Sylvia nodded to Pylia after she asked for a moment. In the meantime, she watched Shortfang as he climbed onto Buddy and talked about riding him and shooting at enemies during battle. It made Sylvia chuckle a bit at the thought. Then Pylia splashed something in his face, before giving him a murky, yellow drink. She watched Shortfang in concern as he ran to the water closet and proceeded to throw up. Before she could ask, Pylia answered for her. At her warning, Sylvia’s eye widened at the thought of having to drink that if she got drunk. She answered Pylia, “Sounds great to me!”

After Shortfang became lucid, she answered him, “You had too much of the dizzy drink, Shortfang. A little is fine, but too much isn’t good for anyone. From what I saw, you were telling the other inn patrons about our fights this morning,”

She then added, addressing everyone in the group, “I don’t mind if you guys want to talk about the events from this morning with everyone at the party tonight, but I think we should be a little more discreet with everyone else for now, considering the cultists are still out there,”

Pylia nods, as does Buddy as he writes a message. ”They could be anyone anywhere.” Shortfang drags himself over to one of the wooden benches, sitting down while nursing his headache. “Ugh... Yeah. Guess Shortfang kinda stupid. Sorry. Shortfang just wanna buy lotta tasty food for family, and people ask why kobold get so much food.” Pylia just chuckled as she pars Shortfang on the back. “That’s one way to spend your money I suppose. In any case the water is done boiling. Shortfang why don’t you go wash up first and maybe clean up whatever mess you made in the water closet? You and Buddy can go check on the food when you’re done.”

The kobold nods and staggers away to the water closet carrying the large basin of water. This left you and Pylia alone again. She didn’t seem to look at you directly, as if she was still ashamed about something. She did speak up however. “So... Hey, why don’t you take those scrolls we got?” Pylia fished out the two spell scrolls from the bag of holding. “Since you’re new to magic and everything, May as well teach you how to use these.”

Sylvia nodded in agreement with Buddy’s written words, and after he apologized, she answered him, “It’s alright, Shortfang. It’s understandable,” She should have thought about this possibility beforehand, Sylvia thought to herself. She smiled as Pylia made her suggestion to Shortfang and he agreed. Soon enough, it was her and Pylia once more.

She noticed that Pylia wasn’t looking at her. Was she still ashamed about hiding the necromancer situation from her? Sylvia blinked at her words. That’s right...there were the scrolls. She answered her, hoping to distract her from the shame that she was feeling, “Oh, uh...Sure. That sounds like a good idea,” She then looked to the scrolls and commented somewhat jokingly, “I don’t think it would be a good idea to summon a bunch of bugs in the room...again. Why don’t we try and use the Find Familiar scroll?”

Pylia shivered at the memory. "Agreed." Taking you to the table, Pylia unraveled the scroll, holding down the corners using a small handful of coins. "I don't think I've fully explained the nuances of magic to you, have I? I'm no professor, but I know enough about magic to teach you the basics. Firstly, allow me to explain to you the nature of magic items. As you might've already noticed, some magic items can be used under any circumstances, though sometimes with a cool down period such as the oracle doll. Some can also be used anytime but only once, such as magic healing potions. And some require something called attunement, for example those rings you wear." At this point you may hardly even feel the rings on your fingers, but they're still there. Buddy's ring didn't look any different from when you first picked it up, and it wasn't glowing anymore, but it still felt warm as the connection between the two of you was maintained. Buddy himself just stood there not really looking at you, as if he's just staring off into space. Your other ring, the rusty looking one, still looked rusty. Maybe you should get it polished.

"Magic scrolls are sort of like potions in that you can use them, though only once. Unlike potions however, making a magic scroll is much more complex and requires more skill. Three things are needed: the first is the materials, and these are the only mundane things about the scrolls. Parchment, either made of sheepskin or leather, is suffice for low level scrolls. Stronger scrolls require more exotic materials such as monster skins. The ink is also usually simply ink made from pigments made from oils or certain stones, though again stronger spells require more exotic inks from monsters or made from gemstones. And finally depending on the spell, a material component may also be needed. Stuff like 'eyes of the newt' or 'grain of sand', really depends on the spell." Looking at the scroll, at first you don't really see anything until Pylia touches it. When she does, the ink slowly begins to reveal itself. It showed some sort of strange runic circle in a very intricate pattern, it was almost like an art.

"The second thing you need is arcane knowledge. The magic rune inscribed here requires a high among of arcane knowledge to craft, and an even higher amount to decipher. It's a good thing Aisha helped us figure this out, or else we'd spend a long time just trying to figure out how strong this scroll is, let alone it's spell. And finally the third thing you need to create a magic scroll is the ability to cast the spell. This is why it's nearly impossible for regular people to make magic scrolls even if they're well educated in arcana and have the resources, since they might not have the ability to cast spells. It's also why even someone like me, who can use magic, might not be able to figure out what a scroll does or make one myself, since I don't have access to all the spells in the world." Pylia guides your hand to touch the scroll, allowing you to feel a small surge of energy at your fingertips. It felt like a small electrical shock, but once you get over the initial shock it was only slightly numbing.

"So now that the hard part is done, all you need to do now is call forth the spell. This is a Scroll of Find Familiar, which I'm familiar with." Pylia paused at her own joke before continuing on. "Unlike the spells that me and Shortfang usually cast, Find Familiar is what is called a 'ritual' spell. That means it takes a while for it to work, and you need to concentrate on it for quite some time before it goes off. Losing concentration means losing the spell. Fortunately once the spell goes off it's usually pretty powerful or at least it lasts for a long time. Shortfang's familiar, Syfr, will always exist in this world as long as he doesn't get killed. And even if he does Shortfang can just use his spell again as a ritual and summon Syfr back." Pylia let go of the scroll so that only you where touching it.

"There's a lot of uses a familiar has. It's not just a pet after all; it's a spiritual being capable of following very complex commands, understanding you perfectly and with absolute loyalty. They might not be strong, but they're certainly useful. Indeed, it could be useful to you. Why don't you try and use this scroll? I'll make sure nothing bothers you while you're concentrating. Just say the words 'Find Familiar' when you're ready, and that should put you into a sort of trance. I'm... Not really sure what'll happen after that, but I'll be here to make sure you're safe if anything goes wrong."

Sylvia listened to Pylia as she talked about magic items. She looked at her rings and to Buddy as she mentioned that they required attunement. She turned her attention back to Pylia as she continued her explanation and touched the scroll to make it reveal the runic circle. She let Pylia guide her hand to touch the scroll. At first, Sylvia instinctually retracted her hand at the electrical shock, but she moved her hand back to the scroll and felt the numbing sensation.

When Pylia made the pun, Sylvia looked up to her during the pause and she grinned while laughing a bit. Pylia made a pun! Sylvia was proud of her friend. She calmed down and listened to the rest of the explanation. After Pylia finished and suggested using the scroll, Sylvia nodded with her hand still on the scroll and she answered, “Alright, I’ll give this a shot. Thank you, Pylia,”

She then turned her attention to the scroll and she spoke, her hand on the scroll and her gaze on the circle,

“Find Familiar”

When you say those words initially nothing happens. Everything seems normal but suddenly you could feel your body being dragged away and soon you’d end up looking behind yourself, as if you’re experiencing another out of body sensation similar to when you go to sleep. The scene changed and suddenly you find yourself in a forest in the middle of a ring of mushrooms.

”Well this is strange.”

You hear a voice not too far and you see Buddy standing there, same as he’s always been. He seemed surprised to see you and approaches. ”I’ll say this right now, I have no idea what you just did. I imagine it has something to do with finding a familiar however.” He extends his hand to reach out to you, but as he did so a curious little creature lands on his hand. It looked like a sort of song bird but its coloration was nothing like you e seen before, with little antenna a and plumes that make it look like a cross between a moth and a bird. It flies away after some chirping and you’d notice more animals in this forest, but each one was altered ever so slightly in a way that made them look like they shared traits with either plants, bugs, or other animals.

Sylvia was about to say something after a quiet moment of nothing. However, before she could speak, she felt as though she was dragged out of her body and back into that weird out of body state she usually finds herself at night. She was surprised to see the scene change from their room in the inn, to in the middle of forest, with her standing in the center of a mushroom ring.

She turned to see Buddy after he spoke up. She asked him in surprise, “Buddy, are you seeing all of this too?” She then saw the songbird with traits that moths have. After it flew away, she looked around and saw the other strange animals. She let out an awed “Woah...” at the sight. It was like she stepped into a different world...again.

She then realized that she had no idea how to find a familiar. Was she supposed to pick an animal or let one come to her...? She kinda wished she asked Shortfang before starting the spell. She muttered to herself “Okay, how do we do this...?” She looked around at the animals, seeing if any of them catch her attention or approach her.

There were plenty of strange animals around her, none of whose seemed particularly perturbed at your presence. Whereas most normal animals might run in sight of you and Buddy, these creatures continued about their business of eating, sleeping, or doing whatever animals do. ”I suppose you ought to go and pick one. Let us continue looking around and see what beasts are willing.” You and Buddy would walk through the forest for a bit seeing even more strange creatures. Some didn’t share the same nature-like features of the previous beasts. You would see some creatures with pure white fur or skin leaving behind blue blurs as they dashed through the leaves. Sometimes you’d see dark creatures with glow in red or orange eyes hidden underneath stones and logs.

Eventually you’d come across a waterfall. It wasn’t anything too big or impressive, but it was a notable feature, almost like an oasis. Buddy stopped here to look around as he spots some creatures drinking from the pond. ”These creatures are docile. I have detected fiendish, celestial, and fey, and yet they do not seem to be in conflict with each other or inherently hostile. I do not know what you must do, but if you need assistance catching any creature, I will do what I can.”

Sylvia nodded in agreement with Buddy’s words. As the both of them walked on, she was in awe over the beauty of her surroundings and the fauna around them. As both she and Buddy walked through, she made sure not to disturb the animals too much. She especially kept her distance from the animals with almost menacing red or orange eyes.

She stops at the calming oasis with Buddy. She guessed after Buddy made his comment, “Maybe it’s because of the spell somehow?” After he said he would help her, she nodded to him and thanked him, “Thanks, Bud. Let’s keep looking,” She continued the search, wondering if there were any unique familiars. In the end, she didn’t find anything of that sort.

What drew her attention were some cats of a celestial nature, or so she guessed. When she tried to bend down and reach for a cat, they moved away from her. At first, Sylvia started to think that maybe her familiar wasn’t a cat.

Then she felt something hit her head.

“Ow,” Sylvia rubbed her head as she looked at what hit her. An acorn...? She looked up to see a little white furred kitty with two tails from the shoulders and a unique striped pattern on its fur. She grinned a bit as she came to realize that the cat was messing with her a bit, by dropping things on her head and hiding, until finally it pounced on her harmlessly. Thanks to Buddy’s warning, she wasn’t surprised.

She looked to the cat on her and greeted softly and kindly, “Hey there, little guy. Wanna be my Familiar?” As she spoke, she gently moved her hand to pet the cat.

The key looked at you curiously. His tendril appendages reached out to touch your hand. Sure enough, they felt soft, like little tails, though oddly enough their hairs also seemed to shift when they touched you, like they were trying to feel you. Strange creatures indeed. Once it got a feel for you the cat rubbed his face into your hand and moved to lay in your arms. It was also at this point you might notice that this is actually a female cat, though considering it's magical nature maybe they just don't have those sort of parts. Either way the cat was bare down there and seemed to like you well enough. "So you've chosen your familiar. Or rather, it has chosen you. Perhaps we should return to that magic circle with the cat and see if that allows us to leave."

Sylvia let the cat’s head after she rubbed her face in her hand, and she adjusted her arms when the cat moved to lay down in her arms, so that it was able to do so comfortably. She couldn’t help but smile at the cat. She looked to Buddy when he spoke, and she nodded, “Sounds like a good idea to me. Let’s get back to Shortfang and Pylia,” As she led on back to the mushroom circle, she started thinking about names for the cat. She wondered if the cat already had a name to begin with.

You and Buddy both arrive at the magic circle, though it looks big enough only for you and the cat. Buddy simply stood off to the side with a shrug. "I do not know how I got here in the first place, but I suppose I will return when you do. Oh. But before we do part, there is something I must tell you. After looking over the note we wrote from your memory, as well as figuring out some of the words Pylia speaks, I can infer that what she said was true. The skeleton did seem to be asking her personal questions. Something that caught my interest however... It was some sort of soul splicing ritual. The creature said that Pylia could still complete the ritual and return her back to her body. The way the skeleton spoke however made it difficult for me to figure out if the skeleton is talking about Pylia or someone else, likely her friend." Buddy looked for the note on his person, but it seemed like none of his personal objects, not even his axe, was with him. He simply shrugged and figured he would give it to you later.

"Looking over the journal that was on my body, I wonder if perhaps my existence has anything to do with necromancy. The magic within me feels... Divine in nature. But at the same time, there feels as though there is some sort of mysterious force within me, likely linked to my memories. If possible, I would be interested in trying to know what exactly these necromancers have done, and if it perhaps has anything to do with me." Buddy said with a nod. He seemed much more physically emotive when he could be heard. "Apologies. I didn't mean to take up your time. We can speak more when you sleep."

Sylvia felt a little concerned when she noticed that the circle was only big enough for her and the cat. She looked to Buddy and listened as he spoke. She hoped that Buddy would indeed return to his body when she would. She listened as he explained what he learned from what he could translate. She figured that the skeleton was talking about Pylia’s friend. She also listened as he mentioned that his curiosity over his existence. She was curious as well...Did the necromancers have anything to do with Buddy?

She answered his apology, “Don’t worry about it, Bud. Thanks for letting me know. In the meantime, just in case you don’t return to your body when I do, maybe try finding a familiar and coming to the circle as well? Who knows, maybe the ring lets the spell scroll work for the both of us?” It was good to have a back up plan. She then told him, “Other than that, if you’re still stuck here, I’ll ask Pylia for help in getting you back,”

She then told him, “Ok. I’ll try going back now. See you soon!” She then steps into the circle with the cat in her arms. She couldn’t wait to show Pylia and Shortfang.

It didn't take long before you felt a strange force pull on your body again, lifting you up into the air and into some sort of portal of light. The next time you opened your eyes you were sitting back at the table in your room. Shortfang was sitting at the table as well, making more arrowheads while Buddy was looking around somewhat confused. Seemed like he returned just fine, looking at you and giving you a thumb's up. Pylia was nowhere to be seen but you could hear splashing in the other room, so she was probably just washing up. And before you was the cat, curled up on the scroll. The Scroll itself began to crumble away leaving nothing behind as the cat walked off towards you, licking your face.

"Ah hey boss! You got familiar now too? Awesome!" Shortfang said as he puts his bolts away. With a snap of his finger he summons Syfr into the room. "Hello! This my familiar, Syfr! So boss, you go to forest place too huh? How you do? You find familiar easy? Didn't hurt em did ya? Is boy or girl cat?" Shortfang asked many questions as Pylia came out from the wash room wearing a plain robe and hanging up her clothes to dry by the fireplace. "Now now Shortfang, give Sylvia some time to collect herself. She was deep in her ritual and she's just gotten back." Leaning towards the cat Pylia tried to pet it, but the cat moved away and went to hide in your lap. Pylia just smiled softly. "Shy one. Well, what's their name?"

Sylvia wasn't expecting to be pulled upwards and into the light, like she was being abducted by aliens. She blinked her eyes rapidly and shook her head to see that she was back in the room once more! She looked to Buddy, and she sighed in relief when he gave a thumbs up, showing that he was back and okay. She noticed that Shortfang was at the table, while there was splashing in the water closet. Pylia was probably in there. She then looked to the table and saw the same cat on the table, with the scroll disintegrating into nothingness.

When the cat licked her, she couldn't help but laugh a bit. She pet the cat on the head gently. She looked to Shortfang and she nodded at his question about finding her familiar. She couldn't really answer his questions as he rattled them off. Thankfully, Pylia came out and somewhat admonished him. She did feel a little shaken from the experience, but she was getting her bearings back. She did think it was strange that her cat familiar had shied away from Pylia.

She answered her friends, "I think she's a girl cat. I think her name will be...Dinah. It's a fitting name," What better name for a cat accompanying a girl in a different world? She then looked to Shortfang as she answered his questions, "Yeah, I was in that forest. I think I did pretty well. Don't worry, no animals were harmed in the finding of the familiar," She snickered at her own joke, before she continued, "Dinah over here found me. She was pretty playful and friendly, dropping acorns on my head, and hiding before pouncing on me,"

The little beast poked her head out from the table to pew. Syfr hooted and it seemed like they were going to have some sort of conversation in animals speak. Shortfang smiled and looked to you. "Familiars very helpful! They small, but fight good!" Indeed, you have seen Syfr deftly fly between enemies in battle allowing Shortfang to strike the distracted enemies, and he's done a lot to assist you and the others in battle as well. "Dinah huh? Hey Boss, here's trick you do: Think Dinah's name and snap finger, make her vanish. Then snap again, she appear near you. Oh! And if you close eyes and think real hard, you see what Dinah sees. You even speak to Dinah with mind!" The cat tries to tickle your nose with it's tendrils. Though she soon moves away when she gets another whiff of you, going over to Buddy and deftly climbing into his head.

"Oh right, you haven't wash up yet. Why don't you go in and clean yourself up, maybe wear your nice outfit? I mean... I know we have to go into the sewers again, but this time it'll be for celebration." Pylia suggests. "We could leave in maybe two or three more hours, so I guess we can just... Do our thing until then. Make preparations, perhaps ready something for the party?" Shortfang jumped onto the table. "Oh oh oh! We cook! Cook good food for whole family! Shortfang buy tasty soup, but Boss good cook too! She make food for everyone! Green cook man says can use kitchen, if you keep clean and pay for food."

Sylvia listened as Shortfang told her what she could do when it came to summoning Dinah and seeing things through her eyes. She wasn't sure if sending Dinah into a fight was a good idea though, but she has seen Syfr deftly fly in and out of battle. Before she could answer though, Dinah tickled her nose with a tendril and Sylvia sneezed a little. She looked to Dinah as she left and climbed onto Buddy's head. She shook her head before looking back to Pylia. After Pylia made her suggestion, Sylvia answered "Sounds good to me," She then thought about it and she commented "Cooking something doesn't sound bad. I think the entrees might already be taken care of. I think a dessert might be best..." It had to be something simple if she was to use the kitchen in this inn...
She then snapped her fingers and she pitched her idea "I thinking caramel apples, since it's almost time for a festival anyways,"

After hearing her friends’ thoughts on that idea, she gathers her dress from Cassari, and told her friends “Ok, I’m gonna go wash up,” before heading into the wash closet to do so. It would not take long for her to do so and come back to the room wearing the fancier dress. After that, she will head to the kitchen to see if she could start cooking.

Once you finished watching up everyone else was ready to leave as well. “Can’t let boss do everything!” Shortfang said jubilantly. Pylia also changed into some somewhat more formal attire, which mainly means she’s not wearing her traveling outfit and it doesn’t look like it’s made of patchwork furs. Buddy was simply petting Dinah while waiting for you. The party would head to the kitchen where business was still slow, caught in that mid-afternoon lull between the lunch rush and the afterwork rush.

“Using me kitchen eh? I ain’t against it, so long yet got da dosh ta pay get using it. My place ain’t like nobody else see, got ya ‘ole works ere. Ovens, stoves, iron cooking wares, other shite like dat, and more importantly food.” The orcish chef said with a hint of pride and intimidation. It was clear he cares about his kitchen very much. “We make caramel apples!” Shortfang explained in a very straightforward matter. The orc rubbed his chin. “Aye, iz dat so? Interestin. We got wot ye be needen ere. Her obviously gunna need sugars an apples. Pound of sugar’s five silvers, pound of apples is three silvers. Ye can use our water as ye need but if he go through da whole hogshead that’s be ten gold. An I expect ya ta clean everything ya use, aight?” The orc said with a stern tone.

Sylvia was pleasantly surprised to see that her friends were ready to head out and help her make the caramel apples. Sylvia thought that she would making them alone, but she was glad to have the help. With their help, they could make more caramel apples in less amount of time.

Sylvia was glad to see that they came in during the lull between lunch and after work. She listened as the chef told them what he had, and what cooking in his kitchen will cost. She could see that his kitchen was his pride and joy. She answered the chef at his question about cleaning, “Of course! I wouldn’t dare to leave a kitchen in disarray,”

She then fished out twelve pieces of gold and she handed it to the orc chef while informing him, “I’m not sure if we’ll need the whole hogshead, but just in case we do, I’m paying for it ahead of time. I’m also including an extra two gold, just in case we need another pound of sugar and apples. Is that alright?”

The orc took the coin and nods. "Works fer me. Aight laddies, clear our! Break time. If we get customers comin in might need ta use some of da facilities, but assuming yer ain't using both me ovens or all eight of me stove tops, shouldn't be a problem. Good luck lassie." The orc leaves the kitchen as well as a few of his fellow assistant chefs. One informed you where you could get the supplies in another storeroom just down the hall before she also left to go about her business. This place looked pretty well kept and very clean despite being made of wood and stone. That being said, everything here used wood and charcoal instead of the sort of appliances you might be familiar with in real life. Pylia handed you an off-white apron that she put on herself, while Shortfang gathered up some charcoal to head up the stove. Buddy left to go fetch the apple and sugar. "Alright Sylvia, just tell us what you need done and we'll do our best to help."