Magic The Gathering is owned by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. Familiar of Zero is owned by Noboru Yamaguchi.
Φ
Pain.
Urabrask's world was nothing but pain as Elesh Norn's harvesters slowly and agonizingly bore away his arms and legs. With each turn of the massive wheels his limbs were tied to, the pain only heightened further. He could feel each metallic sinew stretching beyond its limits and tearing past even that. But even as his screams grew louder and louder and his torture grew greater and greater, there was another feeling growing inside him, one that nearly rivaled the pain tearing Urabrsk apart.
Hate.
In his torment-induced delirium, it was the only emotion that the red praetor could process. He targeted his hatred towards anything and everything. He hated the harvesters ripping him apart and causing him this suffering. He hated the Mirrans for failing to last longer against Norn's army. He hated himself for being unable to change that outcome. But most of all, Urabrask hated Elesh Norn, the so-called "Mother of Machines" and the main reason why this came to be. If not for Elesh Norn, Urabrask could still toil away, moving forward The Great Work. But, in Elesh Norn's so-called grand vision, she desired to bring all that there is under the banner of a unified Phyrexia. She claims that when all is one, perfection shall finally be achieved, but Urabrask knew better. Perfection was forged from the fires of creation and reinvention, a never-ending tempering of body and mind. But under a Norn-controlled Phyrexia, such thinking would not be allowed and would be extinguished, forever halting The Great Work. Urabrask could never, would ever accept this vision of there being just one, forever imperfect Phyrexia. So, he waged war against her Machine Orthodoxy, using any advantage he could find to grasp victory, even if it meant helping the half-perfect Mirrans and even that hot-headed planeswalker.
And yet, even though he did everything he could to come out on top, it wasn't enough. The forces of the Quiet Furnace were fractured, torn between loyalty to the spread of Phyrexia and the freedom and individuality granted to those born of the Autonomous Furnace. Even now, only one of his furnace bosses remained loyal to him, with the rest tempted away to join the Furnace Host, entranced by the opportunities presented by the invasion tree, Realmbreaker. The Mirrans and the planeswalkers were defeated, brought to their knees before Norn's throne, and awaiting judgment. Worst of all, despite even altering himself to be better suited to fight this war, he was captured and splayed before Elesh Norn, sentenced to death by quartering.
At the height of this torture, Elesh Norn snaps her fingers, and the harvesters bore away the last resistance his limbs had for staying attached to his body, ripping off with a metallic snap and a gush of roiling magma. With the worst of the pain over, all Urabrask could do was weakly glare at her with as much vitriol as he could muster. Seeing this, Elesh Norn turned to the harvesters that flanked him.
"Leave the traitor be, but remove him from my sight. I don't want the heretic's suffering to ruin this momentous event." As Urabrask was being dragged away, he could only growl at the words she used, a clear mockery of what Urabrask said when he decided to spare the Mirrans some years ago, the action that no doubt earned him his title of "Heretic Praetor." Looking at those same Mirrans now, Urabrask could only feel an emotion that could be called pity. Not because they would inevitably join the ranks of Phyrexia, but rather because they would be stripped of the choice to do so, the willing choice to embrace perfection, if Elesh Norn's rapid compleation process could even be called that now.
As the harvesters dragging his body reached the throne room's exit, they were stopped by Jin-Gitaxias, Praetor of the Chrome Host, who just entered the room himself. Seeing Urabrask's sorry state, he went to command the harvesters.
"Take the heretic to my laboratory. I will deal with him later." After a pause, no doubt informing Elesh Norn of Jin-Gitaxias' request through her recently applied hive mind, the harvesters bowed their heads in acknowledgment. Heeding Jin-Gitaxias' command, the harvesters went into the dark hallway beyond the throne room, leaving Urabrask with his thoughts as he was dragged to what would most assuredly be his final resting place.
Φ
Cold.
That's the only thing Urabrask could think of when describing Jin-Gitaxias' laboratory, both physically and aesthetically. Being dumped onto a surgical table in the center of the room, Urabrask could only pass the time by observing the room he was trapped in, and what he observed could only be described as cold. Besides the physical chill the room seems to have, everything within seems to have been designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, leaving no room for creative expression.
While not as much as Elesh Norn, Jin-Gitaxias was someone Urabrask still loathed. Being the most paranoid of the praetors, Jin-Gitaxias would constantly send spies to his domain, much to his irritation. Jin-Gitaxias also played his part in this whole mess, not only providing the means necessary to compleat planeswalkers to the glistening oil but also providing Elesh Norn with the means to set up her new phyrexian hive mind, with her having direct control over those compleated with this new oil. Even thinking about the damned hive mind angered Urabrask. It stood in the face of everything the praetor believed in, that of independence and free will.
To distract himself from the anger-inducing decisions of the two praetors, Urabrask instead turned his thoughts to a question that had been forming for the last few minutes in his mind: what did Jin-Gitaxias want with him so badly that he would ignore Elesh Norn's original command to leave him be? While Jin-Gitaxias would no doubt love the chance to dissect a fellow praetor, Urabrask felt there was more to this than the simple search for knowledge that normally consumed the thoughts of Jin-Gitaxias. Eventually, these thoughts would halt when Urabrask heard someone approach the laboratory. After a moment, Jin-Gitaxias rushed into the room, muttering something about blind arrogance and detrimental egos. But that's not what brought Urabrask's attention to the Chrome praetor, but rather the fact that he was missing an arm. Jin-Gitaxias approached a table apart from where Urabrask rested and deposited something he could not see from between his tentacles onto the said table. Without turning to Urabrask, instead deciding to work on whatever was on the table, Jin-Gitaxias began to speak.
"Hello again, heretic. As much as I would want to hold your loss over you, time is currently of the essence."
Curious about Jin-Gitaxias' urgency, Urabrask speaks up. "Am I not to be dissected? From what I could gather, Dissecting my messengers seems to be a favorite pastime of yours, and you would normally relish the opportunity to work on a fellow praetor."
Without even turning away from the table, two of Jin-Gitaxias' tentacles slithered towards where Urabrask lay, one ending in a three-pronged claw and the other with a knife-like blade.
"To be honest, the thought is tempting. I have always theorized that there was something that made us praetors superior to the normal phyrexian. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance to properly test that theory out due to lacking the necessary subjects until now." At this, Jin-Gitaxias slashed his bladed tentacle across one of the exposed bones jutting from one of his wounds, increasing the already miserable pain Urabrask is still dealing with due to the exposed wounds, as well as dropping a bone fragment into the waiting tentacle claw below it. "It could provide me with great knowledge… and yet, I think I'll find better use for you alive, rather than dead." Lifting away the tentacles, they slithered back to their master and deposited the fragment into Jin-Gitaxias' remaining hand.
It took a moment, but Urabrask realized what may have happened. "Something occurred at the Realmbreaker, didn't it?" Urabrask accused, hoping to determine the current state of things. "Very few things could turn you away from gaining knowledge, so something bad must have happened for you to turn away that scalpel of yours."
Hearing these accusatory words, Jin-Gitaxias could only growl out a response, still focused on his work. "It was more than just something, I was intercepted before I could begin compleating the Mirran prisoners. An angel burst out of nowhere, stopping me from striking down the Mirran planeswalker and sending Norn into a frenzy."
"A frenzy? I could only think of one being that could cause such a reaction in Norn, but she certainly wasn't an angel from what intel I could gather on the planeswalker. Only one way to confirm," Urabrask thought. "Did you perhaps hear the name of the angel?"
Jin-Gitaxias' anger was only made more palpable by this question, as evidenced by his response. "How could I not, with how Norn was screaming it? It will take days before the name Elspeth Tirel stops ringing in my head…"
"So it was her! It looks like I was right to seek her out, even if we couldn't meet before I had to leave New Cappena." Urabrask thought. "Was Elspeth the one who took your arm, then?"
"You are being rather inquisitive," Jin-Gitaxias replied, "considering I can still change my mind about keeping you alive. Regardless, no, my missing arm was not because of the angel, but rather because I had the gall to suggest to the glorious mother of machines that we turn our efforts towards capturing the fleeing Mirran forces, who only got the chance to do so because of Elesh Norn believing the angel was a bigger priority." For Jin-Gitaxias to say Norn's self-granted title with such sarcasm instead of his usual calculated monotone, she must have truly frustrated him with her actions. "My reward for displaying such gall was Norn ripping my arm off for daring to question her so-called absolute will, which leads to why I'm here now." With this declaration, Jin-Gitaxias finally turns back towards Urabrask, carrying what looks like…
"Why do you have my limbs, Jin-Gitaxias?" To Urabrask's surprise, what Jin-Gitaxias worked on was his missing limbs, repairing any damage that they sustained during his torture session. "Do you intend to put me back together? Charity has never been a quality you upheld, ever."
"And it will never be. Instead, knowing that commanding you will never work, I intend to make a deal with you." Finally reaching Urabrask's table, Jin-Gitaxias placed the limbs down where they would be if they were still attached. "Elesh Norn has crossed the line for the final time and is no longer fit to control New Phyrexia. It is evolving beyond her scope and needs someone to guide its synthesis to perfection, something Norn can no longer provide. In this, I intend to overthrow her, and place myself in control of New Phyrexia and the Realmbreaker."
"And what's my role in this?" Urabrask replied. "I doubt you want to share control of New Phyrexia, especially with our ideologies conflicting as they do."
To this, Jin-Gitaxias could only sigh, a break in his usual monotone. After a moment, he spoke. "As much as I hate to confirm this, I do not have the knowledge necessary to ensure my success in overthrowing Norn and regaining control of the situation. As we speak, the Mirrans and their allied planeswalkers approach the Realmbreaker, doubtless having something in mind to try and stop New Phyrexia's expansion. While I doubt they can succeed, I cannot be certain of their failure."
Jin-Gitaxias reached over Urabrask's body and moved into place an operator orb above him, and upon the surface of the orb, he attached an oil-soaked device that Urabrask only had heard of when he strangled its description out from one of Jin-Gitaxias' many spies. "That device," Urabrask began, "that's the Reality Chip, isn't it? The thing that allowed you to compleat planeswalkers and alter the oil?"
"Ignoring how you most likely became aware of it, yes, this is the Reality Chip. It will be essential in repairing your body, as the operator orbs do not normally have the accuracy necessary for repairs like this, not unless you wish for your limbs to be weaker as a result. Unlike you, I allow no such imperfection in my work." Urabrask decided to ignore that insult since he would very much like his limbs back. "With everything ready for the operation, here is the deal: As I cannot ensure my success in saving New Phyrexia from Norn's strangling grasp, I must ensure that The Great Synthesis continues. To this end, I offer to reattach your limbs, in exchange for a favor."
Suspicious, Urabrask asked his question. "What do you intend for me to do?"
"Run," Jin-Gitaxias answered. "Take the Reality Chip and run away from New Phyrexia. While I am loathe to give you such a precious device, Phyrexia must survive. Go to the Realmbreaker, take one of the paths into the multiverse, and do what you do best and hide. If New Phyrexia does indeed fall, it will be up to you to bring about its rebirth. Do we have an accord?"
Urabrask wanted to yell at Jin-Gitaxias. If he ran, it would mean abandoning what few loyal members of the Quiet Furnace he had left within New Phyrexia's Furnace layer, abandoning everything he has spent years working on within his home. Normally, Urabrask would be enraged by such a request and would melt down the requester into slag. And yet, despite all that…
"…Fine. Just get the operation over with" Urabrask growled out. He could not help but agree with Jin-Gitaxias' desire to ensure Phyrexia's survival. While Jin-Gitaxias didn't know what it was that the Mirrans were planning, Urabrask did, or at least had an inkling of such. When he assisted the Mirrans and the hot-headed planeswalker with reaching the Realmbreaker, they were with another, a pale-skinned female who was attached to what Urabrask could only call a walking tree. If that was any indication of her powers, then Urabrask was well within reason to get out of New Phyrexia as soon as possible. While he doubted the woman would be able to properly pilot the Realmbreaker, her attempts at such could end up destroying New Phyrexia in the process.
As soon as he said this, however, both Urabrask and Jin-Gitaxias felt the ground quake. Quickly concluding as to what was happening, Jin-Gitaxias spoke. "It seems the Mirrans have finally made their move, which means I no longer have the time to deal with you. I have made a small slot within your right arm that you can insert the Chip in. Its capabilities will no doubt assist you in escaping." With this, he activated the orb and began slithering out of the room. Before exiting, however, he turned towards Urabrask for the final time. "Goodbye Urabrask. May we never have to meet again."
Φ
The operation hurt, but at this point, it hurt a lot less than what Urabrask already experienced today. After a small bout of numbness, he could feel his limbs once more, good as new. Curious about the slot Jin-Gitaxias mentioned, Urabrask looked at his right arm. After a moment of searching, Urabrask found a metal part that wasn't present before he had his limbs torn off. It took a moment of proddingReality Chip. Speaking of which, he turned back towards the operating orb and plucked the Reality Chip out of the device.
The Chip was a rather strange device, at least when compared to the usual tools and machines Urabrask used. The base of the chip was of an unfamiliar design, expressly unphyrexian in style. Extending out of the base of the chip were several glowing, blue oil-soaked tentacles, as well a short beam of light that contained several characters, also unlike the phyrexian language script Urabrask was used to.
As he brought the Reality Chip close to the arm slot, it sprang into action. The tentacles on the device, once they identified the slot, pulled itself out of Urabrask's hand and inserted itself into the slot. As soon as the tentacles inserted themselves into him, however, he could feel his inner furnace roar, pushing it into overdrive. With it, a great surge of energy coursed through his reattached limbs, making them feel stronger and quicker than ever. Not only that, Urabrask felt like his reflexes and perception were sharper than ever. Whatever that Chip did to him, it's made him feel stronger and better than ever.
Now that Urabrask had the Chip stored away, it was time to make good on his end of the deal, so as soon as he got clear of the laboratory, Urabrask ran, faster than he ever had before. He could only hope to reach the invasion tree before it was too late.
Φ
All around Urabrask, New Phyrexia was crumbling.
"What did those damned fools do!?" Urabrask fumed. As soon as he reached the branches of the Realmbreaker, they began to recede from the planes they broke into, making upholding his part of the deal seem less and less certain. "How can I escape New Phyrexia to a different plane, if all the planes escape New Phyrexia first!"
Urabrask was currently running along another one of these branches, trying to reach the portal that lay at its end. However, right before he could reach it, the branch receded from the portal, which caused it to rapidly slam shut. The force of its closure blasted the red praetor backward, which nearly sent him over the edge, but Urabrask managed to sink his clawed hands and forearm blades into the surface of the Realmbreaker's branch. He couldn't rest long, however, because as soon as he got his grip in place, Urabrask had to pull himself out of the way of a large falling clump of Mycosynth, the material that made up the ceiling of this sphere. "It seems that whatever the Mirrans did is causing the spheres to collapse on themselves!" Urabrask thought to himself.
Urabrask saw it firsthand, as when he was traveling through the layers from the Surgical Bays to the Seedcore, where the Realmbreaker was planted, he saw several parts of the spheres of New Phyrexia crack, crumple, and fall through to the sphere below it. What Urabrask didn't see, however, was why the plane was crumbling as it was in the first place. Due to the actions of the planeswalker Wrenn, who managed to take control of the Realmbreaker, the entire plane of New Phyrexia swapped places with the much smaller plane shard of Zhalfir, and it simply couldn't fit the space that it now occupied. To put it simply, New Phyrexia was being pushed out of the multiverse altogether.
As Urabrask pulled himself back onto the branch, he looked around to see what other portals remained for him to make a break for, his options rapidly dwindling. However, as soon as he chose a close enough portal to run for, Urabrask heard a voice.
"My servant that exists in this vast universe…"
"Huh? What is this?" Urabrask questioned. "This voice, what is this voice?" While Urabrask couldn't understand what the voice was saying. The foreign words tugged on something within him, something beyond the physical.
"My divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call…"
After a moment of confusion, Urabrask began to realize something. "Wait, these words, this feeling within me… is this…"
"I wish from the bottom of my heart, add to my guidance and appear!"
"A summoning spell!" Urabrask exclaimed. He knew what this feeling was, for this feeling was described to him not so long ago, during his visit to New Cappena…
Φ
A few months prior, in New Cappena…
Urabrask was bored. Ever since he was brought to this plane by Tezzeret, his body was left singed due to the planar portal's adverse effects on anything even slightly organic. With him still healing, all he could do in this state was study the Halo that his other planeswalker ally supplied to him. Vivien, he believed her name was. In an attempt to relieve this boredom, he decided to ask her a question he had.
"How do you planeswalkers summon things?" Urabrask asked Vivien suddenly.
Vivien was immediately suspicious. "Why do you want to know, Urabrask? From what I could gather, you were never one to use magic."
"I do use magic when it suits me, but I prefer fighting close up, with steel forged of my design. This question comes from me wanting to subdue the boredom that accompanies me in between studying the Halo you bring. Normally, I would be spending my time forging, but I currently lack both the tools and the strength required to make anything worthwhile" Urabrask replied.
Slightly easing off her suspicion, Vivien decided to relent. "I didn't even know phyrexians could feel anything close to boredom. Fine, I'll tell you." Vivien walked to a nearby crate, one being used to store some of the Halo she brought, and sat upon it.
Urabrask huffed. "Do not sit on the Halo, I still need it for study."
"Oh please, I'm not that heavy," Vivien shot back. "It's going to take a lot more than me to break this. Now do you want that explanation or not?"
"Fine, get on with it." The praetor decided that as long as she would replace the Halo if it broke, then she was fine. For now.
"To start," Vivien began, "there are two kinds of ways creatures or other living beings can be summoned. First, which is a lot more common, is that the caster creates a mindless copy of a creature, created from the ether of the blind eternities and based on said caster's memories. The stronger those memories are, the more accurate the copy would be. As for the other…" As Vivien said this, she began to appear slightly uncomfortable.
"You are uncomfortable with the second method?" Urabrask asked.
"I didn't know you cared" Vivien replied.
"I don't, I am just observing your condition" Urabrask corrected bluntly.
"Figures, but it was foolish of me to expect a phyrexian to feel sympathy, anyways. I was only feeling that uncomfortable because… well, let's say a lot of planeswalkers have a bad experience involved with the second. The other method of summoning is using magic to physically move a creature to the summoner's location. This method is much less common, as unless the being can be protected from it, living beings can't cross into the blind eternities. You can already fathom why that is, can't you Urabrask?" At that, the wounded praetor could only let out another huff and a belch of smoke from his exhaust pipes. However, while Urabrask got the answer he was looking for, what Vivien said gave the praetor pause.
"You said you were summoned once before. What did it feel like?" If Urabrask was going to ask questions, he might as well try to get the full answer.
"Really digging deep with these questions, huh" Vivien replied. It took another moment of silence and discomfort for her to continue. "When I was summoned, it felt like a deep urge, pulling me to where it wanted me to be as if I needed to be there. That's the magic at work, doing that pulling. It helped that I was a planeswalker, so heeding the call wasn't an issue. The real problem I found came with leaving where I went, but that's not an experience I want to share right now. Does that answer your questions, oh mighty praetor?" Vivien said this last bit with a great dose of sarcasm, which Urabrask promptly ignored.
"Your answers were acceptable. My questions have been answered and my boredom has been subdued" Urabrask concluded.
"Good" Vivien concluded as well.
"..."
"..."
"Get off the crate, Vivien," Urabrask reminded her.
Φ
Back to the present.
As soon as Urabrask made his declaration, he saw it, some short distance away. A green, opaque portal opened up, and as Vivien said, he felt an urge within him to enter the portal, though he couldn't describe exactly where the feeling was coming from, and the fact that he couldn't unnerved the praetor. He did not know what dangers may lay on the other side of that portal, nor who or what it was that could be summoning him of all beings. But, assuming that portal was indeed meant for him, it was his only surefire way to get out of New Phyrexia. All in all, it would be a dangerous gamble.
However, as Urabrask was making his decision, fate decided for him. New Phyrexia held on as long as it could, but the stress was too much. To Urabrask's dismay, the pillars of Mycosynth that supported the ceiling of the center sphere gave way, and all of Phyrexia came bearing down upon him. In the face of certain doom, Urabrask made his decision. Using as much power as he could, including his often ignored reserves of mana, Urabrask dramatically increased his speed and bolted for the green portal.
With every step, Urabrask had to dodge debris before it could crush him, only able to do so due to the perception-enhancing powers of the Reality Chip. With only a few steps left, Urabrask leaped for the portal. As soon as his body passed the threshold of the portal, the Heretic Praetor was whisked away from his home plane, never to be seen again by the residents of this multiverse. For, as soon as the green portal faded away, the last of the Realmbreaker's branches disconnected from the planes they were anchored in. With no connection left to the wider multiverse, The Realmbreaker and New Phyrexia as a whole collapsed inward on itself, leaving nothing but a shapeless ruin of broken metal, with no one left to call it home.
Φ
Urabrask could feel himself moving, but with his vision being filled with nothing but darkness, he could only guess as to the direction. With nothing else to do but to wait for his arrival, he thought of all that was lost with his plane's destruction. Did any of the other praetors survive, or was he the only one left? And what of the Quiet Furnace, and those that remained loyal to him? Unlike the forces of those loyal to Elesh Norn, who would completely shut down without their "mother", his remaining forces would have survived without their Praetor, as their oil was different from the one formulated for Norn's hive mind.
What of the Mirrans? Surely, they wouldn't have helped those planeswalkers commit such a destructive act if they couldn't ensure their own escape from the plane. From what he could gather of the Mirrans, they wanted to retake the plane, rather than destroy it outright. While it was altered into an unrecognizable state from what it once was, New Phyrexia was still originally Mirrodin, and plenty of the Mirrans wanted it returned to such a state. As a phyrexian, he still believed its change was for the better, but he still could empathize with their belief, even if only a little. They wouldn't have agreed to destroy their only home if it meant they would die alongside it.
His pondering would be interrupted, however, as he would be unceremoniously dumped out of the portal, a fair distance above the ground. Urabrask would come crashing to the field below, with his landing point obscured in a haze of smoke present before he arrived. All around him, Urabrask could hear the sounds of voices speaking in an unfamiliar tongue. Soon enough, however, the smoke began to clear away, revealing to him where he had been summoned. All around him, besides one bald individual, were human children staring up at him with a mix of emotions, as well as a few strange creatures. In particular, there was one standing right in front of him, a pink-haired girl who seemed to be frozen in place, pointing at him with a stick made out of some brown material, wood if he could remember correctly. Even more interesting, however, was that the tugging sensation, now fading away, seemed to point in the girl's direction.
"Curious, are you the one who summoned me?" Urabrask brought his head lower down to get a better look at the tiny human. However, it seemed his voice and movements shook the child out of her stupor, causing her to back away in shock. Turning to the bald man, the girl asked the man something Urabrask once again couldn't understand. After the Man gave his response, she slowly turned back to a waiting Urabrask and began her approach. Once again standing before Urabrask, the girl motioned for him to lower his head, for some reason Urabrask couldn't fathom.
Once his head was level with the girl, she began chanting something. While she was chanting, she used her stick, which Urabrask realized might be a magical implement, to draw out a five-point star in the air. After finishing, she leaned forward, and to Urabrask's great surprise, placed her puckered mouth on the praetor's head. After a moment of shock, Urabrask recoiled back in fury, unsure of her intentions. To prevent her from doing anything else, he put the tips of his forearm blades on his right arm to her neck. This caused the bald man to step forward, bringing out his own wooden stick. Not only that, it induced a yelp from the threatened girl.
"Don't hurt me!" She exclaimed. Urabrask stopped, his bubbling wrath instantly frozen over.
"I understood you," Urabrask thought aloud. To his further intrigue, the girl looked surprised as well.
"I can understand you… wait, you can talk!?" the girl exclaimed.
Ignoring her question, he threw back at her his own. "Why did you put your mouth on me?"
"Wha- that was a kiss! I did it to complete the familiar ritual!" The girl replied, answering one question, but bringing about another.
"Familiar ritual?" Urabrask questioned. With this, Urabrask began to feel a searing heat on his left hand. Bringing it close, he saw as runes he could not read were etched upon the metal of his hand. When it was finished, the bald man approached him as well, still holding out his stick.
"If you stop holding my student at bladepoint, I can explain the familiar ritual for you," the bald man said, his voice tense. "I would rather not let someone die under my watch."
For a moment, everyone present was still, holding their breath and waiting to see how this thing would respond to the proposal. Finally, after a few more moments, Urabrask relented.
"Fine," Urabrask said, lowering his blades from the girl's neck.
The bald man sighed in relief and put away his stick. Pushing up his glasses, he began to speak. "So, the familiar summoning ritual. It is a magic ceremony performed by students upon reaching their second year of learning in this academy, where they bring forth an animal companion, a familiar, with whom they make a life-long contract. Though, I've never heard of the ritual summoning a construct before, especially not one with sapience."
Urabrask, miffed that he was compared to a construct, quickly made to correct the bald man. "I am no mere construct, mage. I am a compleat being, born of both flesh and metal, known as a phyrexian."
At this, the bald man raised his eyebrows, curious at this thing's claim. "Really? That's rather intriguing, if true. Regardless, this is the first time that anything like you has been summoned as a familiar, at least from my knowledge."
"And what is a familiar's role in this ritual you speak of? What life-long purpose does a familiar serve to a mage?" Urabrask asked. Though, he felt that he would not be pleased by the answer.
"Typically, a familiar is used for simple tasks, such as sending messages or fetching items, whatever its master decides," The bald man answered.
"In other words, a servant, or worse, a slave…" Urabrask thought in anger.
Seeing his displeasure, the bald man quickly added "But, seeing as you are unlike normal familiars, you will have to talk with the person who summoned you about what kind of bond you two will have, that being the girl you were just threatening."
With the identity of his summoner confirmed, Urabrask turned back to the girl.
"What is your name, summoner?" He asked the girl, now put in the spotlight once more.
After a moment to steel herself in front of her new familiar, she responded. "Louise."
"Hmph. As soon as we are done here, we are going to discuss the terms of our partnership." If Urabrask is going to be permanently bonded with this human, he will make sure he has a say in how he is treated. Urabrask will not be the pet of some incompleat child.
At his comment, however, the bald man spoke once more. "Actually, we're almost wrapped up, as a matter of fact. Louise was the last student who needed to go, so all that still needs to be done is for me to record your familiar runes, the thing that appeared on your left hand."
Looking back at his left hand and the runes that were now inscribed upon it, Urabrask realized he had yet to ask about them. Turning the runes towards the bald man slowly so as to not accidentally bisect the man with his forearm blades, he asked the man another question.
"I have yet to ask about these runes. What is their purpose?"
"Right, I probably should have told you during my explanation. Familiar runes are the symbol of the contract between a familiar and their master. They also grant the familiar the ability to understand what their master says. They're most likely why you can understand us now. However, I've never seen the runes work both ways, translating what the familiar said back to the master. As for what the runes themselves say… Huh, that's strange."
"What is it now?" Urabrask asked. He was starting to tire of all the surprises he's faced today.
"Sorry, it's just that, I've never seen runes like these before, they're quite unusual" the bald man replied. "I'll have to look into these later." After recording the runes, the man turned back to the gathered students and their familiars, still somewhat frozen to their spots. "Alright students, with all the summonings complete, it's time to return to your dorms. There will be no more classes today for you, so be sure to spend that time interacting with your familiars."
After realizing what the professor said, the students and their companions unfroze from their spots and made their way to their dorms, with some even taking to the air if their familiars allowed it. However, they didn't leave quietly, talking amongst themselves.
"I never expected the Zero to actually summon anything!"
"Yeah, but did you see that thing? It was more in control of her than she was of it!"
"Well, what could she do? She's still a zero, right?
"Still Louise the Zero."
After hearing the children's rabble, he turned back to Louise, only to find her looking back at the other students. It seemed Louise heard their words after all, for in her eyes was a rage all too familiar to Urabrask. With a voice as hard as darksteel, Louise turned to him. "Let's go, familiar. When we get to my dorm, you have some explaining to do."
As the two left the courtyard, Urabrask couldn't help but think about Jin-Gitaxias' accord. "It seems the situation has changed, Jin-Gitaxias. If I play things right, I may not need to hide Phyrexia's rebirth from this new world. Soon enough, The Great Work will begin again."
