Clarence was glad someone like him didn't tend to draw attention.
Sure, his reputation preceded him. There were plenty of people at Adept 2, plenty of talented children who'd gotten it just as fast, a few maybe faster than he had. But, there was no one else who'd gotten Adept 2 so quickly, and with his lack of skill with portals, with only a single contracted familiar. Despite not having any other familiar, having such a link with one was significant.
But, it didn't show outwardly, so he was glad. Orewing was flashy, but on a small scale. It was nothing compared to a Dragon. It was unique, but it wasn't Clarence himself that drew the attention, it was Orewing.
Competition between Invokers was sometimes a battle of who could keep their summons' secrets the longest. Theoretically, as long as any Invoker had the ability and knowledge, they could summon any familiar. Clarence's ability to open a rift wasn't that special, so if they could study Orewing and discover its origins, they'd be able to summon sentient hammers too, would be the thought.
Well, not that they'd get any real pointers from Mort. Clarence entertained the thought, though.
He would instantly become less special. Well, only to some other people, though. It'd even be convenient to not be the only sentient/possessed hammer master. Well, only to a certain extent though.
There'd be less attention on him, but if someone were to start comparing the two, the differences might become apparent, and he might get found out... Suddenly he really didn't want it to happen.
"What's wrong, Clarence?" Mort asked.
They didn't have a real link, so it wasn't as if Mort knew exactly what Clarence was thinking, but they'd been together long enough that he could tell what he was thinking at least. He could at least have a good guess most of the time. He knew that Clarence's paranoia ended up feeling too real for the boy. It was his job to snap him out of his thoughts at least.
Any of the students that would've been studying Clarence were looking at him now, or at least Clarence thought they wouldd be.
"Nothing," Clarence said quickly.
His feet were frozen in place, but he forced himself to take some steps. Suddenly, an apple rolled at his feet. He looked up to see the familiar sight of The Nidhogen, a famous familiar now, no doubt. This wasn't the first time he'd witnessed the feats on display right now. He picked up the apple which seemed to have avoided the snapple-ing. This was good, now he didn't have to go to the cafeteria.
"...I'll get you something else before they close," Mort said as he drifted from the boy's side.
Clarence was grateful. He took a bite of the apple. It was sweet.
@ShwiggityShwah
Arkadian Elesir, and the Cat Gang!
Arkadian was half-way through his food, when suddenly Tohi and Lohi appeared at his side with a
pop! It attracted the attention of the people beside him.
"Tohi! Down!" He cried desperately as she headbutted him in the side.
She tried to snuggle her head under Arkadian's arm, except her head was even bigger than his, so it was like she was ramming him in the side. Lohi was on the other side of him to stop him from being knocked over, but his seating had become a lot more cramped as a result.
Through the link they shared, Tohi and Lohi could feel his feelings. They could appear at his side when he was threatened, but they also just appeared at his side whenever they felt like it.
Arkadian managed to pull himself free from their embrace, and he fell backwards out of his chair. He managed to land on his hands, and not flat on his back at least. He lay back, panting. No doubt, for anyone watching it made a strange sight.
Arkadian had not been here very long, but he was another unusual Master to add to the pile at L'Mordryn's. His situation was somewhat unique, but not unfamiliar to many Invokers. The ones who had trouble controlling their own familiars, at least. Arkadian's familiars were so much higher in standing than he was, that it was kind of endearing.
"...Huh?" He said, after the breath returned to his lungs.
"Where'd Krampus go?"He looked around and spotted him at another table entirely. The table of Nettle.
Most knew of her, an unusual person even in a school of unusual people. Arkadian had never met her, but he saw her every so often. He also heard tales of her, and how one familiar had almost dropped dead in front of her. To Arkadian she seemed like a witch, like someone who would curse you if you wronged her somehow.
But Krampus wasn't looking specfically at Nettle, he was looking more at her soup. Krampus hardly looked at any master besides his own. Although he didn't look at his own master much either. Whatever he was planning, it couldn't be good.
"You're really gonna eat all of that? I didn't think there were any humans who could handle something like this." He chuckled.
Arkadian nearly tripped over his own feet. Krampus had been led by the nose it seemed then. Arkadian had no idea what was with the soup, but Krampus never went anywhere with good intentions. He ran for it.
"Krampus! No!" He shouted, snatching him up before his paw dipped into the girl's soup. However, just as before, his efforts were largely fruitless as Krampus' face morphed into a long proboscis-like affair and took a long sip of Nettle's broth.
"Mmmmm, now that's some good stuff right there." Krampus said, licking his lips in satisfaction. A single claw extended into the broth again, this time bringing back a cube of meat which he happily gulped down also.
Arkadian felt like crying.
"I'm s-sorry..." He whimpered, holding Krampus aloft still. He could barely move out of fear.
Tohi and Lohi walked over to his side, curious as to what was going on.
@A Lowly Wretch