Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

93 Familiar

"Welcome to the City of Forgetfulness young Death Executioner."

A Nether Creature whose features went passed the border of human's definition of abnormality bowed to Freya.

Its height was something that's a little short, but also a little taller than dwarves living in the Vulcan Kingdom where humanity has quite a friendly relationship.

It has three eyes, two were placed just like similar to a human's, just below its forehead, while a single vertical, quite big eye was in the middle between the two eyes.

This Nether Creature has no nose, only a mouth with teeth of bones. It has no hair, but rather three small horns, two of which protrude symmetrically, while the remaining horn protrudes from its forehead like a scarab beetle.

Its body was bulky, same with its two legs and two arms, they were made of almost all bone, and only some flesh remains, but its whole body was burning with purple flames, but feeling no pain, just like the horse with each eye of its side.

Freya — who observed the Nether Creature that she seemed to get used to seeing after her encounter with the mysterious headless woman — checked its Status Window with the use of one of her skills: Death's Eye.

[Activating Skill: Death's Eye]

Status Window

Name: Verg-Or

Race: Nether Creature (Worker)

Title: Slave Trader of the Dead

Health Points (HP): 49,990

Mana Points (MP): 49,990

Stamina Points (SP): 49,990

Chaos Mana (CM): 49,990

Age: 33,333,323 (Earth Years)

Sex: ??? Height: ???

Planet: ???

Rank: A+

Profession: Merchant

[Stats]

Strength: 4,999

Dexterity: 4,999

Constitution: 4,999

Agility: 4,999

Vitality: 4,999

Willpower: 4,999

Tenacity: 4,999

Charm: 2

Luck: 15

Magic Power: 49,990

Chaos Power: 49,990

Unique Skill: ???

Skill: ???

Trait: ???

...

Freya read the Status Window shown in front of her and guesses some things as she read through it, there was also a look of wonder with the information that registered in her mind.

First, it was the age of the Nether Creature in front of her which was 33,333,332, at least on the Earth Years.

Second, the ??? in its Status Window, although she used Death's Eye which allows her to check its Status Window, it's still unknown to her for some reason.

Third, she noticed the System's information about the additional stat for Agility and Vitality per 3 Dexterity and Constitution stat.

'They don't have that bonus stat like the dungeon monsters... is it because they're not considered humans or intelligent races like the Elves? I'll ask Oppa later about it.'

Freya suspected, but one she took note of the most was its fixed stats which numbered 4,999, equivalent to an A+ rank before the S- rank whose stats starts from 5,000.

...

"Hello... Please, stop the formalities. I need some help with something.

"By the way, I'm Freya and the one here is my older brother..."

Freya introduced her older brother as well as Amelie and Amery to the Nether Creature with a Merchant profession named Verg-Or.

Although there were eyes from other Nether Creatures roaming around, they went to their assigned jobs, minding their own business.

"Alright, Ms. Freya, what can I do for you?"

Verg-Or spoke politely while looking at the ground.

'He's probably a male. Freya thought if she'd guess it based on the creature's voice.'

"I need a familiar who can accompany me in my journey."

"Familiar... You came to the right place, Ms. Freya!"

After that, Verg-Or removed a tattered curtain hanging on the back of a slightly bigger-than-normal size burning horse with an eye on each side, there was a cage with at least eight Nether Creatures that were tied up on their feet, hands, or wings.

"Uhmm... those are Nether Slaves, right? By the way, how'd they become a slave?"

She asked curiously as she examined the Nether Creatures in the cage locked in a carriage carried around by the bone horse burning in purple flames. What she exactly was curious about was if the Ruler of Death assigned these beings to have a certain role just like in a theatre as if they were only acting for the sake of having a society in the Nether Realm.

The Merchant, Verg-Or answered politely with a smile, looking at the Nether Slaves who were not struggling at all.

"Ms. Freya, they are originally Nether Strays that roam the Nether Realm aimlessly, but they came from other regions and were caught by Nether Workers like me, but with the profession of Soldiers. Then they were branded with the Slave Seal, turning them into Nether Slaves."

Freya listened attentively, it was the same with Russell who knew at least the circumstances of how the Nether Realm works, while Amelie and Amery had a wondrous look as if realizing that what happened probably was trespassing on a certain territory or region.

"Freya, isn't your Unique Skill control a specific area of the dead?

"Does it mean that you only have the authority or can go for now in this Region of Oblivion?"

Amelie asked as she recalled the conversation earlier before afternoon today on Earth.

"That's right, Ms. Amelie, some regions are assigned to serve the other Death Executioners. Although the unique skill granted to each Death Executioner is different, one of its effects is certainly transferring them to a certain region."

Verg-Or added, confirming Amelie's question.

Freya has many questions flowing in her mind as if a flood was about to surge, but she stored them at the back of her head for now and got to business. At this moment, the System's notification sounded in Freya's ears, telling her that her Unique Skill has been modified.

"Is that so... I'll think about it later, but now I need a familiar, can you introduce them to me?"

"Yes, Ms. Freya."

Verg-Or said in a hoarse voice as if his throat which seemed nonexistent was feeling extremely cold.

The Merchant, Freya, and the company approached the carriage carried by the burning horse.

"This one is a Gargoyle from the Region of Stones.

"Its ability..."

Verg-Or introduced the eight Nether Slaves as an unknown period of time had passed.

One of the Nether Slaves was the Gargoyle from the Region of Stones with its great sightseeing ability to locate souls, as well as to detect evil spirits, approaching from afar. It has horizontal eyes and burns with gray flames like the color of some kind of rock.

Then there's a Goblin Thief made of bones, burning with green flames, and has the ability to steal inside the Dimensional Inventory of a person but with only 0.00000001% chance, unlike the Dimensional Thief profession or the Cosmic Plunderer lurking around the cosmos that Russell knew with its 99.9% accuracy of stealing if not encountered properly. But its true skill was the 'Soul Theft' skill which allows it to steal the soul for a few seconds to delay the complete possession of evil spirits to their targets.

There's a humanoid creature, too, also made of bones with slight flesh remaining, it has long black hair with blindfolded eyes. The creepy thing about it was that it has clothes similar to a nun of a Church on Earth.

Verg-Or said that she was a Nether Stray from the Country of Darkness. Freya noticed that the word Verg-Or used was Country and not Region, but she guessed some things already and didn't ask about it, but rather continued to organize her thoughts about what Verg-Or introduced.

The name of this humanoid creature with a nun outfit was 'Estelle', with an ability that either calms or attacks the soul and mind. Her profession was that of Dark Priestess. That's the overview of what Verg-Or told her.

The remaining five Nether Creatures that were introduced to her were already removed from her book because their abilities were either of no help to her regarding her expectation when she starts placating souls or because of their looks, that's more abnormal than the previously mentioned.

'Come to think of it... What's abnormal about Estelle aside from wearing the clothes of a nun and being blindfolded?'

Freya just accepted the fact that Nether Creatures were all made of most bones and slightly flesh and that what she considered abnormal at this moment was other physical features aside from almost nonexistent skin.

After pondering for some time, Freya asked Verg-Or what she was just thought at this very moment.

"Verg-Or, what price I must pay to have one of them?"

Verg-Or answered politely as if waiting to answer such a question.

"It's free for you, Ms. Freya. To be honest, you could take all of them, but when they step foot in your world, you need to feed them evil spirits at least thrice a day.

And I believe that you couldn't disown them after you choose them, so I advise you to think thoroughly about what choice you should make."

Verg-Or's on point as Freya's Unique Skill doesn't allow her to change familiars until the familiar dies and she doesn't know yet how strong or how long a fight with an evil spirit lasts.

"There's nothing to think about anymore. I will only take one, just as you said, I'm only a young Death Executioner, I might not be able to feed them evil spirits at the right time if I take too many."

She could originally take 7 familiars, but with her Unique Skill being amplified with her title as Resident of the Nether Realm, she could take up to 14 familiars.

Verg-Or felt reverence with the young Death Executioner in front of her as he thought:

'This is someone who knows her limits, unlike some others.'

"Alright, Ms. Freya, who will you take with you?"

"I'll choose Estelle, although all of them might be able to help me in some ways, I need someone right now that could help me calm souls and the mind.

"By the way, how can I hide them when we get back to Earth?"

This time, she looked at her older brother, Amelie, and Amery who was just listening to her conversation with the Merchant, but their faces contained an expression of being proud which somehow repulsed Freya because it felt sarcastic to her perspective.

"They have transformation skills that couldn't be detected unless the Eye that sees them has a Mirror or Arcana Origin."

'Mirror? Arcana...?'

Arcana... Freya recalled one of her Star Quests, it was to find a lost skillbook and artifact of Alises, the Queen of the Arcana World.

"What do you mean by Mirror or Arcana Origin?"

Freya asked — showing how inexperienced she was to this thing — with genuine curiosity, although she had guesses about the Arcana Origin.

"Mirror Origin skill is the Eye of the Mirror Reality that came from the Constellation that owns the Mirror Dimension. It reflects the true nature of any being it sees. If one doesn't have the trait of the Nihility which I believed you all have..."

As Verg-Or said that, he looked at Russell.

"Then... you'd not escape its prying abilities.

"And about the Arcana Origin skill, it speaks for itself, one cannot escape the secrets of the Great Universe unless one also has the trait of the Nihility.

"Anyway, Ms. Freya, I apologize but there's at least one last Eye that can comprehend the transformation skill of a Nether Creature, but I cannot tell you what it is because I might be in trouble if I do so."

Freya felt a little curious but she quickly put it at the back of her head.

"It's alright... what's the next process?"

...

[You have made 'Estelle' your familiar under the gaze of the 'Ruler of Death']

[The familiar, 'Estelle' kindly received her calling to serve her new master.]

[Estelle's Slave Seal has been removed, but rather been changed into a Soul Contract toward its new master.]

[Her any attempt of betrayal will result in her True Death or Eternal Damnation under the Nether Torturers.]

[Your familiar, 'Estelle' has used Transformation Skill.]

...

A little girl with a height of at least 150 cm stood in front of Freya, bowing her head. Its body was now covered in flesh just like a human's and has fair skin while her hair remains deep black.

She still wears the blindfold as Verg-Or said that their nature or habit couldn't be changed instantly and there might be a reason why she was wearing such a thing.

After a few seconds, another notification sounded in Freya's ears.

[Your Unique Skill: Death's Call has been successfully used.]

[You can now return to Earth by saying the following words: Return to the Living World.]

Freya told her older brother and the duo that they could return. Russell, Amelie, and Amery nodded their heads and bid their goodbyes to the Merchant and the other Nether Creatures, spectating the spectacle.

"Return to the Living World."

...

Crack-! Crack-!

A space was torn, then the five individuals walked out of it.

"Huh? Where's this?"

Amelie asked, feeling bewildered because they weren't in Russell's dorm. They arrived at some secluded alley of an unknown place.

"Hey. Freya, we're f*cked."

Russell tapped Freya's shoulders as he looked at one of the walls in the secluded alley with a paper posted.

Freya read it slowly as her eyes widened.

...

"Missing Obelisk Students"

Russell Moon - Age 16