumi couldn't help but laugh.
"I know what you meant Kasper, don't worry." Zumi reassured him. "Anyways, I'm here for my welcome package. I'm finally one of you now."
"Oh right, that was today." Kasper said, reaching under his desk. "Since this year you were the only graduating necromancer, the state gave me way less money than normal, but still way more than I usually spend per student. I went out of my way to make sure you have everything an adventurer needs." Kasper reappeared from under his desk, placing a huge basket on the table, grunting from it's weight. "There's an adventurer's guide and cookbook, some simple necromancer spells anyone can use and a portable tent with a shrinking enchantment to make it easier to carry. I also added some simple camping supplies and some necromancer tools, amulets and the such. and this..." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of cloth. "Is a magic ribbon I bought for you. It's my personal gift to you. You can put it on your staff to augment it's magical proficiency."
Zumi stood there in shock, her mouth agape as she took in the sight of all the presents. “Kasper, I… I don’t know what to say.” Murmured Zumi. “This is too much. You shouldn’t have…”
“Please, it was my pleasure.” Kasper winked. “I’m just glad to be able to help a fellow necromancer out, especially one as talented as you. So become a famous adventurer and prove I was right in believing in you, won’t you?” Zumi looked at Kasper smiling earnestly, no sign of distrust on his face. He truly believed she could become someone important. She grinned widely and hugged him.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Zumi exclaimed in joy. “I promise I won’t let you down!”
Kasper flinched slightly at the sudden embrace, smiling and reciprocating shortly after. “I know you won’t. Now get out there and start your journey already.” The young necromancer nodded in response and grabbed the basket. Noticing her struggles to carry it, Kasper chuckled. “There’s a spell in there that shrinks objects into small balls.” Zumi quickly scrambled through the basket before finding the spellbook, rummaging through it in search of said spell. When she found it, she quickly grabbed her staff and did what it instructed to do.
“Ahem… Oh shadows of the underworld, by the contract declared among us give me the strength to cast this spell. Shrinkenbol!” Zumi cast the spell, giving the basket a small tap with her staff. The basket quickly started transmorfing into a small ball the size of a marble, black and round… with a small cat face and ears. Zumi’s face flushed slightly at the sight and she quickly shoved the ball into her pocket before grabbing her bag. With one last farewell, she stepped out of the shop, eager to start her journey.
But before she could, she was surprised to be stopped by a young couple who said they desperately needed her help.
“Zumi, you’re an official adventurer now, right? We have a small problem and we were wondering if you could help. Would you mind?” Explained the young woman. Zumi eagerly agreed, happy to help. She had to get used to getting commissioned for different tasks.
“So, what do you need me to do?” Asked Zumi, practically bouncing with excitement. “Slay some monsters? Help a cat stuck in a tree?”
“Just come with us for now, we’ll explain everything once we arrive.” Responded the young man, leading the way. It sounded a bit suspicious, but Zumi had seen the man around the village before, so if he was a villager he wasn’t a bad person. Zumi was right to be suspicious, however, since when she arrived at the spot the couple had led her to she was at the exit to the town, with the whole village surrounding it and a huge banner slung over the “Welcome to Havensville” sign that now said “Congratulations Zumi!”. When the townspeople saw her, they instantly started cheering and clapping. Zumi recognized everyone, the baker, the tailor that had modified her cloak just couple minutes before, Kasper, with whom she had just been talking, and in front of everyone were her parents who couldn’t be prouder of her little girl. Seeing a sight like this, Zumi was unable to hold her tears. They had all come to congratulate her graduation, and now she was going to leave them. They had all supported her since the beginning, and she wasn’t going to let them down. She took a deep breath and rushed forward, running towards the exit. She ran past everyone in the village and not a single villager had anything other than a smile on their face. Everyone was proud of her, and Zumi was proud of herself too. Finally, she would step into those woods as an adventurer, a real one. And right before she stepped foot out of the village, she turned and gave everyone one last smile.
“Thank you for believing in me everyone! I promise I’ll become someone worthy of your praise!”
Zumi would soon come to learn that this would be much easier said than done. It had barely been twenty minutes since she had made her promise and she was already thinking of giving up and just taking over the family business. Why, you ask?
Reason number one: Zumi had decided to experiment with cat magic. She grabbed the spellbook Kasper had given her and rummaged through it, trying out a few spells. She immediately tried some offensive spells, of course, and was somehow surprised when they weren’t incredibly powerful. Since these were normal necromancer spells and not specific to one type of magic, they weren’t exactly incredible, or decent for that matter. Ancient recall? Just summoned ghostly cats. Soul harvest? Yeah, no dice either, it just harvested cat souls. Zumi was already starting out with a huge handicap, but she wouldn’t entirely mind it under normal circumstances. However…
Reason number two: Jello, you know, her familiar? Yeah, he couldn’t do anything. He was just a normal cat, at least he acted like one. Zumi had tried to use soul harvest on him to see if she could tap into his latent huge pool of mana through his soul, but it hadn’t worked. This only convinced Zumi even more that Jello was special, being able to protect his soul from investigation spells, but it really didn’t matter if he wasn’t willing to do anything to help.
So Zumi was left with a dumb cat and incredibly weak magic. The normal person would quit right then and there under those circumstances, but Zumi wasn’t going to. She was Zumi Sanderwich, known for her positivity, and she wasn’t going to let fate win without putting up a fight.
"There has to be something powerful that I can do." Zumi pleaded, looking through the spellbook once more. Her eyes landed on a spell called "Spirit bomb", one that required a relatively big amount of mana which necromancers normally obtained from other living beings. If the book was telling the truth, it would summon a blue, flaming ball of energy that would cause a light explosion wherever it was flung. I was a strong spell, one not usually used by amateurs, but she didn't care, she just wanted to find a powerful spell she could cast. Zumi could already see the downside coming though.
"I bet I can only get mana from cats and other felines." Zumi sighed. She lied on the floor, feeling pathetic. She really couldn't cast any strong spells, how was she going to be an adventurer if she couldn't defend herself? Or slay beasts? Seeing Zumi wallowing in her self-pity, Jello approached to comfort her, nuzzling his face on her arm. Jello...
"Of course!" Zumi exclaimed. "I have a near limitless supply of mana in the form of a cat right here!" Zumi tucked Jello under her arm and stood up, grabbing her staff. She tried to focus on absorbing Jello's mana. It wasn't easy, but after a couple of minutes she found it, hidden in the corner of his soul. This time it was different than before, his soul wasn't trying to shield itself from her magic sight, probably because it knew that she needed help. Slowly, with her staff rubbing Jello's body, she harvested some of Jello's mana until she felt she had enough. Once she was ready, she set Jello on the ground. He didn't look tired at all, so Zumi wondered if she had gotten less mana than necessary, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. Once she focused the mana into a ball, she conjured a white, excruciatingly hot orb of pure concentrated energy. It took all of Zumi's strength not to let it disperse, or it would blow up and kill both her and the cat. With one quick lunge she threw it into the air, where it exploded shortly after, tinging the blue sky with an orange, firey glow. It was way bigger than it should've been, leaving Zumi flabbergasted. She looked at the small creature beside her who she had gotten all that mana from. He was staring at the sky with the dub face he always had on. Just how powerful was this mysterious friend of hers?
"H-Holy crap..." Zumi mumbled under her breath. "I probably shouldn't use that spell often, it's way too dangerous and risky." She reached down and tucked Jello in her arms. "But that was amazing! I wonder how powerful you truly are." Their special bonding moment soon came to an end, however, as shortly after the explosion Zumi suddenly heard howling in the distance. And it was getting closer.
"Oh no..." Zumi yelped. "No no no no no no no! We have to get out of here!" She grabbed her bag and quickly stuffed Jello inside, running away with it slung over her shoulder. But it was too late, as just as she was about to get away a wolf jumped out from a bush, with more appearing shortly after, surrounding the two. Zumi was terrified, she didn't know what to do. Wolves were hard to defeat even if you were an experienced adventurer, but for Zumi who was a complete amateur she stood no chance. One of the wolves leaped and she managed to bash it with her staff, dazing it for a bit. Another one lunged at her from the side and she barely dodged, but the third one finally got her. It jumped at her from the front a direct strike, but Zumi was unable to escape. She barely blocked the canine's jaws with her staff, but it had pinned her down to the floor with its paws and Zumi was unable to get up, trapped under it's weight. Her bag had fallen off in the havoc and layed in front of the other two wolves who were sniffing it curiously. If they found Jello, it was over, they would eat him.
"No, no no! Is this it!? Am I really going to die right at the beginning of my journey!?" Zumi cried. "Someone! Anyone! Please, help! PLEASE!!" But as Zumi yelled, she knew it was useless. She had gone too deep into the forest, no one from the village would find her there. Her arms were getting tired of holding back the wolf. Deep down she knew that she was only delaying the inevitable, that either she would run out of strength or the wolves would kill Jello and move on to kill her. So she layed there, hoping against hope that a miracle would occur as vision became blurry with exhaustion...
Suddenly, Zumi heard something wincing in pain. She looked at where her bag was, expecting to see the wolves eating Jello, but was greeted with a very different scene. A huge, dark beast with three red eyes and a horn was slowly crushing the wolf under it's paws. It almost looked like... a cat.
"J-Jello? I-Is that you?" Zumi gasped. The beast Zumi had identified to be Jello was met with the second wolf sinking it's jaws into it's paw. It retaliated by stabbing it's chest with a long, thick claw. After that, it looked at the wolf that was pinning Zumi down. It slowly made it's way to where the two of them were and smacked the wolf away, sending it flying. Zumi couldn't believe it. Jello had beaten the wolves easily, something that was hard for even the most experienced of adventurers. She wanted to get up and congratulate him, to hug him and thank him for saving her life, but she couldn't move, she was exhausted. So she watched as Jello shrunk down, his horn turning into his party hat, his three red eyes turning into two normal ones, and he walked over to where Zumi was, passing out next to her. Zumi couldn't help but laugh at the sight, the incredible beast that had just saved her was laying defenseless next to her, a tiny black bundle of fur.
"Be proud buddy, you did well." Zumi praised, petting the cat's small body. As she lied on the floor, she thought about her journey, how it had started and how it would go. "Look out world, because Zumi the necromancer is coming your way and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Zumi mumbled, slowly drifting off to sleep. And as she cradled Jello in her arms, even though she was lying in the middle of the forest, she felt safe. Because even if something came their way, she had protection now. Her familiar was special after all, he was the most special familiar there was...
"Ohh, The Nekomancer! That's so much better!"