Reincarnated as a Familiar Volume 3 (Light Novel)

by D. S. Craig

  However, I was too slow. Before I could gather the energy I needed, one of the demons raced past me. It dove at Lesti, claws and rows of razor-sharp teeth bared. At that moment, I forgot everything else. The stones raining down on me, the other demons, everything.

  I diverted the magic I had been gathering into my Power Cat and Speed Boost spells, pushing them to their limits. Without a second thought, I gave up on blocking the shower of projectiles and dove at the demon bearing down on Lesti. I was on it faster than lightning. Shifting into my tiger form, I swiftly used my jaws to remove its head from its body, tossing it aside.

  With the immediate threat disposed of, I threw myself directly in front of Lesti. As her familiar, I had sworn to protect her above everything else, and I intended to do just that. Closing my eyes and throwing up the best barrier I could, I braced myself for the onslaught of projectiles to pummel my body, but they never came.

  “Living Wall!”

  An out of breath shout came from nearby, quickly followed by an explosion of plant growth. Massive roots and vines erupted from the earth and intertwined themselves into an enormous wall. The sheer size of it was absurd, but even more ridiculous was that the entire thing moved as if it had a will of its own. As demons tried to fly over the wall, vines reached up to swat them from the air like flies.

  “What in the world?!”

  I looked around for who could have possibly cast such an insane spell, only to find Rose collapsed nearby. A rather complicated magic circle was sloppily drawn into the earth below her. Immediately, I feared the worst—magical overload. For her to cast such a powerful spell, she must have pushed herself too far.

  “Rose! No!” I ran over and flipped her onto her back, expecting to find her eyes dead and empty. I instead found a relieved but exhausted smile. “Wait, you’re okay? But how?”

  “I-I used these.” She reached over to the edge of the circle fueling her spell and grabbed what appeared to be a small stone. I recognized the rolled-up shapes as the mini golems she had worked with Lesti to create. Looking at them now, they were nothing more than lifeless stone, drained of all their magic.

  “You used the magical energy in the mini golems to activate the spell.” I felt anger flare up inside me. “Why would you do something so reckless?! You could have died!”

  “I had to do something. You couldn’t hold all of them off on your own, right?”

  I stared down at her, wanting to argue but unable to find any words.

  Rose didn’t give me a chance, either. Reaching up, she gently stroked my fur. “Besides, you’ve all done so much for me, going this far to help me save my family. I’d never have been able to live with myself if I just ran away now.”

  I stared at her, completely stunned. It was the first time she had ever touched me. When we first met, she had been so scared of Fang and me that she ran away screaming. Yet, here she was, putting her life on the line to save us. She had grown so much in such a short time. Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but feel strength welling up inside me.

  Leaning into her hand, I latched onto that feeling. “You did great, Rose. Now, get some rest. I’ll take care of things from here.”

  As I turned to face the wall, the first of the demons managed to break past the living mass of vines. I threw myself at the creature with everything I had. It saw me coming and tried to cast a spell to defend itself, but I didn’t allow it. Before the magic could begin to form, I used spell jamming to forcefully scatter the energy swirling around it. Caught off guard, the demon couldn’t do anything to defend itself as my jaws closed, crushing the life out of it.

  I didn’t have time to rest. More demons were making it past Rose’s wall and heading straight for Lesti. With an angry roar, I threw myself into the fray, jamming their spells as I went. I could feel my magical energy rapidly draining, but I didn’t care. I threw myself at them with reckless abandon. Even if it burned me out, I wouldn’t allow us to fail this time. Not after everyone else had pushed themselves so hard.

  Still, the numbers began to slowly overwhelm me. I felt myself being pushed back further and further, lashing out desperately at any demon that tried to make it past me. Behind me, I could feel Lesti’s spell close to completion. The magic began to shift, entering the final stages of preparation. I just had to hold out a little longer.

  I was in rough shape. I had been slowly accumulating wounds of my own, and they were starting to slow me down. Cuts and bruises covered my body, and a mixture of purple demon blood and my own red blood covered my fur. I grit my teeth and prepared for a final desperate push when suddenly I heard a familiar howl. A second later, Fang’s tiny form darted into the swarm of demons, biting and clawing at their weak points.

  “Fang! What are you doing?” I yelled at the pup as I continued to tear through the demons in front of me. “You’re going to get surrounded like that!”

  Just as I voiced my concern, a volley of spells came flying in from behind me. Lightning, fire, and stone combined to pummel the demons, who were unable to defend themselves. The chaos caused by the unexpected attack gave Fang the chance to slip out and retreat to my side. Looking back over my shoulder, I searched for the source of the bombardment.

  Standing behind Lesti was Lord Gambriel, a beat-up looking Aurelia propped up by his shoulder. Accompanying him was Dag, with several of his men. We had done it. Despite the odds, we had managed to hold out long enough, and help had arrived. Now all that was left to do was finish the fight.

  With a triumphant roar, I leapt back into the horde, and we began to push back the demons that had made it past the wall.

  Fang ran rampant through their ranks, sowing chaos with his speed and precision attacks. Meanwhile, I corralled the demons, preventing them from spreading out. Any that tried to surge forward or drifted too far from the group were put down swiftly by my fangs and claws. At the same time, spell after spell from Dag and the others slammed into the swarm. Slowly but surely, we whittled away at their numbers.

  “It’s ready!” Finally, Lesti’s shout echoed through the chaos. “Get clear and take down that wall so I can see.”

  “Fang! We’re leaving!” I called out to the pup, who quickly joined me in retreating behind Lesti. At the same time, the wall of vines twisted and shifted, causing a massive hole to open in the center. On the other side of that hole, I could see the gigantic demon Arvis had become. He was still surrounded by portals, more demons pouring out of them with each second.

  Seeing the wall was open now, the creatures began to swarm toward the opening. Simultaneously, I felt the demon begin to gather its magic for a massive attack. Stone gathered into an enormous spear in front as lightning sparked around it. But Lesti only smiled.

  Above her floated a spear formed of pure polished metal, its tip sharpened and deadly. The spear began to rotate faster and faster. Electricity filled the air, causing my fur to stand on end. Layers of magic formed around the spear, creating protective barriers and reinforcing its structure. Then, just as the massive wave of demons started to clear the wall, Lesti waved her arm and launched her spell.

  “Take this!”

  The spear surged forward so fast it was nothing more than a streak of light to my eyes. In an instant, it tore through the swarm of demons, ripping them apart with its passing. Just then, the massive demon fired its spell, a powerful combination of stone and lightning. The spells collided in mid-air, but the demon’s attack was swept aside so easily that it may as well have not been there at all. The magical barriers placed around the spear easily deflected the lightning and stone.

  The streak of light continued onward, plowing into the massive demon’s chest. Ripping straight through the creature, it continued into the distance. For a moment, the monster stood there, a gaping hole in its chest, unmoving. I feared the worst and prepared to throw myself back into the battle—then the first change happened.

  The storm of lightning, wind, and stone that had raged around the creature began to dissipate. At the same
time, the portals that filled the sky around it started to close. The magic that had once flowed from the terrible beast stopped, and its eyes turned from a deep pitch-black to a dull shade of grey. Finally, the creature toppled backward, falling to the ground with a massive thud. Dead.

  I felt a sense of elation welling up within me, unlike anything I had felt in either of my lives. So powerful was the emotion that I couldn’t contain it. I let out a mighty roar that was echoed by the cheers of Dag and his companions.

  We had done it. We had won.

  Reunited

  “Well, then, let’s get down to business.” Lord Gambriel’s gaze drifted around the small, hastily prepared tent we were in. It was a few hours after we had managed to fell the massive demon that had once been Baron Arvis. We had only recently finished cleaning up the remaining demons that had been summoned. Even now, soldiers called in from the city guard were outside, gathering up the bodies and preparing to burn them.

  As for us, we had stepped onto a completely different battlefield. In addition to Lord Gambriel, all the other actors I had pulled into our crazy battle were present. Dag sat on our right. Behind him, standing at attention, was the man who had been running the bar when we visited the red light district. Off to our left sat Elliot, Aurelia, and Rose, each looking more nervous than the last. Finally, standing behind Lesti, whose lap I was sitting on, was Lani, who had rushed over from the school. Like Dag’s companion, she stood at attention, back rigid, eyes focused. Despite our victory, the tension in the room was palpable.

  “First, I’d like to hear your report,” Lord Gambriel said, turning his gaze to Dag. “I know through my son that you were raiding the baron’s manors. What did you find?”

  “Yes, my lord.” Dag’s reply came out far more formally than I had expected. “First, it appears that the demon worshiper Ulrich managed to escape. Oddly, none of the guards posted throughout the city saw him; even our best scouts were unable to find signs of his passing.”

  Lord Gambriel grimaced at the news. “It’s rather troubling that he managed to avoid our scouts so thoroughly. Still, with all the chaos this evening, it’s to be expected that he escaped. What about the raids?”

  “Yes. The raids, on the other hand, were rather fruitful and mostly peaceful. Most of Arvis’s troops that were in the city were sent here, it appears. We found several documents detailing his dealings with the demon worshipers, though most of them had been destroyed. Additionally, we were able to locate the girl’s parents.”

  “You found Mother and Father?!” Rose shouted frantically as she bolted up from her seat. “Are they alright?”

  “Rose.” Elliot placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down. “I understand your worry, but you mustn’t speak out of turn.”

  “It’s fine.” Lord Gambriel waved his hand dismissively at Rose’s apparent breach of protocol. “I’d have to be a monster to get angry at a girl for being worried about her family’s fate.” He glanced over at Dag once more. “Well, how are they?”

  “Yes. They are alive and well.” Dag dropped his stiff attitude from before and addressed Rose directly. “They were a little underfed. However, it doesn’t appear they’ve been tortured or anything like that. A little rest, and they should be good as new.”

  “Thank goodness.” Rose began to sob quietly into her hands. I purred contentedly on Lesti’s lap, happy to know she would soon be reunited with her family.

  Lord Gambriel glanced at her, a brief smile softening his rough features for a moment. Then, as though it had never been there at all, he was back to his usual stern self. In fact, he seemed ever more intense than before, gaze now firmly fixed on Lesti and me.

  “With that out of the way, shall we begin our negotiations? My son tells me you would like my backing in the council?”

  Lesti glanced over at Dag. “You seem to be more familiar with Dag than I expected, but is this really something that we should be discussing in front of him?”

  “Dag and his men serve the alliance as a whole. So long as your goals aren’t treasonous, you should be fine.”

  “Very well.” Lesti took a deep breath, preparing herself. Meanwhile, behind us, I could feel magic flowing from Lani as she prepared a spell. Her reaction caused me to tense up myself. Was she really that worried about what Lesti was going to say?

  The silence filled the air for what seemed like far too long, until finally, Lesti began to speak again. “I assume you’re aware of my engagement, Lord Gambriel?”

  A rather irritated grimace came across Lord Gambriel’s face. “To the young Master Augustine, yes? I am aware.”

  “Well, to be rather blunt, I simply don’t think that man is worthy of ruling over my family’s territory. He is an unstable, selfish, and egotistical man.” Lesti gestured to the small cut in her dress. “Even tonight, he cornered and attacked me. Elliot can testify to this fact as well.”

  “Is this true, Elliot?” he asked, glancing over at his son.

  “It is, Father.” Elliot recalled the incident on the balcony with a look of pure disgust on his face. “The fool grew so enraged over Lesti simply dancing with me that he threatened to throw her in the dungeon once he gained the lordship.”

  “I see. Then I take it you want the council to select a new partner for you? If that’s all you want, then it should be a simple matter to get the votes.”

  “No. That’s not my aim.” Lesti shook her head before meeting Lord Gambriel’s surprised expression with a steady, defiant gaze. “It is clear to me that the council cannot be trusted with selecting someone to run my parent’s domain. Which is why I intend to take the title of lord for myself.”

  At Lesti’s words, the tension in the air became so thick, it was practically suffocating. Even Elliot stared at her in shock, unaware of her intentions despite his involvement in her plan.

  Dag, meanwhile, seemed to be the most relaxed person in the room. He simply watched Lord Gambriel, a bemused smile on his face. It was as if he had already known what Lesti was going to say.

  “You know that’s impossible.” Lord Gambriel’s response shattered the silence at last. “Only a man can inherit the lordship in the alliance. The council will never allow you to take over your parents’ lands. Not even I have the power to change that.”

  I felt my fur start to puff up in anger. This idea that a woman couldn’t inherit the lordship didn’t sit right with me. Seemingly sensing my growing irritation, Lesti ran her hand through my fur gently. I looked up to find her smiling back at Lord Gambriel. “I’m well aware that the council will never be swayed to allow me to inherit the lordship. However, I intend to take it, whether they grant me their blessing or not. When that time comes, I would like your assistance, Lord Gambriel.”

  “My assistance? Are you asking to rebel against the rest of the alliance with you?” He glared at Lesti angrily. “If so, then there’s absolutely no way I can support you. The Elstian Empire would descend on us at the first sight of in-fighting. Not to mention what the Kingdom might do. We’d be crushed in an instant.”

  “Actually, Lord Gambriel, it’s the exact opposite. I don’t want you to fight with me, but to not fight at all.”

  “Not fight at all? Explain.”

  “It’s rather simple, really. I intend to use my time at the academy to gather as much power as I can. Enough power that it will make any reasonable lord second-guess turning against me on their own.”

  “I see,” Lord Gambriel cut in as he realized Lesti’s intentions. “If you manage that, then the only option left to them will be to gather enough of the combined might of the alliance to bring you to heel, and that’s where I come in, correct?”

  Lesti nodded. “Yes. I’m glad to see that you’re as quick on the uptake, as I’ve heard. Rather than fighting, I would like you to simply refrain from fighting and convince your allies within the council to do the same. That should be reasonable enough, no?”

  “True. If that’s all you need, then I believe it could be acc
omplished easily enough.” Lord Gambriel leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting away from anger towards something more like curiosity. “Still, my block isn’t so large that their lack of assistance will prevent the other lords from descending upon you like a pack of wolves.”

  “That’s very true. However, I believe we have some options there.” Lesti glanced up at Lani, who still stood rigidly behind her. “Lani, if you would be so kind.”

  “Yes, my lady.” With an air of formality that she didn’t usually have, Lani stepped forward, pulling out a map and placing it on the makeshift table in front of Lord Gambriel. “As you have said, Lord Gambriel, it would certainly be impossible for you to garner enough support within the council to prevent other lords from banding together. However, based on the information I’ve gathered, you and your allies possess a certain soft power I don’t believe anyone has noticed.”

  Lord Gambriel looked down at the map, curiously. “Oh, and just what would that be?”

  Lani’s hand quickly traced an arc across the map, practically cutting the alliance in half. “You and your allies control the very heart of the alliance, minus the special territory controlled by the academy. As you know, no military can pass through the city without the express permission of the headmistress, and she has a strict policy about remaining neutral in political matters.”

  Lord Gambriel’s eyes widened slightly. “I see. So, that’s what you’re after. That’s rather shrewd of you.”

  On the other hand, I was baffled. “Care to explain for those of us who aren’t experts at politics?”

  “Ah, yes. Sorry.” Lani turned and faced the rest of us before continuing her explanation. “There is a rather old, but still widely observed, law in the alliance. That law states that none of the member territories may send troops through another’s territory without receiving the consent of that territory’s lord. Not even the council has the authority to override the lord’s decision should they decide to refuse.”