Chapter 18: Village Below the Mist VI

Chapter 18: 18: Village Below the Mist VI --- John remained seated beneath the tree for hours, watching the forge lights glow brighter with the setting sun. The villagers sent a small bundle of food with one of the older children. Dried meat. Bread. A flask of boiled tea. He accepted it with a nod. As night settled, he walked the boundary of his land, tracing the invisible line with one hand. He had taken his first step. Not just toward survival. But toward control. And in the distance, in a forest he did not yet know held danger, someone else was already planning how to test it. John met some villagers who were going back home after working on the fields and he talked with them for a while. After the villagers left and the area fell quiet, John lingered near the boundary steps, watching mist uncurl through the valley like a waking breath. His body was still, his mind far from still. He had just turned toward the home again when the familiar sound of the System returned, uninvited and unmissable. [System Notification- Congratulations. You have managed to awaken the system one year earlier than optimal synchronization and programming. As a reward, the System will now present you with one of two potential companions. Choose wisely. This decision is irreversible.] John’s brow lifted slightly. "A companion." He had been alone for too long to dismiss the idea. "The system wants to give me a gift." [Option One: Beast Class Companion Name: Unknown Type: Wild Mount Size: Medium to Large (1-3 meters) Traits: Combat Strength, Hunting Instinct, Territorial Loyalty. Notes: Will bond with the user through shared battle and hunger. Option Two: Intelligence Class Companion. Name: Unknown Type: Elemental Familiar Size: Palm sized. (Upgradable) Traits: Strategic Insight, Emotional Awareness, Adaptive Communication. Notes: Capable of speech and tactical analysis. High personality variance expected. ] John crossed his arms. His instincts leaned toward the first. A mount would be practical. A battle ready beast could protect his base, carry weight, and intimidate enemies. But something held him back. His eyes flicked back to the second option. He recalled the villagers’ eyes that morning. The fear. The suspicion. He would not win them over with a giant clawed beast snarling by his side. But an intelligent companion... A creature that could speak, understand emotions, offer advice. That might help. Not to mention, if it could interact with others directly, it would give him another voice. And maybe, just maybe, keep him sane in the long nights ahead. He sighed. "I will choose the Intelligence Class Companion." The System responded immediately. [Choice Registered. Initializing Companion Summoning Ritual. Scanning environment for material compatibility. Suitable essence cluster detected in lower forge chamber. Synthesizing... Please stand by.] A faint glow appeared at the far end of the forge. John stepped back as a pulse of red light shimmered through the air like fire behind silk. A circle of glyphs formed on the floor. It was unlike any rune language he had seen in this world. The light intensified. Heat radiated through the room. The forge tools shook on their racks. Then, with a sudden burst of red sparks and a sound not unlike a hiccup, the glow popped into a round, bouncing ball of fur. It hovered in the air. Then it fell on the ground. Thud! A small red puffball with stubby wings and large golden eyes rolled once across the stone floor and bumped into John’s foot. It looked up. "Ugh. You could have been gentler. That was NOT a soft landing." John blinked. The voice had come from the puffball. "Wait. You’re... the companion?" The creature gave a dramatic sigh, then flapped its tiny wings just enough to bounce upward and float near John chest height. "No. I am the god of this realm and you are my humble servant." Then it snorted. "Of course I’m your companion. Geez. What a weirdo... are you really my master? Don’t embarrass me with silly questions." John stared. "This pet has a loud mouth." It was barely the size of a cabbage. Fluffy like a child’s toy. Two tiny moth-like wings protruded from its back, and its round body seemed to bounce with every word. Its teeth, however, were small, sharp, and unnervingly white. It gleamed beneath a deceptively innocent smile. "Do you have a name? Or you want me to give you one?" John asked slowly. The puffball grinned. "I got a name. My mother gave me one. I don’t want to change it." "My name is Fizz. Remember it..." "So, your name is Fizz." John replied. "That’s right. Short. Snappy. Memorable. Not like human names. Gods. That’s the name a bucket gives itself when it wants to be taken seriously." John folded his arms. Fizz zoomed in closer, poking at his chest with one wing. "Ooooh look at you. Broad shoulders. Sad eyes. Tragic backstory I bet. You’ve got the face of ’I have pain but I forge things’ written all over you. Let me guess. Dead parents? Betrayed by friends? Kicked out of magic school? Or maybe dumped by a girl?" "You talk too much." John sighed and turned to walk away. Fizz zipped after him, hovering around his head like a particularly opinionated mosquito. "Oh come on. Don’t ignore me. You picked me. You chose Fizz. Which means you wanted chaos, whether you admit it or not." "You’re a familiar," John said quietly. "Not a chatter box." "Tell that to the last person who tried to sit on me. He doesn’t have eyebrows anymore." Fizz drifted ahead and spun in the air. "So. Big guy. What’s the plan? Do we start burning down your enemies’ houses? Build a tower? Dig a moat filled with acid? I have ideas. I also come with dreams. Mostly dreams of eating honey and insulting people." John returned to the forge and sat on the bench. "I’m building a home here."