Adventures in Interning: Kaytlyn Recruits a Talisman

    Kaytlyn’s druid training had reached the point where the only way to advance further was to find a talisman to focus her magic through. The young fennec wanted a bladed staff like her mentor, the Archdruid, but her parents quickly shot that down. While her brick made an excellent concealable weapon, it could not focus Kaytlyn’s power. There was only one choice left for the druid in training: to try to summon an avatar of the wild to be her companion.

    In a secluded portion of the Grove of the Harvest Druid, Kaytlyn set up all the necessary items to begin the ritual. The druid trainee set out a  plate full of different types of food alongside a bowl of water with some sweet-smelling ritual herbs. Everything was carefully in place as the sandy-furred fox sat cross-legged before the offering. Meditation was still tricky for Kaytlyn to entirely focus on expanding her awareness of nature. She called for a guide to help with the fennec’s magical journey. After roughly twenty minutes of sitting on the ground, eyes closed and not feeling anything, Kaytlyn opened her eyes to find a Cape penguin standing there.

    “Are you lost, mister bird,” the druid trainee asked the penguin, confused. She had seen pictures of penguins in books, though they lived in the far south.

    “My name is Franz L. Pengy, and you have summoned me,” the penguin answered in a posh accent without moving its beak. It startled Kaytlyn so much that she fell back out of surprise when it talked. Franz shuffled over to look down on her. “Are you quite alright, ma’am? If you need healing, all you need to do is send me some of your magic.”

    “No, no, I’m fine,” Kaytlyn insisted as she sat back up. “You, my companion? The talisman creature that is supposed to help me complete my magical journey?” It was hard to believe that this black and white penguin, much shorter than herself, was Kaytlyn’s wild companion. Secretly, she had been hoping for an owlbear.

    “Ma’am, I have been many things in the lifetimes I have existed on this plane, including a lawyer, doctor, dancer, and a sign maker, but that was before the war,” Franz replied as it waddled over to the plate of food. No fish was on the plate, but that didn’t stop the aquatic bird from eating all the fruits, vegetables, and dried meats. “You can use me as a magical battery, a messenger, or a combat helper. The choice is up to you if you should choose to seal our pact.”

    “As a druid of the Harvest Circle, I hereby seal our pact,” Kaytlyn declares after a few moments of thought. Franz may not have been her first choice, but he was the one who showed up, and his accent was fun. A parchment with a quill dipped in ink appeared on the ground before Kaytlyn.

    “Fancy words are nice, but if you could go ahead and sign that paper there, then we can start making magic,” the penguin said as they finished the food on the plate. A lot of tiny print covered the parchment with words that Kaytlyn didn’t know, so she skipped it all and just signed at the bottom. What could be hidden in a pact with a druid companion anyway? A rush of magical energy flooded the area and flowed into Kaytlyn. “There we go; your potential has expanded and sealed our bond.”

    “Let’s go tell the Archdruid! She’ll be excited to meet you,” Kaytlrn exclaimed as she felt her magical pool expanding. Archdruid Violet was excited to see that Kaytlyn formed a pact with a companion animal. However, there was something about the penguin that felt familiar in a weird sort of way.