Chapter 216: Jormungandr, the Legendary Familiar

In Luke’s hand rested a black stone, its surface etched with the glowing image of a serpent.

“I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FAMILIAR!” roared the Beast Lord’s voice from within the stone.

Luke blinked, taken aback. The serpent sigil pulsed again, light flaring.

“DO YOU HEAR ME?!” the voice bellowed, making the stone tremble in his grip.

“I can’t believe this,” Luke muttered, staring at it in disbelief. “I didn’t even know you could get a familiar this way.”

He turned the stone over in his palm, studying it. Not that I even know how you’re supposed to get a familiar in the first place.

The black stone was impossibly hard, almost metallic to the touch. Then a system notification appeared.

[Notice: The Beast Lord has been defeated. With its fall, magical beasts will retreat from the capital. The path to the castle will be easier.]

Luke’s gaze snapped toward the distant castle. It was… open. Accessible. And then it hit him. It wasn’t just the castle. It was the third mechanism. The whole area had just shifted in difficulty, and not just for him. Every single person still trapped in this cursed tutorial would find things easier now. This was a huge step toward escape.

“I can do this,” Luke murmured to himself.

A voice broke his focus. “Luke, that was insane,” Artemis said.

The fight had been so intense, he’d nearly forgotten she was there.

“I know you told me to stay quiet so you could focus,” she went on, “but seriously… when people say they want to be so powerful their enemies crap themselves, I didn’t think you meant it literally.”

“HE HUMILIATED ME!” the Beast Lord said from within the stone. Luke glanced down at the glowing serpent. “I will kill you, human! I will kill you with every ounce of my strength! You humiliated me before you ended me!”

“You’re just a rock,” Luke replied flatly. “How exactly are you going to kill me?”

“I’ll find a way! I will have my revenge!”

“You literally soiled yourself, man,” Artemis snorted.

“STOP LAUGHING AT ME!” the Beast Lord roared.

Luke pulled up his system interface and checked the item’s details.

[Familiar Rune: Frankzaroth (Legendary)

Description: This rune houses the soul of a serpent from the Jormungandr race, legendary magical beasts known for growing to colossal sizes over time, feeding, and advancing in rank.

To acquire the familiar, you must forge a pact of friendship, convincing the creature to willingly break the rune. Once the rune is broken, the familiar’s soul will be bound to yours, and the rune will cease to exist. After the bond is complete, you can summon the familiar at will, bringing it to your side in battle or for other tasks.

(Enchantments):
[Familiar Contract (Epic)]: Allows the user to seal a contract with a magical creature.]

Luke finished reading and eyed the stone again. “Pact of friendship?” he muttered.

“I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND!” the Beast Lord snapped.

“Who’d want to be friends with someone who shat themselves?” Artemis cackled.

“STOP LAUGHING!”

Luke sighed. “Great. I’m traveling with Arkham Asylum’s greatest hits.”

Artemis was doubled over laughing, mimicking the serpent groaning like it had the worst case of food poisoning, while the Beast Lord kept screaming at her to shut up. Luke glanced at the monster’s corpse, then broke into a run through the ruined streets. He needed to find the other fang he’d broken.

“So… can I use you as my assistant? How does this work?” he asked.

“Human! I will kill you!” the serpent’s voice snarled. “I will never be your familiar!”

The Beast Lord kept shouting until Luke simply banished him back into his inventory.

Luke stood there for a moment, then pulled him out again.

“Hey! What did you do? I was in this really dark place!” the stone’s voice echoed.

“I sent you to the inventory, little rat. I was going to keep you there in time-out until you agreed to be my assistant.”

“LITTLE RAT?!” the Beast Lord roared. “I will have my revenge! You’ll see!”

“Complain again and I’ll send you back right now,” Luke warned.

“Believe me, Mr. Pants-Shitter,” Artemis chimed in, “being stuck in the inventory is creepy as hell. I’m lucky I’m at least useful as a storage item. This guy wouldn’t hesitate to leave me rotting in that darkness otherwise.”

“Will you be my familiar?” Luke asked.

“NEVER! WE WILL NEVER BE FRIENDS!” the Beast Lord bellowed, before the stone vanished back into the inventory.

“So,” Artemis asked, “what now? I mean, you just killed the strongest thing around here, well, aside from whatever nightmare fuel is still hiding inside that castle.”

Luke jogged through the area, scanning for the broken fang. He climbed a tall building and took in the view of the ruined city. His gaze shifted from the castle to where the third mechanism lay. Without the Beast Lord hunting him, the whole region was open for exploration.

“I wanted to test this familiar stone, see what it’s like,” he said. “You wouldn’t tell me how to use it if I asked, would you?”

“Nope. You’ve probably figured out by now that Samael left the library as a sort of compass, only giving you access to what you’re ‘supposed’ to know at this stage. If the library doesn’t mention familiars, I can’t tell you. And besides… I’ve been nerfed. I only know what’s already written on the rune,” she explained.

“If I’d never met Samael, I wouldn’t even know half of what I’ve figured out on my own,” Luke said. “So I won’t complain.”

He mulled over his next steps. “Letting Charlie get stronger is a good option. I should also explore more of the city and try to get closer to the castle.”

Then his eyes shifted again, like he was looking beyond the horizon. “Once I’ve handled a few things, I’ll come back and activate the second mechanism.”

“You know Bartholomew and those other lunatics who want to stay in this world are probably going to come after you, right?” she asked.

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“Hey, I fought a giant snake. Give me some credit,” he replied.

Luke leapt onto a nearby rooftop, looking toward the forest.

“I’m just glad we’re done with this insanity,” she said. “Honestly, this arc of your story was getting boring. I want to get back to the chaos, the Safe Zone drama, romantic entanglements, and—”

Luke squeezed the pendant at his neck. “You’re way too addicted to Earth stories. Quit spouting nonsense.”

“Alright, alright. I won’t keep treating your life like entertainment,” she said. “I mean… maybe just sometimes.”