Familiar's Forest

[Apollymi]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4855/46349947911_4649531a23_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2dBMAGX)

A special hidden forest only accessible via magic circle, it is a place were different mythical and normal creatures dwell. With the guidance of a Familiar Master, a group of Devils come out on the night of the full moon and bind to themselves a familiar as partner or servant.

[Bloodedge]

A red magic circle appeared within the Familiar's Forest as the full moon rose into the night sky. Within said circle were four members of Eira Gremory's peerage, including Eira herself. Of this group, Sairevil burst out of the circle first while spinning around to get a panoramic view of the forest around them. As an Incubus, he had a literal feel for everything around them, vague though it may have been. The forest was like nothing he'd ever seen or felt before, and it was easily considered amazing. He seemed to be enjoying this trip already. Takumi, on the other hand, stepped forward without much apparent care for the forest itself. He slipped his hands into his pockets and awaited guidance, though his eyes wandered around as if he was already searching for his familiar. After all, obtaining one was part of his order.

[Apollymi]

Eira appeared within the magic circle she'd created as well, and at her side, the skittish Miyuki who'd just witnessed something very strange occurring between her Master and Takumi. She didn't know exactly what was going on between them, but decided that since Eira never led anyone astray that it would likely work itself out in the end. As such she was able to look out upon the forest with the same amount of enthusiasm as Sairevil. "Sugoi! This place is really big!" she said but that wasn't all, this place was bathed in the light of the full moon, and random creatures could be seen literally everywhere. Hiding behind trees, climbing in them moving along the grounds. This forest was teeming with life and it was something Eira hadn't experienced in quite a while. "Hai hai, the forest is full of all kinds of life to potentially bond with, but that really isn't my area of expertise. But if that feeling is right... then our guide will be here momentarily," said Eira who was overall very calm about this situation considering a few moments prior to this she'd handed out the first order she'd ever actually given someone using those exact words.

Eira's words were followed by the feeling of vibration. Better than that, the feeling of stamping hoof beats. A tall tan man with hair the color of an orange flame rode in to the group on the back of a giant steer like creature with an afro of hair about it's head and two long horns. "I AM HERE!" the man said which made Eira chuckle, as she looked over him in the garb of a traditional native wild man. She remembered coming here as a child and finding this man to be the most entertaining she'd come across in a long time, he came to a stop and looked down at the group taking note of Eira and bowing his head to her. "Gremory-shojou, you are late!" he said to her knowing that she was supposed to arrive the month prior to this one. "Gomennasai, Alder-san... it got away from me," she said apologetically before making a proper introduction. "This is Ryuume Miyuki, Gremory Sairevil, and Yasukawa Takumi..." she said pointing to each of them in turn. "They are the last of my peerage and they need familiars. Everyone this is Alder-san he's familiar master. He knows every make and manner of creature to be found here... and how to tame them. So if you find it and you like it, he's the guy to consult," she mentioned praising this old man for his area of expertise.

[Bloodedge]

Eira noted the approach of another individual who was to be their guide through this forest of familiars. Surely enough, the guide arrived with much bravado about him, much to the excitement of Sairevil. "This guy's intense! Sugoi, sugoi!" he chanted as if he'd been returned to proper childhood. On the other hand, Takumi didn't care for this guide or his apparent importance. He was commanded to locate his familiar, and since his mind was - despite this version of Takumi's separate problems - clear enough that it was all he cared to do regardless. And so, he separated himself from the others by running off into the forest by himself.

[Apollymi]

Sairevil's reaction to the guide showing up caused a bit of a chuckle from Eira as she remembered being much the same way. Surprisingly there was a similar reaction from Miyuki who looked at the man with wide eyes. "Hai, he's cool!" she said also seemingly trapped in true childhood. All of the joy of such a scene was somewhat broken if only for a moment by the running off of Takumi who seemed to be quite done with the entirety of this situation beyond the orders he'd been given. "Yasukawa-shounen! Don't just..." started the guide of this place, but Eira held up a hand. "Iie, Alder-san. He'll be fine on his own. I gave him an order and he's following it," said the crimson haired heiress of the Gremory. Alder took one look at Eira and simply nodded his understanding.

He'd known this girl in her proper childhood and understood that if she was saying such a thing then this wasn't something to be meddled in. Miyuki on the other hand, was a bit worried for Takumi and as such she voiced this to Eira. "Eira-nee is it really okay though? He's been really different lately and..." she said not really knowing what she meant. Eira looked at the girl and opened her arms, and when Miyuki walked into them she gave her a hug which allowed for Eira to absorb her anxiety and quiet it in the girl. "Hai hai, I know he's in a bad place right now, but everyone has their struggles, yes? Right now, we focus on getting you a familiar too. He'll get his own and return," she said Miyuki looked to Eira and nodded her understanding. She was no longer confused or worried but instead was content. Alder watched all of this and a single stamp of the hoof of the creature he was on would mark this. "Gremory-shoujou has become an interesting leader. But now for you Gremory-shounen, Ryuume-shoujou your first steps towards reaching great heights!~" he said with arms at his sides and chest poked out. "Familiars!" he finished up. "The most important and primary tools and companions for devils. They speak to your abilities. They pick up your slack. They teach compassion and beyond that they create room for your betterment!~ Are you ready?!" he asked excited as ever. Miyuki watched this display and heard this impassioned speech her violet eyes wide. "Hai!" she said. And he waited on the response of Sairevil as well before the turning and pointing to an area within the forest and leading the way through with vigor unknown to most.

[Bloodedge]

Watching Takumi run away, Sairevil had a different reaction to Miyuki's. He watched the boy take off. Something was very different even compared to how odd Takumi had been behaving as of the last week. He stared at the fleeing dragon boy for some time before snapping back to the reality of what the others and themselves had to deal with. Since Eira said it was nothing to be worried about, he couldn't give it a second thought. The man named Alder gave a brief lecture about familiars. Sairevil reveled in the thought that he'd never expected to reach this point. Until recently, he was the black sheep of his father's peerage, being far, far weaker than every other member, and having little to no growth opportunity because of how little was required of a Satan's peerage. Ever since he joined Eira instead, he'd felt the strong camaraderie as well as the potential for him to be of actual use in the group. Now, here he was, finally taking another step toward being a greater devil. With a wide grin, he met Alder's question with much conviction. "Yosh! I'm ready, Alder-san!"

In the meantime, Takumi continued along a path he felt he was being guided along. As he looked around himself, he noted that the trees' branches and vines were creating an interesting web, or even labyrinth, of 'roads' to traverse. Many of these were taken as the young Red Dragon moved nearly at his top speed. There was something ahead of him in the distance. Surely he was mistaken, but he could have sworn he could see the light of day through a very thick gathering of trees. This was the place which attracted him: a dome of tree trunks, branches and vines, which seemed to exude its own natural light through the very small spaces in the collective structure. Takumi's own path along a large branch led him to a point roughly halfway up this dome, allowing him to climb around it until he found an open space large enough for him to struggle his way through. When he did so, he realized he hadn't been wrong after all. The area inside this massive dome was a wide-spread field filled with light and tall grass, as well as a few small lakes here and there. At the very center was the largest lake, and there beside it, Takumi believed he could see the image of a woman with waist-length white hair preparing to kneel for a drink. Since he was already inside here with no conventional way out, he did the one thing he could... and began walking toward this figure.

[Apollymi]

Eira's thoughts as she walked were all about her current situation and something she only really noticed that she'd because she'd done it so recently. 'I just fed on Miyuki. Right before that I fed on Izuna. The day before that I fed off that vampire's lust. Maybe he was right, I'm starving...' she thought. She couldn't remember a time where she felt like she needed this much energy before. As she walked she processed that her feeding on emotion had become more frequent and she couldn't quite place the timing of this necessity. Perhaps if she thought about it more, she'd remember the last time she fed and felt properly full.

Meanwhile Miyuki and Sairevil were being enthused, entertained, and taught by Alder. "HAI! Remember Shounen, Shoujou... this is the time where you ascend. Keep your eyes on the forest and find a creature that appeals to you!" he mused. As they passed a grassy field between the trees several small creatures which looked like vine snakes at various stages of development slithered through the grasses. "Tsutarja, creatures of great dignity! They are known to pick those of equal smug nature, even so they are fiercely loyal and stand up along side those they believe in," he said of the creatures but they kept moving. As they kept moving they came across an open plain full all manner of random creature. He showed them many things waiting for one or more of them to ask questions. As they walked though a small sea otter like creature wandered nearby. The look on his face one of intense concentration as it looked for something with a fervor that could attract many to its work. "Mite! That is a Mijumaru... it leaves the water when it is ready searching for a Scalchop. It is a rock which is sharper than a sword. It goes out to find its offense that it might one day stand before any challenge. It can take it years to find what it is looking for but it always knows what that is when it finds it," these were the words of Alder about the creature but as it continued searching, Miyuki's eyes caught sight of something. She had no idea what a scalchop was, but she was as helpful as any of Eira's peerage and as such she picked it up walking over to the creature. "Here... it might help," she said before hurrying off again behind the still moving party. What she'd handed this creature was a small sea shell but it seemed to be golden in color. Beyond all of that it was sharp. The small otter took this with its brows drawn and ran off immediately. This caused a small smile on the face of Miyuki and Eira placed her hand atop this girl's head. "That was sweet of you, Miyuki~" she offered the girl who blushed a rather intense shade of blue. Miyuki didn't know if she thought it was sweet or not, but once, Youmu had offered her a bit of extra knowledge and it had helped immensely. If this creature was trying to go home and prove itself to its family, she could do nothing but respect it, given her own background.

[Bloodedge]

Sairevil wandered around with the others. He was more than content to follow Alder and his teachings about the different creatures of this forest. Frankly, he had no idea there could be so many different species in one location, nor that they were all viable options for familiars. As they moved beyond the otter-like creature Miyuki chose to assist, Sairevil found his gaze wandering in an entirely different direction. Almost as much as the creatures themselves, he was interested in the design of the forest itself. The way the trees bent and warped themselves was astounding. In particular, there was one odd collection of trees in the distance, forming something intriguingly spherical. A somewhat familiar and powerful energy could be felt from it, but he couldn't quite place what it was. "Ano... I wonder what's over there..."

What Sairevil couldn't know was the danger which had somewhat sealed itself in this sphere, which Takumi was now in. He was upon the white-haired woman in a matter of moments, standing behind her as she drank from the lake. "Are you stuck here?" he asked of the female. He could understand that the guide Alder was apparently important for navigating the forest without getting lost, but perhaps this woman had become stuck... the same way he was now, unless he made use of his Sacred Gear to destroy the dome of trees around them. In being addressed, the strange woman opened her deep blue eyes, and turned her head to view Takumi during her response. "Yes, I am. But because I am, so are they," she said. Just then, something stirred within the dome. Takumi was exposed to a great power, that being the collective energies of numerous dragons slowly appearing around him. Many were small, no larger than a horse. Some though, boasted their full and massive size as they converged upon Takumi and this mysterious woman. Meanwhile, the woman set her gaze upon Takumi's left arm. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Y Ddraig Goch..." she said, prompting the appearance of the green gem on Takumi's hand. "That's a name I haven't heard in a very long time. So you are her..."

[Apollymi]

'I've always been hungry but when was the last time I wasn't starving?' Eira asked herself she purposefully took only the energy she needed because she knew taking too much could do harm to people. But when was the last time she didn't feel like this. The gaze of Sairevil along with a stark increase in energy caught Eira's attention. It wasn't necessarily that she knew exactly the energy she was feeling it was that the thought of it made her salivate her stomach twisting up in knots even with a so recently consumed meal as Miyuki's anxiety. "Dragon..." Eira almost whispered this word, but it would be Alder who properly explained the goings on of the dome.

"The structure of the forest changes depending on the will of the creatures who are moving about, it also depends on who is entering and exiting the forest as a Devil. Remember Shounen, not only do you choose your familiars but in most cases they also choose you. Gremory-shoujou can speak to such a phenomenon," he commented. Whatever was going on in the farther neck of the forest, it was almost certain that it had something to do with Takumi. Eira could almost trust the lad to take care of himself, aside from his inability to balance his demeanor. Still, she had faith that given the order she'd issued it would all work out in the end. As they observed, they were also being observed. The small sea otter like creature had liked the object given to it by Miyuki and moved about with it strapped to his own chest now. It would proudly aim to show this off to the lass vying for her attention but, hers like everyone else's was on the strange phenomenon, thus leaving it ignored.

[Bloodedge]

"Dragon!?" Sairevil reacted immediately after hearing Eira's single word. Now that she mentioned it, that was quite clearly what it was. The other meaning behind this utterance was clearly lost to Sairevil, but even if it hadn't been, he was completely taken aback by how easily he could sense this power from such a distance. Turning around quickly, he looked to Alder. "Dragons can be familiars!? I want one!"

"And it is you, indeed. They sense it too. It's going to make them all take action, just like back then," the woman said. All the dragons in this secluded space could tell the Red Dragon Emperor had appeared. The only thing keeping them all here was the fact that they could not individually break free of the dome, but as dragons, they could not trust one another long enough to work together. Now, they had a reason to work as one in an effort to overcome one such as Ddraig, who was a threat to them all. Takumi still seemed unfazed. "Uruse. I'm here for a familiar," he stated loudly enough for every dragon nearby to hear him. Many of them laughed, knowing there were few in existence who would be capable of making any of them submit. This was especially the case for devils, bar one family who happened to have dragons of their own, and were no concern of the free ones such as them. The woman who spoke with Ddraig seemed shocked by Takumi's assertion. "They will kill you. While they're at it and finally cooperating, they'll kill me as well. Then they'll all be free to roam the forest. You couldn't possibly tame enough of them to make a difference, even if it were possible for you to make a familiar out of an adult dragon."

Hearing this, Takumi tilted his head slightly. There was something he thought about this woman since the moment she spoke to Ddraig, and he responded. Only once had the boy been conscious for this sort of interaction, and there was only one reason she could have said some of the things she did, while also being carefree enough to drink in the middle of this space while other dragons sat in hiding from one another. Just as importantly, none of the dragons were taking action while they conversed here. As he thought it through, he stepped closer to the woman. "I'm taking a familiar. If they're going to be a problem, that means I only need to start with a specific one," he said, causing the woman's blue eyes to widen to their limit.

[Apollymi]

Sairevil's response to Eira thinking about dragons aloud made her look at him with a raised brow. She was surprised he didn't recognize that kind of energy for what it was considering that he lived with his father's peerage for so long. She didn't know if he could technically gain a dragon this way but she figured if it was at all possible the guide would be able to say so. "Dragons are noble creatures you can gain as familiars. You are advised though to search out a baby dragon, or maybe even a dragon egg, shounen. Adult dragons are impossible to tame and require nothing short of absolute domination, if they don't choose you," he said solemnly. "People have died trying," he concluded they'd move along now, away from the collection area. With a mind for what the lad was looking for he'd lead towards the very edges of the forest. Though that dome and its light were still very visible. "Beyond that, dragons haven't roamed freely in this forest in a few centuries," he said absently. Miyuki followed perhaps a dragon would be a fun thing to tame, but she couldn't imagine trying to dominate something on purpose.

Eira took this information a very different way. 'If a dragon doesn't choose you it requires absolute domination?' her mind asked this question and she wondered if this kind of logic was at all connected to her lack of control over Takumi. If she cared to think of him as if he was simply contracted to her, she could find that if she didn't give him orders he didn't do what she wanted. Was it simply a difference in how he treated things? Or worse yet, was it because he truly didn't wish to bend to her will in the first place? 'He didn't choose me...' her thought was heavy in her mind. She knew this to be the case, because she had reincarnated him on a whim because she'd seen it. Perhaps he never would have chosen to follow her. Perhaps that was the disconnect. But did she believe that? Eira had seen this boy's resolve before and wondered if he truly just didn't wish to follow her. In these thoughts she became exceedingly introspective about how to handle Takumi from this point forward without compromising her own principles, something which kept happening when she moved towards Takumi. Would she ever really be sure of why this was the case?

[Bloodedge]

"Eeeehh!?" was Sairevil's response. He was rendered somewhat downtrodden because of this information about dragon familiars. "Kuso... I don't think I want to keep a dragon from infancy or younger just so I can have one. I've seen older dragons fight too, so I don't really want anything to do with that," he explained. Perhaps then, a dragon was not for him at all.

For Takumi, however, he had a very specific adult dragon in mind to become his familiar, right here and now within the tree dome. "You can't do that! They're only keeping away now because they think one of us will kill each other. If you make me kill you here, they'll seize the moment and attack me. Then they'll free themselves," the woman explained while backing away. Takumi could read her fear, and it was the same fear these other dragons had about her until he arrived with Ddraig. "So you'll die. You had to trap them in here, so you're not strong enough to beat them all. If you fight back, I could kill you. If you win, they'll kill you." As the woman backed away, she eventually became incapable of moving farther because of the lake at her heel. This allowed Takumi to finally reach her, at which point he placed his left hand upon her cheek and grinned with an arrogance he'd not felt within himself for some time now. "You're mine."

[Apollymi]

"To keep a dragon in any form is a major responsibility. It takes a very specific kind of willful person to tame one, shounen." mentioned Alder as he continued to ride along. The now downtrodden Sairevil would find Eira giving him a hug by slinging her arms over his shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Revil, I'm sure you'll find something perfect for you. Or it will find you..." she mused. As if to highlight this, the small otter creature finally caught back up with the group and this time it stopped directly in front of Miyuki causing the violet eyed girl to look down at it carefully. It looked slightly different than it had when she'd noticed before and she couldn't tell why immediately. But as it strutted about in front of her it made sure to show her its belly and the gleaming little shell atop it that fit perfectly in the space. The same little shell, that Miyuki had found for it.

"Ano, this little guy has been following us, Eira-nee... Alder-san what does it mean?" she asked of the pair which sparked nothing but a knowing chuckle from Eira while Alder explained. "Ryuume-shoujou, the Mijumaru went out looking for its offense and found what it needed. It decided it needed you! It is up to you to acknowledge that it is indeed a worthy partner!" said Alder much to Miyuki's surprise. "So, you want to come with me?" she asked of the creature which garnered a head nod of understanding complete with a point in the girl's direction with the scalchop she'd given it. The young Yuki-onna fond this exchange to be a strange one, after all, she hadn't expected something to interesting to happen so quickly. Nor had she expected any creature to seek her out. Her own insecurities led her to believe that even if she came here to find something, she'd end up leaving without it. "Sugoi! Let's work together then!" she said extended her hand to the creature she'd create a magic circle which would bind this small creature to her. Eira watched this happen with wide eyes, as did Alder. "Usually young devils need instruction with binding contracts, Ryuume-shoujou makes a fine addition to a peerage and a good partner for the young Mijumaru. It is a top class familiar or at the very least it can grow into one, be a good master and watch it develop with you!~" these were the words of congratulation and wisdom from one such as Alder. "Congratulations, Mi-yu-ki~ You did well!~" Eira said to the small girl and with this one found their journey would continue, at the very least until Takumi returned. All the while Miyuki was now carrying this small creature in her arms as it flapped its small arms and looked about with large eyes and its mouth opening and closing at random intervals as if it wanted to speak.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka. Guess I'll keep looking then." Sairevil had no idea at all what sort of familiar he actually wanted. If he had to make a decision though, he'd surely pick something way lower on the maintenance scale than dragons allegedly were. It seemed Miyuki had managed to acquire her familiar via a simple act of kindness shown to the creature at an early point in their journey. Sairevil sighed when she went on to complete the pact necessary to bind it to her, but then became surprised. "Eh!? I thought you missed Kagimi-san's lesson on that?"

The aggressive dragons began to understand what was happening. When Takumi touched her, the woman's face both softened and reddened, as if she were somehow embarrassed. "What are you even thinking!? I am-" "Mine," Takumi interrupted as a magic circle appeared beneath himself and the white-haired woman. Within moments, they were bonded by force and ready to face the opposing dragons. "Two against many. Too bad my job's done," Takumi said. He knew there was a great chance he would now begin encountering issues since his order was fulfilled, but the female figure he'd just made into a familiar was ready and willing to make a suggestion as they stood back-to-back. "If I may then, master... You could tame them easily if you managed to force me to your side."

[Apollymi]

Sairevil agreed to keep looking for another familiar of his own, probably something with less outright care needed than the dragons of lore. Eira smiled knowing that understanding one's own limits was also an important factor in building up to be a stronger person. As they continued to move though, it seemed Sairevil took issue with Miyuki understanding how binding contracts worked, in particular since she'd missed a lesson on them handed down by Izuna. Miyuki looked at him wide eyed and then became a bit embarrassed. "Well, I uh... I often talk magic with Hiro-senpai. I am really interested in it. So when he was explaining my eventual duties to get contracts and make pacts with humans I also had him explain how binding contracts worked," she said with a nod. A small smile came to Eira's face as she heard this, "Eh, you're that into magic now Miyuki, I'll make sure to introduce you to the magician I made a pact with..." she said to the girl which made her nod her head in an excited fashion. Alder continued to lead them around and found it strange that there was no sight or sound from the lad who'd run off into the forest alone, he thought to question this, but decided against it for fear of raising unnecessary alarm in those who walked about now.

[Bloodedge]

A few minutes passed, and the dome of trees Takumi had been in exploded abruptly. A mix of bark, full and partial branches, and broken vines flew outward from the area in a massive gust that spread deep through the forest. An incredible pair of white wings could be seen at the epicenter before those same bright glowing wings began flying toward Eira and the others. The space between these wings was filled with light by the time it came into view, but before landing, Takumi and the white-haired woman could be seen emerging, with the former having an arm draped over the latter. Takumi seemed to have been carried here as a result, but regardless, the pair landed simultaneously upon reaching the Gremory heiress and those in her company. Takumi looked up then, having but one major thing to say to the crimson-haired devil. "It's done," he said. Afterwards, the woman with him would speak to the group as a whole. "Ohayou gozaimasu, minnasan."

[Apollymi]

An explosion in the forest would eventually draw the attention of all present. A giant pair of white wings would make Eira's left brow raise in curiosity as Alder seemed to find this entire thing a bit strange as well. "There isn't anyone here but your group Gremory-shoujou, even I have no idea..." he started to conclude to speak to his lack of knowledge over the events currently occurring when something rather strange would happen. Soon enough, Takumi would land draped over the shoulder of a white haired woman who seemed to be in his company. His only words to Eira spoke of 'it' being done, and she could only assume he meant that he completed her order to obtain a familiar during his time here. The crimson haired heiress' eyes widened only slightly at this sight for a confusing mix of reasons not the least of which being she was spoken to by the white haired woman. "You obtained a familiar then? Congratulations..." Eira said looking towards the white haired woman she assumed to be the familiar. She was willing not to question this so much as long as the deed was done and it seemed to be, the oddness about how he'd gone about it aside. "And it's nice to meet you..." she said. A stunned Miyuki just managed to blink while still holding on to her own familiar. "Sugoi, Taku-senpai you really went and did something like that all alone?" she was stunned he'd gone out without even a guide and managed to find something. "Yasukawa-shounen! But that is... the Blue Eyes White Dragon?!" utter surprise came from Alder as he'd never seen this dragon in the company of anyone besides other dragons it had even cordoned off an entire area of the forest so as to remain rarely if ever seen.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," was all Takumi had to say about the fact that he acquired a familiar. When Miyuki spoke on the matter, he set his gaze upon her with a curious expression. "Iia. We each had to do some of the work," he said regarding himself and, apparently, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon of legend. Speaking of the dragon, she was bowing to Eira at that very moment. "Hai! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" Sairevil had never been so aghast as when Alder spoke this name. He'd initially thought of having a dragon, and given up on the idea in no time at all. "KUSO! I don't even have one yet, and he's got a dragon!? Wait... how the hell did you both do the work? You got a dragon to agree to that!?" Sairevil asked, pleading even.

It was at that exact moment that the meaning behind Takumi's words would be known. A full platoon of dragons - boasting varying sizes, shapes and general types - descended from the sky, flapping their wings to hover several meters above their summoner and the others near him. To answer the crimson-haired male's query, Takumi looked to him with the same amount of curiosity he'd used when answering Miyuki. "They were going to attack. I couldn't tame them all myself."

[Apollymi]

Eira managed not to look terribly stunned and was just generally happy that the first proper order she gave the lad hadn't gone astray. Beyond that the familiar he'd managed to tame was polite, so she could just call this a success. Strangely, Takumi's reaction to Miyuki made the girl go wide eyed at the news. Not only had he tamed his familiar but he'd also gotten a decent bit of use out of her already. "Sugoi!" she exclaimed managing to feel the proud for the lad considering this was another milestone they managed to reach together. Meanwhile, Sairevil was left to try and figure out how such a thing happened and the lad was aghast that he'd given up on dragons only to have one of his peers come back with one. Eira knew watching someone else's success could be very hard, and she knew this as a person whose brother became a Satan and Super Devil. "Revil, you can't think like that. If you spend all your time looking at the success of others you'll never find or appreciate your own..." she mentioned to the lad while allowing a hand to rest atop his head. That being said, there was one more matter which would draw the attention of all. And that would be the descent of an entire platoon of dragons. "Oh. My. GOODNESS! YASUKAWA-SHOUNEN!" these were the words of a stunned Alder who rarely saw dragons leave this forest much less in the current number that Takumi currently had. Miyuki simply blinked several times because she could hardly believe it as well. Eira had a strange reaction, there was a steep pride within her at this lad's fortitude, she was exceedingly happy for him. With the ability to tame this many familiars in a single go, she could only imagine how much more useful he would find himself being especially considering this was a task he hadn't even wanted to begin with. "Sugoi! Excellent work, Takumi," she managed to say resisting the desire she had to hug this lad in celebration of such a momentous occasion.

[Bloodedge]

Prior to Sairevil's opportunity to retort, he was rendered absolutely speechless by the sudden descent of multiple dragons under Takumi's command. It took a few moments, but he was able to shake this off without straining his voice yet again. "Ano... it's not that I think it's that big a deal. It just sucks; I wanna be useful already! I'll still..." He paused there, seeming to have some sort of freak-out seconds after becoming perfectly still. He was spinning around and reaching for something behind him, albeit to no avail. "Something's on my back! What is it!?" he asked. One would find there was nothing on Sairevil's back. At least, nothing visible was there, but there was one particular creature that lived in the recesses of this forest, and it tended to latch onto its owner without allowing any opportunity for them to make another pact.

Takumi's gaze had shifted to Eira for the sake of finding some confirmation to his task's completion. There was a congratulatory statement offered to him. Afterwards, a few seconds passed before he averted his gaze. "Hai," he said lackadaisically. 'Baka. I told you, it's no good.'

[Apollymi]

Eira heard what Sairevil had to say, and of course, she empathized with his plight. He claimed he only wanted to be useful but before his statement could come to an end, he went very still. He then went on to freak out about something being on his back. "Iia, I don't see anything there..." Eira said but it would be an interruption by Alder once again to fill in the missing blanks. "Gremory-shounen! It seems that you've had your familiar all along. A creature roams these forests as an illusionist named Zoroark. It is fox like and cunning... while being terribly territorial. Once it's marked a target as its own, it will not allow them to pursue others. Sometimes they simply distort the views of those who they are with, sometimes they will fight or scare off others, though they don't really like being seen, you can rest assured it is there!" said Alder firmly. His confirmation of this, let Eira know that all had succeeded in their tasks this day, either by their own efforts or incidentally. "Sugoi! Seems like you've found yourself one that is a bit of a trouble-maker, do your best, Revil!~" Eira chimed happy that the lad hadn't be completely outed by things this day. She'd spoken and reflexively opened her arms for Revil, but when her eyes settled she saw Takumi and felt a strange pang in her chest. As if she felt somehow dejected but she was quite sure this wasn't true. Whether that gesture was taken or not, if everyone had done everything they needed to do within the forest it was time for them to leave. "Alright... if everyone has what we came here for, let's go home," Eira said creating a magic circle large enough to encompass everyone who needed to be transported. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Alder-san!" she said offering the man atop the giant steer a bow. He smiled at her in turn bowing from his perch. "It was my honor, Gremory-shoujou. I can't wait to see what heights you all reach!" he said and with that they'd part landing in an abandoned part of Kuoh Town so that everyone could part ways and go home.