Sami stopped in front of a tree, dropping to the ground, with Onyx falling next to him. His body felt sore, and blood dripped from his nose.
[Condition: Body breaking down at 20%]
He leaned back, head pointed to the sky, doing his best to catch his breath. He knew that using Phantom Veil for so long would be detrimental to his health, but it was his best option for escaping the cave.
Sami's musing broke when he noticed Onyx was looking over at him worriedly. He put on his best smile to show that everything was okay.
Onyx just lowered her head in response.
After sitting for a moment, Sami's breathing slowed, and the pain seemed to recede just a little. He moved his arms, stretching them out. Sami only felt a slight amount of pain compared to when he first sat down.
"Just let me rest for a minute or two, then we can look for a way out of this forest," he spoke up, keeping his tone low in case the Minotaur was nearby.
"Are you okay, boy?" Onyx asked worriedly as she saw blood dripping from his nose onto the ground.
Sami ripped the bottom of his shirt, using that to wipe the blood off his face. "My name isn't boy, it's Sami. S-a-m-i." he joked.
Onyx glanced hungrily at the blood that was on the makeshift cloth Sami's hand. She quickly shook her head, taking a slight step back. "Sami, are you feeling okay?" She asked, her voice strained.
"Why, thank you for asking, Onyx," he cheekily answered. "I'm feeling very good, relaxed. A bit bloody, but besides that, you know, I'm feeling great."
"Look, smartass, I'm just making sure you're okay," she sighed.
Sami just shrugged. "Let's be honest, I don't think anyone with a half-bull man chasing after them would be okay,"
Onyx nodded in agreement. "Yes, that is true. You are doing a good job not freaking out as most would. Honestly, I have to apologize because it is my mistake that you're stuck in this dungeon."
"Oh yeah? How are you the reason I ended up here?" Sami inquired, tilting his head in confusion.
Onyx's body grimaced, a strange look coming across her face. "Here, let me help wipe your face."
Sami knew what she was doing but decided not to call her out. "Thanks," he uttered, a little embarrassed by her help.
Onyx nodded as she absentmindedly wiped his face off. "What you're dealing with is the drawback of overusing a spell." She explained, wiping Sami's face clean, staring at the cloth for a split second longer than she should.
She slowly buried the bloodied cloth in the dirt before moving back away from Sami.
Sitting on the ground, a contemplative look on her face. "Magic always has a trade-off. In most cases, it's the user mana. Your intangible spell puts strain on your body because you're untrained."
Sami looked down at the ground. "I understand," he muttered. Now, getting the reason Oracle gave him for not overusing it.
Onyx stood up and, reaching forward, patted his shoulder in comfort. "Cheer up, kiddo. You can easily make your body stronger to handle your abilities, and in some cases, negate the damage."
As soon as Onyx finished talking, the ground shook violently.
Even though it started a ways away from them, Sami could sense that the cause of the rumbling was quickly approaching.
He grabbed Onyx and activated Phantom Veil and phased through the closest tree.
BANG!
Sami kept his head forward, focusing on running as fast as he could. He ignored all the loud sounds coming from behind him.
⟢
The Minotaur landed on the ground, smoke coming out of his nostrils as he looked around the area. He had picked up on the smell of blood and chased the trail.
Though it seemed that Onyx and that boy had escaped his grasp once again, the Minotaur angrily stomped on the ground, venting his frustration at missing his prey once again.
⟢
Sami started walking in a random direction, trying to not stay in one place for too long after escaping from the Minotaur once again.
Onyx followed behind him in silence.
"How were you able to capture him in the first place?" He wondered, interrupting the solemn silence.
There was a brief silence as Onyx tried to come up with a response. "A warrior known as Theseus bested him in a duel," she answered. "I summoned the Minotaur's body to the cave right before being killed, and bound him to me while forcing people away from this part of the forest."
"Why did you end up choosing him in the first place?"
"That is a long, complicated answer," she mumbled. Her tone was sad as her voice lowered.
Realizing the questions were rough on Onyx, Sami decided to respect her past and not ask anything else.
Instead, he focused on moving forward and developing a plan. Sami noticed the sun had been in the same spot since he had entered the forest.
"Sami," Onyx shouted, stopping in her tracks.
He turned to look at her, eyebrow raised.
"We should do the familiar ritual now. We'd have to find my grimoire, but at least you'll gain access to the magic I use. That will help strengthen your abilities."
"I'm not sure," Sami sighed, rubbing his hands through his sweat-soaked hair, releasing the dreadlocks from the small bun he held them in.
"Please, it's the only way I can think to give you enough power to try to fight back."
"Are you sure there is no other way we can escape?"
Onyx shook from side to side."You're not strong enough to break, especially after I empowered it over the years."
"Which leaves with the only option of beating him in a fight," Sami sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"Exactly."
Sami didn't reply; he really didn't even know what a familiar is, let alone forming a bond with some random creature he just met.
"What would I have to do to make you familiar?" He asked and accepted, knowing he didn't have a choice.
Onyx instructed Sami in the spell.
A large circle formed underneath both Sami and Onyx as they glowed from white to purple. Light began to shoot up into the sky as a large amount of mana radiated from both of them.
"By the bond of will and words, I join you to myself," both finished at the same time.
[Class Assigned → Summoner]
[Class Skill Gained → Oathbound]
[System Note → The user may contract creatures defeated in battle or those who submit.]
[Contract Established → Onyx Ambrogio]
[Secret Quest → Completed][Reward → Shadow Imprint, Binding Chains]
A glowing purple tattoo in the shape of intertwined vines formed on Sami's hand as the magic began to die down.
A rush of energy hit him as his eyes briefly glowed purple before returning to their normal brown.
Onyx glowed a white color before shrinking, now resembling a normal-sized bunny. Her fur turned black and white.
Sami let out a huge laugh as he looked at Onyx's new form.
"Ugh, come on!" Onyx whined as she looked over at him, eyes narrowed. "Haha, keep laughing, kid! When I get my powers back, you'll regret it."
"Why... are... you... a... rabbit?" he gasped, trying to catch his breath after laughing so hard, not really caring about her threat of the future.
"I haven't eaten or drained magic in years—going on centuries, depending on how long I was locked away," she sneered, kicking the ground. "I hoped I could shapeshift into a useful form after the ritual, but sadly, I still don't have enough energy."
Sami continued to laugh as Onyx pouted, finding it adorable that she was trying to pout like a rabbit.
Even her voice changed, no longer sounding like a grinding stone but more squeaky. Maybe because of the size change, but it was much better than before.
Sami's laughter immediately stopped. He sensed something rushing towards them, a feeling of anger and spite.
He put Onyx on his shoulder. Hoping that they had time to try to run away.
A second later, a blur rushed right past both their bodies, stopping in front of a tree. A bunch of dust kicked up, forcing Sami to close his eyes.
Once the dust cleared, Sami opened his eyes and saw the Minotaur slowly turn around and look at him, its red eyes narrowed.
"You know, boy, you've lasted longer in this game than I expected," the Minotaur taunted.
"I aim to please," he sassed, taking a bow that almost caused Onyx to fall off his shoulder.
The Minotaur leaned back and let out a huge laugh. "I like your spirit, boy. Let's make a deal," he proposed, his voice almost charming. "All you have to do is hand over Onyx, and I'll let you go free."
The aura radiating from him made Sami understand why this dungeon was legendary.