Syn

It was a lovely day! The birds singing, the sky clear, the market cheap, and the requests easy. So why am I in a strange dungeon? Hell, the last thing i remember was me buying a little trinket for one of the little ones at the guild after finishing a request to get a block of iron from the blacksmith. The trinket was a little strange what with it looking like a mirror with a backdrop of a unicorn with wings... And the merchant was new, a little shifty too... was I kidnapped? that would kinda explain why i don’t really have any memory of getting here. The last thing i DO remember is turning to walk away from that merchant then tripping, a flash of black light, and this black and green blob with a smaller black and blue blob...

This dungeon isn’t exactly common either, I mean a crystal dungeon? very poor lighting with no windows. The air was stale and slightly moldy smell to it so i was probably a ways underground . I couldn’t move my arms either...well I couldn’t move them far. The chains on these shackles were short probably about a third of what they should be meaning the creature that normal wear them had shorter arms. The shackles barely fit though so I could probably just slide my hands free, but that also tells me that their wrists are bigger than my hand. The only door that I could see was short too, about mid-chest height.

So the creatures that live wherever I am are shorter than average, their arms are shorter than mine, and their wrist is about the size of my fist?

...What am I dealing with?

******************************************************************************

This one was surprised when that creature appeared, surprised and hurt considering it fell on this one. Surprise and hurt are not strange but, they are unwelcome. This one is not supposed to feel such things. Nor should this one be able to think alone. This one is special, this one must hide this one’s specialness. This one’s queen would kill this one if her highness found out.  The queen ordered this one to watch the creature after this one had removed its strange exoskeleton that the queen called “armor” and if it awoke before her highness came back this one has orders to..eliminate it.

This one placed the creature in one of the unused dungeon of the queen’s temporary hive. The temporary hive was strange to this one too. It was like the shiny hard stones that are found at times in the old hive. This one liked those shiny hard stones. So this temporary hive is not...bad? but it is only temporary and soon our new hive will be ready. The queen will kill the current queen of this above ground hive and will take the old queen’s place.

Strange though that this old queen can not tell that my queen has mimicked one of her personal brood. The old queen’s drone were strange too, very few looking similar to the old queen...Why? This one felt...saddened that this one must look like all the other drones in this one’s hive. This one is...glad that this one is able to hide this one’s thoughts from the hive-mind. If this one could not then this one would have died many cycles ago...

The creature is awake. This creature is much like those of the horned ones that walk on two hind legs. It too walks on two legs but, its arms are much thinner than the horned ones. The creature does not have hair everywhere but rather only lightly on it’s arms and thickly on top of it’s head reaching down to the upper part of its legs. It’s hair was like the old queen’s soft exoskeleton. Its eyes were like the old queen’s and her strange drones, round and many shades of the same color, a color similar to this one’s queen. It had worn a thin... thing under it’s armor but this one was only told to remove the armor, nothing else, so this one left the thin exoskeleton colored thing alone. It’s feet were much like it’s hands unlike the horned ones’ only it’s fingers were much shorter on its feet than on it’s hands. It’s feet were covered by the thin thing too.

It was smart though. It noticed the shackles on its arms were too large to really stop it from pulling them out. It also seemed to act like the old queen and her drones too, with its face changing shape to express its emotions.

******************************************************************************

Opening the door to the dungeon that held the strange creature, the changeling quickly walked in before closing it just as quickly. After all it wouldn’t do to let this creature loose should it somehow defeat the changeling. Immediately the creature noticed its arrival but otherwise did nothing but watch. The changeling did the same looking for an easy way to follow the orders given to it by it’s queen, Chrysalis.

Slowly the creature stood up and faced the changeling. It raised its arm and moved its hand back and forth. And it spoke and the changeling was slightly surprised at it speaking the same language as the ponies that were hundreds of feet above them going about their day.

“Uhm hi...strange...horse...insect...thing. I really hope you understand me and didn’t just wander into this place somehow” -the creature stopped moving its hand and placed its arm down- “if you can talk can you tell me where I am and why I’m here?

“This one is capable of speech. This one also know where you are and why. This one will tell you before this one follows this one’s queen’s orders and eliminates you. This one placed you here after you appeared above this one and fell on this one. This one’s queen ordered you to be eliminated if you awoke before this one’s queen came back. this one moved you to an unused dungeon of this one’s queen’s temporary hive as to prevent you and this one to be in other drone’s paths.”

The creature blinked and opened its mouth before closing it. it did so several times before regaining its abilities to speak. “Wait queen? hive? ELIMINATE? PLEASE tell me that eliminate does not mean kill, ‘cause I would rather not have to fight right now. if I have to I’ll just use one of my...contracts..." -the creature’s eyes widened- “Why cant i feel my contracts? That’s impossible. NOTHING can completely block out a contract let alone multiple ones, muffle? yes. But...they aren’t being blocked... I don’t even fee- MY CONTRACTS ARE GONE? THAT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN I CHANGE CLASSES! AND I'M STILL AN INVOKER DAMN IT! OH AND ITS NOT LIKE THEY WERE FORCIBLY REMOVED EITHER CAUSE THAT WOULD HAVE KILLED ME! OH NO THEY WERE REMOVED WITHOUT MY CONSENT, LEFT NO HOLES IN MY SOUL TO CAUSE MY DEATH, AND I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER IT HAPPENING, CAUSE I KNOW THAT ANYTHING REMOVING PARTS OF MY SOUL I WOULD FEEL EVEN IF I WAS UNCONSCIOUS!”

******************************************************************************

This one is...surprised. This one could feel the rage, the sorrow, and the fear rolling off of the creature. And what it spoke of...contracts? parts of its soul? classes? Invoker? The things it spoke of were strange, this one knew of souls yes, but nothing that like what this creature was speaking of. It spoke as if a part or parts of its very soul were gone... Even this one knew that nothing can live with a partial soul. What are these “contracts” the creature spoke of? This one could feel a great love for what ever they are. So much love and care...This one is...hungry...

“Creature-” the changeling paused so it had the creatures full attention “- What are these “contracts” you speak of? The lose of them has caused you great emotion unrest, so they must be important to you, yes?”

The creature, still a veritable volcano of emotions, took a deep breath before speaking in a slightly monotone voice not unlike the changeling’s.

“A Contract is a bond that is only capable of forming for those that are of the Contractor Job. It is a swear between the Contractor and the creature or being that is forming the contract. For most it is a swear for protection and care, for others it is a way to gain strength. But a contract can only for between two WILLING participants. The Contractor Job has only three classes unlike the other two jobs, Defender and Magician, which both have six classes. This is due to the Contractor Job being the most specialized.”

“I, my name is Leon by the way, am of the second class of Contractor, an Invoker. Invokers are those that invoke the contracts they have formed to preform various spells and skills. Using the Contracts cause them to become stronger and in-turn causing those named in the contract to grow stronger as well. The Contracts formed by the Contractor are stored in the both Contractor’s soul and the creature or being’s soul. This is so that those named in the Contract are soul bound to uphold the swear the contract was made upon.”

This one has never heard of such a thing... If this creature, this “Leon” was speaking the truth then would that mean that this one could be fed until “Leon” was dead? That this one would no longer have to worry about being discovered by the hive-mind and being eliminated? But these Contracts sound like magic... How could this “Leon” preform magic? It had no horns to channel it like this one’s queen, or like the old queen, or like the old queen’s drone that were called “unicorns”...

“This one wonders how “Leon” preforms magic? These Contracts are magic, they can be nothing else... correct?”

“Leon” blinked and spoke in the same monotone as before, though this one held a taste of respect and confusion. “Contracts are formed by Syn. Syn, as many know, is the the power of the soul manifested as mystical energy, otherwise called magic. There are seven types or elements of Syn; Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Light, Dark, and Shadow. Each user of Syn is only capable of using the Syn they are aligned with, in my case Shadow. So yes Contracts are magic. I channel my Syn using mental and vocal commands, others have channeled it through weapons or staffs. Each Syn has a strength and weakness with one exception. Shadow Syn is neutral, it isn’t strong nor weak to any element of Syn. The cycle of strength and weakness goes as such; Fire consumes Air. Air scatters Earth. Earth Absorbs Water. Water drenches Fire. Light and Dark Syn are only strong and weak against each other. Light pushes Dark. Dark covers Light.”

This one was interested. These “Contracts” and “Syn”... They give this one hope, such a strange feeling to have hope. “This one wishes to enter into a contract with “Leon”. That is if “Leon” is willing to provide care and protection to this one.”

******************************************************************************

This being wants a contract with me? It’s requests shouldn’t be that hard and well seeing as how MY CONTRACTS ARE GONE,deep breath, I should make some new ones soon in case I need to defend myself.

“Alright if you want then we can form a contract” -the creature nodded its head- “ok here goes.”

“Thou wishes to form a binding with this Contractor. In return for care and protection form all that wish harm to thou dost thou agree to aid and guide this Contractor in all that he does?” -the being nodded and said yes- “Then by the mixing of our essences we shall be bond by contract till the end of one, till the completion of our contract, by Syn it shall be!”

I quickly bit my thumb hard enough to draw blood before presenting it to the creature in front of me, hoping that it understood what to do. Thankfully it did after a small glance between me and my bleeding thumb. It raised its front left leg to its mouth before I heard a crunch and cracks appeared along its leg as well as a dark black ichor. Stretching my hand out again, thumb first, the being mimicked me and held its hoof up to my hand. Mere centimeters away I felt a shock and could only think one thing as our essences, our blood came into contact and I blacked out.

“Oh shit, this is gonna hurt.”