A Witch And Their Familiar ::Chibi+Ace::

[ChibiMonkey]

Callum Adkins - 29 - 6ft​

---

The echo of running footsteps splashed in the occasional puddles from the recent rainstorm earlier that day. While the clouds had cleared up and the sun even peeked out a bit, the ground was still wet as a reminder of the earlier storm. It caused Callum's already exhausted body to be more susceptible to slipping in his panicked flee. Not far behind him, while not within immediate sight, he could hear the guards of his witch chasing after him. A witch by whom should be someone a familiar such as Callum's self should be bonded and loyal to, true to the pact formed in his contract with his witch. A contract that wasn't something to be formed lightly, and rightfully so, not so easily broken. And yet Callum was desperately rejecting that contract that would otherwise enhance his strength and energy.

To reject a formed contract was to reject the laws of nature. It wasn't something that could simply be done without mutual agreement from both parties. Only those with a strong enough will would be able to reject their contract without mutual consent - and even then, it wouldn't save them from what it would cost. Callum knew the consequences of his unsanctioned breaking of his contract, and yet he did it anyways, desperate to escape the clutches of the witch that had ensnared him.

Quickened breaths escaped dry lips as the runaway familiar turned a corner. A gasp of surprised slipped past his lips as he felt his foot slip out from under him on shallow puddle in his sharp turn around the corner of a street, feeling his balance wobble at the shift in gravity pulling at his unbalanced body. Under normal circumstances, he had cat-like reflexes and would be able to catch himself and regain his balance effortlesslyy. This was not normal circumstances however, and Callum was drained, exhausted, and the invisible clenching pain he felt to his core at his rejection of his witch only grew in intensity. His heart twisted in his chest, not out of any emotional pain and suffering of leaving his witch, but the very real, physical consequences of trying to forcefully break out of a contract he had made. After all, if contracts were so easy to break, there'd be no true value or strength in the bond of a witch and their contracted familiar. Callum was willing to accept the consequences of his betrayal, though...and was willing to lose his life to break free. He had nine of them, after all.

As he slipped and stumbled in an attempt to catch himself, his feet stumbled forward several feet in his unbalanced stagger, as he collided right into an unsuspecting man. Callum surely looked like a madman to any stranger innocent to his situation. Panting, staggered and with an exasperated expression, covered in cuts and scrapes.

"S-Sorry, excuse me" he quickly stammered out between exhausted breaths, before his feet were soon carrying him past the stranger as he was running again, despite surely looking to be in no state to be running. Callum couldn't waste a moment though, knowing the guards were not far behind him. He couldn't let them get back within visuals, needing to find a spot to hide and lay low.

Ducking into an alleyway, breaths gasped from his chest as he pressed a hand to the wall for support, leaning his side against it as he struggled to catch his breath, slightly hunched over in posture. He grit his teeth in pain, his other hand grasping at his shirt over his chest as it felt as though he was being constricted. The pain of betraying the contract with his witch was growing stronger the greater he rejected it. The average familiar wouldn't dare break contract, regardless of circumstances. Even less were the odds that they would last this long rejecting it, before either succumbing to the consequences by now, or give up on rejecting it and returning. Callum was a formidable familiar, which allowed him to last as long as he had thus far. But even he wasn't immune to the consequences of breaking a contract, and he knew those consequences would catch up to him fully soon enough. Callum didn't have any other contracts to turn to that could save him, without that, breaking the one contract he did have would kill him. Even still, his determination didn't falter.

The sound of a multiple pairs of pounding feet against the wet ground getting closer snapped Callum out of his daze of encroaching pain. He cursed, hearing the group far too close for him to make another run for it from here without being seen. Instead, he just pressed his back up flat against the wall of the alley he'd ducked into, his head turned to the side, towards the open street, as he watched the group of guards just keep on running, not even taking a glance down the discreet alley.

It wasn't until the sounds of their voices and feet had faded entirely into the distance, did Callum exhale the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

 

[Ace of Hearts]

Patrick Horton - 30 - 5'9​

---

When the rain had stopped, a man of a rather average appearance stepped out into the world. But he was no average man. Patrick Horton was a witch. A conduit of mystical energies, capable of a wide array of feats. They were often revered as people of great value within the realm, serving high ranking nobles in some capacity, or otherwise leading a more free, all encompassing life of adventuring wealth and prosperity. He was actually in between things at the moment, trying to determine his next move in this fantastical life.

His coffers were still full, the payment for his contributions to a band of treasure seekers hefty enough that he had no real need for more work anytime soon. But there was the itch inside of him, determined that he not stay still for too long. And his name was just starting to spread, with enough complimentary comments attached that he was sure something would find him before long. There was the hope that one day he would actually be big enough that might be called into the service of a local baron, at least to start. With any luck, he would actually wind up climbing up the ladder to serve a duke. Now that would be lucrative, to be sure.

Patrick walked slowly down the way, humming to himself and soaking in the smell of the damp air, and wet stone beneath his feet. He always did enjoy rain, although he wasn't so fond of being caught under it for extended periods of time. A quick spell would keep him from getting wet, of course. By now that was easy to do with a simple wave and one word call, as his experience had made those things simple. These days, he found spells of a more mental nature to be difficult, and complicated. Going up against another witch's spells was also a matter in which he often found himself troubled. On the last adventure he went on, he had actually almost managed to bungle the entire thing up, and get the rest of the group killed along with himself. Thankfully he had enough energy stored within him to get a chain of spells completed, and stop the trap from absorbing all of their life force. It was a good thing that everyone else thought that he was the one they owed their lives to, and not the one that had almost managed to make them all lose them. Yes, there were times where Patrick found himself in quite the complicated predicament.

The sound of running came from behind him, and he stopped and turned his head first. But as it became apparent that there was nothing to stop the other man, who was now slipping and sliding, he turned around fully, his arms out to try to catch the other man. It seemed that there was just too much speed behind this fellow, and he barreled right into Patrick before offering an apology as he slipped away. Frowning, the witch watched as he went, eyes following the man into an alleyway. And then his attention was turned towards the sounds of more coming their way, also running.

Obviously something had happened, and now it was becoming clear to the witch that whoever the man was that had run into him was in quite the spot of trouble. And he had seemed scared. Not just in the typical way that one could be if they were in some stupid trouble, but more of the variety where this man was quite sure his entire life may be up in the air. Patrick couldn't just stand by and allow such a thing.

He looked back towards the alley he watched the man slip down, and he stared at it, one of his hands by his waist flexing as he muttered under his breath. And with the group of men now coming fast upon him, he stepped out of the way, pushing himself against the wide of a brick building, and watched as they continued running, right past the alleyway in which the other man had taken to hide in. Patrick smiled to himself before raising his hand and snapping his fingers, breaking the spell that he had placed moments before. Then he wandered his way over there, poking his head around to peer down the alley.

"I don't suppose you'd humor me with an explanation as to what that was all about, hm?"

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Heavy breaths heaved from Callum's parted lips, posture hunched over as his palms were pressed on his own knees for support to keep from collapsing from the exhaustion. It felt like he had been running for hours, even though he knew it hadn't been quite that long. Perhaps it was the fear and panic that had also sucked away the lifespan of his stamina. He knew the chase wasn't over...he was far from safe, but at least for the moment he could catch his breath. He didn't know why those men hadn't bothered to spare even a glance down this alleyway just in case, but he thanked Merlin for whatever caused their oversight.

It was just as he was getting his breathing under control, feeling a brief false sense of security, did an unfamiliar voice startle him, causing him to gasp out in a jolt as he jumped up straight from his hunched over position, panicked eyes quickly landing on the stranger. They soon narrowed into a suspicious glare as he snapped at the man "What concern is it of yours?" he accused defensively, before pausing a moment in his thoughts as he stared at the other. He then slowly relaxed, albeit just a bit, as he realized the stranger wasn't from the guard, and equally, he briefly recognized the stranger as the one whom he'd nearly bulldozed through minutes prior.

"Ah, you're the man I ran into...." he murmured in realization, his voice softening just a bit to no longer be rude, recognizing it wasn't this stranger's fault for the predicament Callum had put himself in. Nor was it this strangers fault for being run into, that being on Callum entirely, for he did feel apologetic for costing the man to be minor collateral in his chase. "My apologies, you're unharmed I hope?" he asked as he couldn't help his eyes wander past the stranger and to the more open streets, unable to contain his paranoia and fear he'd be spotted upon by the guard any moment now.

Dark, coffee eyes landed back on the strangers face after his brief scan of the space behind the other "You want an explanation....I suppose it's a fair request after tackling into you like that back there." And truly, it was a fair question, Callum couldn't blame the other's curiosity. Unfortunately, Callum couldn't risk telling him. He seemed like a fine and genuine enough of a man, but he was still a stranger nonetheless. There was a chance he could end up turning him in to his witch, especially if he knew his witch personally. And even if he didn't know that witch personally, he likely would by name, or at least upon association.

"I'm sorry. As fair of an inquiry it is, I cannot humor your-"

His own words were cut of by another wave of clenching pain, briefly shutting his eyes as he grit his teeth, as though he could just grin and bear it, and will the pain away. He knew it wasn't so simple though....and this is what he had knowingly brought upon himself, by dishonoring the contract he had made with his witch. That breaking of the oaths made to each other now destroying him. It was a testament in itself of his will and strength that he had outlasted the natural laws of his contract this long...but he knew he couldn't outlast it forever, and would soon succumb to the consequences. He braced himself against the brick wall with a hand for support, feeling his vision briefly blur when he tried opening his eyes again. Sure, he looked a bit ragged, run down and exhausted with scrapes and cuts...but as far as flesh wounds went, he certainly didn't seem as gravely injured as his body seemed to be succumbing to. There was no healer that could mend what was truly ailing him, after all.

"Forgive me" Callum spoke a bit hoarsely through the pain, bearing through it as he managed to refocus and steady his gaze. His eyes, while naturally dark in color, seemed to have an even greater darkness shadowing them. "You should leave me be, I'm not in my best state at the moment." The last thing he wanted was to succumb to weakness before a stranger. Especially if the guards continued their search and found him, he didn't wish to drag the innocent man into such a mess he had created for himself.

 

[Ace of Hearts]

Eyebrow raised, he stared after the other man, immediately wondering if maybe he had done the wrong thing. In his experience, it wasn't usually an innocent person that got so damn mouthy with somebody that was trying to find out what was going on. That was usually the behavior of somebody who had definitely been guilty of something, and was desperate to escape the situation. And that did track with him being chased down and doing his damn best to find somewhere to get away from them.

When the other individual finally realized just who it was that was no inquiring about his predicament, Patrick smirked at him. "There you go," he said, having the tone of somebody who was placated with the other's realization of who it was that they were talking to. But then the other man didn't really know who he was talking to, did he? If he had, then he would have immediately realized that it was anything but the best of ideas to talk to him in such a rude manner. Patrick might not have been the most renowned of witches in the land, but he did have something of a reputation now, at least in the immediate area. Not very many were too keen on the idea of doing or saying something to offend him.

"I am quite well, do not worry about it," he said. After all, he was not here to get some kind of repayment for being accosted so. But he did want an answer to his question, if only to sate his own desire to know what was even going on. He did realize, however, that it was incredibly unlikely to be given to him, unless this man really was innocent of any wrongdoing. Which he was still sure was not the entire case.

He was receiving the answer that he had expected, only for it to be cut off. Frowning, he watched as the other began to seemingly struggle with something. It seemed as if he were in pain, although a quick scan did not reveal any immediately obvious injuries. Patrick did not see any blood, and the other man was not babying any singular part of himself in an obvious attempt to minimize whatever kind of pain he might be experiencing. On the contrary, it looked more like he was trying to deal with some kind of internal agony.

"You are clearly in anything but your best state. Maybe I can help with that. What is it that has happened? You have been hurt, have you not?" He started to step closer to the other man, looking over him, trying to reveal to himself what it was that was plaguing this poor soul so. "Please, trust me and allow me to assist. It is not in my nature to allow somebody to suffer through pain, no matter what they may have done to offend the party that brought it upon them. And I am quite skilled at healing. It is one of the many things that I do that has made me more valuable to the adventuring parties that now seek my assistance."

 

[ChibiMonkey]

There was a moment of genuine relief when he had heard the man was unharmed and well. While it's not like they had gone colliding to the ground and sustained any truly serious injuries in the collision, he had still felt genuinely apologetic for causing the man the trouble and inconvenience nonetheless, even if unscathed by it. That moment of relief was soon replaced with another onslaught wave of pain gripping at his soul, where he was then soon quick to try and dismiss the stranger to be on their way. He didn't mean the dismissal in any rude gesture, but rather a kind one to spare the male the trouble of dealing with the failing life of a familiar right before him.

Alas, instead of heading his considerate warning of dismissal, the man was just as considerate in his own right, and was instead stepping closer with further insistence of aiding him.

"Hurt?" he repeated the other's partially accurate conclusion...while not wrong, it was not entirely accurate either. "I suppose that is one way to put it..." he spoke vaguely, it appearing as though he wasn't going to elaborate as he moved to lean back against the wall again, this time to steady his weakened body for support, rather than to hide into the shadows of the alley as had been the previous intent when the guards had run past. "You're a healer?" he spoke curiously as met the man's gaze, his mind wandering, and wondering if the man was a witch. Callum could usually sense such things...though his weakened state made it difficult. But even in his weakened state, he could tell the man was of adept skill.

"You're kind" Callum spoke with a soft smile gracing his features as he gazed at the other, genuinely appreciative of the other in his insistence to aid him. "I appreciate your concern, but you needn't trouble yourself with me. It's not that I do not trust you, nor do I doubt your skill. But not even the greatest healer could mend what ails me" he sighed softly as he closed his eyes, a bitter, solemn smile on his lips. "Not unless you're a witch looking for a familiar" he then spoke in a jesting tone.

While his tone was a solemn jest, his words were not inaccurate. Although he didn't deliberately spell out what was ailing him, he still said as much in his words, which implied his state. That state being, that he was a familiar, and his life-force failing due to breaking a contract with his witch. The only thing that could cure him was having a standing contract with another witch. Since he had no such other contracts to support his health and life, the one he had broken, was reaping its consequences against him. There was no amount of herbs, healing, or remedy that could prevent the laws of his contract from occurring. The only thing strong enough to counteract the laws of his contract, being the laws of another contract.

"I do not deserve your kindness. I have brought this upon myself, and it's my sin to bear for my disloyalty. You needn't pity me." Even though Callum had just reason for going so far as to reject the contract with his witch without mutual consent to the breaking of their contractual agreement, he did not play a victim. He fully acknowledged and took responsibility for the transgression he had made as familiar, a transgression that would mar him as a curse of a familiar that no reasonable witch should want to take on after knowing he had betrayed the contract of his witch before.

 

[Ace of Hearts]

I suppose that is one way to put it... That was not a response that he had been expecting to get, but it definitely struck Patrick as undoubtedly important to figuring out what the problem was with the other man. "That is usually what my skills are used for when I am employed to assist with things." Maybe if he could convince this man that he had the skills necessary to take care of whatever sort of injury had been sustained, then he'd open up more to him.

He frowned as the other claimed that nobody would have been able to fix whatever was wrong with him. And then his eyebrows rose as he soon realized what he was looking at. One very hurt familiar. Unable to be healed. With nothing to help except possibly finding a witch that would take him as a familiar, which undoubtedly meant that this was one that had very recently been attached to another. Could this actually be a case of a familiar breaking their contract with the witch that had taken them on? Patrick had never met one who had dared to do that, knowing very well that it ripped at the soul, and wound up doing very real damage to their psyche, and their abilities. More often than not, the damage was so great that it resulted in the loss of one of the familiar's lives, many times multiple. It was often said that most familiars with less than three lives wound up lost forever to the other side.

"Pity is hardly the word I would use to describe what it is I feel for you now," he said, casting a look over his shoulder. The men that had been chasing him must have been servants of some sort of the witch that this familiar had run from. He could only imagine the sort of power that that witch might have had, to be able to employ so many to be in his service. Patrick had never thought of such a thing for himself, being new in his fortunes. Nor did he really have anything that required such a thing. But there weren't very many that would have such a guard in their employ, and far fewer that would have been able to build all of that for themselves, only to have a familiar eager to leave their bond.

"You do not need to put yourself down as some kind of traitorous fool. I am aware as to how these things work, and I hardly dare to believe that one would risk such a thing for no good reason. And it is not my place to judge." He frowned. "But you are right. I do not know that there is much I could do for you. Not without taking you as my own familiar, of course, and such an ask..." Patrick frowned. "I am afraid I do not know enough about you to enter into such a bargain. Nor am I in any desperate need for the boost in my own power."

The witch could feel his insides twisting about, witnessing the pain that this man was going through. And he was being chased on top of it all, sought out to bring back to the witch that he had been bound to. Patrick did not know what the bond was truly like himself, never having a familiar of his own. But he had never sought one out, either. While it was said that the power and protection brought, for both, was great, it was something that he had always been wary of himself. For such a thing did not come without its faults, and he did not wish to find himself in a terrible predicament because of it. And as his own power had grown, his own abilities mounting, he had quickly come to the conclusion that he was not in need of a familiar. Now he just wondered who it was that this one had been bound to. Did he know him? Would he want to know who this witch was? It was not as if there were very many that would have had the resources that this one seemed to possess. Fewer that lived so close to this village, that Patrick wondered how far this familiar had come already.

"Where are you from?"

 

[ChibiMonkey]

It probably wasn't the safest option to expose his condition, and the reason for it. However, he didn't have any reason not to trust this man...although he supposed he didn't particularly have a reason to trust him either, since they certainly were still strangers. Even if the man had shown him nothing but grace and consideration thus far, Callum wasn't naive, and knew that didn't necessarily mean this man meant him no ill-will. Usually, Callum by nature was a very skeptical and suspicious person. But something about this man's presence did set him at ease, like a natural calming sort of wavelength he felt radiating from the stranger. Nonetheless, he had decided to enlighten the man to his current predicament, consequences be damned. It wasn't as though hiding it would improve his condition, and besides, Callum was an honest person to his core. He was already currently battling fate as it was, anyways.

He was surprised by the stranger's continued grace however, even despite now knowing he was a familiar willingly rejecting his contract with his witch, he wasn't judging him for it. Many would be wary and distrustful of such familiar, regardless of whatever just reasons that familiar may have. Callum himself even thought negatively of himself for it. While he didn't regret it, and still wouldn't dare go back to his witch willingly, he did still resent himself a bit, for being an unfaithful familiar. Justifiable reasons aside, he was currently everything a familiar should not be, and that did weigh on his conscience a bit.

"I wouldn't dare ask such a thing of you, do not worry" he spoke, though appreciative of the concern and kindness this man had shown him thus far. Even if he couldn't do anything to mend his condition, the man still had been incredibly gracious and generous to him. Especially considering Callum had been the one to rudely collide into him, even if unintentionally. "Your kindness has been more than enough."

Even though the stranger was asking more information about him, even such as where he was front, Callum found he still wasn't any further wary about providing such information to the man. Even though it would only give further information about him and potentially where he'd run from, and narrow down the potential of which witch was the one he'd been contracted to, Callum didn't sense an inkling of ill intent from this stranger.

"I hail from Eelry" he first answered, a small village that not many knew of. Especially in these parts, any local surely would have never heard of it before, for it was a great distance from here. It would take months on foot to arrive from their present location. "If you're inquiring about where I'm running from however, that would be Aysgarth." A capital city just west of their current location, while not just a skip over the river, it wasn't all that far either. In Callum's current state, he wouldn't have been able to make it all too far to begin with, the further he traveled from his witch, especially in his state of rejecting his contract, he would succumb to the consequences before making it all too much further.

"I'm Callum, by the way. What may I call you?" he asked, curious to learn the name of the stranger that had been kind enough to stop for and check on him. Even if it had just initially been out of mere curiosity, Callum appreciated his sincerity nonetheless.

The stranger would hardly have a moment to answer however, if he chose to, before a new voice was interrupting them.

"There you are."​

Callum's blood ran cold, the color draining from his face at the familiar voice while his eyes simultaneously landed on the face of one of the servant guards that had been chasing him, having appeared at the opening of the alley not far behind Patrick. "You-" Callum started, before his eyes widened seeing the man wasting no time in lunging in for an attack with his sword. The problem with that, aside from Callum's own weakened state, was the narrowed space off the alleyway. The man was aiming for Callum, of course, but to get to Callum, he'd have to go through the innocent stranger that was between them.

Between the man having shown up and suddenly found him, to moving in for an attack, it had all happened within a moment. Without a second thought, Callum pushed forward off the wall, grabbing the witch and quickly pulling him close, while equally pressing him against the wall, so that he was fully protected and shielded by the wall to his back, and Callum's own body shielding his front, pressed close against the other. He had entirely disregarded the sword that had sliced cleanly in a thick gash across his own bicep. He had been more focused on protecting the kind stranger than himself in that moment, unable to properly counteract with the limited time to protect both himself and the witch.

"You fool! Have you no regard?!" Callum snapped as he released the witch and turned on the guard with a narrowed glare, it being him that he was snapping at, not the witch. Normally, Callum would be easily able to dispatch such a servant, one without any true magical capabilities. However, this wasn't any normal state of Callum's, the familiar already incredibly weakened and hindered by the consequences of breaking his contract wreaking its havoc on him.